The entertainment world was saddened to learn over the weekend that former Friends co-star Matthew Perry had died. He was 54 years old. Perry sharing his struggles was admirable in the opinion of WEEI’s Greg Hill. But that didn’t sit well with a caller who felt like the whole Greg Hill Show cast were making the actor out to be some hero for admitting he was an addict who struggled to stay sober.
The cause of Perry’s death is under investigation, and authorities stated no illicit drugs were recovered from his Los Angeles area home last Saturday. Investigators do not suspect foul play. An official cause of death could take weeks or months to determine.
Perry had been very open about his drug and alcohol addiction both in his 2022 memoir and in an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer.
“The guy could have hidden out in Hollywood and never mentioned a word about what he went through,” Hill said. “I give him credit for being brave enough to do that.”
“He had no need to reveal this level of vulnerability that he did sitting down with Diane Sawyer,” added producer Chris Curtis. Curtis opened up about his own recovery from alcoholism. He took issue with Jerry not fully understanding what point they were trying to make when talking about Perry’s addiction.
“I’m not celebrating any individual part of Matthew Perry’s life,” he said. “I’m celebrating the fact he allowed himself to be seen as others refuse to be seen.”
“It’s a disease. And if you don’t have it, I don’t think we can understand what it’s like to have that disease,” Hill added. “It’s almost like you’re sitting there pointing at somebody who’s passed away from cancer and saying, ‘I can’t believe that they weren’t able to beat cancer.”
“I just think it’s way too easy when it’s someone like Matthew Perry to look at it from the outside and say, ‘This guy has got all the money in the world, he’s on the number one television show, how does he not stop drinking, how does he not stop doing drugs?'” Hill later said. “It’s way too easy to look at it from the outside and judge people, and it drives me nuts.
Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci have the distinct honor during the World Series to be pulling double duty professionally. Rosenthal is a senior writer at The Athletic covering MLB in addition to being a field reporter for FOX during the season. Verducci writes for Sports Illustrated in addition to having the same role at FOX as Rosenthal.
On the Inside Dish segment of his Foul Territory show Fair Territory, Rosenthal revealed what it’s like to cover the World Series from his perspective.
Ken Rosenthal said his day starts with typing up broadcast notes. He like to start initially with 15-20 topics, because he wants to have a rundown of items play-by-play broadcaster Joe Davis can pull from throughout the course of the game as he sees fit.
“That’s part of what I do. Giving information to the play-by-play man,” Rosenthal said.
He arrives at the ballpark about five hours before the game starts and one of the first things that happens is meetings with Rangers manager Bruce Bochy and Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo.
After that, Rosenthal and Verducci get 15 minutes in each team’s clubhouse without other media present. It’s availability Rosenthal said is a perk to his role at FOX.
“It’s an advantage,” he said. “It’s something that as a broadcaster as a part of FOX, which pays whatever they pay for these things, that’s the privilege we get.”
He noted that from there he will head to field level where he will record a pre-game interview on-camera and prepare a pre-game show report which he does live. But he also prepares heavily for that stand-up shot right as the home team takes the field and the starting pitcher takes his warm-up tosses.
That aspect of the broadcast – that last check-in on the field 30 seconds before the game starts – Rosenthal said is the most difficult thing he does on television.
“You have to nail it,” he said. “You have to have it pretty much memorized, because if you miss you can’t just say, ‘Hmmm I’d like to start over,’ or you can’t lose your train of thought because the game’s about to begin.”
When the game starts, Ken Rosenthal just follows his normal flow of progression as he would for any other World Series broadcast. But once the show is over, he then shifts into his role at The Athletic and springs into action.
He said he would stay up til around 3 AM Eastern time each night writing at the hotel before going to sleep.
Ken Rosenthal finished by saying that while he wasn’t meaning to try and flex on anyone for having two really cool jobs, he wanted to let people in on just how much goes into what he does and that he’s not taking the opportunities for granted.
“I’m just trying to give you insight into the work that goes into it,” he said. “And I want to make one thing especially clear. I love doing this. It is an absolute privilege to do this, and I will do this as long as The Athletic and FOX Sports lets me do it.”
“Is it tiring? Of course it’s tiring,” Rosenthal added. “I’m really tired. I’m tired all the time during the postseason, but you go on adrenaline in a lot of ways and you’re fired up to be there. And I fully recognize that all you guys listening, and all you people watching, almost all of you would love to do what I do. And again, it’s work. Yes, it’s work, it’s hard work. But it is an absolute honor, and I feel really lucky every year to be standing on the field during the World Series.”
The 2023 season comes to an end for the top three series in NASCAR this weekend at Phoenix Raceway, and Motor Racing Network (MRN) will put a bow on 350 hours of NASCAR content produced this year.
From the preseason exhibition Cup Series race at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum to the Daytona 500, the return of racing to North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina, the streets of Chicago, the playoffs, and now championship weekend, MRN was there with flag-to-flag race coverage.
The play-by-play broadcasts of 111 live events comprised much of MRN’s coverage of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season.
“As ‘The voice of NASCAR’ we have enjoyed celebrating the rich history of NASCAR throughout the year while keeping an eye firmly planted on the bright future of the sport,” MRN president Chris Schwartz said.
Coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship from Phoenix will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. The race will be carried on 300 partner radio stations across the country and live on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
As the Arizona Coyotes and the Phoenix Suns have transitioned their local game broadcast coverage away from Bally Sports in light of the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy, the Coyotes can’t completely close the book on the matter.
The team filed in Texas bankruptcy court recently that Diamond Sports Group owes them $18 million as a result of ending their rights contract. Diamond Sports has claimed that Bally Sports Arizona was losing the company money.
Bloomberg reported that it will be hashed out in bankruptcy court since the debt is considered unsecured. It’s likely the Coyotes won’t recover the full $18 million.
Diamond Sports Group filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2023.
In 2012, when Robin Quivers of The Howard Stern Show received a stage 3 endometrial cancer diagnosis, she maintained a positive outlook despite the sobering prognosis. Fast forward 12 years, and her courageous battle and subsequent triumph have been showcased in a recent People magazine feature.
“You handle cancer in a way that truly inspires me,” Stern shared with his longtime co-host. “Your unwavering positive attitude and your approach to facing various health challenges… most of us would falter.”
In the feature, Quivers went beyond sharing her inner self. Struggling with alopecia and sporting a bald head, she made the bold choice to be photographed without a head covering. Howard playfully remarked, “You’ve got a beautifully round head – some folks end up with a conehead.”
With a chuckle, she admitted, “I had a barber shave my head the first time and teach me how to do it, and as soon as he was done, I said, ‘Is there anything about my head that should not be seen?'”
While Howard appreciated the kind words she shared about his support during her challenging time, he couldn’t help but find humor in her mention of staffer Benjy Bronk.
“My favorite part of the article is when Robin suggests that her full recovery was due to not allowing Benjy into her hospital room,” he quipped. “That’s the best.”
Howard Stern’s radio show gained immense popularity and became the top-rated show in Washington, D.C. After this success, in 1982, he shifted to WNBC in New York City with Quivers as his sidekick.
Together, they formed one of the most successful teams in radio history. The show has been on air since 2006, broadcast on Sirius XM Radio, and has reached 60 markets with a peak of 20 million listeners.
When Craig Carton was sentenced to a minimum of 42 months at a federal prison in Lewisburg, PA on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and securities fraud, the future of his media career carried a sense of doubt. As he served his time, he thought about returning to WFAN in the future, yearning to reconcile his relationship with the audience.
Carton completed a nine-month, 500-hour cognitive behavioral program that curtailed the length of his sentence while also receiving good time credits that led to his early release. The thought of combining his work on the radio with a morning television show on a national network was inconceivable then, even though he had spoken with FS1 head of content Charlie Dixon before entering the federal penitentiary.
Dixon informed Carton that he had always wanted to work with him and had appreciated how he went about building his career and attaining success. In their meeting, he made Carton a promise that if he was released from prison and the timing was right, he would entertain a conversation about potentially working together.
Several years later, The Carton Show commences the network’s weekday programming lineup from 7 to 9:30 a.m. ET. The auspicious change in fortune and perception has re-energized Carton; however, the avenue of television was not of serious consideration until he made it back and succeeded at WFAN.
“I always dreamt and hoped that I’d be back on the radio,” Carton said. “Obviously the FAN was always the goal with no guarantee that it would happen, but that dream is what kind of kept me going, especially on dark and lonely nights where you’re sitting there, legitimately all by yourself, staring at a mattress six inches from your nose.”
In making it back to afternoon drive and finding success, Carton considers himself fortunate and does not take a day working in the industry for granted. The fact that he even had a decision to make between radio and TV is a testament to his natural talent, commitment to hard work, and professional connections.
Out of school, Carton took a role with WGR 550 AM, the radio home of the Buffalo Bills. Unbeknownst to him, the radio signal from Buffalo was a straight shot to Cleveland, Ohio, which opened the door to his next stop at WWWE. After becoming the nation’s youngest host working full time in sports radio in a major market, Carton would move on to Philadelphia and Denver, before receiving the call to finally return home to New York City.
His first full-time radio hosting role in “The Big Apple” was on WNEW-FM. It was there where he fostered a friendship with his board operator, Chris Oliviero, who ended up working on the corporate side of CBS Radio as a programming coordinator beginning in 2004. Oliviero quickly ascended up the ranks to become the senior vice president of programming and helped lure Carton from a successful afternoon program on New Jersey 101.5 to WFAN to host the morning show with CBS NFL analyst and former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason in 2007.
“I never would have gotten to WFAN if Chris wasn’t an executive with the company – he made that happen, and he made it happen independent of anybody else’s voice,” Carton said. “A lot of people like to take credit for it now, but me getting the job and ultimately being partnered with Boomer – that’s why we call him ‘The Architect’ – he is responsible for it.”
The Boomer & Carton show succeeded Don Imus, who had been fired after making derogatory and insensitive remarks. Carton had been in discussions at the time with Infinity Broadcasting to replace Howard Stern on terrestrial radio after he inked a contract with the Sirius Satellite Radio Company, and he also spoke to Free FM, an upstart talk format cluster of stations, about joining the entity.
Carton ultimately decided to join WFAN, joining a known quantity and debuting a new product in the prime morning slot. Among Men 25-54, the program precipitously found a home at the top of the quarterly ratings book, leading MSG Networks to reach a deal with CBS Radio to launch a simulcast.
“I will be the first to admit that Boomer & Carton was special unlike anything else on WFAN since Mike and the Mad Dog,” Carton said. “We, for whatever the reason was – the big brother-little brother; the athlete-non-athlete – everything we did just worked, and our relationship on the air worked. I think Boomer & Carton will go down as one of the great shows in New York City radio history.”
Boomer and Carton’s rise would come to a crashing halt on a September morning in 2017 when the WFAN morning man was approached by an FBI agent and placed under arrest. Carton had solicited investments in ticket resale enterprises that purchased and redistributed concert tickets for a substantial profit, according to an SEC filing.
Shortly afterward, he resigned from WFAN and was convicted on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and securities fraud. Despite the negative publicity and feelings of despondence and betrayal being perpetuated, Oliviero remained a friend and trusted confidante.
“He made a pledge to me that depending on when I got out of prison, if I got my life in order and I was in a good place, he’d be willing to have the conversation, but nothing was ever promised,” Carton said. “All he said to me was, ‘You call me and tell me when you’re good and you’ve got your life back in order, and I promise we can sit down and discuss the possibilities of not just working at the FAN, but working in radio,’ and he was true to his word.”
Oliviero visited Carton in prison and engaged in deep discussions with him upon his release after just over a year. Eventually, the door was opened for Carton to return home to his former radio employer, and soon a successful afternoon drive-time venture was formed with Evan Roberts. Roberts was known for his encyclopedic sports knowledge while Carton bolstered the program through his antics and hijinks. In reflecting on their time working together, he says Roberts added an ethos to the show that made people interested, and their camaraderie and chemistry was evident throughout the show’s 31-month run.
“There’s only two guys that have ever been No. 1 in mornings and afternoons in New York City, and that’s Howard Stern and me, and I take great pride in that,” Carton said. “The reality is that I also couldn’t have done it if Evan wasn’t a great broadcaster and [if he] wasn’t willing to take a leap of faith that he could trust me and that the show ultimately would succeed with him having to also evolve as a broadcaster.”
In the fall of 2022, Carton added a morning television program with FOX Sports to his plate, resulting in a strenuous work schedule that provided little time for him to spend with his family. Even though radio is in his blood, he knew that he couldn’t do both jobs in perpetuity, meaning he had a choice to make.
When his WFAN contract expired in November 2022, he was working by the month while contemplating his future. Nine months later, he announced that he was leaving WFAN to join FOX Sports on a full-time basis, citing a desire to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.
“I have a 12-year-old at home, and I missed enough of his life,” Carton said. “I wasn’t willing to miss any more of it, and I was presented with this opportunity where I’m home before he gets home from school so I can pick him up every day from school. It’s allowed me to rebuild a relationship with my family and have the time to do it.”
Carton is grateful that both WFAN and FOX Sports were patient with him as he examined the potential benefits and ramifications associated with the move. Today, he is in the midst of his second year on the network’s airwaves.
“I’m having a blast doing the show,” Carton said. “It’s been reenergizing and I’m invigorated every day I get up to go in to see what we’re going to come up with for the next day’s show. I feel like we’ve built on TV in a short amount of time what I’ve been able to build on radio, and that is compelling content.”
His focus may now be on creating a winning television program, but that doesn’t mean Carton doesn’t keep up on the latest developments in broadcasting. Especially as it pertains to the New York City sports radio scene.
While on the air at WFAN, Carton made no secret of the satisfaction he took in defeating ESPN New York. The outlet recently announced plans to decline the renewal of its lease on 98.7 FM and will shift to 1050 AM and digital platforms after August 2024. The move comes just seven months after Michael Kay agreed to a contract extension to continue broadcasting his afternoon program, The Michael Kay Show, which directly opposed Carton & Roberts.
“98.7 was a joke – always has been a joke,” Carton said. “They never took being local seriously. They believed in one local show, and that show isn’t very good and never was. If you had to build your [station] around a failed afternoon show, I don’t know how you could ever expect to be successful from 6a to 7p.”
Carton remains on WFAN in a limited capacity as the host of Hello, My Name is Craig, a half-hour Saturday morning program that focuses its conversation on gambling addiction. It has been over five years since the last time Carton wagered, and he knows that by sharing his own experience and implementing guests, he is humanizing people’s suffering.
“It’s probably the most important content I’ve ever put out – not the most entertaining necessarily – but I think it’s among the most compelling content I put out because my story played out so publicly,” Carton said. “I am a compulsive gambler, and I’m blessed now to have come out the other side, and I’m doing really well.”
At FanDuel, we offer a wide range of tools to help you play responsibly.@heykayadams, @RobGronkowski & @craigcartonlive helped educate our customers on the importance of responsible gaming during #RGEM2023
After two successful stints on WFAN, Carton is now tasked with trying to replicate his local success on a national level. The program maintains a Northeast focus while utilizing self-deprecating humor, vivaciousness, and sanguinity to attract and retain an audience. He says the audience may notice he does more sports talk per se but still approaches things in a similar manner to how he’s always performed.
“I know for a fact we do a really good sports show, but we just do it differently than everybody else,” Carton said. “We laugh at ourselves [and] we laugh at sports; we enjoy sports [and] we talk about sports the way real people talk about sports. I’m not sitting up there all stodgy trying to break down a 3-4 defense because that’s not how sports fans digest sports.”
Carton did not launch the show with a regular co-host but has since added David Jacoby in that role. Jacoby, the former co-host of Jalen & Jacoby on ESPN2, had been working on The Carton Show as a producer and assumed the additional responsibilities shortly before football season. Additionally, the production regularly utilizes former Jets offensive guard Willie Colon as a contributing analyst, someone whom Carton has known for several years and regards as a great broadcaster and personality.
“I’ve never viewed myself as a guy that works alone,” Carton said. “I’m far better working and playing off of other people…. I think the three of us together being there consistently every day is one of the reasons the show has grown so well.”
His current routine involves an early-morning wake-up call between 2 and 2:15 a.m. and arrival at the studio by 4 a.m. After a pre-show meeting at 4:30 a.m., Carton starts thinking about what he will present on the air so he is ready once the cameras are live at 7 a.m.
“You have to be much more succinct than you are on radio,” Carton said. “In radio, you can meander a bit and you can get to a point. If a punchline doesn’t work, you can come back around and massage it and get to the laugh that you’re looking for. In TV, you have to be very focused and very, very clear on what you’re doing [and] what you’re trying to do.”
Since Carton is no longer hosting the afternoon drive program on WFAN, he has found new ways to utilize his time. He is now regularly exercising and walking five to 10 miles a day, along with chopping wood and picking up his son from school. Moreover, Carton makes sure to spend time with him and the rest of his family and enjoy each and every moment.
“It’s been an amazing couple of years for me and certainly the last few months since I resigned from WFAN, it’s been like an awakening where I have all this free time now and I’m trying to figure out how best to use it,” Carton said. “It’s been really rewarding for me to reconnect with, not just my family, but other people who’ve been very supportive of me in my lifetime, and I’m just blessed.”
The interesting twist for Carton is that he finds himself in an underdog role after spending years as the favorite on local radio. While WFAN routinely won its head-to-head ratings wars with ESPN New York 98.7 FM, FOX Sports 1 finds itself in the challenger’s position, hoping to grow its audience and chip away at ESPN’s lead on television.
Driven by competition and the challenge of turning an upstart into a mainstay, Carton remains bullish on his ability to make an impact for FS1 while understanding how lucky he is to have been given a second chance. He carries with him some insecurity about his own performance but remains fueled by the doubt and those who have caused him difficulty during his career.
Just several years after his release from prison, Carton is utilizing the lessons he has learned and his inherent, shrewd media intellect to reach the audience through a new means of dissemination, all while staying true to his style.
“When I do look back at my career, it’s been pretty special, and it’s very unique in the level of success I’ve had in multiple major markets and now doing this TV show,” Carton said. “I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish, and I think it speaks for itself.”
Carley Shimkus has always had a strong connection with Fox News since her childhood days. Growing up, the network was a constant presence in her household, and she made watching Fox & Friends a staple part of her morning routine before heading to school. Now, she works as an anchor on Fox & Friends First.
Her loyalty to the network has remained steadfast, and she joined Fox News during her senior year of college. Initially, Shimkus started her broadcasting career as an intern on the Imus in the Morning radio show, working for Don Imus.
Carley Shimkus credits her determination for landing a job at Fox News. She recalls applying for a position as a greenroom greeter and having the opportunity to meet some of the talent that visited the network, including those from Fox Business Network. In 2009, she began working at Fox News as a production assistant on the Fox Business Network (FBN). With time, her hard work and talent helped her advance, and she was soon promoted to associate producer.
During our conversation, Carley Shimkus shared her opinion on one of the hot-button issues that have been at the forefront of journalism debates – naming the individuals behind tragic mass shootings. She understands the struggle between the public’s right to know and the danger of inadvertently making these perpetrators infamous.
Interestingly, at Fox News, they don’t have a one-size-fits-all approach. It seems that they trust their reporters to make the call on a case-by-case basis. It’s like walking a tightrope in the world of journalism.
She’s quick to emphasize Fox News’ commitment to staying on the straight and narrow path of unbiased reporting. It’s about giving viewers the real scoop, straight up, no chaser, during election nights. We’re talking about cold pizza and high-octane energy with their seasoned team, such as Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino, who practically have the whole nation’s electoral map memorized.
Speaking of mentors and guiding lights, Carley Shimkus has some heavy hitters in her corner. She leans on the sage advice of Dana Perino, a walking encyclopedia of wisdom, and Ainsley Earhardt, who she paints as a guardian angel in human form. It’s like having the dream team of advisors.
What’s cool is that Carley Shimkus sees Fox News as more of a family than a cutthroat competition. She appreciates the unique qualities that each of her female colleagues brings, making it a supportive and diverse environment.
But rewind a bit, and you’ll find Carley Shimkus at the beginning of her journey as a greenroom greeter at Fox Business. She humbly attributes her success to her unwavering determination and a pinch of assertiveness. She knew what she wanted, and she wasn’t afraid to make it known.
Ryan Hedrick: Tell us about how Fox & Friends First covered the Maine shooter story last week. How did Fox News’ coverage differ from other networks?
(Different networks reported different information. Carley’s answer was based on my statement to her about that)
Carley Shimkus: The producers told us to be vague about how many people were dead or injured because, at the time of our show, it was still overnight. A Maine government official came out, and he said he wasn’t going to talk about how many people died because the number was up and down. The best way to handle that is to be honest, but in terms of numbers on our screen, we kept it extremely vague at the time because we didn’t know.
RH: What are your thoughts about naming people suspected of mass shootings on the air? Does Fox News have mandates about that kind of stuff?
CS: I don’t think there is a network mandate. It’s one of those things where you see both sides, right? There is value to naming him. People need to know who he is, especially if he is still alive and still armed and dangerous. That’s a public service.
But then, sometimes, somebody horrific commits an act of violence and wants to be glorified over it. If there’s any sign of that, you can pivot to say the shooter because you don’t want to give him what he wants. There have been instances of that, and it’s so sad that we live in a world where that’s the reality of the situation, but I can see both sides of that news debate.
RH: With the public’s increasing lack of trust in the media, election coverage holds significant importance. What measures is Fox News taking to cover the election?
CS: There may be the same candidates. This is an easy answer: you have to cover the election fairly and honestly.
RH: What is election night like on Fox News behind the scenes?
CS: There’s a lot of pizza because people are working overtime (laughs). It’s high energy, and it feels momentous. There’s just a different feeling leading up to it. How good are the people that do the election coverage? Bill Hemmer knows every single county in every small town in America, and I don’t think he has to study for it.
That’s where people shine and when I am the most proud of where I work. Also, Dana Perino has excellent insight, and it’s because of her experience.
RH: Who do you turn to for personal advice?
CS: Dana Perino for career and personal advice. She’s amazing and will even send me things sometimes that I don’t ask for, like websites, nuggets, and podcasts. I can’t say enough about her. For personal and career advice, Ainsley Earhardt is an angel in human form, I turn to her as well.
RH: How does it feel to be a part of the network, considering the significant presence of strong, independent women working at Fox News?
CS: It’s never a competition; it’s always been a family. Everybody brings a little something different. If you think about everybody’s personality, Martha [MacCallum] is just a rock-solid anchor but has this soft, tender side as well. She’s also a rock-solid interviewer but then equally covers human interest stories well. She’s got great hair and great clothes, and you love watching her do it.
Harris [Faulkner] brings something else. She’s amazing at breaking news.
Emily Compagno. Kayleigh McEnany has amazing experience and expertise. If I even have a small, little corner of that incredible Mount Rushmore of women, I count myself lucky.
RH: Did you ever think you’d make it on network TV while working for Don Imus?
CS: My family watched Fox News while I was growing up. When I was in high school, I would watch Fox & Friends when I was eating breakfast, and Fox News would be on when I came home from school, and it would be on during dinner. A lot of families across the country can relate to that. My mom told me that she always knew that I wanted to be on TV.
Interestingly, parents pick up on things before their kids know. I always wanted to work for Fox News, so I wanted to intern there. I was super determined.
When I started, it was the squeaky wheel, but there’s a fine line that you have to walk there, too. You don’t want to be annoying, but you want to be assertive and tell people what you want. You get one shot at it; you have to let people know.
(Carley Shimkus began her career at Fox Business as a greenroom greeter. This response was provided when asked about the moment she knew she would join Fox News.)
It was an HR email saying ‘We have a position as a greenroom greeter. Would you like it? A greenroom greeter job is great. You get to meet so many people. This was for Fox Business. Your job is to coordinate with the producers and bring the guests from when they first come into the lobby to different greenrooms and let the producers know that they’re there. It’s an entry-level position, but a very good job’. I loved it, and I loved being a part of it.
RH: You’ve experienced a lot of professional growth since you became a mom. How did the birth of your son change your perspective?
CS: I look at the news in a different light. Things mean more to me now. There’s also a little more fear of safety and the safety of the world. As a parent, you have so much to live for, you create this beautiful baby, and you want them to be safe and happy and loved their whole life, and things can affect that. I have more skin in the game now.
RH: What story do you find yourself paying more attention to as a parent?
CS: The story that has to do with the parents say in schools. When Terry McAuliffe (former VA Governor) said the parents shouldn’t get involved in their child’s education, that was absurd. For people that even remotely think that that’s an okay position. Teachers have a great interest at heart, but parents deserve a say. So that story became something that went from a backburner like I could understand why parents are upset. Also, general safety, like crime rates and all those types, became more real to me as well.
RH: We are excited to announce that you have a new book called Cooking with Friends. Tell us about it.
Carley Shimkus: It’s out, so you can order on FoxNewsBooks.com or Amazon. I’m presenting it, but it is a network cookbook. It’s our cookbook on Fox News because it’s our recipes from so many different people on Fox News that everybody loves to watch on TV.
So, like the comfort food meal or the favorite holiday meal that brings them joy. It’s a great gift for someone in your life or somebody in your life who is a Fox News viewer. I can see it underneath someone’s tree.
The pictures are beautiful, and it turned out great. I loved working on it, and it was such an honor to be part of the project.
The collapse of the regional sports network model continues to put leagues in a precarious position. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred believes the league could find a way out of the situation by itself.
“We will be in a position that we can handle up to 16 teams next year,” Manfred said.
The commissioner then pointed to the first rights deal the league had to reclaim as reason for optimism for its broadcasting abilities.
“I give you the San Diego example,” Rob Manfred said. “We had virtually no notice—I mean, literally hours worth of notice. We picked them up in the middle of a season, and, frankly, picked them up when things weren’t going like a lot of people, particularly in San Diego, had hoped. And we sold 18,000 subscriptions in San Diego. And our ratings on the cable side essentially stayed the same; they were a little better.
“So what does that tell me? We have an unserved audience out there that is an economic opportunity for us to reach fans that we’re not reaching,” continued Manfred. “So it’s an important part of our future. It doesn’t have today the same robust economics that the cable bundle provided as an exclusive source of distribution, but my own view of the world is we’re gonna have—the distribution may be smaller going forward, and we’re gonna put with it that digital option that gives people more flexibility, more reach and [is] better for fans overall.”
Manfred noted that the league currently plans to produce broadcasts for both the Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024, as it did for roughly half of the 2023 MLB season.
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Commanders in a game broadcasted by Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth on FOX Sunday. 94 WIP morning host Joe DeCamara was not impressed by what he saw.
During DeCamara & Ritchie Monday, the Philadelphia morning host shared his extreme displeasure with both the announcers and the broadcast as a whole.
“Fox has to get its act together. That broadcast was a disgrace yesterday. A hand in every shot. It was a disgrace. You got hands in the camera, which might be Daniel Snyder’s fault for building a freaking stadium that way, but Fox after like 20 years, freaking figure it out,” Joe DeCamara said, before turning his attention to Schlereth.
“He stinks, alright? He stinks. He’s a nice guy. I’ve interviewed him a couple times. He’s a super nice guy, but he is a bad NFL announcer,” DeCamara continued. “In a country with over 300 million people, and any number of thousands that played pro football, and any number of hundreds have played it at an extremely high level, which are usually the guys that get the jobs. Not all the time. Sometimes you get your Sean Salisbury’s of the world that actually turned out to be good analysts, even though they were essentially backup-type players. Find someone better.”
Co-host Jon Ritchie disagreed.
“Come on, man. He’s not that bad,” Ritchie said. “He does seem to have a bit of a bias and that did come through at times. That rubbed me the wrong way.”
“He’s horrendous!” shouted DeCamara. “He stinks! He’s boring, he’s not interesting, and he gets too X’s and O’s. He is not fun.”
Joe DeCamara then turned his attention to the directing of the broadcast, arguing that it was negligent for the game to cut away from a brewing fracas between the Eagles and Commanders.
“Get your head out of your ass, FOX,” said DeCamara. “Do a better job, because this is not that hard. It’s not that hard. Just find some better announcers, find some better directors, and a better product out there, because I thought that was a lousy NFL broadcast yesterday.”
Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts is joining the World Series coverage for Game 3 Monday night.
Betts will appear on a bevy of MLB properties, including MLB Network, ahead of the game, and will speak with players and coaches during pregame and postgame interviews.
It isn’t the first media endeavor for the MLB star. Earlier this year, Mookie Betts launched a video and podcast series called On Base with Mookie Betts in conjunction with Bleacher Report. He is also the owner and executive producer of One Market Group, where he develops scripted and unscripted projects.
Joining Betts on the coverage will be Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames. The Dominican will conduct pre and postgame interviews for games 3 and 4 in Spanish.
The addition of Betts marks the third consecutive year MLB and MLB Network have brought a current star not playing in the Fall Classic in the media fray.
