The San Francisco Giants have reportedly agreed to terms with outfielder Jung Hoo Lee on a six-year, $113 million contract, which is the largest deal given to an Asian-born hitter arriving in Major League Baseball. Lee was a star in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) who hit over .300 in every season in the league. Whether or not this deal constitutes a large move though could determine the future of NBC Sports Bay Area broadcaster Mike Krukow’s scheduled morning appearance on KNBR program Murph & Markus. Duane Kuiper is certainly curious about the answer to that question.
“By the way, my question was [that] I heard what Mike said about, ‘If the Giants don’t get somebody significant that he’s going to quit,’” Duane Kuiper said. “I wonder if this qualifies.”
Last week before Shohei Ohtani agreed to terms on a deal to join the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, Krukow spoke about how vital it was for the Giants to make a splash this offseason. The team won three World Series in the 2010s, but it has since struggled to attain a deep postseason run. Within his remarks, he stated that if the team did not land some level of augmented reputation before spring training, he would eat his words and quit the show if that is what they wanted.
“Okay, well either way he ain’t quitting,” replied co-host Brian Murphy, “so he’s got no choice.”
Krukow is scheduled to join Murph & Markus tomorrow morning at 7:35 a.m. PST where the program will likely ask him about the Lee signing. Kuiper affirmed that they also need to ask him about his future on the air and whether or not this move constitutes something of merit from his perspective.
“I heard what he said,” Kuiper explained. “He said he was going to quit. I don’t think he’s going to quit being a broadcaster, but I think he was saying he was going to quit your show, so does Jung Hoo Lee [count]; does that eliminate what Mike was talking about?”
Duane Kuiper desires to know the answer to this question, as he foresees himself appearing more on the show if Krukow decides to walk away. Lee is projected to slot into the Giants’ starting lineup as the team’s center fielder when the season begins, although a decision still needs to officially be made by the organization and new manager Bob Melvin.
“I was going to say for the sake of the morning show, I’m calling him a superstar Kuip,” co-host Markus Boucher said of Lee. “I’m calling him a superstar.”
This past Friday, MLB Network insider Jon Morosi made headlines when he confirmed suspicions that two-way baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani was indeed on a private jet from Anaheim to Toronto to potentially sign a free-agent contract with the Blue Jays. Upon Shark Tank investor and entrepreneur Robert Herjavec stepping out of the aircraft instead, the baseball world was disappointed and directed vitriol in the direction of Morosi for his inaccurate reporting.
Shortly after the fact, Morosi issued an apology to X after affirming that Ohtani’s decision was imminent earlier in the day. In the end, he regrets not adhering to the journalistic standards he learned while reporting for newspapers earlier in his career and vowed to be better going forward.
Today, I posted reporting that included inaccurate information that Shohei Ohtani was traveling to Toronto. I regret the mistake and apologize to baseball fans everywhere. I am deeply sorry for letting you down.
Morosi made an appearance on 670 The Score with the Parkins & Spiegel Tuesday and re-emphasized his apology, affirming that he had been told by multiple sources that Ohtani was on the plane. The decision for Morosi to go forward and promulgate what he had been told was his own, and it is something that he says he will remain accountable for throughout the rest of his career.
“I’m really grateful that the (MLB) Network has been so supportive,” Morosi said. “They knew I was trying the best I could on a very intense day to do the best reporting that I could and I obviously fell short, and I had a really, really bad day at the worst possible time is where it all fell for me, I think, on Friday.”
Morosi has been back on the air as usual on MLB Network with an understanding that it is his job to be better. Since the incident occurred, he has reviewed his fundamentals and practices to ensure that he is disseminating accurate reports. Reflecting on this process, he knows that there were parts that he can refine from what went wrong last week.
“I think that when you get a shock to your system like that, it’s not fun but it also makes you think a lot about the gratitude you have to be in a wonderful position like I am and the support of some great teammates who reached out – some privately; some publicly – and I had major-league managers calling me and players,” Jon Morosi said. “It’s been a pretty emotional few days, but it’s really underscored honestly how blessed I am to do what I do and it’s probably made me refocus and hopefully get even better in the future.”
There were other reports after Morosi’s blunder that stated that the purported information caused the Los Angeles Dodgers to become fearful and up their offer to Ohtani. The team ultimately landed him on a 10-year, $700 million deal with a reported $680 million deferred after the conclusion of the deal. With this amount of the contract being pushed afterwards, the Dodgers will have more flexibility to improve parts of their roster in accordance with the league’s competitive balance tax.
USA TODAY reporter and columnist Bob Nightengale opined after the fact that reporters are being used and do not seem to mind it, even embracing it at times. He also revealed that many of the stories are leaked by agents, which can be used to cultivate leverage for their clients. Morosi expressed his opinion on the assertion, explaining how the rules of the collective bargaining agreement prevent executives from discussing free-agent players to the media, even off the record, until they are signed by another team.
“As a result, hard, reliable, trustworthy [and] solid information, especially as it relates to free agency, is difficult,” Jon Morosi said. “It’s difficult to get. That’s not any excuse – that is no excuse for us to be inaccurate, but it’s just the reality of the playing field that we deal with.”
The occurrence underscores just how much the reporting impacts fans, and Morosi feels terrible about the inaccuracies he communicated on Friday. Morosi admitted that it was one of the hardest answers for him to give as an insider, but it would have benefited him in this circumstance.
“I was confident that what I had was correct and that’s why I put it out there,” Jon Morosi said, “but obviously it was a reminder that in the age of Twitter especially, there’s no such thing as being too careful.”
After rebranding CBS Sports Radio 1430 to Indy’s Sports Ticket 1430, the station’s Program Director Mike Killabrew has been elevated to Operations Manager at Cumulus Indianapolis.
Killabrew joined the company in May 2022 and has also programmed a pair of other stations for the cluster during his tenure, in addition to Indy’s Sports Ticket 1430.
“Mike is an impactful leader who has a strong track record of building and developing great teams, serving the community, and delivering results. He understands our market and our amazing brands will grow under his leadership,” said Cumulus Indianapolis Market Manager Darlene Park.
“I’m honored to lead and oversee all operations and programming for Cumulus Indianapolis,” Killabrew said, according to Radio Ink. “Darlene is a fantastic Market Manager, and we have an incredible team of talented and dedicated professionals who will drive us to continued ratings and revenue growth.”
Before joining Cumulus in Indianapolis, Mike Killabrew had served as the Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia in the Indiana capital. He also worked as a Program Director for the company in both Tampa and Des Moines, and was the Director of Rock Programming for iHeart while stationed in Washington, D.C.
Townsquare Media has announced the promotion of Sam Gagliardi to Vice President of Content for its two New Jersey markets.
Gagliardi will now oversee both the Monmouth-Ocean and Trenton-Princeton clusters which includes New Jersey 101.5.
He previously served as Director of Content for the Monmouth-Ocean market.
“In his short time with the company, Sam has proven to be an effective leader who quickly improved performance and culture at the Jersey Shore,” Regional Vice President Brian Lang said. “We expect Sam will have a similar impact in Trenton-Princeton.”
At the company’s Trenton-Princeton cluster, Gagliardi steps into the shoes vacated by the departure of Anne Gress, who programmed New Jersey 101.5 from January 2018 to earlier this month when she departed as part of a cost-cutting measure.
“I sincerely thank the leadership at Townsquare — Bill Wilson, Erik Hellum, Jared Willig, and Brian Lang — for this incredible opportunity,” Gagliardi, who goes by the name Sam Elliot on air, said. “Collaborating with the skilled professionals at the iconic brands of New Jersey 101.5 and PST presents an amazing opportunity. I am excited about working with such a highly talented group and look forward to engaging in collaborative efforts with the fantastic on-air and online creators at the Jersey Shore.”
A recent study from MyBettingSites Canada analyzed the Instagram following of all accounts belonging to NFL teams and their total social media presence from after the Super Bowl and the week following Thanksgiving this year. In that time, the company made a determination that the Kansas City Chiefs were the most influential NFL team in that timeframe, something that can be attributed to more than just the on-field success of the team. Bob Fescoe shared the study results on 610 Sports Kansas City on Wednesday morning.
Award-winning singer and songwriter Taylor Swift has attended six of the team’s contests, and the study stated that the numbers took off upon her first appearance in the suite from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Swift’s support of her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, catalyzed a gain of over 200,000 followers in the days after the first game she attended, which took place on Sept. 24. During that same week, Kelce’s name increased 920% in search, something the study presumes were fans of Swift investigating who he is. Over the total period of time, the Chiefs Instagram following has augmented 22% to 3.2 million fans as the franchise competes for another Super Bowl championship.
“It’s amazing to think the Chiefs have been on this remarkable run where they’ve picked up fans and [are] kind of the hot team and we’ve talked about jerseys being everywhere,” 610 Sports Kansas City morning co-host Josh Klingler said. “Did she just blow that out of the water in like two months?”
Klingler affirmed that Chiefs jerseys have become a common sight around the city and that the team’s success has compelled people to follow them. He is somewhat incredulous to the fact that it does not compare to the level of intrigue surrounding the organization since Swift began attending games. Broadcast networks have been cognizant of Swift’s presence at these games and documented her reactions to both touchdowns and turnovers.
“Taylor Swift’s bigger than the NFL,” co-host Bob Fescoe said, “and that’s not a hyperbolic statement; that’s the truth.”
Swift alone has 278 million followers on Instagram and releases music that frequently soars to the top of the charts. Fescoe understands the impact that she has and explained how he recently saw the results for Google’s Year in Search, which finished with Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin being the most-searched athlete and person in the world.
Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a game last season and had to be rushed to a nearby hospital to receive assistance from medical professionals. He was able to recover from the event and made a return to the field during Week 10 this season and was also honored as the recipient of the George Halas Award from the Pro Football Writers of America. Second to Hamlin in these results was Travis Kelce, who finished as the fifth most-searched person globally as well.
“I know people know Taylor Swift, but I don’t think people know what Taylor Swift has brought to Kansas City and what Taylor Swift has brought to the Chiefs and what Taylor Swift has brought to Travis Kelce,” Bob Fescoe said. “It has taken a great thing and made it 25 million times even greater than it already is, and if this relationship ends up going down the aisle and they get married and she ends up kind of settling here in Kansas City [and] starts doing a residency at T-Mobile Center or wherever the case may be, Kansas City’s going to blow up even more.”
Although he is primarily working as the play-by-play announcer of Amazon Prime Video’s presentation of Thursday Night Football, Al Michaels has maintained an emeritus role with NBC Sports. Michaels had been the voice of Sunday Night Football on NBC for 15 seasons and was able to call a playoff game each year for the network.
Yet he will not be on the call this season after criticism abound following his performance with Tony Dungy on a Wild Card round game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Chargers this past January. When reached for comment by the New York Post, which broke the news on Tuesday, Michaels seemed unaware and stated that calling a playoff game is part of his contract.
Nonetheless, the network has decided to grant Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge a chance to call a playoff game, announcers who are part of the network’s lead B1G Saturday Night commentary team. The network recently completed its first year broadcasting regular-season Big Ten Conference games as part of a seven-year media rights deal and introduced the new lead broadcast team to listeners. The other playoff games will be called by the lead broadcast team on Sunday Night Football games consisting of play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico and analyst Cris Collinsworth. The lineups were confirmed by NBC Sports according to the New York Post report.
“He’s a legend and he should be able to go out on his terms, but I do understand this decision,” morning co-host David Haugh said Wednesday on 670 The Score. “I don’t think it was executed gracefully, and that’s a shame because anybody who has accomplished what Al Michaels has accomplished – he deserves to go out on his terms. But I’m not going to protest this decision because I do kind of like both booths and outside of Collinsworth, I don’t have a big issue with any of the people that NBC will put out there for the playoffs.”
Executive producer Dustin Rhoades forgot that NBC Sports had a lead football broadcasting booth outside of the Notre Dame games, which had broadcasts taken over by Jac Collinsworth and Jason Garrett this past season. Having Eagle and Blackledge call an NFL playoff game, he affirmed, was similar to criticism he had of Amazon Prime Video and ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, conveying that they are being rushed into doing NFL games.
“This is going to percolate; this is not just going to just go away,” Rhoades said. “Is it because Al demands a steak at halftime and then after the game, and Ian Eagle’s son is willing to eat whatever the stadium provides on the buffet?”
Morning program co-host Mike Mulligan began reciting lyrics to Paul Simon’s hit single, “You Can Call Me Al,” expressing that he wants Al Michaels to remain on the call for a playoff game. Emphasizing that it is about hellos and goodbyes, Mulligan knows that Michaels heard the conversation surrounding the call of the game last year. Even though he stated that he is not going to argue that it was not a great call last year, he still wants to hear Michaels on the playoff game because of his association with these contests.
“I think that that guy has had such a great career and done so many great things in the business, it peeves me to think that he’s talking to the New York Post and they’re breaking news to him and he’s like, ‘Well, wait a minute,’” Mulligan said. “That’s awful, so they shouldn’t do a make-right.”
After hosting the latest Republican Presidential Primary debate last week, NewsNation is celebrating its strongest showing in its short history.
Nearly 1.6 million viewers tuned into the debate, which was moderated by SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly, NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas, and Washington Free-Beacon’s Eliana Johnson.
In primetime throughout the week, NewsNation saw an average of 288,000 total viewers. That figure saw the network jump from the 61st most-watched cable network to the 28th place in primetime.
The network’s viewership increased by triple-digits in the coveted 25-54 demographic, seeing an uptick of 181%, while CNN and Fox News both saw a 6% decrease in total viewers throughout the week. Newsmax saw a drop of 4% in total viewership for the week.
The network launched in March 2021 and features a primetime lineup of Chris Cuomo, Dan Abrams, and Ashleigh Banfield, among others.
AI audio developer Auddia has announced John Mahoney has been appointed the company’s Chief Financial Officer.
“John is a fantastic addition to the Auddia team. His experience as a CFO combined with the energy he brings to take on broader operational projects is a perfect fit for our dynamic company,” said CEO Michael Lawless.
“John will play a key role in helping us achieve 2024 goals which require broad and deep experience. Given that we are targeting key acquisitions in the coming months, he’s the right person to help the company succeed with those initiatives and scale successfully thereafter. We’re excited to have him on the team.”
Mahoney comes to the company after spending time as the CFO for Quality Biomedical Inc., a provider of home medical equipment.
Auddia is the developer of a new AI platform for AM/FM radio, podcasts, and other audio mediums that bring subscription-based, ad-free listening to digital feeds.
Mahoney replaces Tim Ackermann as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Ackermann resigned earlier this year.
Skyview Networks has announced an expanded partnership with The Weather Channel Radio Network in 2024.
After originally partnering in 2021, the two entities will now see an expanded deal with Skyview Networks handling sales for the network’s radio and podcast inventory.
Currently, The Weather Channel produces four weekly podcasts. Skyview Networks will now handle sales for Storm of Suspicion, The Earth Unlocked, Storm Stories, and Weather Geeks.
“As we continue expanding the reach and impact of The Weather Channel’s award-winning weather news and original content in the audio space, we are excited about our growing partnership with Skyview Networks,” said Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Weather Group parent company Allen Media Group Byron Allen. “Our renewed and expanded collaboration will greatly help us to grow and optimize our advertising initiatives.”
“Since initially partnering in 2021, Skyview Networks has been an enthusiastic supporter of The Weather Channel‘s growing reach,” said Skyview Networks President and CEO Steve Jones. “Now, we’re excited to add digital audio content to the robust portfolio of essential programming that listeners rely on every day for their information and safety.”
The Weather Channel Radio Network presently serves more than 100 radio stations across the country with local weather information.
“The Weather Channel is a well-respected community leader on several levels with a brand that generates significant results for our partners,” added Skyview Networks President of Network Partnerships and Chief Revenue Officer Jeanne-Marie Condo. “As partners, we continue to develop creative opportunities that blend radio, podcasts, and short-form weather reports.”
The second annual Barrett News Media Top 20 series rolls on with a look at News/Talk radio’s best afternoons shows of 2023. Morning and Midday Shows were released on Monday and Tuesday. If you missed them, click here to check out the Top 20 section and access whichever lists you’re interested in. In the meantime, to avoid missing out on anything else, I recommend bookmarking our website, following BNM on X at @BNMStaff or on Facebook at Barrett News Media or you can sign up for our daily newsletter, ‘The Rundown‘ by clicking here.
This year’s series focuses on six categories; Major and Mid market news/talk radio morning, midday, and afternoon shows, program directors, radio stations, and the format’s best national talk shows. Major Markets represent shows, stations, and PDs operating in markets #1-#20. Mid Markets cover markets #21 and below. Not included are NPR brands and shows. Maybe in the future we’ll change that or add an extra category but for now, mainstream news/talk radio outlets are the main focus.
As you review these results, please remember that they represent the collective opinions of fifty four (54) news/talk radio programmers and executives. We try our best to make sure the top shows, hosts, programmers and brands are listed for voting consideration. Industry decision makers are then asked to vote on categories based on where their stations/shows operate. BNM’s role in the voting process is to gather the feedback, add it up, and present the results.
I want to thank Barrett Media’s Digital Director Alex Reynolds for doing an awesome job on this year’s graphics, as well as each PD and executive who participated in this process. We had representation from fourteen companies and forty different cities, which was even better than last year. For those who didn’t vote and were invited to do so, I hope you’ll change your mind next year. It’s good for the format if you’re involved, and depending on the final votes, it can benefit your staff, sales team, and company, and excite your audience and advertisers.
Moving on to the voting, here are a few things I’d like you to be aware of.
#1 – Our executive voters are asked to rank their Top 20 selections for each category based on a few key factors; quality of show (ear test), originality, ability to entertain-inform-connect across multiple platforms, ratings success, clearance (national shows) and industry buzz. Remember, our voters live in different cities, have different tastes, work for different groups, and value certain factors higher than others. This is not a perfect system but it’s the best one we’ve come up with to showcase the industry’s top performers. Having done this for eight years with the sports talk format, we’re going to stick with it until a better option arises.
#2 – The executive panel consisted of program directors and corporate executives from a number of top broadcasting companies including Audacy, iHeart, Cumulus, Hubbard, Cox Media Group, Townsquare Media, Salem Media Group, Radio One, Alpha, Bonneville, FOX News Radio, Westwood One, Federated Media, and Zimmer Communications. We involve a large number of people in this process in order to receive feedback from all parts of the country, and to avoid the results heavily favoring one group. Given the variety of people in this process, it means there’s no guarantee that success last year will be duplicated this year.
#3 – A total of 37 shows appeared on ballots turned in by our executive panel in the Major Market Afternoon News/Talk Shows category. America’s airwaves in PM drive are filled by many top talents, but for this series specifically, only one gets top billing.
The honor this year goes to KFI’s Tim Conway Jr. The voters clearly love and respect KFI as the Los Angeles talk radio station has now claimed the top spot in all three local daypart categories this year. That’s a testament to having great talent, strong results, and a powerful connection with local listeners and clients. BNM congratulates Tim, Robin Bertolucci and the entire KFI staff on the well deserved attention, as well as every show that secured a spot on this year’s list.
Now, here are the full results of “Barrett News Media’s Top 20 Major Market News/Talk Afternoon Shows of 2023!”
Additional Notes:
Tim Conway won the afternoon category by 31 points over WSB’s The Von Haessler Doctrine. The KFI host finished with a category best four (4) first place votes.
Spots 21-25 were claimed by Mike Russell, Michelle Durham & Jay Scott Smith, The DeMaio Report, Drive Time w/ DeRusha, and Jason Rantz.
The closest contests saw PM Rush nip WTOP Afternoon News by 1 point, and Michael Wallace edge Lisa Dent by 3 points.
Of the 37 shows to receive votes, thirteen (13) received at least one 1st place vote.
Here is the remaining schedule for the BNM Top 20 of 2023.
Thursday December 14 = BNM’s Top 20 National News/Talk Shows of 2023
Friday December 15 = BNM’s Top 20 Major/Mid Market News/Talk Program Directors of 2023
Monday December 18 = BNM’s Top 20 Major/Mid Market News/Talk Radio Stations of 2023
