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SEC Network Announces Clint Stoerner, Brandon Burlsworth Documentary

BSM Staff
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SEC Network Announces Clint Stoerner, Brandon Burlsworth Documentary

ESPN has announced the latest installment in the SEC Storied documentary series focused on the 1998 Arkansas football team to air on SEC Network.

On November 14, 1998, Arkansas played Tennessee in a battle of two unbeatens. The Razorbacks were the Cinderella story that year, rattling off eight straight wins in a complete reversal from the four-win campaign in 1997.

But a fumble by Arkansas quarterback Clint Stoerner with the Razorbacks leading Peyton Manning and the Volunteers by two points late in the fourth quarter ultimately led to a Tennessee win, dashing any hopes Arkansas had that year of remaining in the national championship game hunt.

True Character will tell the story of the ’98 season through the perspectives of Stoerner and offensive lineman Brandon Burlsworth. Stoerner tripped over Burlsworth as he dropped back to make a pass and then turned the ball over.

“The unlikely connection between two gifted athletes, Brandon Burlsworth and Clint Stoerner, drew me to the story of the fumble, and how that split-second play in a crucial game would change their lives forever,” said documentary director David Beilinson.

“Discovering that both men shared a dogged determination, a passion for competition, and remarkable self-confidence that would propel them to the top of their sport, revealed a narrative that transcends sports. Clint explains that true character is revealed in times of adversity, and they both shrugged off criticism and naysayers to overcome the obstacles in their way.”

Beilinson directed the five-part series Bananaland for ESPN+, which spotlighted the Savannah Bananas. He’s also collaborated with Netflix, HBO A&E, NBC, ABC, and PBS to create content. His previous experience directing SEC Storied documentaries includes Win or Else, which was the story of the first integrated basketball team at the University of Kentucky to win a national championship.

True Character airs on November 14 at 9 PM on SEC Network.

Is One Talk Radio Host Enough?

BNM Staff
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Embedded in the headline’s question is whether a good radio talk show needs two hosts. It’s something I go back and forth on a lot, mostly during quiet moments in between naps and sips of coffee.

My morning show is called Brian & Company. The emphasis is on the “Company”. Our staff bandied about a bunch of concepts when we relaunched two years ago. Ultimately, we decided on this name because it clearly delineated that there would be a single host but that said host would not be alone. The “company” is the weather guy, traffic guy, news guy, and producer guy. (Note: We do need a little gender diversity, although it must be noted that two of our three bosses are women.)

It also clearly delineates that there would be no official second host.

You can chalk it up to ego, but with all the breaks for news/weather/traffic in the morning, a second host voice felt unnecessary. Most importantly, as I’ve discussed in the past, I also don’t love sharing interviews.

People think television shows like CNBC’s Squawk Box or MSNBC’s Morning Joe are so fluid and organic, but it’s not really true. Most CNBC shows assign a lead anchor to a particular interview segment. They get at least the first two questions before anyone else can chime in. Sometimes, you’ll even notice the other anchors don’t get a question at all.

On Morning Joe, the producers usually make it clear who gets to talk and when. About 15 years in, most regulars know not to step on the hosts during a conversation. (Hint: Not a good idea if you want to come back.)

It works so well because they’re all just really good at making it seem organic.

With most interviews, the first questions often don’t get the best responses. Follow-ups make for a good conversation, and for me, on the radio, I didn’t want to deal with sharing them. I want them – all the time.

Unless it’s professional wrestling.

Actually, we did do a wrestling segment, and the producer asked most of the questions.

In all seriousness, solo interviews are what I love most about the radio format; and in my opinion, it’s what separates radio from local or cable news.

The problem, however, is that interviews are only a portion of what a host does during three-plus hours of live radio. That is where, sometimes, a lack of a second host can be apparent.

Listen, I know. I am not Rush. I am not Hannity. People are like, “Duh”, but I actually don’t want to be either, other than having, perhaps, 10 percent of their paychecks. I am not at that level, but at the same time, I also don’t want to share everything 50-50. It’s not selfish; it’s better radio.

With an active “producer” like a Stanford Steve with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt or a Bernie McGuirk with Imus back in the day, it’s more like 80-20.

I like that.

Some days, it’s 70-30. Others, it’s 90-10.

All of those scenarios help fill any gaps.

Then, there’s something like opening thoughts or commentary on a major news story. Even with the 90-10 split, sometimes it’s invasive. When I am passionate about something, there are particular ways I want to share my thoughts with the audience. Even a small interjection can throw it all out of whack. You never want to restrict anyone, even a consistent albeit partial contributor, but a good – and lasting – working relationship usually creates a dynamic where it’s understood.

Sometimes, you just need to raise your hand in studio and ask for a minute. The listener won’t know, and the flow is uninterrupted.

Having said all that, here’s the thing: Even on days when it is 90-10, I would not survive without the 10. There are times when there is nothing interesting, zero happening or I don’t feel well. Our show’s producer Matt Sirois is always there when needed. Always.

To be honest, I am not good enough to carry 100 percent of the show 100 percent of the time. I need the help, and I need the foil. I just don’t want it all the time and don’t want to share my interviews and major news story thoughts.

Maybe you do, but I would argue that it’s better radio if you didn’t.

Despite End of Writers’ Strike, Late Night Shows Still Struggling

BNM Staff
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The five-month-long writers’ strike, which halted all production of late-night programs, came to a conclusion in late September.

HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher and Last Week Tonight were the first to immediately return. The long hiatus did slightly depressed the viewerships of their respective initial telecasts, as compared to their last weeks on the air prior to the strike:

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

  • Fri. 4/14/2023: 835,000 viewers; 163,000 adults 25-54
  • Fri. 4/21/2023: 716,000 viewers; 142,000 adults 25-54
  • Fri. 4/28/2023: 800,000 viewers; 136,000 adults 25-54
  • Fri. 9/29/2023: 686,000 viewers; 111,000 adults 25-54
  • Fri. 10/6/2023: 690,000 viewers; 78,000 adults 25-54
  • Fri. 10/13/2023: 696,000 viewers; 93,000 adults 25-54
  • Fri. 10/20/2023: 637,000 viewers; 96,000 adults 25-54

Last Week Tonight (HBO)

  • Sun. 4/16/2023: 500,000 viewers; 126,000 adults 25-54
  • Sun. 4/23/2023: 463,000 viewers; 148,000 adults 25-54
  • Sun. 4/30/2023: 464,000 viewers; 148,000 adults 25-54
  • Sun. 10/1/2023: 321,000 viewers; 115,000 adults 25-54
  • Sun. 10/8/2023: 328,000 viewers; 94,000 adults 25-54
  • Sun. 10/15/2023: 396,000 viewers; 114,000 adults 25-54
  • Sun. 10/22/2023: 360,000 viewers; 82,000 adults 25-54

One big caveat to these declines is that April 2023 was a highly newsworthy month that featured Donald Trump‘s first indictment and arraignment. A similar trend occurred with the return of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show.

The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

  • Al Franken 3/20-23/2023: 438,000 viewers; 112,000 adults 25-54
  • John Leguizamo 3/27-30/2023: 384,000 viewers; 110,000 adults 25-54
  • Roy Wood Jr. 4/3-6/2023: 425,000 viewers; 109,000 adults 25-54
  • Michael Kosta 10/16-19/2023: 323,000 viewers; 105,000 adults 25-54
  • Desus Nice 10/23-26/2023: 268,000 viewers; 95,000 adults 25-54

Wood Jr. has since departed The Daily Show. 

We had previously reported that the week hosted by Hasan Minhaj, another former correspondent of the program, had delivered the best demos of the guest hosts thus far. He would have been a frontrunner to take over as permanent host but a recent New Yorker article indicated almost all of “real-life” stories uttered in his stand-up comedy were fabricated 

The weeknight late-night programs – which regularly joke about the day’s current events – also came back on Oct. 2. Once again, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS is the top network show in late-night Mondays through Fridays in total viewers.

It’s also a force in delayed viewing – its first full week back (Oct. 2-6) averaged 2.79 million viewers in live +3 data, according to Nielsen Media Research, which is 1 million more viewers than runner-up Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC. Colbert added 809,000 viewers within three days of viewing of each of its original telecasts – the show’s largest lift from live plus same day in over five years.

Because of ABC’s recent decision to simulcast ESPN’s Monday Night Football on a weekly basis, Kimmel has benefited by even topping Colbert on Monday nights in both viewers and key demos. In addition, Kimmel has taken the key, 18-49 demo crown from NBC’s Fallon.

For the week of October 23-27, 2023, in Nielsen’s live plus same-day data:

  • Colbert (CBS): 1.811 million viewers; 172,000 adults 18-49 (Oct. 23-26)
  • Kimmel (ABC): 1.487 million viewers; 232,000 adults 18-49
  • Fallon (NBC): 1.259 million viewers; 215,000 adults 18-49
  • Meyers (NBC): 0.765 million viewers; 138,000 adults 18-49 (Oct. 23-26)

Cable news averages for October 9-15, 2023:

Total Day (Oct. 9-15 @ 6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 1.587 million viewers; 220,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 0.776 million viewers; 94,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 0.688 million viewers; 151,000 adults 25-54
  • Newsmax: 0.220 million viewers; 25,000 adults 25-54
  • HLN: 0.130 million viewers; 37,000 adults 25-54
  • Fox Business Network: 0.114 million viewers; 11,000 adults 25-54
  • CNBC: 0.108 million viewers; 24,000 adults 25-54
  • The Weather Channel: 0.076 million viewers; 15,000 adults 25-54
  • NewsNation: 0.076 million viewers; 12,000 adults 25-54

Prime Time (Oct. 9-14 @ 8-11 p.m.; Oct. 15 @ 7-11 p.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 2.245 million viewers; 286,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 1.101 million viewers; 122,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 0.810 million viewers; 196,000 adults 25-54
  • Newsmax: 0.300 million viewers; 35,000 adults 25-54
  • NewsNation: 0.108 million viewers; 20,000 adults 25-54

Top 10 most-watched cable news programs (and the top programs of other outlets with their respective associated ranks) in total viewers:

1. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 10/11/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.519 million viewers

2. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 10/9/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.448 million viewers

3. The Five (FOXNC, Fri. 10/13/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.248 million viewers

4. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 10/10/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.247 million viewers

5. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 10/12/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.236 million viewers

6. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Mon. 10/9/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.043 million viewers

7. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Tue. 10/10/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.001 million viewers

8. Hannity (FOXNC, Tue. 10/10/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.880 million viewers

9. Hannity (FOXNC, Mon. 10/9/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.844 million viewers

10. America Reports (FOXNC, Tue. 10/10/2023 2:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.815 million viewers

44. Rachel Maddow Show “War in Israel” (MSNBC, Mon. 10/9/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.115 million viewers

142. CNN News Central (CNN, Tue. 10/10/2023 2:00 PM, 60 min.) 1.142 million viewers

291. Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO, Fri. 10/13/2023 10:01 PM, 60 min.) 0.696 million viewers

388. Weather Channel Live “Live Coverage: Solar Eclipse” (TWC, Sat. 10/14/2023 12:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.455 million viewers

408. Last Week Tonight (HBO, Sun. 10/15/2023 11:06 PM, 35 min.) 0.396 million viewers

438. Kudlow (FBN, Tue. 10/10/2023 4:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.321 million viewers

457. Forensic Files (HLN, late Wed. 10/11/2023 12:00 AM, 30 min.) 0.286 million viewers

472. Fast Money Halftime Report (CNBC, Mon. 10/9/2023 12:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.270 million viewers

566. Cuomo (NWSN, Thu. 10/12/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.194 million viewers

Top 10 cable news programs (and the top  programs of other outlets with their respective associated ranks) among adults 25-54:

1. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 10/11/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.450 million adults 25-54

2. Hannity (FOXNC, Mon. 10/9/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.422 million adults 25-54

3. Hannity (FOXNC, Tue. 10/10/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.407 million adults 25-54

4. The Five (FOXNC, Fri. 10/13/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.394 million adults 25-54

5. Hannity (FOXNC, Wed. 10/11/2023 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.380 million adults 25-54

6. America Reports (FOXNC, Fri. 10/13/2023 1:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.370 million adults 25-54

7. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 10/9/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.369 million adults 25-54

8. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Mon. 10/9/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.369 million adults 25-54

9. Hannity (FOXNC, Wed. 10/11/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.359 million adults 25-54

10. Hannity (FOXNC, Mon. 10/9/2023 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.352 million adults 25-54

32. Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN, Tue. 10/10/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.305 million adults 25-54

154. Alex Wagner Tonight “War in Israel” (MSNBC, Tue. 10/10/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.181 million adults 25-54

318. Last Week Tonight (HBO, Sun. 10/15/2023 11:06 PM, 35 min.) 0.114 million adults 25-54

343. Forensic Files (HLN, Wed. 10/11/2023 11:30 PM, 30 min.) 0.099 million adults 25-54

357. Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO, Fri. 10/13/2023 10:01 PM, 60 min.) 0.093 million adults 25-54

433. Weather Channel Live “Live Coverage: Solar Eclipse” (TWC, Sat. 10/14/2023 12:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.073 million adults 25-54

488. Closing Bell (CNBC, Mon. 10/9/2023 3:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.060 million adults 25-54

630. Banfield (NWSN, Wed. 10/11/2023 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.035 million adults 25-54

665. Kudlow (FBN, Fri. 10/13/2023 4:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.031 million adults 25-54

Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research

When Did College GameDay Lose Its Way?

Garrett Searight
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When Did College GameDay Lose Its Way?

Different isn’t bad. Different is just different. And College GameDay has become different.

I’m not a Pat McAfee hater, so I won’t pin the different feel and vibe on him. I don’t think the difference in College GameDay rests with him. But fans of the sport grew to love the show because it exuded the same passion they held. It objectively is not that show any longer.

The Saturday morning staple rose to prominence without an attitude of superiority. While it was absolutely the college football show of record, it never presented itself as such. The program never took itself too seriously and never utilized its wide reach for anything other than promoting the thing we loved.

College GameDay, for a very long time, represented the best of ESPN. While people slowly drifted away from The Worldwide Leader, even the most casual fan tuned into GameDay.

Now? I can’t hardly recognize the venerable program.

Rece Davis still does a wonderful job navigating the show through its fast-paced segments. Kirk Herbstreit is still the gold standard of both game and studio analysts.

However, the show has been lapped by Big Noon Kickoff in the analyst department. Desmond Howard won the Heisman Trophy the year after I was born, and I had my second colonoscopy done a few weeks ago. Herbstreit played college football during Bill Clinton’s first term. Lee Corso’s final season as a college coach came the year before Microsoft Windows was created. Pat McAfee, while youthful compared to his colleagues, was still just a punter in college.

So, I find it increasingly difficult to view the analysts on the show as relatable. Especially as Howard has drifted off into the “look at the whacky shit I’m willing to say to get your attention!” phase of his career. He’s basically playing the role of a skinny Mark May at this point, and that should never be taken as a compliment.

Meanwhile, McAfee’s somewhat notorious chip-on-his-shoulder attitude has begun to rub off on the rest of the crew. In the past, if a coach had a bone to pick with the show — like Washington State’s Jake Dickert did earlier this year after Corso said the Cougars’ game with Oregon State was the “nobody wants us bowl” — the show would have laughed it off or made some tongue in cheek, self-deprecating joke. Instead, McAfee vehemently defended the program in a way that simply missed the mark for what made the show great in the first place.

49% of respondents to a recent poll from The Athletic claimed they did not like McAfee on GameDay. I don’t think that’s fair. He brings much-needed energy and provides a modern take on the game. Conversely, I understand the sentiment. McAfee’s “look at me” approach can wear thin on some viewers, but overall, I think his positives outweigh the negatives.

Dickert’s gripe was legitimate, in my opinion. College GameDay should exist to legitimize the sport and its programs. Not tear them down.

Additionally, what once was a mainstay of the program is virtually non-existent now: storytelling. GameDay took immense pride in telling the untold stories of college football. And not just Power 5 stories. Stories of personal and professional hardships, stories of those affected by natural disasters, and how the sport can bring communities together. ESPN sat idle as its stalwart reporter Tom Rinaldi moved to FOX Sports.

Meanwhile, Gene Wojciechowski, who also filed numerous riveting reports for the show, was laid off as part of ESPN’s cost-cutting measures earlier this year, as was analyst David Pollack.

Lastly, I don’t know how or why the network made the decision to change the opening theme song after 16 years, but “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, right?

Different isn’t bad. It’s just different. But right now, I don’t know if College GameDay is bad or just different. But for someone who isn’t afraid of different, I’m leaning toward bad, and I don’t like it. I realize that widespread changes aren’t going to take place the first Saturday in November, but I hope the absolute institution that is GameDay can replicate its former glory in 2024 because right now, it’s a shell of itself.

Alex Faust to Call Select New York Rangers Games for 98.7 ESPN New York

BSM Staff
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Former Los Angeles Kings TV voice Alex Faust has had many opportunities since leaving the franchise. Now, he’s returning to his hockey roots.

Faust has been hired as a play-by-play voice of the New York Rangers on 98.7 ESPN New York. His hiring comes as a necessity as primary voice Kenny Albert balances his national TV schedule. Additionally, regular fill-in voice Don La Greca has been tabbed as a backup voice for the New York Knicks.

“I’m so excited to join MSG Networks, one of the preeminent regional sports networks, and to call games for the Rangers, a team that I’ve followed my whole life,” said Faust. “It’s a dream come true to be part of this iconic franchise and to experience the thrill of working a home game at Madison Square Garden. I can’t wait to share a booth with former Rangers Captain Dave Maloney, who I’ve listened to on radio and watched on TV for so many years.”

“MSG Networks welcomes Alex to our stellar broadcast team,” added MSG Networks Senior Vice President of Content and Marketing Kevin Marotta. “Alex is one of the top young play-callers in sports and we know that the passionate Rangers fanbase will enjoy his expertise and enthusiasm in the booth.”

Alex Faust was let go from the Kings in June after working in the role since 2017. The franchise elected to combine its radio and television broadcast teams, leaving Faust on the outside looking in. In addition to his work with the Kings, he has called MLB for Apple TV’s Friday Night Baseball package. He also calls college football for FOX Sports.

NBC Sports California Adds Mike Bibby to Sacramento Kings Pre and Postgame Shows

BSM Staff
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NBC Sports California Adds Mike Bibby to Sacramento Kings Pre and Postgame Shows

Sacramento Kings legend Mike Bibby has been added to the NBC Sports California coverage of the NBA franchise.

Bibby will make his debut beginning Wednesday alongside Kyle Draper, Morgan Ragan, and Matt Barnes on Kings Pregame Live and Kings Postgame Live for the regional sports network.

Bibby spent 14 years in the NBA, seven with the Kings. He also played for the Vancouver Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, and New York Knicks. He ranks in the top 10 in several of the all-time records for the Sacramento Kings.

Additionally, NBC Sports California has announced that Mark Johns, Kayte Christensen, and Kyle Draper return to the network for the 2023-2024 season. Deuce Mason will also contribute commentary and analysis on NBCSportsCalifornia.com.

Utah Jazz Radio Broadcast Delayed By Spilled Beer

BSM Staff
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Utah Jazz Radio Broadcast Delayed By Spilled Beer

Monday night was supposed to be a big night in the NBA, as the Utah Jazz were set to take on the reigning champion Denver Nuggets. However, for the Jazz radio crew, the broadcast got off to a delayed start.

According to a post from Jazz radio voice David Locke, the broadcast missed the majority of the first quarter after a mishap with a fan.

“Apologies,” Locke wrote, “a guy just spilled a beer all over our radio engineers controls…We are unable to start with the game on the broadcast. Hopefully up shortly.”

Locke — in his 15th season as the radio voice of the NBA franchise — apologized again once the broadcast was on the air, saying “we missed most of the 1st quarter”.

The Denver Nuggets were leading at the end of the first quarter and won the game 110-102.

Jeremy Conn: Albert Pujols ‘Reminds Me a Lot of Magic Johnson as an Analyst’

BSM Staff
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Jeremy Conn: Albert Pujols ‘Reminds Me a Lot of Magic Johnson as an Analyst’

Albert Pujols has joined the coverage of the World Series for MLB Network, which reminds 105.7 The Fan’s Jeremy Conn of another all-time great.

On Tuesday morning’s edition of the Big Bad Morning Show on 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore, co-host Rob Long asked his colleagues what they thought about Albert Pujols on MLB Network. Pujols has been working in a dual role with Major League Baseball as a special assistant to the commissioner and MLB Network analyst. Throughout the year, Pujols has appeared on MLB Tonight and other programming, contributing his esoteric insights and perspectives of the sport.

“Yeah, I do,” replied co-host Jeremy Conn. “His accent is very thick, which I can see some people going, ‘Oh.’ I like him a lot, and I like hearing his side of things, but he reminds me a lot of Magic Johnson as an analyst.”

Johnson was a member of Inside the NBA on TNT from 2003 to 2007 before signing with ESPN to be a part of NBA Countdown for the 2008 season.

For Pujols, he also made contributions to MLB Sunday Leadoff on Peacock as a color commentator during the year.

“He’s one of the greats,” Conn said, “and I don’t expect him – it’s kind of tough because I like listening to Pedro Martínez; if we want to go this route. Pedro Martínez? Very thick accent. But he has no problem saying how he feels on anything.”

Martínez, who is a colleague of Pujols’ at MLB Network, also appears on the MLB on TBS studio coverage in pregame and postgame shows.

Long, however, is not a fan of the Hall of Famer David Ortiz on the MLB on FOX Pregame.

“I think that’s my prejudice because I didn’t like David Ortiz as a ballplayer,” Long said. “….I don’t like David Ortiz, and I think that’s what it was. Big phony – huge, huge phony.”

Gregg Giannotti: ‘Radio Stations Once You Get Past Market Five Get Really Dicey’

BSM Staff
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Gregg Giannotti: ‘Radio Stations Once You Get Past Market Five Get Really Dicey’

Gregg Giannotti has been well-traveled in his radio career. However, he knows facilities and equipment at some stations aren’t quite what you’ll see in major markets.

During Boomer & Gio Tuesday, the topic of the recent on-air dustup between 92.3 The Fan’s Ken Carman and Anthony Lima was broached.

Giannotti said that he “loved” the interaction, while update anchor Jerry Recco asked about the station’s studio setup.

“They’re clearly not in a studio, right?,” Recco questioned due to the viral video showing the pair on a split screen. “Are they on Zoom?”

“I think they’re both in the studio in different rooms so they can have the cameras on so they can clip stuff like this. I think that’s what’s going on. They’re just in different rooms. Radio stations, once you get past market five, get really dicey. I know this for a fact.”

“That is a strange deal,” said Boomer Esiason about the setup at 92.3 The Fan. “It is a strange, strange deal.”

Boomer & Gio airs on both WFAN and CBS Sports Network from a fully-functioning television studio.

War Zones Hold an Untold Truth For Reporters

BNM Staff
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War Zones Hold an Untold Truth For Reporters

Reporting in combat zones is risky, treacherous, and in today’s hyper-political environment dangerous in more ways than one.

I have dodged car bombs and automatic rifle fire at the Beirut airport during the 80s, donned gas masks during Saddam’s scud assault on Saudi Arabia and Tel Aviv during the first Persian Gulf War, had bullets whistle over my head in Afghanistan, watched the United States reign down terror on Tora Bora, escaped the NBC terrorist hotel bombing in Baghdad during the second invasion of Iraq, and anyone who tells you they aren’t afraid when reporting from a war zone is lying.

After the hotel bombing in Baghdad killed one of our NBC local hires, and my then young children back in the States watched me search for injured through the haze of smoke and fallen concrete on The Today Show, I decided no more hazardous duty from war zones. It was unfair to them. I switched to the safer duty of 20/20 at ABC.

So today, when I see the heroic reporting underway in Israel and Gaza in an almost impossible effort to sort out which, if either side, is telling the truth in this terrible war between Israelis and Hamas, I am filled with admiration.

Yes, the famous anchor faces such as Jake Tapper, Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, and NBC’s Richard Engell are at risk from mortar and missile fire standing on rooftops in Tel Aviv and near the Gaza border, but the real, almost unfathomable danger is to the brave local producers and reporters inside Gaza as Israel bombs the Palestinian strip to hell and back.

Wearing flack jackets and helmets that provide little protection, they are vulnerable to air strikes, mortars, tank fire, and high-powered military rifles with armor-penetrating bullets. Those jackets are useless against any of that firepower and only offer limited protection against shrapnel and falling buildings.

Most reporters sent to combat zones are sent to week-long hazardous duty camps, where we learn first aid, from setting tourniquets and carrying wounded. There are courses on how to avoid being taken hostage, and when everyone thought Saddam had chemical weapons, how to don protective gear quickly.

But most of us figured this was more for network insurance purposes than actual protection.

When I was in Beirut, where rockets passed overhead between Christian and Muslim militias, I slept under my bed, in the overly optimistic hope that falling debris might bounce off the mattress. In Afghanistan, where IEDs were a major threat, I wore a helmet and bullet-resistant vest and sat on a second one in the unrealistic hope of back-side protection.

To date, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 31 reporters, producers, and camera operators have been killed in the now three-week-old conflict, most of them Palestinians reporting for Arab outlets and freelancing for foreign networks.

Despite wifi shutdowns and a lack of phone service, as Israeli airstrikes cripple communications, many continue to work. It is a valuable service few would be brave enough to carry out. The Israeli Defense Forces have warned journalists, their safety cannot be guaranteed. And besides operating in dangerous, life-threatening situations the reporters in Gaza deal with disinformation from Hamas every day.

But without them, the rest of the world would not know both sides of the story, and would only see the wide shot of collapsed buildings and not the up close and personal stories of innocent civilians who are being killed in the crossfire every day. As many as 9 thousand dead in Gaza. Many of them are Hamas, but too many are not.

So tonight when you watch the news, give a moment of thought to those journalists in the combat zones. They are not high-paid anchors and network reporters, they are eyewitnesses to unbearable atrocities and most are doing it so you get the whole story.

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