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Is Pat McAfee on Borrowed Time at ESPN?

Jason Barrett
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Is Pat McAfee on Borrowed Time at ESPN?

I initially planned to write about sports radio ratings given that we’ve just released a ton of markets and have a bunch more still to roll out. Then Pat McAfee poured gasoline on a tenured ESPN executive, lit a match, and set him on fire for all to witness. The flames have since spread across ESPN, Disney, Bristol, CT, the South Street Seaport, and all of social media. Once that occurred, I knew I had to change direction.

Last week should have been PR nirvana for ESPN. The network announced growth for GetUp!, First Take, SportsCenter, the NBA Today and its first day of programming in 2024. They also revealed a massive eight-year media rights deal with the NCAA and MegaCast plans for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Most weeks that would have everyone up top and down low walking with an extra pep in their step.

But not this week.

During a conversation with Aaron Rodgers, the Jets Quarterback made a remark that Jimmy Kimmel had every right to be pissed at. Rodgers insinuated that Kimmel would be named as one of Jeffrey Epstein’s associates resulting in the late night host threatening legal action. To connect a popular late night host working under the Disney umbrella to Jeffrey Epstein is irresponsible especially if you don’t have it confirmed. As a result, McAfee had to clean up the mess since it occurred on his show. Then, to make matters worse, Andrew Marchand dropped a column, which raised questions of whether or not McAfee was producing enough impact to warrant the unwanted PR. That set the stage for the next inferno.

On Friday, McAfee didn’t mince words. He called out ESPN Executive Norby Williamson publicly, stating that the tenured boss had been trying to sabotage his show. He suggested that Williamson had been leaking information to make him look bad. That was followed by labeling the ESPN boss an enemy within his own camp. McAfee then explained how Norby blew him off in 2018, leaving him in his office for 45 minutes, making it clear that neither has much respect for the other. He then finished up by mentioning the show’s desire to get it right, and dropped a MF when explaining how others don’t.

When I saw the video, I was both entertained and stunned. Pat’s unafraid approach plays well with talent and fans but suits don’t usually appreciate when they’re publicly embarrassed. McAfee had to know the second he made those comments that he was daring Bob Iger and Jimmy Pitaro to get involved. He labeled Andrew Marchand a rat for the second time in recent months and accused Williamson of doing something without proof. That was the exact same thing that Rodgers did a few days earlier talking about Kimmel.

No matter how much I enjoy McAfee, this part was a mistake. Pat may be right about Norby but if you are going to accuse an executive of sabotage, you better have evidence. In some ways this is a page out of the Howard Stern playbook except this is happening at Disney on ESPN, not on WNBC in the 1980’s. I think most of us expected some type of turbulence between the two but this wasn’t on my bingo card for the first week of 2024.

Let me be clear, I love McAfee’s show. Pat has been a breath of fresh air for sports media for the past seven years and this business needs more talent like him, not less. He oozes passion, energy, insight, he’s committed to his staff, and I applaud him for investing in contributors who help move the needle. I also value his authenticity as a host, and the chemistry and fun that’s shared by the cast on the air. A lot of media people dislike Aaron Rodgers, which I believe is more about their own political views not aligning with the way the Jets QB sees the world yet they watch and react each time he’s on. If you don’t like what Rodgers says, don’t watch or listen. It’s not that hard. The need to try to silence others simply because you disagree is ridiculous.

Having said that, Pat has to be smarter than this. You can’t get personal with a top boss at ESPN and publicly disgrace them when you’re being treated like one of the main faces of a network. You’re being paid handsomely and given free reign to operate how you want on the largest sports network in the world. That same network is owned by Disney and you have to know there are certain lines you just can’t cross.

There’s a certain responsibility that comes with being ‘the man‘. If you want the respect, attention, and financial status that ESPN has made possible, then you have to act like the face of the network. Pat is no longer the underdog, doing it for the brand, and trying to prove he belongs. His plan worked. People dig it. To steal a line from Anchorman 2, he’s a big, fat, giant success. But it’s sort of like a band going from playing clubs to arenas to stadiums. You may want to stay true to your roots and what got you there, but when all the eyes in the world are watching, you’ve got to adjust and become a business not just a performer.

What I’ve been surprised by since Pat joined ESPN has been his increased sensitivity towards media news. He used to be the type of talent who paid little attention to it. Now, he can’t look away. Part of that leads to on-air gold like his reaction on Friday’s show but I can’t help but wonder why a guy who has it all is so concerned by outside noise that he has no control over. He got annoyed when The Athletic ran a poll questioning his fit on College Gameday (for the record, I like him on the show). He took a personal shot at Marchand for reporting how much Aaron Rodgers gets paid to appear, and now he’s put Norby Williamson on blast over a media story.

I haven’t shared this publicly before but it connects to my point about sensitivity. Pat’s twitter account blocked BSM about a year ago. Why? I have no idea. I tried to reach out multiple times and ask but never got a reply. I figured it was someone on his team who didn’t like seeing our posts but considering how much we have promoted him, his show, and even honored him at our 2020 BSM Summit, it was odd. I wondered ‘is there something we wrote that he took exception to?’. Only he or his team knows, and though disappointing, it matters little in the grand scheme of things. But when you allow little things to get to you, they can become big things, and that’s what happened Friday.

While the majority of my focus has been on McAfee, it’s also fair to question Williamson’s role in this process. Norby has been with the company for a long time. He’s an accomplished executive who the company has great faith in. For good reason, he’s earned it.

However, if it was proven that he was indeed leaking information to make someone at his own network look bad, how could he ever be trusted again? If he didn’t do it, then he needs to say that to Pat. Either way, this situation should be an eye opener for him. Clearly he hasn’t earned trust, respect or confidence from an important talent. Why is that? How did the relationship deteriorate to this point? What is he going to do to repair it moving forward?

A few high-profile personalities haven’t exactly endorsed Norby over the past few days. There’s been a perception that he has run off a number of star talents. If true, even the sharpest of executives knows eventually the other side wins. Judging from the commitment given to McAfee by Disney, Pat is not the individual I’d play a game of chicken with. If reports are accurate that Pitaro and Burke Magnus wanted McAfee and Norby didn’t, then he has to know you’re not going to win a 3 on 1 handicap match.

Despite the unwanted network attention and a few of the things I mentioned earlier that I think Pat has to learn from, I have been and remain a McAfee fan. I believe ESPN made a smart business decision hiring him and it’d be foolish to allow friction to tear apart a promising long-term partnership. As ESPN ultimately shifts to a model that depends on subscriptions, McAfee is a guy you want to be in business with.

What Mike Foss told the Washington Post is especially important to take into consideration when evaluating the partnership between ESPN and McAfee. Ben Strauss asked Foss about McAfee’s TV numbers being down based on Marchand’s report. The ESPN digital executive said, “I can understand how people looking specifically at a TV number would say Pat has a ways to go, but we’re not interested in only TV. This is a multiplatform acquisition, so you have to look at everything in the aggregate, and also where the industry is headed.”

Foss added, “Look at the relationship between McAfee, [Mike Greenberg] and Stephen A. [Smith]. That’s working together [on each other’s shows], and those three are the key to our future. As you turn to direct-to-consumer, audiences all of a sudden get to choose who they spend their time with. It is a personality-driven industry way more than a brand-driven industry. Who do you want to spend time with more than the three most important voices in sports?”

Marchand did his job reporting the facts on McAfee’s TV ratings but those numbers don’t tell the full story of McAfee’s impact and value. ESPN did not pay a fortune for a host to boost its Noon to 3 TV ratings. They invested in the entire Pat McAfee ecosystem. Given how splintered audiences are and where ESPN seeks to move its business, it’s foolish to measure success or failure of a key relationship using one part of the package and doing so just a few months into a five year arrangement. Do the hundreds of thousands of people watching his content on YouTube, social and College Gameday and special Megacast broadcasts not count?

Whether you like Pat or not, he’s super talented, reaches a younger audience, is a game changer in social/digital spaces, and is versatile. He’s someone you can build a weekday show around from Noon to 3, utilize in a sports betting partnership with ESPN BET, feature on College Gameday in a prominent role (which is especially important with Lee Corso slowing down), and he’s got the credentials to contribute to any type of football content and the personality to appear on shows like GetUp! and First Take, and create impact. Don’t also discount how much marketing value he adds each time he offers an opinion or welcomes a polarizing guest like Rodgers. That’s going to do much more for ESPN regardless of what the television ratings might suggest. If you needed any reminder of his value, just go look at the wave of reaction to this latest story.

Though I may be a McAfee fan, I am not a McAfee apologist. He created a PR nightmare for ESPN this week and there’s not enough Advil to reduce the headache. I appreciate his candor and willingness to call someone out if he feels they’ve done him wrong, but if there are issues taking place between a top talent and executive, men have to be men and clear the air in private. To do it publicly leads to the point of no return. If you don’t believe me, look at how things ended between ESPN and Dan Le Batard.

If Pat’s goal is to leave ESPN, then this is one way to speed up that process. Norby and Pat may never be on the same page, and if not, that’s fine, but now this forces Iger and Pitaro to have to step in. You can’t have multiple incidents like this in the span of a week without repercussions. Not addressing it can have a trickle down effect throughout the rest of the company. It can also imply that Iger, Pitaro or Magnus are fair game. Pat has to know that’s not going to fly.

What I hope Pat appreciates and understands is that Bob and Jimmy moved mountains to make this partnership happen. Many have publicly questioned the fit between both parties yet you haven’t heard that from them. So now it’s Pat’s turn to tune out the noise, do what he does best, and hold up his end of the deal. That starts with using better judgement. He’s been given a blank canvas and allowed to paint. All that’s been asked is that he uses a few specific colors.

Some of the greatest talents to ever grace our television screens have worked at ESPN, and if we’ve learned anything from the past it’s that ESPN will cut ties no matter how successful someone is. Pat is one of the best performers in the industry today, and should be a huge part of ESPN’s future. He’s got a huge following, is extremely engaging, and is only 36 years old. No matter how much I sing his praises though, I understand that he’s not bigger than those four letters. A partnership can’t last if two sides aren’t committed to making adjustments to make it work. I’d like to see this work out because there’s tremendous upside for both. The question is will they be smart enough to adapt before it’s too late?

Chris Russo: New SiriusXM App ‘Becoming a Major Problem’

BSM Staff
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SiriusXM recently provided some updates to its app, and feedback nearly across the board – including from Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina – was that the satellite radio company needed to undo whatever changes they implemented.

Traina hosted his Traina Thoughts edition of The SI Media Podcast with WFAN’s Sal Licata last week, and on it Jimmy didn’t hold back when offering his criticism of the app.

“SiriusXM redid their app, and it’s a complete and total abomination,” Traina said. “And I’m not saying this to embarrass anyone, or get this guy fired. If anyone from SiriusXM is listening, you need to fix the app. What you’ve done is a disgrace. I love you, I subscribe, you get my money. But you need to fix the app.”

Later Friday on his SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio show, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo sided with Traina’s thoughts on the changes.

“The audience has spoken on this show. And they gotta complain to somebody so they complain to me,” Russo said. “Not to mention Traina, he’s a serious big-time listener. He’s a big guy, and he pays attention. And I take what he says with this nonsense – not all the things that Jimmy says I take seriously, but this I do. If he tells you it’s a mess, it’s a mess.”

Mad Dog said he received a text from an MLB source who agreed that the new app was rough. Some of the changes included the removal of the ability to jump back or forward 10 seconds when listening to content as well as the removal of favorited SiriusXM stations.

Russo added that he was told by station program director Steve Torre that the company is going through the process of going through customer complaints and working on trying to come up with a solution.

Still, that hasn’t stopped from folks lobbying SiriusXM to change their app back.

I’m Back…And I Have Sports Talk Questions

Dave Greene
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I’m Back…And I Have Sports Talk Questions

Just over 1,600 days ago, July 25, 2019 to be exact, I wrote a ‘final’ Sports Talk sales column for Barrett Sports Media. I had just accepted a new position, moving from Audacy in Kansas City to Audacy in my hometown of St. Louis. I really enjoyed doing the weekly columns, but felt it was time to let others weigh in with their thoughts and opinions.

Four and a half years later, I’m back and really looking forward to covering the world of Sports Talk, the format I worked in the most during a 25-year media career. I am one week in, however, and I have some burning questions that need answers. Things I will have my eye on as we move forward in 2024 and beyond:

WHY ISN’T RADIO AND/OR TELEVISION MORE OF A DOMINANT PLAYER IN PODCASTING?

Since I left my last corporate radio position in August of 2021, I have spent my time learning as much about podcasting as possible and have had a hand in building a quite successful small podcast network. The main topic of the network is nostalgia, a lot of sports nostalgia and a lot with, of all things, professional wrestling.

Much like my days running stations and sales teams in sports talk radio, the programming is very niche and the demographic very straightforward. Additionally, professional wrestlers were paid to tell a story for a living during their careers, so they are very natural when asked to create podcasting content.

If you look at podcasting, you see a lot of very successful talent, who had no previous radio or television experience. They had an idea which interested their audience, went with it, grew the audience and it hit. Some have turned it in to a career. Some have turned it in to a fortune.

Now, where on Earth would someone find a group of talented people, experienced in broadcasting, who should be creative enough to come up with ideas for great podcasts that generate revenue and keep audiences engaged?

Radio and television should have dominated this space. Every broadcaster has interests outside of whatever format they’re doing or could focus on one subject they typically discuss on air and turn it into a successful podcast.

Perhaps, as an industry, we have failed to get through to our programming people or had the right corporate initiatives in place to take advantage of what seemed to be served up on a platter for the industry. Or, perhaps, we have just simply hired the wrong people.

Radio and television have mostly been reactionary in this space. Podcasting could have been the rebirth, of radio in particular, however it seems most became comfortable posting content already aired and calling it podcasting versus challenging their staffs to create new content and owning the space.

DO RADIO AND TELEVISION TALENT STILL NOT SEE ‘THE FUTURE?’

Remember when it was fashionable to say, “Digital is the future!” Folks, that was over a decade ago. ‘The future,’ in this case, started years ago. If you are a sports talk radio or television talent who doesn’t have a following outside of your air shift, aren’t producing content, or interacting with your audience on the regular, you better hope you hold on to your current position.

Want to know why someone like Pat McAfee can go off on executives at ESPN and, most likely, face little repercussion? Because his audience is going with him wherever he goes. If you are on air talent, would your audience follow you wherever you go? Technology has given us every opportunity to be able to easily create content and stay in touch with the audience.

WHY ARE WE IN SUCH A HURRY TO MOVE ON FROM THE GREATS?

We all know the saying, ‘You don’t know what you’ve got, until it’s gone.’ Frankly, as a society, we are often too quick to want to move on from someone we feel has gone past their prime. Let’s slow down.

The most recent example is Al Michaels. I get it, last year’s January playoff game where he teamed with Tony Dungy was not good. However, perhaps the reason was more Dungy and less Michaels. Call me ‘Old School,’ but I miss many of the voices we have lost in the last decade or so. Let’s not rush Michaels out the door. He still sounds spectacular and his teaming with Kirk Herbstreit on Thursday Night Football is, often, the biggest reason to tune in.

At the same time, can someone tell me why everyone wants to put Joe Buck in a Hall of Fame right now? Don’t get me wrong, I think Joe is one of the greats, and any accolades that come his way are more than deserved. Joe should eventually be in every Hall of Fame that honors sports broadcasters, he is one of the absolute best to ever do it.

However, Joe is 54 years old and is still in the prime of his career. He has four children, two of which are only five years old. I thought a Hall of Fame honor was supposed to be about an entire career. Let’s not rush Joe out of broadcasting, let’s enjoy it while we have him and then honor his career to the highest level possible. But Joe getting all these career honors now, makes me feel way too old. Again, let’s slow down!

WHO’S GOT NEXT?

This is going to become an important question as I settle into the CMO role with Barrett Media. Where are the next group of media superstars? It is the personalities and creativity of the talent in our industry that help push us forward. So, where will the next group of people come from?

Look around the sports talk industry and you will see a lot of folks on the proverbial ‘back 9’ of their careers. As the Baby Boomer generation gives way to Generation X in the C-Suite, who are the Millennials that will dominate the airwaves?  Stay tuned for more on this and an announcement in the future, where we will set out to find some of the answers with your help.

I don’t expect to have answers right away to any of the sports talk questions I have posed. However, these topics are some of what I come into this position thinking about and hoping to dive deeper into. My goal is to cover our industry with a mindset of how we grow and continue to be relevant to our audiences. How we continue to develop great content and monetize it, while providing a value to those who attempt to grow their businesses by attaching themselves to what we do.

As Michael Jordan famously said in a fax in March of 1995, “I’m back.”

Alex Rodriguez: My Documentary Will Be Much Different From Derek Jeter’s

BSM Staff
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Alex Rodriguez thought Derek Jeter’s 30 for 30 The Captain was fun, but viewers can expect something different when the A-Rod documentary airs.

Rodriguez recently sat down with Dan Le Batard for the latest edition of the South Beach Sessions podcast, and the ESPN and FOX MLB analyst spoke about his relationship with Jeter.

“Right now, we’re in a great place,” Rodriguez said. “He asked me to go to dinner about a year ago almost today when his documentary came out.”

“Our history is rich and it goes back a long time,” he added.

Alex Rodriguez said in terms of Jeter’s 30 for 30, he liked it. But the A-Rod story won’t have as many World Series runs to fall back on. His documentary is going to showcase more of those harder moments from both growing up and throughout his career.

“His documentary was fun,” he said. “It was good to watch. But in many ways, it was up and to the right. There was a lot of celebration. Mine is going to be a lot of volatility. So completely different.”

A-Rod added that in the 30-plus-year history he and Jeter have going back to their teenage years as college prospects, their relationship has ebbed and flowed. He felt as if the New York media obsessed over whether there was any bad blood between the two infielders.

“It was a very meaty story and negativity sells,” Rodriguez said. “Big names sell, and the Yankees sell.”

“It was a mega media story, and he did a nice job of being super disciplined,” he added. “I wasn’t as disciplined, and it created some noise.”

Rodriguez remembers Jeter as a great player, good teammate, a champion, and now a teammate at FOX.

SiriusXM’s Dean Obeidallah Has a Unique Perspective on the Hamas/Israel Conflict

Krystina Alarcon Carroll
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Three months since war broke out between Israel and Palestine, protests continue across the world with support for both sides. Thousands are dead, hostages still unaccounted for, and bombs and rockets fly out into the night. While some media outlets are choosing sides SiriusXM host and comedian Dean Obeidallah believes this is no laughing matter, providing one message for the media and protesters alike.

“Nobody’s driving anyone into the sea. No one’s eliminating anyone. The idea of saying either side doesn’t exist is outrageous, ridiculous and dehumanizing, and not helpful. You have to recognize the humanity in each side. And that’s how we get to a just peace solution that can last for decades and generations.”

He is one of many calling for peace but his message is for both sides, “Since the beginning of October 7th, and my pinned tweet or X is about don’t lose your humanity when it comes to this conflict. You know, an Israeli child killed or a Palestinian child killed by militant or military action is just as wrong and hurtful.”

Obeidallah also wants people to understand, “A Palestinian mother grieves, an Israeli mother grieves for the loss of the child. And don’t dismiss them. Don’t discount them as not existing or they shouldn’t be there,” adding, “There’s no context for me in terms of the October 7th terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel. It’s actually horrifically wrong. Period. That’s it. Then we can have a different discussion about Israel’s response and what they’ve done in Gaza under Netanyahu.”

One distinction Dean Obeidallah wants to make? Separating out religion from the policy of politicians and terrorists. “We must make a distinction between the policy, the Netanyahu administration, or any Israeli administration and the faith of Judaism. They’re not the same at all. And I think the same way, like if you criticize Saudi Arabia, which I criticize all the time, I don’t give you is being anti-Muslim.”

He later added, “I have countless friends who are Jewish. You know, to me, Judaism is not defined by the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, but defined by my Jewish friends who are about compassionate care, and fight for justice. Everything they’re about is fighting against bigotry, bigotry against the Muslim community, [bigotry] against the black community that defines Judaism to me.”

Dean Obeidallah also recognizes you can’t take religion completely out of this war.

“You know, it’s really a land war that has religious overtones — to really be blunt — because that’s what’s going on. It’s a struggle over who’s going to control this piece of land. People invoking God on both sides. I don’t think God wants to be involved in either side,” he added, “I think that you’ve got a struggle for power the same way I sense Al Qaeda did not represent Islam, but they use my faith to inspire people and recruit people because they understand religion is a great motivator. And it is it can be used for great things, beautiful things. It also could inspire the worst things in the world to me through history. We see that. So in the Middle East, it’s not truly a religious war, but you can’t take religion out of it.”

A second distinction Obeidallah wanted to make, “Arab and Muslim don’t mean the same thing.” He later added, “Arab is an ethnicity you can be any religion. And being Muslim is a religion. You can be any race or any background. You know, you can convert to Islam. You can’t convert to being Arab. It’s like asking someone to convert to being Italian. You can like all the pizza you want in the world, but it doesn’t make you Italian.” Obeidallah is half-Italian.

While the war rages on abroad many are bringing the war to America’s streets. Hate crimes against both Jews and Muslims are on the rise. Reacting to attacks on a national scale Dean Obeidallah quoted his father,  “My late Palestinian father would always say that we don’t bring the Middle East conflict here. And what he meant is, it’s not that we don’t talk about the Middle East conflict here and we’re not passionate about it. We can be, but we don’t bring the anger and the hate and the violence here, because for every incident, you can show me if some of these, you know, anti-Semitism, which is hateful and horrible, there’s others where people are demonizing, you know, Muslim-Americans or Palestinian-Americans.

“I think the extreme voices always get the more media coverage,” later adding, “If you’re going to spew and peddle hatred of Jews, you’re not helping the Palestine cause. I don’t want your support. You’re not helping.” He also took aim at the media’s coverage of the war, “We just want to be tribal and make this a sporting match. Like I see The New York Times, they ask questions. Who do you have more sympathy for, Palestinians or Israelis? That is the worst question in the world. These are human beings. They’re both human beings.”

Dean Obeidallah believes the questions should be asked are, “Who do you have more concern for? Humanity or terrorists? I would say humanity; people who want to live their lives. And then from there, we can embolden those who want to live in peace together and marginalize those as much as possible. Who are the militants and who want to fight and don’t recognize the other side’s right to exist?”

The comedian told Barrett News Media, “It’s really hard to have comedy that is going to bring people together when people are emotionally so raw.” However, he is trying to promote peace through comedy with his friend Max Brooks, son of Mel Brooks, “We did it about a month ago, about combating anti-Muslim anti-Semitism together. It’s really short. It’s silly, but we’re just trying to make the point there’s no place for it. And he uses humor.”

But unifying humor is hard during war and Dean Obeidallah believes, “When people start to calm down and go, okay, what can we do now in the bigger picture, trying to bring people together. And comedy’s a great vehicle for that,” adding “We’re laughing together, having a good time together. And that’s really what it’s about, sort of celebrating humanity through laughter.”

Jason Whitlock: Shannon Sharpe More Authentic and Talented Than Stephen A. Smith

BSM Staff
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An interview between comedian Katt Williams and Shannon Sharpe became one of the top stories in entertainment last week, with the episode of the Club Shay Shay podcast generating more than 32 million views on YouTube since it premiered on Wednesday.

Over on The Blaze last week, host Jason Whitlock commented that Sharpe’s ability to conduct such an honest and free-flowing interview was impressive and something never seen before in terms of former athlete turned broadcaster.

“I haven’t seen any other professional athlete, including Charles Barkley, transition into this high level of a professional broadcaster as what I’m seeing from Shannon Sharpe,” Whitlock said on his show Fearless.

“This guy’s prepared. Again, most of these jocks show up and they just, ‘I’m just here to be a personality,'” he added. “No, this dude – either his staff or himself – he’s prepared. He knows all the scenes from the movies they were in. He’s read up on their background. They’ve put all this information in front of him. He asks good questions, they like him. He puts them at a comfort level, and he’ll go wherever they want to go.”

Whitlock continued that he wasn’t a fan of his work with Skip Bayless on FS1, and tipped his cap at what Shannon Sharpe has been able to accomplish with Club Shay Shay since he left the network last summer. He felt like Sharpe has even surpassed Stephen A. Smith in terms of the media empire he’s been able to build.

“He’s more talented, more authentic, and better than Stephen A. Smith,” Jason said. “Stephen A. Smith wants to move into this entertainment lane, and what he does not realize is Shannon’s already beat him there. That’s not a knock on Stephen A. Smith, because Stephen A. can do a little bit of what Shannon’s doing. But he is not as good as Shannon in the lane Shannon has built here.”

Whitlock told guest Steve Kim that the difference between the two media stars was gravitas, and that goes back to Sharpe’s playing career in the NFL.

“Because of that Hall of Fame football career there is a deference,” Whitlock said. “Katt Williams showed it multiple times. He basically was arguing like, ‘Shannon in the football world, you’re like me in the comedy world. We’re both Hall of Famers.”

“People like Stephen A. because of the position he’s been put in by ESPN, and they have to deal with him. But they don’t really like him,” he added. “People are looking at Shannon and are feeling like, ‘Man he earned this. He was a great Hall of Fame football player.'”

Whitlock praised Sharpe further saying he has become an excellent interviewer. Kim concurred.

“He’s an interviewer who lets the guy being interviewed have their viewpoints,” he said. “He’ll push back here and there. But it is absolutely something that gets on my nerves when I hear interviewers start to try to argue with people’s others opinions. If Katt Williams says something that I don’t like, I might interject, but I will always think ‘Katt, have your opinion, expound upon it.’ This is not meant to be an argument. It’s not a debate show.

“When you have a setting or a format where you can be a 5-minute interview, or a 5-hour interview like it was with Charleston White and Cam Newton, you can get into a lot of things. And you can allow your subject to expound. I believe that’s a much more effective way to get to somebody.”

After WIP Exit, Jon Marks is Far from His Final Act

Derek Futterman
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After WIP Exit, Jon Marks is Far from His Final Act

When Philadelphia Phillies infielder Trea Turner was in the midst of a prolonged slump in the first season of an 11-year, $311 million contract, patience was waning thin with the fanbase. As these difficulties persisted, a producer at SportsRadio 94WIP decided to pose an idea to the hosts about taking a contrasting approach towards the situation, eschewing the vitriol for a show of congeniality and support.

The Marks & Reese show deliberated the idea for nearly a week, eliciting listeners to interact with the show and stay tuned as to what the outcome would be. Show co-host Jon Marks could tell that it was becoming a storyline that picked up traction, and by the time the team slated to play at home following an off day, the unthinkable happened.

In a city with a reputation for zealous, pugnacious levels of fandom, those in the locale turned their jeers into cheers. As Turner stepped up to the plate to take an at-bat in early August, the crowd at Citizens Bank Park gave him a standing ovation, conveying their support and understanding of the difficult times he was facing. In the 48 regular-season games following this demonstration of support, Turner slashed .337, slugging 16 home runs and collecting 42 RBIs with a 1.037 OPS.

“If he continued to suck, we talk about it for a week and then that’s it, and then he sucks and then he’d move on,” Marks said, “but the fact that he turned his season around and turned into the player that they thought he was going to be when they signed him, that was a huge thing.”

The idea rendered itself to be a harbinger of stellar results and was one of various memorable moments during the summer edition of the Nielsen audio ratings book. During that quarter, the program attained a 10.2 share and ranked No. 1 overall within its daypart in the marketplace. In addition to this success, advertising revenue and other activities propelled the program into an endeavor that seemed profitable and sustainable. Looking deeper on both of those fronts, however, an entirely different truth is uncovered.

Jon Marks announced his departure from SportsRadio 94WIP in December after spending six years with the outlet and hosting afternoon drive alongside former NFL linebacker Ike Reese.

The rationale behind his choice involved being present for his three children, who are all growing up and have various events. Because of inflexibility within the broadcast industry, he was unable to attend a majority of their activities.

“Unfortunately getting home at 7:30 every night is right when everything ends,” Marks said. “Over the last couple of years when they’ve been doing these things, I felt like I was missing out, and not from their standpoint; almost from my selfish standpoint [in that] I didn’t want to miss out on them.”

Because his children had grown accustomed to the realities and sacrifices imbued within the field, they seemed unperturbed by his absence. For Marks though, the toll was beginning to wear on him and resulted in a decision having to be made. At the same time, his long commute to and from the outlet’s studios further diminished his quality of life. All of these factors led him to endure a genuine review of his self-efficacy to determine if he could continue in his role.

“We went year-to-year, and I didn’t feel like it was fair to the station or the show to keep doing the year-to-year,” Marks said. “They needed a commitment, and I looked at it and I said, ‘Could I see myself doing this for three more years [or] five more years?,’ and unless the financial stuff changed with it, I couldn’t have done it.”

Although Marks affirmed that SportsRadio 94WIP is profitable, its parent company, Audacy, recently filed for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection. The Philadelphia-based broadcasting conglomerate is looking to reduce its $1.9 billion in debt amid a reorganization and reached an agreement with a majority of creditors to cede business control. This occurred after Audacy missed interest payments on senior loans in October, a transgression for which it attained consent from lenders for a grace period.

“I thought it was a well-run company and unfortunately they ran into a lot of the same problems the other big radio companies did, but overall, as far as the bankruptcy and stuff like that, I wasn’t worried about that,” Marks said. “It was a matter of what they wanted me to do, I needed to be compensated in a certain direction, and they just weren’t willing to find that.”

Marks’ exit from the station is the latest in what has been a continuous string of changes at the station. The retirement of Angelo Cataldi made headlines early last year, resulting in the midday program with Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie moving to morning drive. Rod Lakin assumed responsibilities as the station’s brand manager two years earlier, taking place after Spike Eskin began to work with WFAN in New York City.

Had it not been for Eskin, however, Lakin may have struggled to continue bringing in ratings and revenue for the station. Shortly after the Eagles won the Super Bowl to close out the 2017 NFL season, Marks was called to a meeting to discuss the future of the show.

“‘What you’re doing right now is not good enough; just flat-out, I’m telling you that it’s not good enough,’” Marks remembers being told by Eskin. “‘It’s not the kind of show I want in afternoon drive,’ and he challenged me. He challenged me to be more focused… [and] to really come on the air every day and say something and mean it and not be worried about the reaction.”

The meeting altered Marks’ approach and helped him improve his own abilities as a host. At the same time, working with Reese was an experience that enhanced his acumen and prowess as well. Despite having played in the NFL, Marks views Reese as someone who is associated with sports media and possesses a great understanding of the craft.

“He was a rare combination of somebody that had really good radio instincts and had listened to sports radio and had listened to WIP when he was a player and really liked it,” Marks said of Reese. “Even when he was a player he was doing media, so you have that and you also have somebody that’s very likable and has great energy about him.”

Leaving Reese and the future of the program in question was an onerous decision for Marks to have to make. On top of that, he had fostered respect and a working relationship with Lakin, who arrived at the station during a period of success. Even though he will not be a part of the outlet going forward, Marks is optimistic that it will remain a force in the Philadelphia marketplace.

“WIP has never been stronger,” Marks said. “When I came in as host in 2017, it wasn’t like that; we weren’t No. 1. We were lucky to be No. 5 at that point, so the station right now is as powerful and as well-positioned to be great going forward.”

While he does not know for certain which direction the station will be taking in afternoon drive, he ascertains that his former producer, Jack Fritz, will end up being named the new permanent co-host. Marks believes that Fritz will have a successful future and is adept at being able to help the show realize new heights.

“Jack’s as talented as anybody that I’ve ever worked with,” Marks articulated, “and I see great things for him.”

The path for Fritz is similar to how Marks received a hosting position, starting as an intern from Temple University at 950 AM, which eventually became 97.5 The Fanatic. Due to the absence of a student-run radio station at the time, Marks and a friend also purchased air time on an outlet in southern New Jersey. Complete with their own producer, the program resembled sports talk radio by discussing germane topics and implementing callers.

After a few months interning at 950 AM, Marks was officially hired and began work with a variety of different programs. The station was in its formative years and airing several national shows hosted by talents such as Tony Bruno and Jim Rome. More live and local programming began to be a point of emphasis, and Marks stayed focused on duly executing his responsibilities.

Award-winning host Anthony Gargano exited SportsRadio 94WIP and signed a contract with 97.5 The Fanatic in 2015. The Beasley Media Group-owned outlet was working to gain listener shares and made the acquisition to help them achieve that goal. When Marks was named his co-host, he surmised that it likely gave him exposure to a new segment of the listening marketplace. Nonetheless, the early repetitions producing and operating the board for Mike Missanelli’s show are occurrences he considers invaluable to his development.

“I was able to learn a lot on the job to where if it would have been a station like WIP, I would have never gotten those opportunities because I frankly wasn’t ready,” Marks said. “I was fortunate to be able to work at a station where I could make mistakes and learn from them rather than, ‘Oh, we’re not letting him do another shift because he would screw something up.’”

Scott Masteller was recently hired by Beasley Media Group to serve as program director of 97.5 The Fanatic. The outlet has various play-by-play rights and digital endeavors with a focus on continuous and sustained evolution. As a former employee of the outlet, Marks is not sure if the staff underestimated the impact losing Missanelli would have, viewing his departure as a seminal moment for the station.

“I think at this point, they’re ready to regroup and start that next chapter of The Fanatic,” Marks said. “Scott – who has developed so many huge, huge talents over the years – I think he’s the right guy to lead the charge, and I’ll be curious to see what he does over there.”

When Marks began his work at WIP, he initially hosted evening shifts until moving to mornings. His addition to the daypart was precipitated by the short tenure of Chris Carlin, who moved to WFAN as part of what turned out to be an evanescent afternoon show. Six years later, the displeasure about certain aspects of the job, such as being unable to have dinner with his family, surfaced to fruition.

“It was a tough decision, yet an easy decision,” Marks said. “It’s a tough decision because you’re on a very successful show [and] you’re absolutely killing it in the ratings. You work with great people [and] a heritage [brand], but ultimately you have that piece inside of you that says, ‘I’m not happy.’”

Although the announcement came as a surprise to many industry professionals and ardent listeners of the show, it was something Marks had been pondering over for some time. Being asked to sign off the air during his final episode perhaps represented the culmination of this process. As his time on the program concluded, he came to experience the weight of such a move.

“The difficult part is leaving the station and saying goodbye to the audience, which you’ve grown very close to and we’ve built over the last six years, and doing it on air. It’s one thing if they would have zipped me and I didn’t have to say it. They wanted me to sign off the air and they thought it was important.”

Even though it ends his current tenure at WIP, Marks’ sign-off is hardly his final act. Once the non-compete clause in his contract expires on April 1, 2024, he intends to speak with a variety of different brands interested in his services. A return to radio is not out of the question so long as it is in a daypart that better accommodates his wishes for a family life. Additionally, an individual endeavor could come into play, trying to augment his versatility by providing listeners with a litany of content that expands beyond the airwaves.

For now, he is working a late-night shift with CBS Sports Radio on Sundays, but he feels that something during the day would better suit his wishes. Wherever his next stop ends up being though, it will take place in the Philadelphia marketplace, expressing no desire to move.

“One thing that I really need to improve doing is making my own content; making my own videos and doing something with my YouTube channel and giving people more of me than what I’m giving just on the air every day,” Marks said. “Once the radio’s over, then what?”

At the same time, working outside of the sports format remains a distinct possibility for Marks. “I would consider doing even a show that had some music and some talk,” Marks added, “but again, somebody would have to want to do that and I just don’t know who’s going to want to do that.”

No matter where his career ends up taking him, Marks is looking forward to getting back to work in a role that he can more evenly balance with his family. No matter the outcome, he will instantiate a maxim that he learned early during his professional ventures:

“My philosophy with anything in life was that I’m going to work harder than the next person because that’s the one thing I can control, and that’s just kind of been what I’ve been doing my whole career,” Marks said. “But early on, I just wanted to show that I’m willing to work harder than everybody else and learn from mistakes and show my radio instincts.”

How to Use Underutilized Nielsen Data to Your Advantage

Dr. Ed Cohen
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How to Use Underutilized Nielsen Data to Your Advantage

Welcome to 2024! I hope you had some time off to recharge and focus on all that lies ahead in the new year.  Let me start my 2024 for Barrett News Media with a question: When was the last time you looked into the Nielsen E-Book? Probably been a long time, right? 

You assumed that there wasn’t much of anything in there that’s of value and of course, you’re extremely busy.  Let’s consider some important information that resides in the E-Book and gives you a better understanding of your market and how certain characteristics may affect the ratings.

Start with the “Market Info” tab in the E-Book. I’ll assume that you know the counties and, in a few cases, independent cities that make up the geography of your market. If you don’t and prefer not to admit this deficiency, the list is in the Nielsen E-book along with a convenient map. 

How many people live in those counties? That data (6+ for PPM and 12+ for diary markets) is right there for you to see. It’s updated annually in October for PPM markets and for the Fall survey for diary markets. Of course, the figures are estimates and while demographers are pretty good at their jobs, the further away we get from the decennial census, the more the numbers veer from reality. 

Nonetheless, you don’t have a choice so review these and understand the size of each county relative to the others in your metro.  Nielsen has conveniently done the arithmetic for you.

As an aside, you’ll hear the words “population estimate” and “universe estimate” used. While I once heard someone explain the difference between the two terms, you and I are not demographers so it’s OK to use the two terms as synonyms.

Next, you should know how your market shakes out by demographic group. The estimates are all there for you to review by each weighting cell. If your market is weighted for Black or Hispanic, you’ll see population estimates there are well, but even if not, there is another place in the E-Book to find that data as you’ll see in shortly.

Does your market have HDBAs (High Density Black Area) or HDHAs (High Density Hispanic Areas)? That information is also in this section and I’ll explain those in a future column.

If you’re in a PPM market, there are two other bits of information you should review: employment and presence of children. These are weighting variables for the PPM service but not for diary. The latter is the most important because Nielsen rarely gets close to the stated percentage of households with or without children, with “children” being defined as under 18, meaning some odd weights can result.

We’ll talk about how the samples shake out in another column as well, but for now, click on the “Metro Market Profile” tab. Start with the Household Data and you’ll find all sorts of information about your market. Household income, value of homes, rents, average commute time, it’s all there. 

Now check the “Group Quarters Estimates”. Do you have a lot of colleges and universities in your market? How about a large military installation? Maybe a prison or two? Any or all of these can have a major effect on Nielsen’s ability to measure younger demos, for example, 18-24. 

There are small markets where nearly half of the 18-24 population lives in what can be referred to as “institutional housing”. Nielsen Audio does not measure dorms, barracks, or jails, but does include the people that reside there in their population estimates. 

Long ago at Arbitron, we looked at ways to measure dorms, but it wasn’t feasible at the time.  If a dorm resident or a soldier in a barracks listens to you, you won’t get credit, but the bigger issue is when Nielsen can’t reach 30, 40, or even half of a demo, those that are in the sample have disproportionately high weights for the age/sex cell. If their listening looks fairly “normal”, that’s fine.  If you get some unusual respondents, well, you can guess what happens.

Next, review the “ethnic population estimates”. You’ll see population estimates for Black and Hispanic in the market by specific age cells, regardless of whether Nielsen weights for that dimension. With just a few exceptions, the Hispanic population skews young. In other words, if your market is 15 percent Hispanic, it may well be 20-25 percent Hispanic or even higher in 18-24 and 25-34. 

The Metro Market Profile tab has other useful information about your market and about radio listening. You’ll find TSL and cume data in an easy-to-understand bar chart. Take a look and learn some more about what’s happening without having to use Excel or that old calculator that’s hiding somewhere in your desk (full disclosure: my K-Mart calculator just hit 40 years old in September and still works perfectly). 

Take a little time, at least once a year, to better understand who lives in your market, and how you make this work to your advantage. Mark your calendar to look at the annual population changes in your market.

Let’s meet again next week.

Audacy Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy After Agreement With Debtholders

BNM Staff
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Audacy Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy After Agreement With Debtholders

One of radio’s largest companies has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In an announcement made Sunday, Audacy confirmed last week’s report that it is entering into a prepackaged restructured agreement with the majority of its debtholders. The move is designed to help the company deleverage its balance sheet and position itself for long-term growth.

The restructuring between Audacy and its debtholders is expected to help the company eliminate approximately $1.6 billion of funded debt. That will ease the company’s financial strain from $1.9 billion to approximately $350 million. In the company’s press release, Audacy said it didn’t expect the restructuring to affect advertisers, partners, or employees. Audacy was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in November 2023.

“Over the past few years, we have strategically transformed Audacy into a leading, scaled multi-platform audio content and entertainment company through our acquisition of CBS Radio and by building leading complementary positions in podcasting, audio networks, live events, digital marketing solutions, and our direct-to-consumer streaming platform,” said David J. Field, Chairman, President and CEO of Audacy.

Field continued, “While our transformation has enhanced our competitive position, the perfect storm of sustained macroeconomic challenges over the past four years facing the traditional advertising market has led to a sharp reduction of several billion dollars in cumulative radio ad spending. These market factors have severely impacted our financial condition and necessitated our balance sheet restructuring. With our scaled leadership position, our uniquely differentiated premium audio content, and a robust capital structure, we believe Audacy will emerge well positioned to continue its innovation and growth in the dynamic audio business.”

The decision to pursue bankruptcy means that the radio industry’s three largest companies have all filed for Chapter 11. Cumulus Media went first in 2017. iHeartmedia was next in 2018. Insiders say the decision to eliminate debt could serve Audacy well, and allow the company to make greater investments. Whereas others believe it could open the door to larger changes up top.

A recent report by media writer Jerry DelColliano suggested that lenders will take on a heavier role, raising questions about David Field’s future and Audacy’s board. DelColliano also hinted at former CBS Radio CEO Dan Mason returning to help the company. Whether that comes to fruition or not only time will tell.

Sports Media Reacts to Pat McAfee Comments on ESPN ‘Sabotage’

BSM Staff
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Sports Media Reacts to Pat McAfee Comments on ESPN ‘Sabotage’

On Friday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the former NFL punter alleged someone inside ESPN — specifically naming Senior Vice President of Event and Studio Production Norby Williamson — is attempting to “sabotage” his program.

McAfee alleged that Williamson shared incorrect numbers about the program’s ratings with the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand in an attempt to make him and the show look bad. In Marchand’s report, he alleged McAfee had lost nearly 60% of his lead-in audience from First Take.

Sports media was quick to react to the bombshell allegations by McAfee, with some commenters shocked while others applauded the move.

Several former ESPN employees appeared to agree or back McAfee’s comments about leaks from Williamson.

And one former ESPN host and anchor acknowledged prior issues with Williamson but took aim at McAfee.

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