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Jon Jansen: Conversation About Not Watching Super Bowl Because of Taylor Swift was “Exhausting and Stupid”

BSM Staff
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Mike Stone and Jon Jansen spent time this morning on 97.1 The Ticket talking about the Super Bowl television ratings. CBS Sports and the NFL announced Super Bowl LVIII was the most-watched telecast in history with an average total audience delivery of 123.4 million viewers across various platforms. More than 200 million viewers watched all or part of Super Bowl LVIII making the game the highest unduplicated total audience in history at 202.4 million.

The Stoney and Jansen hosts talked about hearing from Lions fans last week who said they would not watch the game because “this whole Taylor Swift thing might ruin football and it’s a conspiracy theory.” After noting the national rating for the game

Noting how many people watched at least a part of the game, or even just the halftime show, Stone said, “Football is king and that’s just the way it’s going to be for awhile. No other sport is going to come close to it…Obviously the Taylor Swift thing, it really didn’t bother people.”

Jansen added, “That whole conversation is exhausting and stupid. If you aren’t going to watch [a game] because they are going to show somebody in the stands. That to me is dumb. It doesn’t sound like all of those Lions fans that weren’t going to watch the game affected the ratings.”

The show then played a clip of the Korean call of the final play of the game and Jansen quipped, “That honestly sounded better than Tony Romo.”

Greg Kelly: I’m the Only Media Member Diving Into Report on Biden’s Memory Loss

BNM Staff
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Greg Kelly: I’m the Only Media Member Diving Into Report on Biden’s Memory Loss

More than 120 million Americans watched the Super Bowl Sunday. 77 WABC host Greg Kelly wasn’t one of them, claiming there are too many important issues facing the nation to spend hours watching football.

During The Greg Kelly Show Monday, the New York-based host said he only watched two minutes of the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the San Francisco 49ers because he was focused on uncovering underreported topics.

“There’s really important stuff going on. I don’t care if I sound like a party pooper or whatever. You know what I did with this weekend? I read — and I’m not even all the way through it, to be honest — the Robert Hur investigation into Joe Biden and the documents,” said Kelly. “I’ll tell you why I’m going into it. Because nobody else is. It’s astonishing to me, the stuff that is in this report that is not being reported.”

He continued by noting his belief that the explosive report that claimed one of the reasons President Joe Biden was avoiding punishment for his handling of classified documents is due to his stature as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” was an eye-opener for others in the media.

“Everybody is feasting on that thing about Joe Biden’s ‘Remember when Beau died’ and doesn’t remember when he was Vice President…Guess what? Joe Biden is actually playing up the memory loss as a legal strategy, alright? That’s a whole other thing when we get to, but let’s pretend for a moment that he actually is losing his memory like that. Well, I already knew that. You already knew that. I mean, it’s interesting and fun that a government lawyer actually put that in a government report. Wow. Now, the mainstream media have to confront it.”

Meghan Ottolini: Tony Romo’s Not Bringing Enough to the Broadcast for Me

BSM Staff
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Jones and Mego hosts Adam Jones and Meghan Ottolini, along with producer Christian Arcand, spent time on Monday afternoon’s show talking about the CBS broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo. The WEEI hosts mentioned mistakes made by Romo during the broadcast and Ottolini was very direct in her response to Jones asking, “So, you didn’t like Romo last night?”

“I did not enjoy it,” she said. “It’s fine that he’s going to be a weirdo, he’s going to sing into commercial breaks and do things that are a little uncomfortable…that’s his personality, he’s putting it out there. He’s not bringing enough to the broadcast for me.”

Ottolini continued, “Maybe this is like pot calling kettle, but he just rambles and rambles and rambles and nothing of substance comes out.”

The hosts did agree that Romo was better during his stand-up hits at the beginning of the broadcast and at halftime when it was just Romo and Nantz talking. However, the in-game moments were when they believed Romo struggled.

“I think if he was in an Orlovsky type role he’d be good at that, he would be good in studio,” Ottolini said referring to ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky who does a lot of studio analyst work. “But in the booth, it’s awkward, it’s not adding enough and then moments like the end of that game, it’s very frustrating.”

Another example pointed out by the crew where they believed Romo came up short were the instances when Chiefs players seemed to let their emotions get the best of them. One such instance was when Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice and Patrick Mahomes were yelling at each other on the sidelines and the other was Travis Kelce getting heated at head coach Andy Reid. Ottolini believed these were times when Romo really could have added to the broadcast and given the viewers some great knowledge, but he failed to do so.

“Hey Tony, part of this is your job,” she said. “You were in the league, you’ve been on the sidelines, you’ve had confrontations with teammates and coaches before…you had meetings with these guys for days leading up to the game, anything that you can give us here?”

The hosts mentioned Romo does not come off like someone who has prepared and researched for the games he is doing and that there is a lack of chemistry between Nantz and Romo. Jones even went as far as saying, “I think Nantz sneaky hates [Romo] now.”

Prior to the Super Bowl, Jim Nantz was asked by SI’s Jimmy Traina about his throughts on working with Romo and the criticism he has received. “I am going to use my own judgement for how the broadcasts are going,” Nantz said. “I couldn’t be happier. I love working with Tony…Our chemistry is great. Our time together is just like it is on the air. We have a lot of laughter, a lot of fun. We see silliness, sometimes we bring that to the air. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt, that’s humor.”

680 WCBM Host Kimberly Klacik Announces Maryland Congressional Run

BNM Staff
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680 WCBM midday host Kimberly Klacik has announced she intends to run for Congress in Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District.

In a post to social media, Klacik announced her candidacy for the position.

“Excited to announce I have filed to run in Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District. It’s currently an open seat & redistricted, making it competitive for a Republican to flip,” said Klacik.

The 2nd Congressional District of Maryland is currently represented by C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D). He is in his 11th term representing the district.

It isn’t the first Congressional run for Klacik. She previously ran for election in 2020 in Maryland’s 7th Congressional District. She was elected to a role with the Baltimore County Republican Committee in 2018 and is currently the President of the Baltimore County Republicans Club.

The 42-year-old Klacik has hosted the 9 AM-noon timeslot on WCBM in Baltimore since 2023. She previously hosted at WBAL Newsradio until departing the station in November 2022.

Paramount Eliminating 800 Jobs in Round of Layoffs

BNM Staff
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Paramount Eliminating 800 Jobs in Round of Layoffs

Paramount Global is laying off a reported 800 employees in a round of reductions that will affect 3% of its workforce.

“These adjustments will help enable us to build on our momentum and execute our strategic vision for the year ahead — and I firmly believe we have much to be excited about,” CEO Bob Bakish wrote in a note to employees Tuesday, according to CNBC.

According to securities filings, the company closed 2022 with 24,500 full-time employees.

The layoffs are not a surprise. Late last month, Bakish alerted employees that layoffs were around the corner, stating, “Our priority is to drive earnings growth. And we’ll get there by growing our revenue while closely managing costs — a balance that will require every team, division, and brand to be aligned.”

The news of widespread cuts comes on the heels of reporting that suggests Byron Allen has placed a $30 billion bid to purchase Paramount Global, which includes linear television products like CBS, Nickelodeon, BET, and Comedy Central.

The company also owns the Paramount+ streaming service, which continues to hemorrhage money. In the third quarter alone the platform lost $238 million. Fourth quarter revenue figures will be released later this month.

Glenn Beck: ‘We Don’t All Have to Agree’ at TheBlaze

BNM Staff
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Glenn Beck: ‘We Don’t All Have to Agree’ at TheBlaze

Glenn Beck has built a strong conservative media competitor with TheBlaze. However, he believes the company doesn’t feature everyone in lockstep with his opinions, and he prefers it that way.

During The Glenn Beck Program Monday, Beck was discussing the Super Bowl, and the reaction to a commercial from the #HeGetsUs group advocating for people to return to church and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

That’s when the longtime nationally syndicated host argued that one of the benefits of his media company is the idea that not everyone needs to agree with each other, pointing to the reaction from one of his digital hosts as proof.

“Some people have a problem — in fact, let me read Steve Deace, who I really like, I just happened to disagree with him. But that is the glory of TheBlaze,” said Beck. “We don’t all have to agree, and we don’t force each other to agree. ‘You will say this!’ No. We’re against the whole fascistic brainwashing kind of thing.”

Beck then read Deace’s post on X about the #HeGetsUs ad, which argued the commercial was a misrepresentation of Jesus.

“I disagree. I’m not mad at this ad at all,” Beck said. “I think it was — it could have been done better by really pointing out our real differences.”

Beck’s comments on disagreements inside his company are similar to those made by The Daily Wire CEO Jeremy Boreing last year after a public spat between co-founder Ben Shapiro and host Candace Owens for her comments about the Israel/Hamas conflict. At the time, Boreing said the company had “a desire not to regulate the speech of our hosts, even when we disagree with them.”

Saga Communications Enters Indiana With Purchase of Neuhoff Media’s Lafayette Cluster

BNM Staff
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Saga Communications Enters Indiana With Purchase of Neuhoff Media’s Lafayette Cluster

As Nehoff Media continues its exit from the radio business, it has sold its entire holdings in the Lafayette, IN market to Saga Communications.

Included in the purchase are 93.5 KHY (rock), 98.7 WASK (classic hits), B102.9 (CHR), K105 (country), and 101.7 The Hammer (sports).

“We regretted missing the opportunity to acquire these stations a number of years ago when the Neuhoff family acquired them. These stations are a great fit for Saga. We see a lot of opportunity with these stations and this market and are pleased that the family has decided to entrust Saga with continuing these stations’ long-standing heritage of serving the Greater Lafayette region,” Saga Communications President and CEO Chris Forgy said. “Saga intends to continue building its business in radio by identifying and acquiring middle market stations in dynamic communities.”

The purchase of the Lafayette cluster marks Saga’s first foray into the Hoosier State. The company currently owns stations in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Earlier this month, Neuhoff Media sold its clusters in Danville and Decatur, Illinois. Currently, the company still owns stations in Bloomington and Springfield, Illinois, but plans to unload them to a buyer in the coming weeks and months.

Nuehoff Media began operations in 1955 after its founding by Roger Neuhoff. The sale of its stations comes after Mike Hulvey, the company’s CEO, announced his intention to depart on April 1st to become the CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau.

Adam Schein Announces the End of ‘Time to Schein’ on CBS Sports Network

BSM Staff
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Adam Schein Announces the End of ‘Time to Schein’ on CBS Sports Network

Adam Schein announced the end of Time to Schein on CBS Sports Network. After eight and a half years, Schein posted to X saying, “Time to Schein, that’s a show & that’s a wrap. Incredibly proud of this fun, fantastic 8 1/2 year run! Going to truly miss making great content with my incredible crew everyday. Excited for what’s next for me on TV/future on CBS. Thanks for watching!”

On air, Schein’s team put a montage together of some of their favorite clips and guests they have had on the show. Then, Schein thanked the viewers for watching and interacting and also CBS Sports. He named off those who helped behind the scenes including producer Malcolm Cone-Coleman, coordinating producer Alison Cohen and director Jake Gidich.

“I appreciate all of them so much, I love you guys,” Schein said. Speaking to his audience he added, “And I appreciate you guys for supporting and watching and I look forward to the future at CBS Sports. So, one final time, from our home at CBS Sports. That, that’s a show, Time to Schein, CBS Sports Network.”

Schein will still be heard each weekday at 8 a.m. ET on Mad Dog Sports Radio on SiriusXM.

Disney Has Created a Complicated Spiderweb for ESPN’s Digital Future

Demetri Ravanos
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Disney Has Created a Complicated Spiderweb for ESPN’s Digital Future

ESPN is ready to take its product directly to cord cutters. How is it going to do that? Well, there are a couple of different ideas. The question is can the two approaches co-exist? Disney CEO Bob Iger wants you to believe they can. I am not so sure that’s true.

Last week on an earnings call, Iger told Disney investors that the company was partnering with Warner Bros. Discovery and FOX to launch an app that would bundle all three companies’ sports properties. Finally, the public would have an option to watch nearly all major sports in their homes without having to subscribe to cable. 

It could be a game changer. There are several challenges to that reality (more on that momentarily). What is certain is that Disney now suddenly has its hands full with determining ESPN’s digital future.

According to Iger, whatever this super app is called, it is different from ESPN+. It is also different from the network’s so-called “Project Flagship,” the plan to make the entire portfolio of networks available as a direct-to-consumer streaming product. It also is different from the linear cable channels.

There are a lot of threads that need to connect. Disney has woven quite the spiderweb here. It’s going to be hard for everything to succeed simultaneously.

Bob Iger is a smart guy. So is Jimmy Pitaro. They know they cannot launch these products without pissing off the likes of Charter, DirecTV and other linear TV providers that had paid carriage fees and distributed the network’s content for decades. 

Even though they are saying something different publicly, I would bet they are smart enough to know that an over-the-top ESPN product cannot co-exist with this super app partnership. ESPN is now its own chief competitor. The network will have to pull out of one project to give the other a fighting chance.

Upon first glance, it’s easy to think that the smartest play is to abandon plans for an ESPN-only streaming product. In fact, the willingness to enter a partnership with WBD and FOX to provide more play-by-play coverage to subscribers suggests what I have been insisting all along is true: the decision to pay for a streaming ESPN will have nothing to do with Stephen A. Smith, Pat McAfee or any other personality. ESPN knows that the only thing a customer will ask him or herself is “do I need this to see all of the games I want to watch?” when deciding if the product is a worthy investment.

So the solution should be simple, right? Forget the 2025 launch date. Forget Project Flagship entirely. If the games are what matter, build the streaming future of ESPN entirely around a product that delivers the most games to the consumer.

But it’s not that simple.

Disney, FOX and WBD are three different companies. Each one has its own agenda. If their super-sports platformed is co-owned equally, how will it accommodate what all three want to accomplish?

It’s similar to the problem Hulu faced when it first launched. Multiple networks and studios participated. Multiple VC firms and investors put money into the venture. Every one of them thought their strategy for Hulu was going to be THE strategy. 

Hulu was kind of a mess when it launched. Some networks made their shows available to stream the day after they aired on linear TV. Some delayed Hulu debuts to be multiple weeks behind their TV networks. Others didn’t make any new shows available, instead providing just their catalog of shows no longer in production. Considering that history, describing this sports venture as “Hulu for sports” feels ominous.

Just think for a minute about all of the conflicts involved. Does Disney compete with itself? The “Hulu for sports” would not only be competing with an ESPN-exclusive streaming service. Hulu, which the company also owns, offers a live TV service. That would be competition too. FOX’s only business these days is live television. Is that company concerned that linear TV providers will punish FOX News because FOX Sports is participating in this venture? How committed to all of this is WBD? The company is invested in sports, but outside of TNT, its cable networks are largely only sports properties during the NCAA Tournament and Major League Baseball’s postseason.

These companies have gone to war for years in an effort to secure live sports rights. That has benefitted MLB, the NBA, NFL and NHL. Now that they are working together, will the leagues feel that they cannot get a fair deal? Maybe NBC and CBS will regret not being part of this partnership, or maybe that skepticism from the leagues will be the lifeline to make those other two networks much more attractive in rights negotiations.

Going digital is the right move for ESPN. Untethering ESPN from cable is the right move for Disney. It’s fair to argue that the company is trying to give its customers as many options to get the network’s games as make sense. Options can help ensure that everyone gets exactly what they want. 

They can also be paralyzing. Consumers may be so overwhelmed that they end up not making a choice at all, or the pool can become so fragmented that none of the options every truly become successful. 

Decades of evidence exist that say live sports matter to TV viewers. ESPN has the most live sports and over those decades, the network has become a cultural icon. I trust Disney will get this right. I am merely skeptical that everything that has been announced will actually end up on the market.

SB LVIII Delivers Most-Watched Telecast in TV History For CBS

Derek Futterman
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CBS Sports and the National Football League have announced that Super Bowl LVIII was the most-watched telecast in history with an average total audience delivery of 123.4 million viewers across various platforms, including CBS, Paramount+, Nickelodeon, Univision and digital properties owned by CBS Sports and the NFL. The metrics are according to Nielsen Fast National data and Adobe Analytics, with final Nielsen numbers to be available on Tuesday.

The championship game, which ended in a 25-22 overtime victory for the Kansas City Chiefs over the San Francisco 49ers, grew its average audience by 7% year-over-year. Kansas City won that championship as well with a victory over Philadelphia and are now winners of the Vince Lombardi Trophy for three of the last five seasons. No team has ever won three consecutive Super Bowl championships, a feat the Chiefs will look to achieve next year.

More than 200 million viewers watched all or part of Super Bowl LVIII across networks, rendering the game with the highest unduplicated total audience in history of 202.4 million. Last year’s game drew a total unduplicated audience of 183.6 million, placing Super Bowl LVIII up 10% compared to last year. The game also achieved a record-setting audience on Paramount+ that made it the most-streamed Super Bowl in history, further demonstrating the growth and appeal of OTT streaming platforms.

For CBS specifically, the network averaged 120 million viewers for its broadcast of the matchup, the largest audience in history for a single network. For the year as a whole, the NFL on CBS garnered its most-watched regular season since the NFL returned to CBS in 1998 in addition to its most-watched postseason since that year as well.

CBS Sports presented programming leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, including NFL Slimetime, You Are Looking Live and The NFL Today. Paramount Global offered two telecasts for the game – the traditional call on CBS and alternate broadcast on Nickelodeon – both of which were available to stream on Paramount+. Additionally, this was the last Super Bowl broadcast under the leadership of CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus, who is retiring from his role this April and will be succeeded by David Berson, the current president of the company.

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