Every move at ESPN is scrutinized. Both internal and external brains put every decision and change under a microscope looking for evidence of either failure or genius. Justin Craig has heard all of the opinions about what goes on at his company, especially at the radio network. He has had a front row seat for changes both to the on air product and behind the scenes operations.
The latest ESPN Radio lineup debuted just as the football season was getting under way. Craig, who has served as the network’s Senior Director of Network Talk and Operations since 2017, likes what he has heard so far.
“We’ve been going since September 5th, and to know where we are and where we have the potential to go is very exciting,” he says. “The continuous growth on every show in front of the mic and behind the mic is what’s most exciting.”
Layoffs at the Walt Disney Company hit ESPN Radio particularly hard last year. Losing good people is never a positive, but it did require Craig and his colleagues to come up with a new strategy. What they settled on seems like a no-brainer in hindsight: why not trust the radio network to radio professionals?
It started with the announcement that Evan Cohen would be coming to the network from SiriusXM to join Chris Canty and Michelle Smallmon in morning drive. Then network personalities Chris Carlin and Joe Fortenbaugh, veterans of sports talk radio in New York and San Francisco respectively, were put in middays. ESPN Radio stalwart Freddie Coleman would move to afternoon drive to work with Harry Douglas.
There was a time when ESPN wanted its radio network to be filled with its TV stars. Now, Craig had the chance to stock it with dyed-in-the-wool radio professionals. So far, it has paid off. He can see it in the way the audience responds to every question asked on air.
“In these last five months, you’re really starting to see some traction where we are a part of the routine of our listeners and we are building an audience.”
It’s the beginning of a long journey though. Justin Craig has built radio lineups before and knows nothing is ever a finished product. Even if the puzzle pieces fit together perfectly, there is always room to improve and make the finished product a little crisper and clearer.
“Our mission is to serve fans anytime, anywhere. I think we’ve always done that,” he says. “Like anything, any good lineup needs some tuning. Everything needs to be fine tuned. I think we’re at a point where people are looking at us saying, ‘I can I understand what they’re talking about. I feel good about what I’m listening to.’”
I’ll own that I am one of the many that have looked at the ESPN Radio lineup in the past and wondered “what about this is special?”. Craig has heard and read it all – every critique, every prediction, every suggestion.
Maybe the days of tentpole talent are over in national sports talk. Maybe the competitive landscape has changed in a way that you can’t rely on swiping talent from rival companies and expect their audience to come with them. Craig is confident that if there is such a thing as “the next big sports radio star,” ESPN is going to find it.
“We’re nonstop looking to find talent from all over the country in various locations,” he says. “It’s not the traditional wait for someone to give you a call. No, you’re always looking. You’re always trying to find, ‘all right, who is it?’. I don’t think we’re in a position in the industry anymore where you just take one person and think, okay, this is, the gold standard. Everybody has to live up to that. I think because it’s so different in every market and every company that you’re trying to perform for that there isn’t a true model that says, ‘well, this has worked in other places, so it should work here too.’”
He isn’t just looking for people. He is also looking for information. What types of creative investments are paying off? How is the audience consuming content? What kind of content is memorable and driving people that stumbled on a show to become an evangelist for it?
That’s why Justin Craig keeps coming back to the BSM Summit. Sure, he wants to hear what will be said on stage at the Ailey Center in March, but it’s more about the conversations he will have in the hallways and at receptions.
“I consider it a space that is a lot like what Radio Row used to be ten, twelve, fifteen years ago,” he says. “That was the spot where you could go and hang out and meet people and see different people, and everyone pitches their wares and feels really proud of themselves. When you get something that’s this much more hyper-focused on the industry and the growth and the development of the industry, that is just a chance to hang out and talk, and you’re talking to people that are interested and excited and passionate and really thrilled to see where this industry is going to be taking itself, that’s what I like.”
Craig will see plenty of familiar faces in the room, old friends and rivals that he has had relationships with for years. There will also be plenty of fresh faces. It’s the young people that will see Craig shake hands with the likes of Don Martin or Mitch Rosen and feel the way you did when you found out that Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant were actually friends outside the ring.
Keeping the secret sauce a secret isn’t that important. Sports media is changing so much that Craig says there is a lot of value in letting others know what is working for you. More successful people and companies mean the industry is in a good place. That is what he wants to see.
For that to be not just a reality, but a sustained reality, it’s important to Craig that he do more listening than talking when approached by one of those fresh faces.
“There are many conversations that I’ve had with people at the summit and in and around the industry that I actually look forward to having further dialog. I want them to tell me how they consume it, because that’s the real barometer. You know, is someone sitting, in, classes thinking, ‘boy, I would love to be the next local or network radio star’ or they thinking, ‘I just want to be a star.’ There’s a difference.”
Justin Craig’s professional life is a bit of a whirlwind right now, but that is a good thing. He is challenged by and excited about the new era of ESPN Radio. He’s in a constant state of fluctuation between teaching and learning. Frankly, it’s a headspace he wants to be in. It’s the only way to ensure that you are getting better yourself as you focus on making your product the very best it can be.
