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Fred Toucher Narrows Search for Rich Shertenlieb’s Replacement to Two Candidates

BSM Staff
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Fred Toucher Narrows Search for Rich Shertenlieb’s Replacement to Two Candidates

Suspense is high in knowing who will be the full-time co-host with Fred Toucher on 98.5 The Sports Hub. But Toucher has two frontrunners in mind.

The topic came up Wednesday morning as Toucher read aloud a Boston Herald story providing updates on the search for Rich Shertenlieb’s replacement.

Kendra Middleton, who has regularly appeared on the morning show and also formally interviewed for the role, and Rob “Hardy” Poole, third chair on Zolak and Bertrand, have been considered the leading candidates to get the promotion.

Fred said if given the choice to pick two finalists for the job, he would be considering Middleton and Hardy.

“Alright, well there you go,” responded Middleton. “I can’t wait for the Boston Herald to write about this now. Fred Toucher says he wants one of two people. Article incoming.”

Toucher felt like Hardy and Middleton made the most sense to think about bringing in full-time.

“You want the honest truth: I think that on this station, of the two people that could take the job and the people that I have known that are in the area or that are available, that you and Hardy have the biggest star potential,” Toucher said.

“I think that very soon, you are going to be a big deal doing something,” Fred continued speaking about Kendra. “That is the truth. But you have to take a job where you can be yourself, and they let you talk about things that are interesting and not just talk about sports.”

But Toucher did admit earlier in the discussion that the ultimate decision to hire a new co-host isn’t his to make.

“Have we ever talked about it? Like, it’s not my decision,” Toucher said.

Joe Buck: Ignoring Steroid Era Erases Some of My Career

BSM Staff
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Joe Buck: Ignoring Steroid Era Erases Some of My Career

Count former FOX MLB announcer Joe Buck among those who would like to see Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire, among others, in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Buck was a guest with Adam Schein on his SiriusXM podcast Rise and Schein, and Joe was asked where he stood on known steroid users and whether they should be celebrated among baseball’s other legends in Cooperstown.

Buck said you can’t ignore the steroid era of baseball.

“Did it exist? Absolutely,” Buck said. “Are we all, I think, mature enough to understand that that was going on in the game? Pick a time. I mean when do you want to start it, the late 70s, the 80s, into the 90s, the early 2000s, maybe today? I don’t know.”

“I do think those guys should be in the Hall of Fame,” he added. “I do think that it’s hard to draw random lines around different players and say, ‘Oh well we know that they didn’t do it.’ Do ya? Is it possible that somebody’s in the Hall of Fame right now that did performance-enhancing drugs? I would say the odds would tell you that there’s somebody in there that did it. So if there’s somebody in there that did it, I say that the best of that era should go in.”

Buck felt like there’s just no definitive way to know whether or not players currently in the Hall of Fame were completely clean of PEDs at some point in their careers.

“It’s hard to be the judge and jury on that, because I don’t think all the evidence is in. And that’s the hard part for me,” he said.

Steak Shapiro: I Can Only Talk NBA When Hosting Solo

BSM Staff
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Draymond Green’s ejection Tuesday night for punching Jusuf Nurkic of the Phoenix Suns was at the top of a long list of basketball-related topics Steak Shapiro wanted to get to Wednesday morning.

The 92.9 The Game host was without co-hosts Rusty Mansell and Sandra Golden, so Shapiro admitted he could go feet-first into NBA talk.

“That’s the beauty there’s no Rusty, there’s no Sandy,” Steak said on The Steakhouse. “Nobody can give me the look when I start talking NBA.”

Shapiro compared it to a glazed-over look your kids give you when you’re lecturing them and they just want it to be over. He joked that Golden gets that look whenever the NBA gets brought up.

“That’s kind of like when I start talking NBA. I look to my left, and invariably they’re like doing their taxes or something,” he said.

But since it was just Steak on the mic for the day, he figured he might as well up the hoops discussion.

“Not only is it The Steakhouse, but Steak’s flying solo,” he said. “So yes, we are gonna talk NBA.”

Too Many Hats, Not Enough Heads: When Media Staffers Are Asked to Do Too Much

Perry Michael Simon
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Too Many Hats, Not Enough Heads: When Media Staffers Are Asked to Do Too Much

We were sold a bill of goods. I sold you a bill of goods. Everyone sold that bill of goods, and bought it, too. I’m talking about the idea that we in the media all have to take on more responsibilities. You used to be just a radio host, or a news anchor/reporter, or a producer, or a salesperson.

Then you were told that you had to do videos, too, and social media in general, because, well, engagement. Voice tracking? Oh, certainly, and make sure you include plenty of local references for those markets to which you’ve never been. Wait, you haven’t launched a podcast? Do that.

And next comes writing for the station’s website, because digital, digital, digital. Digital? Digital. Can’t have too much digital. Extra pay for the extra work? Buddy, you’re lucky to have a job. Now, get back to generating content. That’s still the career advice you’re getting – gotta be a jack of all trades these days, giving your employer more value for money.

Except… are you any good at the additional work? Can you produce quality videos? Can you write up to the level of an actual professional writer? Are your social media posts having any effect at all, and has management communicated to you what it considers success in social media? You’re confident that you’re the right person for the main job for which you were hired, but are you the right person for the jobs for which you didn’t sign up in the first place?

That’s one of the fallacies of the Renaissance Employee theory of business, that and the idea that it’s okay to work people to the point of burnout because it saves the company a few salaries. I get it, management is under severe pressure to save money, whether it’s to cushion the blow of lower advertising revenue in all media (bright side: digital is up!) or to hold the investors and creditors (same thing) at bay for another quarter.

But having someone who was hired to do one thing pressed into action for a task they are not qualified to do, even if they manage to work their way up to something approaching adequate, is going to affect the product, which affects audience figures, which affects revenue, and the spiral continues.

(Note to the old hands who will undoubtedly be thinking, “Hey, when I was a lad, I signed on our AM daytimer at sunrise, stayed until past sunset, did a 12-hour on-air shift, was the entire production department — razor blades and splicing tape! — handled music scheduling, fixed the transmitter, worked the reception desk, did remotes, and slept at the station”: Sure, you learned a lot, but, news flash — you were exploited. And those days are over – you won’t find young talent putting up with that today, and they shouldn’t.)

It may be another of my pipe dreams, but I’d love to see the media find a way to find a way to hire the right people for the right jobs. It’s not just a quality issue; someone who, for example, does a radio show should be focused on, um, doing a radio show, not having to crank out a minimum of blog posts per week on things like the 10 Best Shoe Stores in the County. Hire the best possible podcast personalities to host podcasts.

Doing video? Hire videographers to work with the talent and social media people. Bring in actual social media people, and be clear about what results you want to get from your posts and how that will ultimately affect revenue. Get writers for the station’s website and social media – many news organizations, including cable news networks, use dedicated digital news staffers, and radio and local TV should, too.

And, yeah, like I said, I get it – these things cost money, and budgets are tighter than tight. If you’re an owner or manager, you’re looking at spreadsheets that argue for having everyone do more jobs, not fewer. But the media is your business, and to do it right costs money. If your business plan doesn’t factor in the cost of doing things right, then you’re doing things wrong, at least from a long-term standpoint. It’s not your employees’ fault if your business plan doesn’t work. Perhaps you need a new business plan.

Perhaps you can’t be everything to everybody, and you need to pick a lane for your brand, whether you decide you’re a linear radio station, a podcast collective, a video operation, or a digital news site. Or something else, but trying to do all of it because you can’t decide which business you’re in, or you think you need to be in all of those businesses, may not be way to go.

Or maybe it is, but if that’s the case, you need a staff capable of producing the best in everything you offer. One person can rarely do it all. And if you find that person, open the vault and pay them what they’re worth.

Al Michaels Deserved Better From NBC

Andy Masur
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Al Michaels Deserved Better From NBC

Al Michaels and the NFL Playoffs have been synonymous for the better part of 5 decades. Arguably one of the greatest to ever call the sport, had a long run at both ABC and NBC. He joined Amazon Prime Video Thursday Night Football last season, but was given ‘emeritus’ status at the Peacock Network which called for him to announce the playoffs for them. That ride is coming to an end this year. NBC announced its playoff assignments for the upcoming postseason and Michaels is not on the roster.

Michaels is “technically” under contract to do the postseason, but now will sit it out. The news of this change was reported by the New York Post earlier in the week. Al Michaels was interviewed by the paper last month, saying he believed that the deal was still in place for him to be in the booth and sounded unaware when told that it was in limbo.

“It’s in my deal,” Michaels said. “Where are you hearing that from? That’s part of my deal. Are you hearing something that I’m not hearing?” he told Post.

Replacing him on the telecast will be the team led by Noah Eagle, along with Todd Blackledge and Kathryn Tappen for one of NBC’s postseason games. Last year, Al Michaels and Tony Dungy called the crazy Jaguars comeback win over the Chargers. The broadcast had fans and media critics alike panning it for a perceived lack of enthusiasm.

That game, which could wind up being the last one for Michaels on NBC, coupled with the arrival of Noah Eagle made this move much easier for the executives at NBC. Prior to Eagle bursting on the scene, the choices for the secondary play-by-play role and were limited basically to Jac Collinsworth and Jason Garrett. The Notre Dame duo could not in good conscience be elevated to such a spot.

Neither are ready for that type of spotlight. Collinsworth hasn’t seemed to improve much in his calling of games and Garrett still seems like he’s forcing things on the broadcasts. Garrett is much better served in a studio role at this point.

Eagle, though, has risen up the ranks quickly. Putting him on a playoff game may seem to some like a reach, but it really isn’t. The 27-year-old did a very good job in his first season calling the Big Ten. There was a lot of underlying pressure on Eagle, considering how much NBC paid for the rights to the conference games and how much importance was placed on those games.

Eagle’s best days are still ahead of him, but getting him ready for big moments can only help him and the network at the same time. Later this month, Eagle and Blackledge will handle the Steelers and Bengals game airing on NBC and on Peacock.

Michaels is a legend. Imagining an NFL postseason without him is hard to do. It’s also difficult to believe that NBC would do him like this as well. Two years ago, Michaels called the Superbowl and now he’s being replaced. I know some are saying, he’s lost a step and they’ll point to recent Thursday Night Football games as an example.

As I have stated here in this column on a number of occasions, Al Michaels deserves the benefit of all doubts. He’s earned the right to broadcast as long as he wants. Also, to call it quits on his terms. It’s being reported by the Post that there has been acrimony in the relationship between Michaels and NBC executives for “a while”, but it’s been hidden from public view. The tension in the relationship doesn’t make the decision to move on from Michaels the right call. If it’s in the deal, it should be honored.

Most veteran broadcasters aren’t the same as they were when first starting out. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Play-by-play announcers evolve, becoming more confident and seasoned as they progress in their career. Michaels has forgotten more about the craft than most of us will ever know. I still think of him as a ‘big game’ announcer, even if his style has changed a bit from previous years.

For his part, Al Michaels isn’t thinking about retirement. He plans to be back in the booth for 2024 on the Amazon Prime Thursday Night telecasts.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m doing next year,” Michaels told the New York Post. “There’s no question about that in my mind.”

Michaels poo-pooed any talk of a farewell parade of sorts, if and when he decides to shut it down for good.

“Look when I’m done. It’s the way John Madden was done. Two words and a contraction: ‘It’s time.’ I don’t need any parade or that nonsense,” he said.

Every one of the greats eventually gives way to the younger generation of talent. But this isn’t the way to do it. This is no slight to Eagle, who has a tremendous career ahead of him. There is not a doubt in my mind about that. He’s poised and polished and not even 30 yet. His time will come and likely very soon.

Michaels shouldn’t be disrespected like this by the network. They have a deal with him, so why not honor that commitment? Even if there is discord among the parties, the audience shouldn’t be cheated out of hearing Michaels calling playoff football.

Michaels defined the NFL on NBC, when it secured the rights to Sunday Night Football in 2006. He teamed up with the late John Madden and then Chris Collinsworth, through the 2022 season. He was demoted in favor of Mike Tirico who had been promised the chair by NBC.

Michaels eventually landed with Prime, but that vague ‘emeritus’ status seemed to allow for audiences to get a taste of him during the postseason. Now it seems like the execs have gone back on that ‘status’ and silenced the long-time broadcaster.

The critics’ voices seem to be the ones that are being heard the loudest. I don’t know maybe NBC caved to the volleys of “he’s lost a step”, “retire” and “his fastball is gone.” If so, that’s a shame because Al Michaels still has gas in the tank.

I understand there is no loyalty when it comes to these decisions anymore. It’s all about “What have you done for me lately?” It’s a “How can we change what doesn’t really need to be changed?” kind of move. It’s one playoff game. He’s called 11 Super Bowls and countless other playoff games on his resume.

Al Michaels is more than capable of handling it. Plus, now that you have a good alternative booth, why not give it some time to cultivate even more chemistry together? Allow Eagle and Blackledge to grow together in calling games before a move like this becomes permanent. Having too much talent is a great problem to have, but apparently not in this case.

Hugh Douglas: Reporters Are Fans, So They Ask Dumb Questions Sometimes

BSM Staff
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Sometimes dumb questions get asked in press conferences. 94WIP host Hugh Douglas said Wednesday that those situations are inevitable.

On WIP Middays with Hugh Douglas and Joe Giglio Wednesday, sound from an exchange New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll had with one reporter at his Tuesday press conference was played.

The reporter wanted to know if there were any comparisons Daboll could draw from DeVito’s brief stretch under center to that of legend Tom Brady. That was considering Daboll was an assistant coach on Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots staff in 2001 when Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe and led the franchise to its first Super Bowl title.

“Although the audio’s great, you need to see Brian Daboll’s face when he realizes the question that’s being asked there, Hugh,” Giglio said. “Like he realizes that a reporter is actually after four games of this ‘Cutlets’ dude, comparing him to the greatest quarterback of all time. He’s like, ‘Are we really doing this?'”

“His tolerance level for that question was not very, very high,” Douglas responded.

“Reporters are fans. And when they see certain things they get excited,” he continued. “And he wanted to know that. Like, it’s a legit question, I guess, but it’s one that’s a little bit premature. A lot premature. But that’s what people do. Like reporters do it, fans do it. I mean it happens. So you just have to take it with a grain of salt, man, and just try to give him grace and answer the best way you can. But that’s a lot. That is a lot.”

Giglio said the story of DeVito, an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse signed by the Giants in April, has taken on legs of its own because of the quarterback’s persona, the bit with his agent, and his family.

“We’ve seen this before a million times in the NFL,” Giglio said. “Backup quarterback comes in and plays well for a few weeks. Brock Purdy did this last year. It took a year for anyone to say yeah he’s actually any good.”

As 2024 Approaches, What Are News/Talk Radio Professionals Focused On?

Peter Thiele
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As 2024 Approaches, What Are News/Talk Radio Professionals Focused On?

The end of the year is in sight, and it should be a moment to review your successes, failures, and goals. I like to make a list of things to accomplish. I always come up a little bit short, but it is an important exercise. Remember my motto: “The worst lie that you can ever tell is the lie you tell yourself.” It is time to be honest. This will make 2024 much more satisfying. If you have finished your year and didn’t accomplish anything other than killing time, use next year to reach your dreams. 

Let’s start with success! What worked well? Did you reach a professional milestone? Is it worth some self-satisfaction? Did you take credit for the win? Did you downplay it? Ok, let me explain. 

No one is going to give you credit unless you toot your own horn. Did your radio station raise a boatload of money for charity? Did you run promos and news stories trumpeting your feat?  Why? You wanted to let your audience know how they mattered and how your radio station helped the community. If you are a manager, do you make a win by your staff important? Did you congratulate them? Did you let your team know how much the win meant to you as well?  Now, did you take credit? 

I generally am the type that likes to get things done in the hopes that my superiors notice.  Sadly, I have learned that sometimes wins are expected by the brass. You need to claim recognition. You need to let people know about your success. As a manager, I have always heaped praise on my team. I want the bosses to know that my crew is killing it and that their success is due to hard work and commitment. I always want to share the credit. Because it is not just about me. It is about the team. Don’t be scared to write a promo about your successes and the efforts that you have deployed to help the station and company win.

Let’s talk about a difficult subject for any manager to discuss: failures. You may have had an event, promotion, or programming initiative that just fell flat and didn’t work. 

I worked for a company where events were essential to the company’s mission for each station. I worked in an office where the Promotions Director did an amazing job with these events except for the same shortcomings year after year. The presentation of the event was not organized or tight.  The morning of the event she was putting on the finishing touches for the station luncheon.  Every year, the presentation was sloppy and disjointed. She was very sensitive to this and not open for constructive criticism. 

The fix was small. I worked at another location for that company and ran these like a top. I suggested that the presentation of the event should be the first thing written out. I always made sure that everyone knew their jobs weeks in advance. There would always be last-minute bumps with a big event. Food not ready at the proper time, special speaker arriving late, etc.  Those are enough to worry about. She just could not see the reason for the continuing shortcomings in the event. 

My current station did a promotion for two books in a row. It didn’t work well in the first book, but we thought that with a few tweaks perhaps it would be great. Well, I was wrong. It didn’t work. There was no way to make it work for the station. The execution was perfect, but the promotion was a female-appeal exercise on a male-appeal radio station. So, we went to cash, and we crushed it. The participants were 65% male and it worked much better. I relayed the data to my superiors and the page was turned. 

When looking at goals for 2024, what do you want your station(s) to accomplish? What needs a fresh coat of paint on the station? Is there a show on the station that needs a reinvention?  What about the news? Can the writing be improved?

What about you? What do you want to experience in 2024?  Is there a vacation that you would like to book? What professionally would you like to improve upon in 2024? Did you want to learn a new skill? What about a new hobby? 

I learned this task from a former Market Manager. Get a white piece of paper and write down things that wish to do and wish to change in your life. Perhaps, you want to cut down on your personal debt. Maybe you have had a goal to learn to cook, code, or golf. We are only given one life. Live. Do it. Make short-term and long-term goals. 

You can win and make 2024 the best year ever. Nothing is perfect. You will have setbacks. You will also be pleasantly surprised by success. Sometimes our wins are seemingly not that big. I often ignore these personal professional successes. You may do the same thing. It is easier to build wins upon each other. It is also tempting to wallow in your shortcomings and failures.  Life is too short to focus on mistakes. Learn from errors and recognize your weaknesses. 

Celebrate reaching your goals. Keep track of these milestones. Each one that you hit creates another opportunity. The worst lie that you can tell is the lie that you tell yourself. What lie are you believing? If you believe the lies told to the person in the mirror, you can never grow.  You can never be the person you truly wish to be.

Sinclair, MLB Looking for Clarity in Diamond Sports Group Bankruptcy Case

BSM Staff
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When the National Basketball Association and Debtors of Diamond Sports Group reached an agreement to relinquish media rights back to the league following the 2023-24 season, it was incumbent on the assumption or rejection of a management services agreement (MSA). The outcome on the resolution pertaining to the MSA will impact the cooperation agreement between Diamond and its stakeholders. Diamond Sports Group also sued Sinclair, Inc. under its Ch. 11 bankruptcy case, claiming that its parent company received nearly $1.5 billion as a result of misconduct. Ahead of a hearing on the matter that is scheduled to take place on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, there have been motions filed from several vested parties about expeditiously reaching a resolution.

At the moment, Sinclair is providing Diamond Sports Group with services that the indirect wholly-owned subsidiary needs to function and carry out advertising sales, broadcasts and programming. Earlier in the month, the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Diamond Sports Group filed a joinder affirming that the harm the company alleges to have suffered “is entirely illusory.”

Moreover, it conveys that the existing MSA is relying on a provision of a letter agreement amendment instituted on March 1, 2022, which reinstates original MSA fees upon a bankruptcy filing from Diamond Sports Group. The Debtors have argued that this provision falls under an ipso facto clause within the bankruptcy code, meaning that the absence of harm to Sinclair renders the motion fatal.

In its response, Sinclair communicated to the court that it is suffering harm because Diamond Sports Group has yet to pay about $7.5 million per month in deferred fees under the management services agreement since the petition date, which equates to approximately $80 million. These unpaid fees will remain as such if the company is granted approval to enter into the cooperation agreement with its creditors, according to Sinclair. The company also declares that Diamond has looked to separate from Sinclair since “day one,” yet the implementation of such has failed and allowed the regional sports network holder to receive the benefits of the MSA at a diminished rate.

“The quid pro quo for a debtor (normally) having until confirmation to decide whether to assume or reject an executory contract is premised on the fact that the counterparty is at a minimum being paid currently on a post-petition basis,” Sinclair said in the reply. “If the counterparty is not being paid postpetition, then the counterparty is essentially funding the estate with no assurance of ever being paid.”

Under the assertion that the management services agreement and deferral letter “are a single, unitary agreement,” Sinclair points out that the argument fails on two different levels. The deferral letter, which states that if Diamond files for bankruptcy, Sinclair will receive full payment of fees provided to Diamond during the case, is not an executory contract itself; therefore, the ipso facto prohibitions do not apply, nor does the deferral itself. If the deferral were to withal remain in effect, it does not represent a contract but rather a deferral itself.

“Thus, the full amounts due under the MSA are still accruing as administrative expenses that must be paid now or in the near future,” Sinclair said. “But the Debtors have shown no indication of ever paying these amounts, and their financial projections attached to the Cooperation Agreement show no such payments ever. The Debtors’ non-payment of the deferred fees and apparent lack of intent to ever pay them demonstrates clear prejudice to Sinclair.”

When Major League Baseball and its teams looked for immediate payment for local broadcast fees, Sinclair averred that the court recognized the contract rate is reasonable unless there is convincing evidence otherwise. The company seeks to underscore this instance as an example to how a debtor cannot short-pay executory contract counterparties pending the assumption or rejection of contract. Under U.S. bankruptcy code, the amount owed is defined as the “reasonable value of those services,” parlance introduced in National Labor Relations Board v. Bildisco & Bildisco (1984).

 The disputation between the league and Diamond preceded the selective rejection of the contract of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Earlier in the year, it had relinquished media rights for the San Diego Padres, the first such MLB team to lose its local media provider under the bankruptcy declaration.

Prior to the season, Major League Baseball instituted a local media department to broadcast, disseminate and sell advertising for these broadcasts and has since expanded the business interest to ensure teams stay on the air. Additionally, the league provided at least 80% remuneration to afflicted teams in order to retain competitive balance, although the adoption and execution thereof next season is unknown.

After previously asserting that “time is up,” Major League Baseball introduced a jointly administered reply with the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers and associated affiliates compelling the court to coerce the Debtors into immediately assuming or rejecting telecast rights agreements. These entities previously filed a motion when there was no ostensible path towards a Ch. 11 plan, something it argues remains the case today.

“To suggest that MLB or the Clubs would be ‘content,’ let alone willing, to endure such uncertainty into the 2024 season is misleading at best, and they should not be forced to endure another season in limbo,” the league said in the filing. “The assumption of operations for up to 12 additional Clubs shortly before or during the course of the 2024 season would present challenges of an entirely different magnitude.”

The filing highlights that within the terms of a transition of the business reached among the Debtors, it will continue to operate rights agreements with certain clubs through at least the 2024 MLB season. Franchises within the 12 remaining on Bally Sports-branded regional sports networks have yet to be defined, which has had residual effects on spending during the offseason.

Furthermore, all but one of the 12 teams have contracts that are set to run beyond the 2024 MLB season unless the cooperation agreement is approved. Under the cooperation agreement, there are conditions that will determine its effectiveness, which includes the resolution of the motion with MLB and Sinclair along with a deal with the National Hockey League.

“The Debtors represented to this Court that a deal with the NHL was forthcoming and that they were ‘hopefully putting that before the Court shortly,’” MLB recollected, which took place on Nov. 15, 2023. “That was nearly a month ago. No motion has been filed with respect [to] the NHL. There is no settlement with Sinclair. There is no settlement with the Clubs or MLB. How then, can the Debtors suggest that such a highly contingent ‘orderly transition’ should moot the Motion?”

Due to the factors therein, MLB has stated in its objection that the Debtors need to be prepared to assume or reject the Telecast Rights Agreements on or before Dec. 31, 2023. As the season approaches closer, the league is unnerved about the potential for continuing to remain in the paradigm devoid of a resolution, thus producing augmented levels of uncertainty.

“The Debtors have always been just ‘one step’ away from a breakthrough, where everything is hopefully forthcoming soon,” MLB wrote in the filing. “Meanwhile there is a real risk that MLB and the Clubs will reach the start of the 2024 season in the same position, with the same uncertainty, and no resolution in sight. Enough is enough.”

Gilbert Arenas Joins Shannon Sharpe & Chad Johnson’s ‘Nightcap’ Podcast

BSM Staff
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Gilbert Arenas Joins Shannon Sharpe & Chad Johnson’s ‘Nightcap’ Podcast

The dynamic duo of Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson are adding a third musketeer to their late-night podcast: former Washington Wizards guard and Gil’s Arena host Gilbert Arenas. The show announced the move via its X account and says Arenas will start during the Dec. 13th edition of the program.

This won’t be Arenas’ first foray into digital media. Arenas is the host of Gil’s Arena, a daily web show where he discusses basketball with other former pros, as well as the FuboTV show No Chill with Gilbert Arenas.

Sharpe and Johnson started Nightcap in September as a partnership with Club Shay Shay Media, The Volume, and iHeartMedia Podcasts. It is in the style of a nightly recap of the sports day that was. Johnson and Sharpe debate the day’s most important sports topics, as well as discuss each other’s personal lives and other miscellaneous topics.

Sean McDonough to Greg Hill: Do You Enjoy Talking About Bill Belichick Every Day?

BSM Staff
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As the New England Patriots have struggled to win games in the 2023 season, the future of head coach and general manager Bill Belichick has been in question by fans and media members. The conversation surrounding Belichick being fired has continued to linger over the last several weeks, which led to a report from Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston stating that team owner Robert Kraft has already made a decision in this regard. According to Curran, Kraft and the Patriots are reportedly prepared to part ways with Belichick at season’s end, news that was at the center of Boston sports talk radio – including part of an interview with play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough.

Greg Hill, Jermaine Wiggins and Courtney Cox of WEEI welcomed McDonough to the station’s morning program on Wednesday. Early in the conversation, Hill asked McDonough about how he feels regarding the decision, to which he spoke on the reputation and veracity that Curran brings to his job as a reporter.

“I think [he] has a long history of being plugged in and reputable, and he certainly isn’t a guy who makes stuff up or is a bomb tosser or ‘Look at me’ kind of guy,” McDonough said, “so he’s not making it up. Somebody he considers to have excellent information on this subject said this to him, so I would take it to be credible.”

McDonough is a Boston native who previously hosted a sports talk radio program and calls Boston Red Sox baseball games on WEEI throughout the season. As a college sports announcer and primary voice of the NHL on ESPN, he tends to have a busy schedule but makes the time to listen to the morning show, especially ahead of making interview appearances. He did not have a chance to watch Pat McAfee discuss the Belichick situation on his eponymous program, The Pat McAfee Show, he revealed when asked by Hill. For now, he is cognizant of the fact that everything is merely conjecture and that no final decision has been officially announced.

“Do you guys enjoy talking about this every day?,” Sean McDonough said. “See, when I did sports radio, which no one remembers nor should they, one of my frustrations was – that was actually the year that [Drew] Bledsoe got hurt and Tom Brady played, and then it was, ‘Should it be Brady or Bledsoe?,’ literally it seemed like for 1400 consecutive days.”

As a former sports talk radio host, Sean McDonough understands that The Greg Hill Show and other programs in the format need to appeal to the audience. Since one of the talking points among Boston sports fans is the future of Belichick and the Patriots, it is something the show needs to address. While a preponderance of Wednesday’s program was focused on the Patriots, the show also makes time to discuss other matters in local sports, including the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics.

“Well it’s what people want to talk about,” Hill said. “The problem is until something actually happens, it’s all speculation.”

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