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Sean Hannity: I Can Laugh at Myself, But Jokes About Me Aren’t Funny

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Sean Hannity is often the subject of criticism from the other side of the political aisle in media circles. That doesn’t mean he ever laughs at the critiques, though.

While criticizing President Joe Biden’s appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Hannity said the lack of humor shown on some cable news channels has matriculated to the late-night genre.

“Seth Meyers, like most of these late-night hosts, is just not funny. They’re not smart, they’re not funny, they’re not witty,” The Sean Hannity Show host said. “They’re just nothing but an extension of MSDNC (sic), and fake news CNN. At least be funny.”

Hannity, who questioned why the President would appear on Meyers’ show when he routinely averages less than a million viewers per episode, then quipped that he can laugh at himself as long as the criticism is genuine comedy.

“Be funny. I don’t care if it’s about me, be funny. And if you’re funny, I’ll laugh along with you. But anyway, it’s all the whole thing seemed like, but nobody saw it anyway. So why am I why am I giving it any mention at all? I don’t know.”

AM/FM Radio Still Dominates Rural Areas, New Edison Report Shows

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Podcasting has seen expansive growth in recent years. However, AM/FM radio remains the biggest audio medium in rural areas, according to a new study from Edison Research.

In numbers released in the company’s latest Share of Ear data shows that citizens in urban settings listened to podcasts at double the rate of those in rural areas. 13% of an Urban dweller’s daily audio time is spent listening to podcasts, compared to just 6% for those in rural areas. Suburban listeners spent 11% of their time with podcasts.

In rural areas, 43% of time spent with audio was with AM/FM radio, compared to 36% for suburban and 34% for urban dwellers.

Despite the fluctuations in mediums, both rural and urban listeners spent nearly identical percentages of their daily audio between the two mediums. Those in Urban areas spent 47% of their time with AM/FM radio and podcasting. Meanwhile, 49% of daily audio time for Rural listeners was spent between the two formats.

“You’ll see that in combination these numbers are essentially the same – between 47% and 49%. It appears that the ‘time budget’ for radio and podcasting combined is consistent across locations – it is just the apportionment of that time that varies,” Edison Research shared in a blog post discussing the findings.  

Scripps Names Kate O’Brian President of News as Sean McLaughlin Departs

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Sean McLaughlin, Senior Vice President of Local at the E.W. Scripps Co., has announced his departure. The company has subsequently named Kate O’Brian as its new President of News.

Previously, O’Brian had been in charge of national news outlets, Scripps News, and Court TV for the company since joining in 2021.

“Kate O’Brian is a skilled executive and journalist who embodies our responsibility to serve American audiences nationally and locally. This new structure puts oversight for the entire company’s news and editorial strategy under her leadership,” Scripps CEO Adam Symson said in a statement to Broadcasting+Cable. 

“Scripps will maintain locally run, locally focused newsrooms serving each of our local markets, and at the same time we will coordinate our local and national reporting for the benefit of all our audiences, including for Scripps News’ network,” Symson said.

Symson added that the company will seek a new SVP of Local News, with that new hire reporting directly to O’Brian.

In a post to social media announcing his exit, McLaughlin called his time at the company a rewarding one.

“Leading the local news division at Scripps since 2014 has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Working with some of the most talented people in the industry, united behind a mission to elevate the quality of local journalism, modernize the approach and serve our communities even better,” wrote McLaughlin.

“As I move to the next chapter in my journey, I thank everyone who I have had the honor of working with at this crucial time in our industry. I thank Scripps for allowing me to help lead the mission. For all the journalists and editorial leaders: Keep fighting the fight. What we do is more important than ever. A heart-felt thanks to everyone who has reached out today. Your words have been kind and more meaningful than I can express.”

Common Man and T-Bone Do a ‘Show That’s Not a Show’ On Leap Day on 97.1 The Fan

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97.1 The Fan in Columbus afternoon show Common Man & T-Bone does not believe they should have a show on Leap Day. So, they have decided to do a show that isn’t a show, and listeners will only hear whatever they plan to do if they listen live. Since what they will be doing will not be a show, there will be no podcast made of what is aired from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET, prior to the station going to Ohio State basketball pregame.

Mike Ricordati and Jonathan Smith realize they are not getting paid for this extra show, hence the reason they have decided to do a show that is not a show. They have even made a doctor’s note for listeners to give to their bosses.

The letter says, in part, “This episode is so extraordinary that it will not be made available via podcast, making live listening imperative. The comedic brilliance, the insightful banter, and the sheer entertainment value of this broadcast demands uninterrupted dedication.”

Dave Portnoy ‘Doesn’t Think’ Jared Carrabis Will Be Back at Barstool Sports

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Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy doesn’t think a former employee will be back with the company. According to Portnoy, former Barstool Sports — and now-former DraftKings talent — Jared Carrabis reached out to his former boss to discuss a potential return. However, Portnoy doesn’t see that happening.

On the latest edition of The Unnamed Show, Portnoy said Carrabis reached out to him at 10:40 p.m., just hours after announcing he was leaving DraftKings, and wanted to talk. Portnoy did not speak with Carrabis for long because he was going to sleep, and that was the extent of his conversation. However, Portnoy did reveal that while he didn’t initially know Carrabis was leaving DraftKings, he did know of a “competitive offer” given to Carrabis from another media entity.

When co-host Ryan Whitney flatly asked Portnoy if Carrabis made the company any money, Portnoy responded in the negative, which may answer the question of if Carrabis will return or not.

“He’s like the Katie Nolan of baseball,” Portnoy said of Carrabis. “Failing upwards, downwards, not really bringing in any money, but just going network to network.” Whitney quickly reminded Portnoy that Katie Nolan has an Emmy, won for her work in 2016 on Garbage Time with Katie Nolan, her former FS1 show.

“I like Jared, a lot,” Portnoy continued. “Would he bring in any revenue for this company? No…He’s like (popular NBA Twitter user) WorldWideWob, who has bounced around from like a million companies and actually I don’t think brought value to any of them. [Carrabis] has his own social thing, if the Red Sox win the World Series, you can make the money back on his merch.”

Portnoy, Whitney, and fellow co-host Kirk Minihane then speculated about revenue from hockey versus baseball and the other company involved in the negotiations with Carrabis. Minihane thought Carrabis could return to MLB Network in a greater capacity, but Portnoy didn’t think the broadcast arm of MLB would pay him enough. However, Dave admits that everything the trio discussed was hearsay and doesn’t know the specifics of any sort of deal.

“From what I’ve gathered, he’s not going to end up here because he still wants what I would say is too much money for us,” Portnoy said. “Maybe if I’d matched or got close to the perceived offer — no one’s told me what the offer is. I have what I feel like is a relationship with DraftKings where I have an idea of what they put on the table and if he said no to that, it ain’t going to work here.”

Long Snapper Bradley Schwartz Commits to LIU Live on WFAN and CBS Sports Network

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In what was being billed as the first time a long snapper made a college commitment live on radio and TV, Bradley Schwartz committed to Long Island Univeristy this morning on ‘Boomer and Gio’ which airs on WFAN and also CBS Sports Network. Schwartz is the son of BSM feature writer Peter Schwartz, who is best known for his extensive time at WFAN.

Peter Schwartz, along with his wife Sheryl, and two sons Bradley and Jared all joined in the studio as Gregg Giannotti and Boomer Esiason set up the announcement. They noted there was a buzz in the air as Esiason said, “I am excited, actually getting nervous.”

Bradley Schwartz was making his decision from a final four that included Western Connecticut, Pace, Long Island University and Wagner. Many of the show contributors chose Wagner as the school they were hoping for, while ‘Gio’ went with LIU.

Before the announcement happened, Giannotti said to proud father Peter Schwartz, “This is a pretty cool moment, huh?”

“This is pretty cool,” Schwartz said. “I cant say I ever thought we would have a moment like this. We knew he would pick a college but to do it in this setting is just unbelievable for the whole family.”

Noting that nobody in the studio, including Boomer Esiason, had an actual high school recruitment (Esiason attended Maryland which was was the only school to offer him a scholarship), Giannotti asked Bradley Schwartz about the process. “It was a lot of fun, I thank all the coaches and the schools that did recruit me. It’s a once in a lifetime experience to get recruited out of high school and I am truly grateful to everyone who was a part of that.”

Bradley said he had played center and was a long snapper from a young age, but had two, much larger, centers in front of him in high school. So, he decided in 10th grade to specialize in long snapping as his way to get on the field. He ultimately became the top long snapping recruit in the state of New York.

“I just want to thank you two, Boomer and Gio, for allowing me to be the first college commit on your show,” Schwartz said as he got closer to announcing which of the schools he would attend. “It’s been a long two year recruitment.”

Schwartz thanked his previous coaches and trainers, his high school coaches, his teammates, his family and more before making the reveal. “With that being said, I will be playing my next few years of football at Long Island University.”

As a surprise to Schwartz, Boomer and Gio brought on Thomas Hennessy, the long snapper for the New York Jets, who told Schwartz, “I just want to say congrats to you, that’s awesome. I hope you have a great career at LIU.”

Tim Conway Jr. Recounts Time Richard Lewis Walked Out of Interview

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Actor and comedian Richard Lewis died Tuesday at the age of 76. KFI AM-640 afternoon host Tim Conway Jr. remembered the comedian fondly, despite one negative on-air interaction.

Known for his role on Curb Your Enthusiasm alongside Larry David, Lewis became a beloved Hollywood figure. Conway Jr. noted that the star was a regular guest on his program, especially during his time at KSLX, but one in-studio interview led to Lewis storming out.

“He was a very sweet man. He came on, I don’t know, maybe 10 or 15 times with us. And he was always willing to come on. He was always very funny. Very, very smart man,” Conway Jr. said. “We were over at KLSX and I accidentally — accidentally — farted while he was on the show. He heard it, put down his headphones, and said, ‘I don’t know how the hell you guys get guests on the show.'”

Tim Conway Jr. continued by noting he didn’t know, at the time, why that interaction was such a triggering event for Richard Lewis. He later learned more.

“He was like a germ freak. I ran into Richard Lewis. I ran into him about three or four times at Art’s Deli over the years, and I sat down with him once. I introduce myself, he says ‘Oh yeah, you got a radio show.’ And I say ‘Listen, I’m really sorry. About 20 years ago, you came on with us. And you walked off the show after I farted.’

“And he’s like ‘I did?’ And I said ‘Yeah, you did.’ And he said ‘I’m sorry…Give me your phone number because I’ll come on your show anytime.’ So I gave him my phone number, and I texted him twice. He never texted back and never called back.”

Conway Jr. noted that the only other guests to leave the show in the middle of an interview was comedian/actor Caroline Rea and stand-up comedian Gallagher.

Locked On Podcast Network Reaches 300 Million Listens and Views in 2023

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The Locked On Podcast Network recently announced it reached an impressive milestone in 2023 — 300 million audio downloads and video views to sports fans from across the country in 2023. This represented a 37 percent increase compared to the previous year.

During its parent company TEGNA’s annual earnings call, it was also reported that the Locked On Podcast Network received over 30 million listens in October, its most ever for a single month, shattering the previous record of 27 million in September. The entire network published 53,314 podcast episodes in 2023.

The end of 2023 capped off an equally impressive start to the year for the podcast network, which saw a 44 percent growth during the first six months of the year. Its college sports podcasts were a key driver of that growth, fueling an increase of 149 percent compared to last year.

The network has also expanded its content offerings into video, something that continues to be a significant growth engine for its shows. Locked On’s video views increased by 95 percent year-over-year on YouTube and multiple OTT platforms. Its audience consumed 1,622,626,772 minutes of video sports coverage. Back in November, the company launched a 24/7 stream of content on its YouTube channel, which attracted 60,000 viewers in its first week.

For the uninitiated, the Locked On Podcast Network is a robust podcast network made up of local hosts from cities across the United States. Cities featured include New York, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Miami, Houston, and more.

Bill Hillgrove, Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers Radio Voice, Stepping Down

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Bill Hillgrove, who has called Pittsburgh Steelers games on radio for 30 years, has announced he is stepping down. Hillgrove started calling games on the Steelers Radio Network in 1994 when he took over for Jack Fleming, who was the voice of the team from 1965 to 1993.

Hillgrove was a guest on The Big K Morning Show on KDKA in Pittsburgh and said, “I think I harken back to the words of [former Steelers head coach] Chuck Noll, ‘If you’re thinking about it, then maybe it’s time,'” said Hillgrove. “I’ve been mulling this over for a while. There are so many reasons, but I think the chief reason for me is the fact that it gets me to spend more time with the family and I still have half a weekend left when I do a Pitt game…there’s a lot of factors here, but the bottom line was it was probably time to start a new chapter.”

Hillgrove called a total of 460 Steelers games, 35 playoff games and four Super Bowls, with the Steelers winning two of those. “To be able to do four [Super Bowls] in 30 years, a lot of NFL broadcasters never had that opportunity,” he said.

“Bill Hillgrove’s contributions to both the Steelers Radio Network and the Steelers organization have spanned nearly three decades that included him serving as our play-by-play announcer for four Super Bowl appearances and countless other memorable games during his tenure,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said. “He has played a major role in broadcasting to our amazing fans on our radio network, but he also found time to be part of so many special events since he began working alongside the great Myron Cope on the airwaves in 1994. Bill will truly be missed by Steelers Nation, but we are excited for him and his family to enjoy his retirement.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Leaving NBC NASCAR Coverage for Prime Video & TNT Sports in 2025

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One of the biggest names in NASCAR history is leaving his longtime media home for greener pastures. According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is leaving NBC to provide analysis for Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports’ NASCAR coverage that begins next season.

Marchand says Earnhardt Jr. will take 2024 off and return to the airwaves in 2025. Both TNT Sports and Prime Video will instantly have a recognizable, legitimate voice for their NASCAR coverage, similar to how both companies legitimized their NHL and NFL coverage, respectively, with splashy hires. TNT hired former NBC voices Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk to man their hockey booth, while Prime Video brought in Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit to call Thursday Night Football games.

Earnhardt Jr. was unsure of his future with NBC as recently as three weeks ago. The former driver of the 88 car said on his podcast, “My contract with NBC…was up at the end of last year. I’m currently working through what that looks like for me. I definitely love being in the broadcast booth and want to continue doing that.” During the conversation, Earnhardt Jr. revealed that he’d spoken to various NASCAR TV partners about joining their broadcast teams. We speculated that Earnhardt could join Prime Video to be the Al Michaels-level hire — and that prediction manifested into reality.

Marchand notes that, as a free agent, Earnhardt Jr. could still work for FOX or even NBC in 2024. However, he says there’s “nothing substantial” between Jr. and the networks at this time.

As for NBC, there’s no word yet on who will replace Jr. on its coverage, but there’s no bad blood — at least publicly.

“Dale Earnhardt Jr. is beloved in the NASCAR world and has made numerous contributions to NBC Sports, from his work as an analyst on our NASCAR coverage to his experiences as a correspondent at major events like the Indianapolis 500, the Kentucky Derby, the Super Bowl, and the Olympics,” an NBC Sports spokesperson told The Athletic. “We thank Dale and we wish him the best going forward.”