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Mark Jackson Not Joining MSG Networks on New York Knicks Broadcasts

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Former ESPN NBA analyst Mark Jackson will not be calling New York Knicks games on MSG Networks this season after the team decided not to allow him on its chartered plane. ESPN laid off Jackson and lead NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy in a round of talent cuts over the summer, splitting the iconic broadcast trio featuring play-by-play announcer Mike Breen.

If the deal with MSG Networks had been finalized, Jackson would have filled in for Walt “Clyde” Frazier on select games throughout the 2023-24 regular season, but that is now no longer to be after the decision from team management. News of the outcome was first reported by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, along with a statement he obtained from a spokesperson at MSG Networks that read, “We weren’t able to work something out this season.”

The report states that Knicks team president Leon Rose ultimately made the call not to allow Jackson on the team’s plane, along with the hotel or team bus. He was reportedly expected to call the Knicks matchups on the upcoming road trip and would not have made extra money since he was being paid an offset of what he was still owed from ESPN.

Current Knicks assistant coach Darren Erman was fired by Mark Jackson when he coached the Golden State Warriors in 2014. A subsequent ESPN report revealed that Erman had discretely taped Jackson and players without their knowledge. Jackson went on to admonish the actions and called them “inexcusable” during his final year leading the team.

MSG Networks reportedly expressed interest in both Jackson and Van Gundy throughout the offseason, and the network was able to come to terms with Jackson on a deal. Conversely, Van Gundy joined the Boston Celtics as a senior consultant, ending his media endeavors after working for ESPN over parts of 16 years. The regional sports network, which is owned by Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., never officially announced the deal from Jackson, but several publications stated that a deal was close.

While the New York Post report states that Mark Jackson could have found alternate means of transportation and lodging on the road trips, that alternative does not seem to be coming to fruition. Wednesday night’s Knicks game against the Atlanta Hawks features color commentator Wally Szczerbiak, who is frequently featured within the team’s studio coverage, along with play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson. The voice of Big Noon Saturday makes his return to MSG Networks after previously working for the entity from 1994 until 2010 as a play-by-play announcer and studio host.

Jason Kelce: ‘Mind-Blowing’ to See ‘Thursday Night Football’ Operation

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This past Thursday, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce appeared on Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football. Jason’s brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, made mention of the unique experience his brother had on the latest edition of their hit podcast, New Heights.

The schedule lined up where both teams had concurrent bye weeks and were slated to play one another in the upcoming Monday Night Football matchup, but that did not stop the Kelce brothers from discussing their lives and continuing to bring fans content.

Jason Kelce described the broadcast as “an unbelievable experience” and expressed his gratitude towards Prime Video for allowing him to appear on the air. In describing the night, he stated that much of it was partaking in interviews in answering questions, but he took a particular interest in seeing how everything operated behind the scenes.

Kelce described the various different monitors within a broadcast booth – including the telestrator; replay and primary feed displays. Upon his brother saying that the scene sounded like “chaos,” Kelce recounted his journey into the broadcast truck and how he witnessed the telecast come together.”

“It was mind-blowing to see the operation that happens for a game and how seamless and professionally it all is done,” Kelce said. “It was really just cool to watch and see. I can’t imagine the amount of data that is flowing through those trucks in a given game.”

Kelce acknowledged that the matchup between the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers was not the most exciting game, but that his occurrence was exciting and made easy for him by those working on the program. Travis Kelce, who was in Buenos Aires, Argentina watching his rumored girlfriend Taylor Swift perform as part of her world tour, reviewed his brother’s performance and shared that he did a good job.

“The closest thing it felt like was Saturday Night Live,” Jason Kelce articulated, “but on a much different scale because there’s more things that are uncontrollable. But it kind of gave that same vibe of, ‘Holy cow, there are so many people involved in making this thing happen and having it be the product that it is,’ so [it was] really, really cool to witness.”

Since knowledge of his appearance became public, people have been wondering whether Kelce will consider a move to television at the conclusion of his National Football League career. After all, before the start of the season, Kelce mulled retirement before committing to his 13th season in the league, all of which have come with the Philadelphia Eagles. Travis decided to ask his brother what he was thinking as it pertained to pursuing a career in sports media down the road, prompting him to elicit his perceptions on the varying roles.

“I could do the desk pre/post-show [and] have an opinion on the teams and the games and stuff like that,” Jason Kelce surmised. “I think any former player could do that – you just have an opinion on [the teams] – not to [discredit anyone because] those guys are much better at it…. That part isn’t that hard of having an opinion on something.”

Kelce shared that he was fascinated by how things worked in the booth and explained that the job is inherently more difficult. He specifically referenced a side conversation he had with Herbstreit in the midst of the game and marveled at his ability to toggle between the topics in real-time.

“That’s an art form that would take a long time to foster and try and be good at,” Kelce said of working in the booth. “Kirk was – he was sitting there having a conversation with me; he’s just like, ‘Yeah, what do you have going on?’ Not only are you having a side conversation with me in between; then you’re back here; then you’re circling this.”

Dave Pasch: Bill Walton Views Me as an Adversary During ESPN Broadcasts

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Bill Walton is a divisive figure in broadcasting circles. Some love his eccentricities, while others despise his style. His partner for most broadcasts, Dave Pasch, says there’s a specific mindset Walton takes to broadcasting.

During an appearance on the Sports Media Watch podcast, Pasch revealed that Walton takes a unique approach to his analyst role.

“I’ve had a lot of Bill’s former teammates tell me that Bill likes to feel like he’s playing again. He likes to feel like he’s back in the locker room, that there’s a rivalry, that there is an intensity and a preparation for a broadcast that’s similar to playing. And I’ve noticed that. You know, the sparring with me I think he enjoys that because it makes him feel like he’s playing again,” Pasch revealed. “Watching him get ready for a game, he has a routine. He gets up and he stretches, and he’s taking his energy chews, and he’s eating his protein bars, I mean it’s all the stuff he’d probably do if he was getting ready to play.

“I think when we’re on the air, he’s mentioned this before, he kind of views me as Kareem. I’m his adversary on the air. I’m his teammate, but in a way, I’m getting in the way of him accomplishing his goal kind of like Kareem on the floor,” Dave Pasch continued. “And then off the air when the game’s over we’re great friends. But for that two hours or whatever it is, there is a level of competition, as he views it, that is probably similar to how he viewed when he squared off against Kareem as a player.

“I think Bill, I think sometimes just analyzing the game is too easy for him, it’s the layup. So there has to be a twist, storytelling, comparisons, whether it’s comparing a player to a great artist or telling the story of a coach and his family. He enjoys all of that as much as he enjoys, if not more, the X’s and the O’s of a basketball game.”

Chris Russo: Charles Woodson Has No Credibility

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Chris Russo: Charles Woodson Has No Credibility

The Big Ten Conference has suspended Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh from being on the sideline for games through the conclusion of the regular season, despite the conference having no evidence that indicated that Harbaugh had knowledge of the conduct from a staff member. Prominent Michigan alumni in the media — namely ESPN’s Desmond Howard and FOX Sports’ Charles Woodson — have defended the program’s actions, which Chris Russo decried.

Mad Dog Russo addressed the issue this week on his SiriusXM program, Mad Dog Unleashed, and also brought up the story during his weekly “What Are You Mad About?” segment on ESPN’s First Take. Within his remarks, he expressed a problem with how those within the University of Michigan football team have responded to the situation, including former alumni who played on the team.

“I cannot believe that Michigan is acting like they somehow got a raw deal, and by the way, no more Michigan announcers on television shows defending Michigan’s program,” Russo said. “You’ve got no credibility – guys earn Heisman trophies; ‘Oh boy, how could they do that?’ Nonsense – they cheated! Take your punishment, take the two extra games, and move on!”

After Russo completed his statement, ESPN NFL analyst Marcus Spears said that College GameDay analyst Desmond Howard would be calling into the show within five minutes. Howard, who won a Heisman Trophy with the Michigan Wolverines as a wide receiver in his senior year, was never directly mentioned by Russo; rather, Spears assumed that he was referring to him as he conveyed his disdain towards the entire situation.

When Russo spoke about Charles Woodson, who appears on Big Noon Kickoff each Saturday prior to the marquee matchup broadcast by FOX Sports, reporter Kimberley A. Martin stated that he was starting network wars. Within his dialogue about the incident, the former NFL defensive back described the situation using an expletive. In addition to his role before the weekly college football matchup, Woodson is also a member of the cast for FOX NFL Kickoff on Sunday mornings and provides his analysis and expertise on the games of the day around the NFL.

“He’s got no credibility for crying out loud,” Russo said of Charles Woodson. “He’s a Michigan Hall of Famer [and] a Heisman Trophy winner. What is he going to say? ‘Yeah, you know, right. Michigan did cheat; let’s suspend them.’ He ain’t going to say that!”

Gregg Giannotti: Mets Players and Staff Hate That TV Booth Never Speaks to Them

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Gregg Giannotti: Mets Players and Staff Hate That TV Booth Never Speaks to Them

On Tuesday afternoon, the New York Mets held an introductory press conference to formally announce Carlos Mendoza as the next manager of the team. Although he has no major-league managing experience, Mendoza was hired for the position because of his ability to connect with players and baseball expertise exhibited on the New York Yankees coaching staff, including most recently serving in the role of bench coach. While he was addressing the media, Mendoza made specific mention of SportsNet New York (SNY) broadcasters Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling, and stated that he looks forward to having deep baseball conversations with them.

After questions arose regarding whether or not Mendoza genuinely knew who the broadcasters were, a three-man booth that recently completed its 18th season together, the most for a single broadcasting team in the history of the franchise. When he was mentioning their names, Mendoza can be seen looking down at a sheet of paper, causing some viewers to presume that he was reading their names. WFAN co-host Gregg Giannotti saw the moment and shared that he gained some intel on the situation during the Wednesday morning edition of Boomer & Gio.

“I have heard – I have been told – that Gary, Keith and Ron over the last number of years are never down talking to the players anymore,” Giannotti said Wednesday on WFAN. “They don’t, and the players and the managers and the coaches – they can’t stand the fact that these guys are so popular and they sit up there and pontificate in the booth, but they’re never down there talking to the players and they’re like bigger than life.”

Cohen was present at the press conference on Wednesday and was photographed conversing with the new Mets manager. Giannotti, however, believes that someone within the Mets organization gave Mendoza the line to state in order to subtly send a message to the broadcast team to engage in conversations for more equitable coverage.

“Why should they?,” Esiason replied regarding the broadcast team interacting with members of the franchise. “The team stunk and the team was overpaid, overrated and basically lazy, according to Tommy Pham. They didn’t work hard; they didn’t care.”

Giannotti emphasized that whether or not one thinks it is good for broadcasters to interact with the players is not germane to the situation; rather, it is more about the remark and purported shades of innuendo therein.

“My theory on this is that someone was needling Gary, Keith, and Ron and gave Mendoza that line,” Giannotti explained, “because he goes, ‘Deep conversations.’ That is my take on this.”

The Mets celebrated the historic achievement by Cohen, Hernandez, and Darling throughout the season by giving away a three-piece bobblehead of the broadcast team. Additionally, SNY aired a documentary about the broadcast team, specifically discussing its history and memorable moments throughout the years. Fans of the team often praise the broadcasters on social media, with many Mets fans considering them to be an incentive to watch the games despite the quality of the on-field product. After winning 101 games in 2022, the Mets finished with 75 victories in the 2023 campaign amid a fourth-place finish within the National League East.

“The problem is that those guys are too entertaining and are very popular with the fans,” Esiason said, “because the slop on the field stinks.”

Monday Night Football Sets Week 10 Viewership Record

BSM Staff
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Monday Night Football Sets Week 10 Viewership Record

ESPN is reporting that more than 17.7 million viewers tuned in to the most recent Monday Night Football matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills, setting another weekly record for the prime-time sports media entity.

The contest concluded on a game-winning field goal by the Broncos after the Bills took a penalty for having too many players on the field at once.

This total cumulative audience peaked, however, towards the latter end of the first half at 19.8 million viewers. In the final full quarter hour of the game, 18.5 million viewers were watching the proceedings, a strong time slot that contributed to the game being the most-watched program on television and leading in all key demographics.

On the year, Monday Night Football is averaging 15.6 million fans per game, which is the best since ESPN began broadcasting the property in 2006 and up 16% year-over-year (YoY). Ten of the 12 Monday Night Football broadcasts, however, have been simulcast on The Walt Disney Company’s over-the-air broadcast network, ABC, a decision that was made in an effort to present new programming amid simultaneous strikes by writers and actors.

For six of those broadcasts, the alternate presentation – Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, colloquially known as the “Manningcast” – was live on ESPN2 and most recently drew an average of 1.12 million viewers. The metric marks the program’s 25th consecutive episode that contained more than 1 million viewers.

The property’s play-by-play announcer, Joe Buck, is celebrating his 20th season working alongside analyst Troy Aikman, a broadcast pairing that first began at FOX Sports and transitioned to ESPN prior to last season. Buck recently faced criticism from Bills fans about expressing that it was a “cold night in Buffalo” when, in reality, the game-time temperature was 49°F. On Tuesday night, he interacted with fans on social media and explained the importance of having an open-air broadcast booth.

“You cannot do a game in a closed booth,” Buck posted. “It sounds like you’re removed from the action. Our headset mics pick up a lot of the crowd noise you hear, so we need to be out in it. And I prefer to feel it and hear it that way too. In a closed booth your voice would bounce back at you and sound flat.”

Buck will be back on the call with Aikman for the next Monday Night Football matchup, which takes place from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium when the Philadelphia Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 20 at 8:15 PM ET.

2023 Giants of Broadcasting Honored at Tuesday Awards Ceremony

BNM Staff
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The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation honored eight industry leaders for their lifetime achievements at the 2023 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts Luncheon and Award Ceremony at Gotham Hall in New York City on Tuesday.

“This event is a celebration of the incredible women and men who have truly blazed trails and made significant contributions on behalf of the media industry and American culture,” said LABF Co-Chairs Heidi Raphael and Jack Goodman.

The 2023 ceremony was hosted by 2018 honoree and 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker.

The 2023 list of honorees included:
CAROLINE BEASLEY
CEO | Beasley Media Group

WOLF BLITZER
Anchor, The Situation Room | CNN

JUJU CHANG
Co-Anchor, Nightline | ABC News

TONY DANZA
Acclaimed Actor and Singer

DAVID KENNEDY
Co-Founder & Managing Director | Aspire Ventures LLC

ERIC SHANKS
CEO & Executive Producer | FOX Sports

VALARI DOBSON STAAB
Chairman | NBCUniversal Local

NINA TOTENBERG
Correspondent, Legal Affairs | NPR

More than 255 leaders in the broadcasting world have been bestowed the honor of Giants of Broadcasting since the event’s launch in 2003.

77WABC Hosting Turkey Giveaway with Local Food Pantry

BNM Staff
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77WABC Hosting Turkey Giveaway with Local Food Pantry

77WABC will give away 10,000 turkeys and meals in conjunction with AARP New York City, Gristedes and D’Agostinos Supermarkets, and the St. Francis Food Pantry and Shelters.

“No one should be without a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving,” said John Catsimatidis, Owner of Red Apple Media, 77WABC, and Gristedes Supermarkets. “This is an American holiday and Americans should not go hungry, ever! We are delighted that AARP New York City has joined us in this charitable endeavor.”

“AARP New York is thrilled to be part of the 77WABC and St. Francis Food Pantry Turkey Giveaway,” said Beth Finkel, AARP New York State Director. “In our state, just over 1 in 10 households experience food insecurity, according to Hunger Solutions New York. Older adults shouldn’t have to decide between buying groceries, medication and other necessities.”

On Wednesday, the 77WABC “Turkey Trolly” will be positioned at St. John’s Church on West 30th Street in Manhattan and will be distributing the turkeys and meals for those in need.

94WIP Inks Extension With Philadelphia Eagles to Remain Radio Flagship

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94WIP Inks Extension With Philadelphia Eagles to Remain Radio Flagship

94WIP has long been the flagship home of the Philadelphia Eagles Radio Network. And that partnership won’t be ending anytime soon.

The station and NFL franchise have signed an agreement that will keep the team on the Audacy Philadelphia station through the 2028 season.

“We are excited to extend and expand upon our partnership with the Philadelphia Eagles and continue to be the ultimate destination for Eagles fans,” said Audacy Philadelphia Senior Vice President and Market Manager David Yadgaroff. “Starting this season, fans have been able to listen to every Eagles game via the free Audacy app on their smartphone or smart speaker, as well as the radio. 94WIP takes tremendous pride in superserving the best fans in the NFL, and we look forward to giving Eagles fans a home for every memorable moment on the field and every storyline off of it throughout the years to come.”

“We have been very fortunate to enjoy a longstanding partnership with 94WIP – one that dates back more than three decades,” added Philadelphia Eagles President Don Smolenski. “David Field, David Yadgaroff, and so many others at Audacy have played an important role in shaping this successful relationship, including the station’s many loyal listeners over the years.”

https://twitter.com/SportsRadioWIP/status/1724794310586208397

With the extension, 94WIP will have served as the radio home of the Philadelphia Eagles for more than 30 years.

94WIP will remain the home of every Eagles preseason, regular season, and postseason game. The broadcast team will continue to be lead by Eagles Hall of Famers Merrill Reese and Mike Quick, with legendary Philadelphia host Howard Eskin working the sidelines.

Candace Owens Shares Cryptic Post, Doesn’t Publish Podcast After Ben Shapiro Labels Her ‘Disgraceful’

BNM Staff
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Candace Owens Shares Cryptic Post, Doesn’t Publish Podcast After Ben Shapiro Labels Her ‘Disgraceful’

Neither Ben Shapiro nor Candace Owens has been shy about backing down from a confrontation. And it doesn’t look like either will start anytime soon.

The Daily Wire co-founder labeled Owens as “disgraceful” after sharing her opinions about the state of Israel and how it isn’t innocent in committing genocide against Palestinians. “I think that her faux-sophistication on these particular issues has been ridiculous,” Shapiro said in a now-viral video, adding that Owens’ statements make her “disreputable”.

As the video made its rounds on social media, Owens made a post to X, formerly Twitter, quoting bible verses.

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

“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,” Owens wrote, before concluding, “You cannot serve both God and money.”

While failing to mention Shapiro, the timing of Owens’ posts raised eyebrows. Her post was made just before 11:00 AM Tuesday, which coincides with the video of Shapiro lambasting her opinions going viral.

Candace Owens, who works for The Daily Wire, usually hosts a daily podcast for the company. However, no new episode was published on Tuesday after Shapiro’s comments.

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