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Greg Hill Signs Contract Extension at WEEI

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Greg Hill has signed a contract extension with WEEI, keeping him on the morning show alongside co-hosts Jermaine Wiggins, Courtney Cox and Chris Curtis on weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. EST, Barrett Sports Media has learned.

Hill was honored with a Marconi Award from the National Association of Broadcasters in 2022 for “Major Market Personality of the Year,” and his show’s Nielsen ratings have been up 60% YoY. Moreover, his program consistently leads Audacy’s programming portfolio in viewership on Twitch.

Hill’s radio show contains a mixture of sports, pop culture and lifestyle content, and he has utilized his platform to benefit the community, evidenced by starting “The Greg Hill Foundation” in 2010. To date, the organization has accumulated more than $27 million in donations, which have been distributed to over 9,000 beneficiaries.

“We are thrilled to extend Greg’s contract and keep the momentum going for his award-winning morning show,” Mike Thomas, senior vice president and market manager of Audacy Boston, said in a statement. “We look forward to having Greg, alongside Jermaine and Courtney, continue to set the tone for our weekday programming and deliver entertaining content for our listeners for the foreseeable future.”

A Massachusetts native, Hill anchored the morning show for three decades on WEEI’s sister station WAAF, where he first started working in the promotions department in 1986. Hill made the transition to WEEI in 2019 and has continued to serve as a trusted voice for Boston sports fans and radio consumers around the locale. While hosting The Greg Hill Show, he frequently interviews prominent figures in sports, such as former New England Patriots defensive back Ty Law, former NFL quarterback and WFAN host Boomer Esiason and former Boston Bruins defenseman Mike Milbury.

“I cannot thank Mike Thomas, Mark Hannon and Jeff Sottolano enough for giving me the opportunity to wake up at an inhumane hour every day for many more years,” Hill said in a statement.”

Jim Donovan Returning to Cleveland Browns Radio Broadcasts

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Jim Donovan, the “Voice of the Cleveland Browns,” is making his return to the broadcast booth this Sunday when the team takes on the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Week 11 rivalry matchup. Donovan stepped away from the team’s broadcast during the season opener against the Bengals to continue treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a disease he was first diagnosed with in 2000.

Donovan experienced a relapse of the disease last year, which resulted in a refined and more aggressive treatment method to combat the disease. While he was making the announcement, he vowed that he would listen to the broadcasts and come back as soon as possible.

Jim Donovan is in the midst of his 25th season behind the microphone for Browns games and is excited to return to the broadcast booth and call the action for listeners in the Cleveland metropolitan area and beyond. Additionally, he also serves as the sports anchor for 3News (WKYC) and will resume those duties on Monday.

“In addition to my teams at WKYC, the Browns, and of course my wife (Cheryl) and daughter (Meghan), I have an amazing group of doctors and caregivers at University Hospital’s Seidman Cancer Center and I truly appreciate everyone’s support,” Donovan said in a statement.

While Donovan was absent from the booth, the Browns utilized a rotation of play-by-play announcers to work with color commentator Nathan Zegura, which included Andrew Siciliano, Paul Keels and Chris Rose.

Donovan first started working with Zegura as the primary color commentator last year following Doug Deiken’s retirement from the role, which he held for 36 seasons. Je’Rod Cherry took Zegura’s role as the broadcast’s sideline reporter upon the departure of Deiken and can be heard each week on 850 ESPN Cleveland, 92.3 The Fan and 98.5 WNCX, the team’s flagship stations within its larger radio network.

Howard Eskin: Charissa Thompson ‘A Disgrace’ For Fabricating Sideline Reports

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Although she no longer works as a sideline reporter for FOX Sports, Charissa Thompson continues to have a respect for people who partake in the craft. There are occasions where the work of a sideline reporter is not directly attributed to the person, nor do they get the most time on camera. Thompson explained in a recent appearance on Pardon My Take that these factors represented a low return on investment for her, precipitating a transition towards becoming a studio host.

During her interview on Pardon My Take, Thompson revealed that she used to fabricate sideline reports because of the difficulties associated with obtaining the necessary information in due time. Thompson explained her reasoning for deciding to take such actions and stated that she had said it previously and not been fired for it.

“I would make up the report sometimes because (a) the coach wouldn’t come out at halftime; or it was too late and I didn’t want to screw up the report, so I was like, ‘I’m just going to make this up,’” Thompson said. “Because first of all, no coach is going to get mad if I say, ‘Hey, we need to stop hurting ourselves. We need to be better on third down; we need to stop turning the ball over and do a better job getting off the field.’ They’re not going to correct me on that, so I’m like, ‘It’s fine, I’ll just make up the report.’”

The clip of Thompson divulging this practice circulated on social media early Thursday morning, and it led to Philadelphia radio host and Eagles radio sideline reporter, Howard Eskin, to provide his thoughts on the situation. Eskin recently appeared on SportsRadio 94WIP as part of the station’s announcement of a six-year media rights extension with the Eagles, which took place on location at a Philadelphia restaurant to benefit the Travis Manion Foundation.

“As a sideline reporter myself, this is a disgrace,” Eskin said. “If the coach does not talk to [you], just give YOUR insights, but don’t make things up. It’s a slippery slop[e] to do that any time.”

At the end of the clip, Pardon My Take co-host PFT Commenter added to Thompson’s dialogue and quipped about a potential sideline report that could be delivered after halftime.

“It would be very funny if you were like, ‘Yeah, so I just spoke with Arthur Smith at halftime, and he said, ‘Bijan Robinson blew smoke in his face,’ and that’s why he’s not getting the ball,” he said.

Thompson is currently part of the studio team for both FOX NFL Kickoff and TNF Tonight, anchoring coverage leading up to National Football League action each week. In addition, she co-hosts the Calm Down podcast with FOX Sports reporter Erin Andrews, discussing sports and lifestyle while interviewing captivating guests.

Eric Von Haessler: ‘The Media is a 24-Hour Beast, And We’ve Got To Fill It Up’

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Eric Von Haessler: ‘The Media is a 24-Hour Beast, And We’ve Got To Fill It Up’

Virtually every topic is on the table for talk radio hosts. That doesn’t mean listeners care about every topic, though. 95.5 WSB host Eric Von Haessler is aware of that fact, but says he has to juggle them.

Von Haessler spent time Wednesday discussing Jimmy Kimmel’s return to host the Oscars in 2024. He then shared, by the drop in ratings for the awards show, it was likely his listeners did not care about the topic.

“Nobody cares. That’s the point. That’s the point,” Von Haessler reiterated. “Your media people can’t understand where you are, America. Let me apologize for them. You don’t care about the Academy Awards anymore. The ratings — as a percentage of the population in 1975 to 2023, 2024 — is an amazing drop off of viewers. But you understand that the media is a 24-hour beast and we have to fill it up. And we’re just like, ‘Hey, it’s Grammy time. It’s Oscar time. We got to do the thing we did before.’ Let me apologize for all of us who say ‘I recognize — we recognize — you don’t give a damn about the Oscars.'”

He continued by noting that faith in institutions has decreased as well, and that means things are different now than they used to be despite the media being slow to adapt.

“People don’t think like that anymore. Everything is so niched out. It’s got us all in our own little world, you know, and looking at our screens. People just don’t care,” Eric Von Haessler said. “People can listen to me go on and on about The Beatles and be like, ‘Okay, you old bastard, shut up’, whatever. They’re listening to whatever they’re listening to. The world isn’t the way that it used to be in the mid-90s, when there was some shared experience.”

Steve Czaban: ‘The Athletic’ is Still Doing the Best ‘True Sports Journalism’ Out There

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Steve Czaban: ‘The Athletic’ is Still Doing the Best ‘True Sports Journalism’ Out There

James Madison University’s postseason waiver request was denied by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) on Wednesday, as it is in the midst of transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) after previously competing in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Under the existing rules from the NCAA, teams that are taking place in this transition are ineligible for the postseason during the first two seasons of this transition. James Madison is undefeated on the year, sporting a 10-0 record, and is ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

While he understood the rules, 97.3 The Game morning host Steve Czaban wanted to gain more clarity on the situation and tried to find a content source that gave him a wider scope of information. During his search process, he discovered himself struggling to come across a story that effectively explained the situation.

“It is stupid, although I had to dig for the ‘Why’ behind it because the major websites; like this once website – I don’t know if you’ve heard of it – called ESPN.com, they don’t even try to explain the why. I always thought journalism was the who, what, where, how [and] why.”

Many college football fans are perturbed at James Madison being left out of the College Football Playoff (CFP) because of the team’s stellar play on the field this season. The team has captured the interest of fans around the country, and its campus will host ESPN’s venerated program College GameDay on Saturday. As Czaban continued trying to scour the internet for an article he deemed sufficient, he came across The Athletic, a publication he signed up for a long time ago but feels he does not read enough.

“[The Athletic is] still doing the best, I think, true sports journalism out there,” Czaban said. “I don’t know if they’re making any money, [but] I know I subscribe. I think I got in at an absolutely abusive rate to them, something like a dollar a month or whatever.”

The New York Times Company purchased The Athletic in a cash transaction for $550 million and has since made it the primary sports content provider for its business. In a controversial decision over the summer, The New York Times shuttered the sports section of its newspaper and has been working to decrease adjusted operating losses at The Athletic, a figure it reduced by 38.1% year-over-year (YoY) to $7.8 million last quarter. For the company as a whole, average revenue per user (ARPU) on solely its digital platforms augmented by 1.2% YoY to $9.15, while overall revenues at The Athletic increased by 55.3% YoY to $30.4 million.

Although the outlet has varying types of articles, along with other content offerings such as podcasts, Czaban finds it difficult to consume because of his diminished attention span. According to a study by Dr. Gloria Frank, adults pay attention to one screen for an average of 47 seconds, which is down 75 seconds over the last 20 years. Moreover, the average human attention span is equivalent to 8.25 seconds, per a Microsoft study conducted in 2015.

“Maybe if it gets down to zero; maybe if my attention span gets whittled all the way down to one second…. then it’ll reset and I can go back 20 years to where I go, ‘Ooh, a long article about something in sports. I am in; hold my calls,’” Czaban said.

Tony Katz: ‘Pretty Damn Ugly’ For Tucker Carlson to Compare Fentanyl Crisis to Israel

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Tony Katz: ‘Pretty Damn Ugly’ For Tucker Carlson to Compare Fentanyl Crisis to Israel

Tucker Carlson has taken criticism from other conservative pundits for his views on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, most notably from The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro. However, you can add 93 WIBC host Tony Katz to the list of detractors.

In his latest Tucker on X video, Carlson discussed the conflict with Candace Owens and questioned why there has been such a response to the death toll in Israel but not to other tragedies in American society.

“I’m an American. I was horrified by what happened on October 7th. It was pretty strange. I don’t really understand how it happened, but innocence died, and that’s awful. And I hated watching. I feel so sorry for the Israelis who were killed,” said Carlson.

“However, there’s an emotional response that is disproportionate, I think, on the part of some commentators. I mean, our country is being invaded right now by millions of young men whose identities we don’t know. (They) probably don’t even like America and they’re living here. Over 100,000 Americans die every year of fentanyl. I’ve known a couple. Those are real tragedies,” Carlson continued. “I’ve never seen anything like the emotion from any commentator around those tragedies as I’m watching about a foreign tragedy. I think that’s odd.”

Tony Katz reposted the video of Carlson’s comments to X, formerly Twitter, saying “This is pretty damn ugly from Tucker”.

Mark Jackson: ‘The Lies Have Got to Stop’

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On Wednesday, the New York Post reported that former ESPN NBA analyst Mark Jackson would not be calling select New York Knicks games on MSG Networks after team president Leon Rose raised an objection to the potential hire. Jackson and the regional sports network had reportedly come to terms on a deal, but the team did not approve of him being able to travel on the team’s chartered plane or stay in the designated hotel.

Had he been on the air with MSG Networks, Jackson would have reportedly made no extra money, instead being paid an offset of what was still owed to him from ESPN. Prior to the 2023-24 season, Jackson and colleague Jeff Van Gundy were laid off by ESPN in a round of talent cuts that have resulted in a new lead broadcast booth consisting of Doris Burke and Doc Rivers, along with play-by-play announcer Mike Breen.

In a video posted to Instagram, Jackson refuted part of the reporting from the New York Post, stating that he turned the job down over a week ago because it did not contain the ideal conditions, nor was it the ideal time for him. Within his remarks, he acknowledged that he was contacted to comment on the situation four times but neglected to do so, instead hoping the situation would dissolve itself.

According to the report, part of the rationale for Mark Jackson being excluded from the team on road trips dates back to his time as head coach of the Golden State Warriors. While leading the team, he discovered that assistant coach Darren Erman had been secretly taping him and players without their knowledge. As a result, Jackson fired Erman, who currently serves as an assistant coach on the Knicks staff, and went on to refer to his actions as “inexcusable.”

“Come on man, come on,” Jackson said. “At some point, the lies have got to stop. The lies have got to stop. I’ve sat back year after year after year listening to lies questioning me as a man and my integrity. What I stand for; what I was raised on – that’s been questioned.”

Within his remarks, Jackson stated that he had dreamt of calling Knicks games and that it would have fulfilled a lifelong dream. During his NBA career, he had two separate stints with the Knicks where he attained Rookie of the Year honors and an All-Star selection. Jackson emphasized that he continues to have a connection with the Knicks, stating that he continues to bleed blue and orange, and conveyed optimism about what could come down the road.

“Over a week ago, I turned the job down,” Mark Jackson said. “Forever grateful, and again, you never know what the future holds, but I want to thank you.”

Candace Owens Tells Tucker Carlson: If I Was On Video Trashing Colleagues, I’d Be Embarrassed

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Candace Owens Tells Tucker Carlson: If I Was On Video Trashing Colleagues, I’d Be Embarrassed

After her public spat with The Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens joined Tucker Carlson for the latest installment of his digital video series on X.

Carlson asked Owens about the situation, noting that he didn’t fully understand the context surrounding the criticism Shapiro levied on his colleague.

“I haven’t seen it, but to call somebody ‘absolutely disgraceful’, particularly a co-worker, seems like a pretty big step,” Carlson said. “What — and I really don’t know the background here — what is that about?”

“There isn’t much of a background. I saw the video when everybody else saw it, when I woke up,” Owens revealed. “Nobody warned me about it. It looks like maybe he didn’t know he was being recorded. It was some sort of a private event. I got no clarity on the issue that he was particularly speaking on and in what was said. I can’t respond to it beyond what he’s saying because it’s just ad hominem attacks.”

“I can’t respond to it on a level of intellect because there’s nothing that he has expressed in that — at least in that short clip — that he fundamentally disagrees with in terms of what I said,” Owens continued. “But I will say that I’m not going to respond with the same ad hominem attacks. I don’t think it helps further discussion. And if that was me that was caught on a video saying that about colleagues that I work with, I would be embarrassed. I think that the video speaks more to Ben’s character than it speaks to mine.”

Carlson then asked Candace Owens if Shapiro had contacted her to discuss the situation or apologize. She said it’s been radio silence.

“No. Nothing. I haven’t heard a single word. It just was sort of something that he said. And you know what? Ben and I have many disagreements. So I don’t think that that’s particularly something that’s interesting…So that’s totally fine. I am totally open to people having a difference in opinion. I would hope that amongst colleagues that it would always be civil disagreement, and I would never in a private event stand on a table and talk badly about Ben.”

Ben Shapiro Encourages Candace Owens to Quit The Daily Wire

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After a cryptic post on X seemingly directed at The Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro, he has encouraged Candace Owens to quit her role with the company.

Earlier this week, video of Shapiro calling Owens’ stance on the state of Israel “disgraceful”, and “disreputable”, adding that she was attempting a “faux-sophistication” on the subject.

In response, Owens posted bible verses to X, including “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Shapiro responded to the Owens post: “Candace, if you feel that taking money from The Daily Wire somehow comes between you and God, by all means quit.”

Owens shot back at Ben Shapiro, claiming she was standing up for her religious beliefs.

“You have been acting unprofessional and emotionally unhinged for weeks now. And we have all had to sit back and allow it and have all tried to exercise exceeding understanding for your raw emotion,” Owens wrote. “But you cross a certain line when you come for scripture and read yourself into it. I will not tolerate it.”

Owens has yet to publish a podcast for The Daily Wire since the video of Shapiro’s comments about her went viral. In most situations, Owens produces a new podcast every weekday, but has not published any new content since Monday.

Ken Squier, Legendary NASCAR Broadcaster, Dies at 88

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Legendary NASCAR broadcaster Ken Squier has died after complications from a recent medical issue. He was 88 years old.

SiriusXM host and Motor Racing Network announcer Dave Moody shared on X, formerly Twitter, that Squier died late Wednesday evening.

Squier – alongside NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. – co-founded the Motor Racing Network in 1970.

“Whether from a bed of a logging truck at the Morrisville (VT) Speedway, or high atop the grandstands of ‘The Great American Race’ in Daytona, Ken Squier’s eloquent voice entertained and educated millions of race fans, no matter the medium. His passion for stock car racing contributed mightily to its rapid growth throughout his 70-plus year career,” said Motor Racing Network President Chris Schwartz.

“An entrepreneur to the end, Squier co-founded (along with Bill France, Sr.) the Motor Racing Network in 1970 and set the course that the network follows to this day. We will continue to honor his unique way of storytelling by bringing the excitement and passion of this incredible sport to core fans, casual fans, and first-time fans alike.”

From 1979 to 1997, Squier served as the lead commentator for NASCAR on CBS. He also served in the same capacity for TBS from 1983 to 1999.

Squier led the charge to bring full-length NASCAR races to a national audience with CBS. In its first broadcast of the sport, CBS presented the 1979 Daytona 500 to a nationwide audience with the East Coast undergoing a major snowstorm at the time. An estimated audience of 15 million watched as Squire called Richard Petty’s victory, with competitors Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough crashing each other shy of the finish line before trading blows with one another after exiting their cars.

In addition to his legendary motorsports career, Squier also owned radio station WDEV in Waterbury, Vermont until 2017. His father, Lloyd, owned the station beginning in 1935 before the younger Squier took over upon his father’s death in 1979.

Ken Squier is a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame, the Vermont Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame, among a bevy of other distinguished honors. He was named the Vermont Sportscaster of the Year in 1963, 1967, 1969, 1973, and 1997.

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