Nielsen Media Research has released its Gauge report for the month of October, which communicates sustained increases as it pertains to sports viewership. Despite a dearth of new programming due to recently concluded strikes by both writers and actors, the NFL and World Series broadcasts served as catalysts for the 9.4% bump in broadcast television viewership. The 15% rise in sports viewing across broadcast channels rendered October to be the third consecutive month of gains in this category.
Overall, the increase for broadcast television is the largest in the category since January of this year. Broadcast viewership among people aged 18-24 was up 15%; however, the total broadcast television year-over-year viewership figure is down by 5.6%, representing 24.6% of the average total day P2+ audience.
Streaming finished by returning shares for the third consecutive month with usage nearly flat from September. Amazon Prime Video usage in particular was up 1% and tends to be at its highest mark on Thursdays, concurrent with its broadcast of Thursday Night Football matchups.
The streaming provider is preparing to broadcast the NFL’s first-ever Black Friday football game in a matchup between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins later in the week. Streaming, however, makes up 36.6% of the average total day P2+ audience, with YouTube and Netflix accumulating the largest percentage shares.
Linear streaming through multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) and virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs) made up 6.4% of total television usage throughout the month. These numbers, however, are included in their respective broadcast or cable categories rather than being amalgamated within the total streaming category.
In September, viewership of sports programming increased by 360% on broadcast television, according to Nielsen Media Research. The NFL can be seen as a key driver of these shifts, specifically within various key demographics. Broadcast viewing among persons aged 12-17 increased by 26%, while the figure among those aged 18-49 increased by 35%. In broadening the range to include people aged 25 to 54, the number jumps by almost 33%.
With the Thanksgiving holiday rapidly approaching, many news/talk stations are involved in collecting donations for local food pantries. 95.5 WSB is no different and saw a great turnout for its recent drive.
Alongside Cox Media Group’s sister stations, 95.5 WSB collected 16,965 meals for the Atlanta Community Food Bank. From November 11th through the 18th, the station collected 14,478 pounds of food from listeners and business partners throughout the city.
“This year was a record-breaking year for pounds of food collected that will make a positive impact on our community. We’re thankful for the partnership with Atlanta Community Food Bank and grateful to be able to help struggling families during this time of ‘thanks’ and ‘giving’,” said Jaleigh Long, Vice President and Market Manager, Cox Media Group Atlanta Radio.
The donations come at a great time for the Atlanta Community Food Bank, which has reported a 40% increase in citizens using the service since last year.
“We’re thankful for the tremendous support shown to the Food Bank by the listeners and fans, radio personalities, and team members across Cox Media Group’s Atlanta stations. For more than 5 years, fans of the stations have come out in force to donate food and funds to help us meet the growing need across our communities,” said Atlanta Community Food Bank President and CEO Kyle Waide.
“Visits to food pantries are up 40% over last year, as many hard-working families across our 29 county service area continue to struggle in the face of higher costs for food, housing, healthcare, and more. The food and funds raised during these events will have a huge, positive impact on the lives of countless neighbors who bear the emotional and physical stress of food insecurity.”
Tom Brady is expected to join the lead broadcasting booth for FOX Sports to begin the 2024 NFL season, and despite speculation from consumers as to whether he will fulfill the contract he signed, the seven-time Super Bowl champion seems determined to perform at a high level.
Brady, who retired after 23 seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, agreed to a 10-year deal to serve as a color commentator on games but decided to take a year off before beginning the role. In the meantime, Brady continues to co-host a podcast with Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray titled Let’s Go! with SiriusXM.
Appearing on The Stephen A. Smith Show as a guest, show host Stephen A. Smith asked Tom Brady how he feels about his life given everything he has accomplished and things he has planned for the future. In response, Brady expounded upon how he is blessed to have had the opportunity to be around different types of people who have entered his life at the right time.
“Certainly I love being a good teammate, and I’ve surrounded myself over the years who advise me the right way [and] brought me into the right areas for growth; things that I couldn’t have had happened if I had not met these particular people,” Brady said. “I love health and wellness; longevity. I love sports, and that’s what I want to be involved in for the rest of my life.”
Brady knows that his job will be to offer his esoteric perspectives on the game of football and render them compendious and discernible to the viewing audience. Transitioning out of football, he felt that he needed a respite in order to recalibrate and prepare himself to excel for the next opportunity in his life.
“I love preparing for this new opportunity at FOX and broadcasting,” Brady said. “[I have] talked to some amazing people who have given me great information, and now it’s about taking the time to really prepare and get out there and give people what they want, which is to add my perspective to the game every single week.”
Multiple Newsmax employees have claimed the network’s Vice President of Programming, Chris Knowles, has committed sexual harassment against them.
According to a report from Mediaite, several employees have either claimed they were harassed by the executive or witnessed the events. The report claims Knowles has been told to “correct his behavior” but remains in his role.
While speaking on the record, one employee claimed she had been harassed by Knowles. A producer called the situation inside the conservative cable news outlet “an open secret”.
In response, the network claims it has no record of any complaints against Chris Knowles.
“Newsmax has never had a single complaint about Mr. Knowles having sexually inappropriate activity with any staffer, either formally or informally,” a spokesperson for the network claimed. “And based upon our knowledge, we don’t believe any comments you claim he made constitute sexual harassment.”
However, an anonymous producer pushed back on that claim. “I know for a fact that there have been several HR claims against Knowles for sexual harassment issues,” the Newsmax producer said. “I am shocked they claim otherwise.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Knowles has worked at Newsmax since 2019. He originally joined the network as Executive Producer before being elevated to Vice President of Programming in June of last year. Previously destinations include Fox News, CNN, The Blaze, and WPIX-TV in New York.
As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, a common question is asked: “What are you thankful for?”. KFI AM-640’s Bill Handel has an easy reply when asked.
While discussing the upcoming holiday on Monday, Bill Handel shared a story of once attending a Thanksgiving dinner party, and the host insisting everyone at the table share what they are thankful for.
“I’m thinking ‘What? Are you outta your mind? Come on!’,” Handel said. “‘What do we give thanks for?’ ‘Alright, I give thanks for my kids.’ ‘I give thanks for the food we’re about to eat.’ And then they came to me. ‘Bill, what do you give thanks for?’ Ratings. That’s it. Ratings. Good ratings? Thankful. Bad ratings? Not thankful.”
It will be a thankful holiday for Bill Handel. According to the latest Nielsen ratings, KFI AM-640 is the fourth highest-rated station in Los Angeles, finishing the month of September with a 4.8 rating in the wide-ranging 6+ demographic.
Handel joked that the people pretend they are give thanks, but are actually focused on other things.
“It is Thanksgiving week, which we all love, because we give thanks for everything we have. Sure you do,” Handel said cynically. “It’s a couple of days off and you overeat.”
Boise news/talk station KIDO raised more than $30,000 and saw thousands of turkeys donated during its annual Give a Turkey, Don’t Be a Turkey drive last week.
Morning host and multiple-time Marconi Award nominee Kevin Miller led the donation efforts for the Boise Rescue Mission, which offers services to individuals in need of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual help, and combats of homeless and addiction in the Idaho capital.
“It is such a blessing to be a small part of the effort uniting Idahoans for such a great cause,” Kevin Miller told Barrett News Media. “In a world of challenges, KIDO listeners continue to make a difference in the Boise area.”
2023 marked the 12th consecutive year Miller spent the week before Thanksgiving broadcasting live around Boise and accepting donations for the local charity.
“We want to thank this entire community for coming together at this critical time to help hungry and homeless people in the Treasure Valley,” says Boise Rescue Mission Ministries President/CEO Rev. Bill Roscoe. “We are also greatly thankful to our good friend Kevin Miller who, for over a decade, has dedicated his time to helping meet the needs of hungry and homeless men, women, and children in our community.”
Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall has made his first visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, since the harrowing attack that left him severely injured in March 2022.
The visit was arranged by FOX Corp. Executive Chairman and CEO Lachlan Murdoch, in response to an invitation from President Zelenskyy. During the visit, Hall conducted a comprehensive interview with Zelenskyy, which will be broadcast on Special Report with Bret Baier from 6-7 PM ET on Tuesday, November 21.
While in Kyiv, Hall also met with the servicemen who played a crucial role in his evacuation last year. In recognition of his “outstanding personal contribution to strengthening interstate cooperation, support for Ukraine’s independence, and territorial integrity,” President Zelenskyy awarded Hall the Order of Merit, III class.
On March 14, 2022, Russian missiles struck the car carrying Hall and his crew as they reported from a village outside Kyiv. The attack resulted in critical injuries for Hall, the tragic deaths of Fox News photojournalist Pierre Zakrzewski and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova, and life-altering injuries for Hall, including the loss of a leg, foot, function in one hand, and an eye.
Enduring over 30 surgeries in the last 20 months, Benjamin Hall chronicled his journey in Saved: A War Reporter’s Mission to Make it Home, published in March 2023, quickly becoming a New York Times bestseller. A documentary based on Hall’s ordeal aired on FNC immediately after the book’s release, detailing his extraction from Ukraine and the challenging recovery that followed.
FOX Sports and Amazon Prime Video host Charissa Thompson was the talk of sports media late last week when in an appearance on Barstool’s Pardon My Take, she said there were times in her brief stint as an NFL sideline reporter that she presented made-up reports on the air.
On The Greg Hill Show on WEEI on Monday, host Greg Hill said in light of Thompson’s admission it’s time for networks to reconsider retitling the position away from reporter.
“The issue with the sideline reporters, which we talked about a lot during the 7 o’clock hour, is if you’re not gonna be a reporter just change what the job title is,” Hill said. “In the case of these two specifically, Charissa Thompson and Erin Andrews, it seems like they are both sharing that they have done things that generally in the past reporters have not done. That’s all.”
Co-host Courtney Cox echoed the sentiments of a listener who texted the show saying there’s a difference between a reporter with personality and just a personality. Thompson comes across as just a personality.
“There are people that are going to be on your screens that are personalities, and then there are people that are on your screens that are there as personalities,” Cox said. “You just have to know the difference there.”
Co-host Chris Curtis chimed in saying that the reason why so many other sideline reporters rushed to denounce Thompson is because he felt like Charissa shed some light on a practice that isn’t as uncommon as people think it is.
But Greg Hill wasn’t buying it. He felt like even if a coach doesn’t talk to a sideline reporter at halftime, it better serves the audience to just say that the coach didn’t talk instead of generalizing and attributing that to a coach.
“If the head coach is not gonna be available at halftime and that’s essentially what you’re there for – I guess you’re there mid-game to try to get something about an injury that just happened – just say you can’t interview the head coach,” he said. “‘Sorry the head coach didn’t say anything to us.’ Don’t make it up!”
“I think it’s because they don’t think they’re there to be reporters,” Hill later added. “They think they’re there to be personalities.”
The sports media ecosystem is in a state of dynamic change concurrent with fluctuations in consumption habits, technological capabilities and means of dissemination. Rather than remaining reactive, FS1 has positioned itself to be adept in reacting and making changes should they be necessary.
When media outlets reported tension and dissonance between Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe at FS1’s morning program Undisputed, fans became wary of the future of the show. Since the program’s inception in 2016, both co-hosts had connected with audiences through their candid conversations on different topics around the world of sports.
As all of this was occurring, Craig Carton was in the midst of working at WFAN without a contract as he balanced his radio duties with trying to build a new morning show on FS1. Carton had yet to make the decision to commit to FS1 on a full-time basis and leave WFAN, something he came to terms with in late-June.
With a sense of uncertainty in the mornings, afternoons proved to be stable with FS1’s programs consistently displaying a growth trajectory. Although the morning programs were at an ostensible inflection point, Charlie Dixon, the network’s executive vice president of content, knew that everything would end up working out.
“I love that we’re the jetski [and] not the ocean liner because when these things are happening – when a new platform comes out and is actually succeeding; when a new talent comes to fruition that we didn’t even know how big they were going to become – we’re able to water that plant and it grows,” Dixon said. “I have not seen that in my experience to date better than it’s done at this company.”
The outcome became more clear when Sharpe reached a buyout with FOX Sports, ending his time on Undisputed and the distribution of his podcast, Club Shay Shay, through the company. Sharpe was officially a media free agent, and after a summer of widespread speculation, he announced that his independent media company, Shay Shay Media, was partnering with The Volume in a content deal that included his hit podcast. Shortly thereafter, he inked a deal with ESPN to serve as a contributor on First Take with Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim, frequently making appearances on Monday and Tuesday mornings.
“You’re in a deal and then all of a sudden, Shannon wants 175 catches versus the 100 he was getting with the Broncos, and you move on,” Dixon said. “To me, it felt very natural. I felt like I think he’s doing great, [and] I want nothing but great for him because, frankly, it looks good for everybody here too. We want him to do well because that’s why we invested in him in the first place.”
As Sharpe was contemplating his next destination, Dixon was involved in the process of creating a revamped edition of Undisputed that would re-emerge on the network’s airwaves just before the start of the NFL season. Dixon previously worked in programming at ESPN and helped develop First Take, which had transitioned to a format with a rotation of panelists to debate Smith on various topics from around the sports world. Rather than naming a new permanent commentator to work with Bayless, the network decided to install a rotation of its own, with Richard Sherman, Josina Anderson, Keyshawn Johnson, Rachel Nichols and Michael Irvin joining the mix.
“We definitely did not lean on what First Take was doing; we were leaning on what I thought was best for what people are trying to consume right now, and I think Skip has so much more to offer than just the debate thing,” Dixon said. “He’s the best-ever on earth at the debate format, and we still have some part of that in the show, but the reality is the guy’s had an amazing career.”
The program is approaching its third month in the new format, something Dixon claims is an achievement for a show that had been in the same format for seven years. Although there have been reports of the program falling short of First Take in the ratings, the current focus is towards constructing and airing stellar content that serves the viewing audience.
“The three months is very hard to reformat for a person who’s kind of redefined a category, right?,” Dixon said. “Everybody would admit it that he created the debate format, and then he’s evolving the show where it takes a minute. Now all of these people are really resonating towards our goal of, ‘Let’s just have the most impressive conversation in all of sports television,’ and he’s working on that; it takes a minute.”
Preceding Undisputed is Craig Carton, a veteran sports media personality primarily appearing on a television program for the first time in his career. Since Carton signed a deal granting FOX Sports exclusivity over his media rights, The Carton Show has added a permanent co-host in David Jacoby and analyst Willie Colon, and conducted various interviews with key personnel around the world of sports.
“It’s all habit-forming,” Dixon said. “We can’t force it; if we could, it would be very easy. I think you just have to keep them available in very specific time slots where they know where they can get it, and now that’s kind of evolving into wherever you want to consume them, but making sure that they know.”
FOX Sports has distinctive studio offerings across its properties, but the FOX NFL Sunday cast has been synonymous and accumulated extolment from viewers around the world. The crew displays its strong chemistry with one another and fosters a connection with fans every week, providing viewers with levity and repartee on a weekly basis that further compels viewers to tune in.
Dixon is aware of the synergies that exist throughout the company, and has been working to translate the aura on the gameday programming to daily studio shows. Up and down the new programming lineup, a resounding modus operandi has been adopted that focuses on celebrating sports. That approach has translated into quantitative results.
As an example, Speak, featuring Joy Taylor, Emmanuel Acho and LeSean McCoy, is up 70% year-over-year (YoY) and has attained 12 consecutive months of YoY viewership growth. The hosts frequently watch games together and converse beyond the standard workday, underscoring how they have been able to develop strong chemistry on the air.
“I think people watch sports because they want to be entertained, and sometimes the content had gone to a little bit more about debate, etc., and we’re about, ‘Let’s have an impassioned conversation and have people that you care to watch and you want to be in that room with,’” Dixon articulated. “I always equate everything to a dinner party; like, ‘Who do you want [at] your dinner party?’”
A similar premise applies to First Things First, which moved into the afternoons last fall after starting out in mornings. The program is led by Nick Wright, a dynamic and distinctive on-air talent that Dixon believes is better suited to work in the afternoons than the mornings. Wright has been hosting the show since it took the air in 2017 and met with Dixon to compile the remainder of the cast in Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes.
“That’s not a knock; it’s more that he’s so smart that I think you have to be awake if you’re going to take [in] his content; you have to be there for him,” Dixon said. “It was all about actually chemistry.”
Dixon does not have anything to do with the program on a day-to-day basis except in watching and ensuring that he is supplementing the areas that are working and subsequently paying dividends on the air. Ratings for the show have augmented 97% YoY and the program has had 14 consecutive months of double-digit YoY growth, adequately meeting the audience where it is and providing shrewd yet entertaining perspectives on different storylines within professional sports.
“I think First Things First – and I believe this about all the shows now – you want to be in the room and you would want to be in and out of that conversation,” Dixon said. “Maybe I can be a part of that – you feel a part of it versus feeling bad about things. I think there’s enough negativity in the world right now that sports content should be just positive.”
FOX Sports has been successful at actualizing talent, something Dixon attributes to the willingness of company leadership to take chances and auditing based on results rather than conjecture. Akin to the overall media landscape, the company moves expeditiously and trusts its leadership that it is positioning the brand for sustained growth. Apropos to its uniform mantra, “We are FOX Sports,” the company values collaboration and inquisitiveness to cultivate all types of audiovisual content.
“Obviously you have to know your stuff when you’re going into these conversations,” Dixon said, “but the truth is if you have a plan and you know what you’re looking for from your talent and what the results you’re hoping for [are], it gets done tomorrow, whereas other companies, that could be a six-month conversation and the person has already left.”
With host Colin Cowherd’s contract set to expire early in 2025, Dixon knows that there will be a decision to make pertaining to his future. The Herd leads off afternoons on FS1 and features both Cowherd and co-host Jason McIntyre. In addition to his work with FOX Sports, Cowherd also owns and operates The Volume, a digital media venture that he estimates is worth more than $100 million.
“You’re making your bets on the talent,” Dixon said. “Now if the question is, ‘Would I make a bet on Colin Cowherd?,’ of course. I think he’s honestly one of the top people who’s ever done this in the game.”
Although Cowherd established himself largely through the audio medium, FS1 does not tend to view his existing program as a radio show simulcast on television. Rather the network feels that Cowherd’s program more closely resembles a television show and is simulcast on the air.
“We work with the guys at iHeart all the time to make sure that everybody’s being satiated, but the truth is radio has such a different specific feel to it,” Dixon said. “If you just put radio shows on TV, I have not seen that be a track record for growth.”
When Dixon is at home consuming content, he finds that although he enjoys what is being perpetuated on audio platforms, he misses the visual elements of the programs. Despite the show being tailored for television, Cowherd’s program remains simulcast around the country to a growing number of consumers, the platform through which they follow notwithstanding.
“Making sure we’re just available to everyone across every platform – and that’s not just for radio or linear or broadcast – it’s what we’re doing exhaustively with all of our social content,” Dixon said. “I think we’re really kind of setting a trend there as well.”
FS1 remains focused on offering and promulgating premium brands, and an area of growth has been within its digital offerings. Over the summer, the network unveiled cutting-edge digital studios that house The Joel Klatt Show, State of the Union and The Skip Bayless Show. The location also broadcasts Flippin’ Bats which recently broadcast live from the World Series, airing live content as another viewing option to the traditional MLB on FOX postgame show.
“If you want to consume MLB content on FOX, the more the merrier, right?,” Dixon said. “Why would you only have a limited amount?… Why wouldn’t you have Ben [Verlander] and why wouldn’t you have his access, and why wouldn’t you have him with John Smoltz – and that all of a sudden just creates the ecosystem of, ‘Everybody, we’re all on the same team,’ and I think that is unique to what is going on in sports at FOX.”
Cord cutting remains an evident problem that many media companies have looked to combat through an increased focus on digital content and, for some, the development of a DTC (direct-to-consumer) platform. FOX Sports has not announced plans for offering its shows and live play-by-play in this manner, although it has ownership of the Tubi streaming platform.
“A lot of cable is not doing as well as far as growth pattern,” Dixon said. “I think we’re creating the content people want to watch, and then they’ll let us know if they don’t like it, but right now they like it.”
As a media executive, Dixon is energized by working with hundreds of like-minded individuals who bring passion and expertise to their jobs. He considers himself fortunate to be able to motivate them each day to help the network attain heights either unrealized or previously perceived as outright impossible.
“Keep your eyes open and make sure you know what you think the future looks like,” Dixon said, “and I say that to my groups all the time is, ‘How are we going to grow the thing? This thing took care of us for however many years, right? How are we going to take care of it?’”
Back in September, Mina Kimes signed a multi-year contract extension to remain at ESPN. While there are many factors that led to her decision to re-up, Kimes just couldn’t give up the great thing she’s got going at the worldwide leader.
Kimes, who is returning from maternity leave, told Awful Announcing that having the familiar faces she’s come to know and love working on NFL Live was one of the big reasons she decided to stick around ESPN a bit longer.
“The biggest reason is I just really love the people that I work with, especially my family on NFL Live,” Kimes said. “It’s a little cliche to call them family, but they really are to me. They’re not only wonderful human beings and amazing to work with every day, but they challenge me, we push each other, and we make what I believe is one of the best shows on television. So just for me, probably the biggest appeal was just working with the people that I love so much there in particular.”
Mina Kimes also said getting the chance to be featured on a number of other ESPN shows was something she didn’t want to pass on.
“That was a big draw with Around The Horn, and First Take, and filling in on shows like PTI,” she said. “That’s obviously very unique to the network.”
Kimes’s podcast produced by Omaha Productions, in addition to her dedicated ESPN YouTube channel, were other contributing factors in her sticking around.
“Last year was when I started working with Omaha on the podcast content, and it was such a terrific experience for me,” she said. “They’re just really creative, driven, content-first people. And so when I was thinking about other opportunities and some of the opportunities came with different podcast partners, a big part of the appeal for me in staying with ESPN was also continuing on with Omaha.”
