Derek Hunter, a former radio host from Baltimore, has recently joined WFMD-AM in Frederick, Maryland. In 2011, he embarked on his radio career at WBAL, where he assumed the role of the weeknight host from 9 PM to midnight. Two years later, he took over the afternoon show, broadcasting from 12–2 PM.
In 2017, Hunter bid farewell to WBAL and embarked on a new journey, hosting mid-mornings at WCBM in Baltimore starting in 2019. Kim Klacik eventually replaced Hunter after she departed WBAL.
In addition to his radio work, Hunter hosts The Derek Hunter Podcast on platforms like iTunes, Stitcher, and Soundcloud.
Looking ahead, Derek Hunter is poised to assume the role of Program Director at WFMD once the longtime PD, Frank Mitchell, decides to retire. Notably, he was honored to be a guest host on The Rush Limbaugh Show in November 2020.
Bill Simmons is a podcast OG, and he knows it. But at this point in The Ringer founder’s career, don’t ask him to get all reflective on days of the past.
Bill was a guest on the SI Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina, and Traina asked Simmons if he had ever given some thought to the run he’s had in the podcast space starting from when podcasting was still incredibly niche to being mainstream today.
“I don’t really think that way,” Simmons said. “I just kind of keep going. And at some point, I thought when I did this Spotify deal, I thought maybe this would be the last kind of run. But I still like it. I still feel like I’m good at it and I still feel like my audience is growing as weird as that is.”
Bill Simmons continued that as long as his heart is still in it and there’s still growth to be had, he’s going to continue focusing on putting together the best possible products he can.
“I just look at it like, ‘Can I either be a little bit better or better than I was last year?'” he said. “How do I do that? What are the steps?”
Simmons said that part of getting better is being able to not be spread thin. He said he realized he took on too much early on while still at ESPN when he was doing a book tour, working on a 30 for 30, and trying to keep working on the podcast.
“And I remember feeling like, ‘Oh shit, I didn’t plan this out correctly. I’m not balanced enough here,'” he said. “So it’s like trial and error. It’s like anything else. You live and you learn and you remember.”
Being a sports broadcaster, being criticized by fans for being biased against their team comes with the territory. Seattle Sports host Brock Huard is no stranger to that, and he’s even made a segment out of that criticism on Brock & Salk.
On Thursday’s show, the subject of the mean tweets was from over the weekend when Brock was on the call with Jason Benetti for Iowa/Wisconsin last weekend.
“You are the worst commentator of all time, and that’s saying something at Brock Huard,” producer Maura Dooley read.
“These announcers, man. Benetti? Solid. Brock Huard? Bad. Very, very bad,” another tweet read courtesy of producer Justin Barnes. Justin asked if he and Jason went through and compared tweets of fans critiquing their broadcasts, and Huard was pretty emphatic.
“Yes, for years,” he said. “Years ago it was all-timer.”
Brock Huard talked about how some of the most epic comparisons came on plane rides home after games from when he worked at ESPN with Bob Wischusen and Allison Williams.
“See I think Wischusen would have some fun with this,” Salk said. “I’m sure Benetti would love these actually, probably have some good time. You think (Joe) Tessitore handles these well?”
MLB on TBS play-by-play voice Brian Anderson doesn’t take for granted all he’s been able to do in his career, and he said that the moment he stopped letting outside influence matter was the moment he was really able to get ahead. Doors opened for bigger opportunities in the process.
Anderson spoke to Rob Bradford on a recent edition of the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast, and he said part of what helped him get over that mental hump came from a combination of his own athletic background and in the years he spent calling minor league San Antonio Missions games.
Brian Anderson said he also learned some mental toughness from his brother who spent some time as a player in the minor leagues. He took those same principles and applied them to his broadcasting career.
“There was a major turn at one point in my career where I stopped being so tuned in outside in,” he said. “So worried about what people think, what do I sound like as I’m speaking, and you just go inside out.”
“After four years of minor league baseball and probably at that point, four years of 140 games a year, throwing BP before games for the team, catching bullpens, doing the broadcasts,” Anderson added. “Then it was like, ‘Wait, I can just be me, do me, and if that’s good enough, then that’ll be fine. If not then I’ll go do something else. But they will let me know. They will tell me if my skills are good enough as myself.'”
Putting in the work, honing his craft, and being around great people really helped take Anderson’s career to the next level.
“Generally, it was that eureka moment where I’m better if I just get fully in the process. Put the tube in the river,” he said. “In Texas, we grew up tubing down the river. Put the tube in the river and get on the river and go.
“That was really the big piece for me,” he added. “When I started doing that, it was like chains fell off me. Shackles fell off me. And I was really able to let it go.”
Sometimes English is hard even for native English speakers. The subject of pronunciation came up Thursday morning on Shan & RJ on 105.3 The Fan, and host Shan Shariff was asked what word he has the most difficulty pronouncing.
Shan said “rural” was tough for him.
“Although I don’t know if that’s a simple word, ‘rural’,” he said.
Co-hosts RJ Choppy, Bobby Belt and producer Peyton Russell also pointed out that Shan also struggled somewhat recently with pronouncing Michael Strahan’s name.
“He kept saying, like Stray-hon,” Russell said. “He said it three times.”0
Shan mentioned that mispronouncing Cowboys star Micah Parson’s name was the reason the show ultimately decided not to have Michael Lombardi back to talk Cowboys.
“We had to stop having him on because he kept calling him Mekhi Parsons like for two years,” he said. “Mekhi Parsons. Not Micah Parson’s.”
In a twist of fate, the journey KMJ Program Director Blake Taylor could have been entirely different from his chosen path. His remarkable radio career began at just 17 years old. After moving to New Mexico, he ventured into the sports radio world and hosted a show for several years. However, destiny took a turn just before the tragic events of 9/11, when he lost his job.
On the day America faced the 9/11 attacks, Blake was scheduled to meet with the management of a news and talk station for a potential program director role. Unfortunately, the interview was canceled due to the unfolding crisis but was later rescheduled, leading to his eventual appointment. Blake’s desire to serve his country at that critical moment could have led him down a different path.
Reflecting on those pivotal times, he acknowledges that he might never have reached his current position without the opportunity to program a station in New Mexico. KMJ holds a special place in the hearts of the Fresno community, dating back to the early 1920s when it was the sole station in Central California. People would gather around a large speaker outside KMJ’s downtown Fresno studios to listen to World Series games or thrilling boxing matches. KMJ was the only radio station between Sacramento and Los Angeles for over 20 years.
KMJ remains an integral part of the San Joaquin Valley a century later. While times have changed, the right person leads the station. Blake Taylor joined KMJ approximately 16 years ago, knowing he was destined to step into the role of program director when Skip Essick retired. He patiently bided his time, serving as the station’s new director and assistant program director until he officially assumed the role of KMJ Program Director in 2014.
In today’s world, managing a brand involves more than just guiding talent and overseeing a team. Social media and streaming have boosted a station’s capacity to connect with not only local communities but also with people all over the globe. Even if you’re a Fresno transplant, you can tune in to KMJ from wherever you are.
With the growing use of technology, consumers have a broader range of choices and fiercer competition. Blake Taylor understands the steps required to keep KMJ relevant. He has forged partnerships with the community and expanded KMJ’s presence in local news by collaborating with local ABC30 to provide more extensive coverage of local news and weather.
We sat down with Blake Taylor to discuss his journey to KMJ, how the station’s internal consistency is a big part of keeping Fresno engaged and entertained, what he most enjoys about his job, and how a partnership with community members allows KMJ to give back to a community that loved and supported the station for more than 100 years.
Ryan Hedrick: How has your role as a program director changed over the past decade?
Blake Taylor: You’re not running a radio station anymore. Ten years ago, it was a lot more straightforward. These days, you’re running multiple social media sites, multiple podcasts that you’re in charge of, and streaming that you must maintain. You’re looking at a broadcast entity of nearly a dozen outlets at any moment.
RH: What do you like most about being the program director at KMJ?
BT: I love coming to work every day and working with true professionals. That was one of the reasons that I came here to KMJ. I took the news director job in 2007. I came here to win and to work with real broadcast professionals. Most of the people that I started with in 2007 are still here. That vibes with me. You come to work, and people are here to have fun but also to play ball, and they know what they’re doing.
RH: How important is KMJ’s internal consistency to the listening audience?
BT: It’s huge. It says a lot about dependability. KMJ is the 38th oldest continually operated radio station in the country. We just celebrated our century anniversary in 2022. We also released a one-hour documentary ( KMJ | 100 Years in the Valley). If you can put together a century of radio broadcasts recapping what it’s meant to the area, that will tell you what KMJ means to the San Joaquin Valley and Fresno.
Ray Appleton, our midday guy, on the 19th will be his 36th anniversary; that’s just at KMJ. He had years prior in rock radio. That will tell you about consistency, and that will tell you why he’s number one in that position for more than three decades. He’s been here for a third of the time the station has been on the air.
RH: How was the process of creating the documentary? How did you balance celebrating the past with promoting the future of KMJ?
BT: It was fascinating. The research that Valley PBS filmmaker Jeff Aiello and his team were able to come up with opened a lot of eyes, especially how KMJ got its call letters. KMJ was the only radio station in Central California for 20-30 years; from the early 1920s to the early 1940s, KMJ was the only station in Fresno. That was something between us when you got to Los Angeles or between us and Sacramento.
We found old pictures at the archives in the library of people standing outside in downtown Fresno, with their suit and their hats on, listening to World Series games or big boxing match-ups. They would stand outside our first iteration of the KMJ building in downtown Fresno, listening to the loudspeakers broadcasting to the street because people didn’t have radios in their homes back then.
RH: You have a unique, local partnership with ABC30 in Fresno. How did this partnership come about?
BT: We’re excited about this partnership. They are the clear leader in local television news coverage, their viewership dominates the Fresno market, and KMJ is the breaking news leader throughout the San Joaquin Valley in radio and streaming. The partnership made sense for the two powerhouses to join forces. We utilize some of their content, especially on KMJ Morning News. It’s a great fit. Their reporting and weather reports are top-notch, and I couldn’t be happier. We are off to the races with ABC30, it’s excellent.
RH: Does your experience as a news director give you an overall advantage when you’re programming the station?
BT: I think so. Coming from the news side, you get to know the nuts and bolts of your city, the city council, the board of supervisors, and the players. You get to know the people who can make stuff happen, which helps a programming role because you can work with the talk talent and disseminate the information you’ve gathered from the news department.
RH: What is your approach to managing and coaching talent?
BT: As I see it, my job is to spark interest in different topics or ideas a host hasn’t thought of from a certain angle. Reinforce concepts of specific ways to tease segments and ensure we’re using the best audio we can. For instance, we had an Israeli flag-raising in downtown Fresno. In this dark time, Mayor Jerry Dyer was speaking and announcing Fresno’s unwavering support for Israel. He is getting shouted down by Pro-Palestinian protestors, and the audio came out amazing. So, I made sure everybody had the audio. My job is always supporting talent, and that’s how I look at it.
RH: With this busy national and international news cycle that we’re in, how does KMJ leverage that content and use it to serve the San Joaquin Valley and Fresno communities?
BT: Nine out of ten times, there’s a local angle to a national or international incident. Somebody in our area is from the area in the news; Fresno County has one million people. Our job is to look for the local angles. That’s another way to use social media too. Put information out there if you are looking for something. There is a local angle. Our job is to try and find that and tell those stories.
RH: KMJ broadcasts on both the AM and FM bands. What do you think the future holds for AM radio, and are you concerned if automakers remove it from cars, it could impact KMJ?
BT: My fingers are crossed for the survival of AM Radio. Getting rid of it in emergencies would be a huge detriment and potentially dangerous. Two years ago, we had what was called the Creek Fire, just to the east of Fresno, which was threatening a number of mountain communities. We jumped on the air; it was Labor Day weekend, and there was no communication for those struggling to escape the flames. Many homes were burning down, businesses were burning down, and thousands of acres of forest land were being scorched. KMJ came in on a holiday, and we were broadcasting emergency declarations from law enforcement about where the safe spots were to go. It was a life-and-death situation for a lot of folks. AM radio was there to help.
RH: When programming a station, do you watch and listen for the next great talent? Even if you may not be hiring at the moment?
BT: Yes, I am always taking mental notes. If I talk to somebody interesting who has a presence, can tell a story, is smart, is quick, hopefully sarcastic to a point, has a sense of humor, is self-deprecating, and otherwise, if they’re interesting, I will listen to them. I always take mental notes on who I like as a potential host or weekend personality. We’ve put on many of those in the last five years.
Prior to the Kansas City Chiefs-Chicago Bears game, rumors were swirling that Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Taylor Swift would be in attendance. Over the ensuing weeks, Swift had been linked to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who expressed disappointment that he couldn’t deliver a friendship bracelet to her during a performance on “The Eras Tour.”
As speculation around Swift’s possible appearance intensified, NFL fans and Swifties alike became curious about the details. Before the game, FOX Sports lead NFL reporter Erin Andrews was on the field with play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt and color commentator Greg Olsen. The broadcasters were engaging in their usual routine, meandering the sidelines to make observations and converse with players, coaches and other team personnel to enhance their deft preparation ahead of kickoff.
Suddenly, Andrews noticed that her phone was being inundated with messages, including communication from producers for the pregame show, game broadcast and on-air features. Figuring that they would want her to confirm if the gossip was true, she informed Olsen of the situation. Although Kelce was in the middle of a pregame drill at the time, Olsen grabbed his attention and informed him that Andrews had a question to ask when he had a moment.
“I really did have a football question because I really do care about football,” Andrews explained. “I’m obviously being sarcastic right now, [but] I wanted to talk football. I think he was relieved because I don’t know if he heard Greg make a joke about, ‘Hey, she really needs to ask you something.’ And then out of the corner of my mouth I said, ‘Hey, there’s this rumor that Taylor’s coming,’ and he kind of just looked at me and he hugged me and he goes, ‘Yep, but you didn’t hear it from me.’”
In confirming the news, Andrews was able to inform the rest of her FOX Sports colleagues so they could adjust their coverage accordingly. As a reporter, she has worked to foster relationships with athletes in order to develop and maintain the necessary trust to be privy to insider information. Meticulous groundwork, networking skills and a passion for the craft have engendered Andrews a stellar reputation, and she has been able to combine those bedrock journalism tenets with the demands of the incessant modern content ecosystem.
Andrews, who is a fan of Swift and her music, knew what promptly became one of the top news stories of the day, but the broadcast still remained focused on presenting viewers with the nuances of the inter-conference matchup. Shortly thereafter, the FOX Sports broadcast team spoke with Brett Veach, the general manager of the Chiefs. The discussion centered around the roster and how to improve the synergy among the offense. Extemporaneously so, Veach asked if they were aware that Swift was coming to the game, giving Andrews a chance to probe for more information.
“I said, ‘Yeah, I kind of heard, but what are the details?,’ and he told us what he knew, so then I could attribute it to I had definitely heard it,” Andrews conveyed. “I didn’t want to hang Travis out to dry, but once she was there, obviously the cat was out of the bag.”
On a weekly basis, Andrews expertly gathers information, ensures its veracity and presents compendious reports on the air. Furthermore, she will direct handheld camera operators to capture certain shots for the broadcast, assisting producer Richie Zyontz and director Rich Russo.
There are times when viewers do not realize she has provided the broadcasting booth with the latest information, and she equates some of her responsibilities to those of a spy. The job would be considerably more difficult, if not near impossible, without the connections she has fervently worked to build and her willingness to go above and beyond for the story.
Andrews is certainly a frequent flier, often traversing the United States to interview intriguing sports figures such as Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders and New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Seeing journalists at work, however, was nothing new to her since she grew up as the daughter of Steve Andrews, an award-winning investigative reporter and writer at WFLA-TV, the local NBC affiliate. One day as they were watching Hannah Storm interview Hall of Fame basketball forward Charles Barkley, Andrews informed her father that she was interested in pursuing a career in sports media. Despite advising her against it, she proceeded anyway.
Throughout her youth, Andrews was an avid fan of the Boston Celtics and watched superstar players Kevin McHale and Larry Bird vie to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the season’s end. She also consumed plenty of Boston Red Sox baseball and NFL games, closely following the teams in the New England area. While tuning in to a Monday Night Football game, she discovered sideline reporter Melissa Stark and immediately recognized that she would be a role model as she worked to break into the industry.
“She was the hot name,” Andrews said. “It’s cool to talk to her now because she really started her career when [Tom] Brady came into the league when [Bill] Belichick was with him and so forth. She was young and she was somebody – I cut my hair to be like her; I would wear the sleeveless shirts with the collars like her – so she was somebody I really loved.”
Andrews attended the University of Florida, a school that stood out to her because of the national coverage its sports teams garnered. As an undergraduate student, she had the opportunity to interview various personnel across its sports programs and also saw the entities she aspired to work for actively producing television.
Upon her graduation, Andrews started freelance reporting with FOX Sports Florida, contributing stories as needed and hoping for a big break. By the next year, she landed a role with the Sunshine Network to report on the Tampa Bay Lightning, and she followed the team as it amassed and developed the pieces to create a sustainable, winning culture.
Andrews ultimately joined Turner Sports in 2002 as a studio host and reporter where she covered a variety of events throughout the year. She displayed her skillset by reporting on the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Thrashers while hosting college football and Atlanta Hawks coverage. The job required her to move to Atlanta, Ga. and she had the intent to stand out through her peerless work ethic, shrewd perspicacity and indefatigable willingness to adapt.
“I think they signed me to a two-year deal,” Andrews recalled, “and then they got rid of me because I was terrible. I was so bad.”
Throughout Andrews’ time with the entity, Charles Barkley, who she remembered watching in her youth, was an advocate for her. Upon learning of her impending departure from the network, he knew that she would flourish and gave her a vote of confidence.
“I remember he texted me when they let me go and just said, ‘They’re going to regret this, and I can’t wait to tell them that they are,’” Andrews remembered Barkley expressing. “Listen, I was green as hell in doing what I was doing. I don’t know if I was utilized the right way, [and] I don’t blame them for not renewing my deal because I think it pretty much all worked out, but everything happens for a reason.”
Cognizant that she would be without a job if she did not take action, Andrews devised a plan to go to a hotel bar to interact with broadcasters after a hockey game. Having worked in the industry for several years, she knew the likely location and ended up interacting with various personnel. Her drive to succeed was unyielding, determined to find a role and merit sustainability and longevity.
“I said, ‘I’m Erin Andrews, and I’m going to be unemployed in a month. Who do I talk to with ESPN hockey coverage so I can do the hockey coverage for you guys for the playoffs?,’” she recalled, “and I got a name and a number.”
One week later, Andrews was assigned to the Tampa Bay Lightning playoff series against the New York Islanders, the team she used to cover with the Sunshine Network. Twelve wins later, the Lightning earned a spot in the Stanley Cup Final where the team faced off against the Calgary Flames, battling to the brink for ultimate glory.
“The Lightning ended up winning the Stanley Cup, and I was doing post-ice interviews – center ice with the team that gave me my first shot – and it was pretty awesome from there,” Andrews said. “I signed a three-year deal with ESPN right after that, and away we go.”
The network assigned Andrews to ESPN College Football Thursday Primetime where she worked alongside play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico and color commentator Kirk Herbstreit. When football was in its offseason, she reported for college basketball games on Tuesdays and Saturdays, calling Brent Musburger, Dick Vitale and Dan Schulman her co-workers.
ESPN also granted Andrews chances to become immersed in all levels of baseball by reporting on the Little League World Series and College World Series. She spent four years as the field reporter for Monday Night Baseball and another season on the Wednesday Night Baseball broadcasts with Dave O’Brien and Rick Sutcliffe before moving to other responsibilities.
The network partnered with ABC to cover the Scripps National Spelling Bee, granting Andrews a chance to report on the precocious contestants aiming to prove their acuity in the English language. Additionally, she appeared as a contestant on Season 10 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, and she and her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy finished in third place.
Because of her deft storytelling abilities and reporting acumen, Andrews was named the features reporter for College GameDay in 2010 and was also afforded the opportunity to host the first hour of the program on ESPNU. During that season, she balanced these roles while serving as the sideline reporter for Saturday Night Football on ABC where she reunited with Musburger and Herbstreit. Despite facing adversity and enduring personal hardship, Andrews prospered and further cemented herself as a staple in sports media.
ESPN made an offer to keep Andrews, but FOX Sports ended up signing her to a multi-year deal in 2012. Upon the announcement, she was immediately placed on the new Prime Time College Football Pregame Show and also on baseball coverage during the postseason and World Series.
Andrews recently appeared in studio for a football pregame show segment, coinciding with the MLB on FOX Pregame featuring analysts Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Álex Rodríguez, players she covered as a field reporter. A few weeks ago, FOX Sports held an event between its MLB and NFL properties, and she had the chance to thank Jeter for being accessible and kind during that time.
“Jeter made a mention to one of my bosses – ‘Hey, she’s a baseball girl; she needs to be back with us,’” Andrews stated. “It’d be a grind, but it’d be fun, and he was just being funny when he said it, but it’d be cool to be a part of that.”
Prior to the start of the 2014 NFL season, Andrews was named the new lead sideline reporter for the lead broadcast crew of the NFL on FOX. Whereas longtime announcing tandem Joe Buck and Troy Aikman departed the company to join Monday Night Football on ESPN, Andrews remained with the network. She has been working with Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen and Tom Rinaldi since last year.
Andrews values being able to follow the sport throughout the season, one of the aspects of the job that contrasted from her time on the baseball coverage. Veteran sports journalists Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci took over field reporting duties on the lead broadcast prior to the 2016 season after Andrews inked a contract extension with the company.
“It was harder for me to come on during playoffs and World Series because I hadn’t spent the whole year with them,” Andrews explained. “Kenny, obviously, just knew a lot more than I did, and I just don’t want to be put in a position where somebody knows so much more, and I don’t want to do a disservice to the sport.”
When Burkhardt and Olsen were elevated to the lead NFL broadcast team, Andrews knew that she would be able to develop chemistry with them. After all, she had worked with Burkhardt in the past during her first year on NFL coverage and knew Olsen from his time on the Carolina Panthers. Everything culminated in what ended up being a record-setting Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs that drew an average of 115.1 million viewers.
“We all get along really well,” Andrews said. “We have a really funny side text chain that’s always going off that my husband’s always like, ‘Oh god, what does the text chain say now?’ Yeah, they’re your family.”
While Andrews has been in her role for over a decade, she presumes that the last couple of years have helped her become more comfortable and genuinely evolve her broadcast style. Leading up to a game, she prepares through conducting research, having conversations and participating in various meetings, all of which are intended to present an informative and engaging final product to the viewer. Reporting the situations on the sidelines such as in-game adjustments, injury updates and other occurrences are of critical importance, along with remaining nimble and malleable to react to environmental changes.
“I know when I need to be informative; I know when I need to be serious and give the facts, but it’s also football,” Andrews said. “It’s fun, and FOX allows us to have a personality, which I’m really, really grateful for.”
In her Week 6 assignment – which ended in a thrilling upset by the Cleveland Browns over the San Francisco 49ers – Andrews was reporting during a moist, rainy afternoon. Always having an admiration for the craft of meteorology, she concisely delivered a pregame report connecting the playing conditions to the game strategy. Her relationships allow her to accurately compile and recapitulate salient points on a weekly basis, augmenting the quality of the presentation.
“I talked about the wind gusts, I talked about the rain [and] I talked about my weave getting wet,” Andrews elucidated, “and then I said, ‘This is kind of what Kyle Shanahan wanted for this defense and offense. This is the stuff they’re going to have to go through to see if they can be the team that’s there at the end.’”
Andrews showcases her personality and perspectives without a bonafide time limit as co-host of the Calm Down podcast through iHeartMedia. She and FOX Sports colleague Charissa Thompson record two episodes of the show per week, on which they have candid, friendly conversations about their lives both inside and outside of sports media.
“The inspiration was, ‘Why can’t we?,’” Andrews said. “I have a lot more to say than just the 10 seconds that I’m allotted on air. With so many girls reaching out to us asking about the industry [and] asking what it’s like to travel on the road – we have so many funny stories, and it’s been really cool to be on the field for games and coaches to be like, ‘Hey, that podcast of yours.’”
A topic of discussion recently has been the potential relationship between Swift and Kelce, something that can be traced back to an August episode of the show. Commenting on Kelce being unable to meet Swift at a tour, Andrews implored the musician to “try our friend Travis.” She proceeded to impart that although she and Swift are not friends, she should take her up on the suggestion anyway. Ten weeks later, Swift was attending her third Chiefs game in a four-week span and donned a windbreaker that was sent by Andrews herself.
The apparel, which rapidly sold out after images were disseminated from the game, is part of the “WEAR by Erin Andrews” clothing line, an entrepreneurial endeavor she launched in 2019. It now has licensed products from various professional sports leagues, including the NFL, and is partnered with online retailer Fanatics.
“We helped maybe bring Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift together and all this stuff,” Andrews said of the podcast, “so yeah, we love it.”
Following the Chiefs’ 41-10 win over the Bears, Andrews interviewed Quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Since she has spoken with him on numerous occasions and developed a professional connection, she asked Mahomes to have fun with the final question in their conversation.
“I knew what everybody wanted,” Andrews said. “I knew at the end, I wanted to ask a funny question about her being there. Listen, everybody wanted to see [No.] 87 score because we wanted to get her reaction; it’d be fun. Once he scored, that was obviously something I could ask Mahomes about, but I’m there to do a job; I’m there to talk about football, and that’s what I did.”
As a trailblazer in the industry, Andrews remains focused on the task of supporting her colleagues and showcasing the athletes and personalities within a marathon towards the “Big Game.” This weekend, she will be back on the sidelines, trying to extrapolate the information and tell the stories to set up the broadcast for success. Even though Andrews has attended many thrilling matchups and tentpole events, she looks forward to every chance to demonstrate her reporting and football expertise.
“Every single week, I try to show them and grind as much as possible – just show them how much I care; how hard I work; all the things,” Andrews said. “When I get the validation from them, that’s really what success is to me.”
Go figure, a bona fide sports television superstar who is neither self-aggrandizing nor disingenuous. ESPN’s Laura Rutledge is a sports media rarity – real, authentic, and true.
Rutledge came to prominence covering college football but has become one of the foundation talents for ESPN, joining the likes of Mike Greenberg, Malika Andrews, Stephen A. Smith, Hannah Storm, and Scott Van Pelt.
In recent months, ESPN has shuffled on-air personalities like a deck of cards at the Bellagio. Many of these changes have been due to changing trends in the business and nasty budget cuts.
In the wake of this tidal wave of change, Rutledge has not only stayed afloat, but is riding the crest in a manner that would make Kelly Slater blush. Principally, Rutledge is the host of ESPN’s year-round weekday NFL news and information show NFL Live, and SEC Network’s SEC Nation. She has also done yeoman’s work as a sideline reporter for ESPN’s NFL coverage.
Since joining ESPN in 2014, Rutledge has been on a steady rise. She has contributed to the network’s Pro Bowl and NFL Draft coverage and has filed stints on Get Up, SportsCenter, the ESPYs, the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships, and both the Women’s College World Series and College World Series.
The University of Florida grad worked at CNN and Fox Sports prior to landing at ESPN. She is married former MLB infielder Josh Rutledge and mom to daughter Reese and son Jack. Clearly, Laura Rutledge answers to a lot of titles – host, reporter, commentator, social media star, wife, and mom, but running through all of these is one consistent word: genuine.
Rutledge puts on no airs and seems sincerely thrilled, even joyous, to be surrounded by a bevy of co-hosts and panelists. This attitude and on camera presence has cemented Rutledge as one of sports television’s most recognizable and affable personalities.
As host of NFL Live, Rutledge adeptly dishes out commentary time to a mélange of diverse characters. Marcus Spears: the ex-LSU and NFL defensive end whose passion for football is palpable, Ryan Clark: the articulate former player who is unafraid to hand out biting criticism, Dan Orlovsky: the excitable commentator who can fill an hour of airtime answering one question, Adam Schefter: the insider extraordinaire who breaks stories like Tyreek Hill breaks defensive backs’ ankles, and Mina Kimes: the savvy and sage commentator who provides balance.
Corralling this group requires a steady demeanor and impeccable tempo and timing. Enter Rutledge, who moves the agenda and dialogue forward and, in the process, brings out the best in each panelist’s skill set.
Rutledge was the 2012 Miss Florida and competed in the Miss America Pageant. Over a decade later, that stage presence remains, cutting through the screen with a welcoming smile, positive attitude, and voice intonation that sets up the topic and leads into her questions.
Laura Rutledge also knows when to interject her own thoughts supporting or challenging what a colleague states. As Rutledge’s on-air resume has grown, her performance has blossomed. At times, more exposure serves to expose the weaknesses in on-air talents. Can they take the heat? Will they crumble under the brighter lights? Are they versatile enough for a new challenge?
Rutledge has done anything but stay in her lane. She has shifted into overdrive, kicked in the turbochargers, and broken from the pack. Like a great athlete, she has taken her game to a new level with each higher-profile assignment.
With hard work, knowledge, and pure charm, Laura Rutledge has become the most watchable talent in sports television. She has also used social media to promote her work, her programs, and her family life.
While Rutledge’s career path is skyrocketing to the heavens, she has maintained a personae that is firmly down to earth. She emits to her audience an aura that is both approachable and accessible.
As the host of SEC Nation on SEC Network, Rutledge is supremely at home. Her wheelhouse and her roots are in college football, and she brings credibility, experience, and vibrance to that program. With a whole new set of analysts, Rutledge remains the ultimate moderator, posing pointed questions to Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, Jordan Rodgers, and Tim Tebow.
Once again, these panelists vary in style. Finebaum is the grizzled and cynical sage of college football – a guy who has been woven into the fabric of the game across multiple platforms for decades. Harper, the ex-Alabama star who played for the Saints and Panthers in the NFL, brings understated insight and real talk.
Rodgers, the brother of Jets’ QB Aaron Rodgers, is the young kid on the block adding new wave style and flash, and of course there is Tebow. One of the truly great analysts in college football, Tebow adds superstar knowledge and presents his opinions in a concise, entertaining, and always enlightening manner.
Taking a page from ESPN’s wildly popular College GameDay program, SEC Nation generates every week from a college campus where a crucial SEC game is occurring. Rutledge is extremely comfortable in this setting. She interacts and rallies the already rabid crowd, works the scene and setting, and has even joined in doing routines with cheerleaders.
While SEC Nation may be Rutledge’s labor of love, NFL Live has been her streetcar to stardom. Since taking over the hosting reins from Wendi Nix in 2020, Rutledge and her cohorts have taken the program to new heights.
Laura Rutledge usually opens the show reporting the news of the day with several top stories. On the October 18 edition, she had terrific back-and-forth with Schefter on the rash of NFL quarterback injuries with reports on Anthony Richardson, Deshaun Watson, Justin Fields, and Trevor Lawrence.
Rutledge then seamlessly transitioned to statistics on the New Orleans Saints’ struggling offense in preparation for the Thursday Night Football game between the Saints and Jaguars. She questioned Orlovsky on the Saints’ woes setting him up perfectly for his always-on-point analysis.
After a humorous Lost in Translation segment featuring coaches’ press conference comments, Rutledge brought the show back to the topic at hand, moving the conversation to the Lions at Ravens and Dolphins at Eagles Week 7 showdowns.
This is Rutledge’s true strength as a host. She can play along with the gags and ride a spontaneous and humorous riff, but she knows exactly when to bring the proceedings back to the next topic of analysis.
Laura Rutledge is an unfeigned reporter and host, one who is more concerned with the overall effectiveness of the show than with her own self-promotion. To every assignment and role, she brings an honest essence – the heartbeat of a real college and pro football fan. The bottom line is that if you don’t like watching Laura Rutledge on television, you don’t like watching television.
Webinars, social media, and influencers are top-of-mind for most small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Your radio cluster could be the solution they’ve been searching for.
The 4th annual State of Small Business Survey by Verizon, conducted in partnership with the business intelligence company Morning Consult, highlights the high demand for your social media expertise and resources among small and mid-sized businesses. Integrating your digital strategy with on-air spots isn’t a novel concept, but now, if you’re still unsure if it’s worth your time, consider that it’s in high demand.
Moreover, in-house digital savvy marketers are more open than ever to hear how radio can be beneficial. Here’s how to leverage the Verizon survey results to boost your OTA and Digital sales.
Organic/Free Social Media Results
The survey reveals that 77% of SMBs are either already using or planning to use social media marketing to capture their customers’ attention, drive sales, and enhance online traffic. This statistic unmistakably demonstrates that businesses, particularly smaller ones, acknowledge the power of social media in reaching their target audience. However, they often struggle to achieve the desired results.
Although fundamental, Organic Facebook and Instagram posts frequently get lost amidst a sea of paid ads. So, what’s the point? This presents your opportunity to introduce a comprehensive advertising package that includes radio spots and an integrated social media marketing campaign comprising both organic and paid ads.
Teach Them
The survey also reveals that 69% of businesses express interest in accessing free social media marketing courses or programs beyond office hours. Furthermore, more than 60% agree that their operations could benefit from consulting e-commerce experts to help establish a digital presence and branding strategy.
This creates a unique opportunity for you to offer added value to your clients. Collaborate with experts or agencies specializing in social media marketing and e-commerce or leverage your in-house team to host in-person seminars or online webinars for your clients.
Just imagine the array of packages you could develop and offer! At the very least, this will elevate your status as a trusted advisor.
Radio is Influencer Marketing
The survey reinforces the significance of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. How many of your SMBs have the time or expertise to effectively operate on all these platforms?
Consider implementing influencer marketing campaigns, where your on-air hosts endorse an SMB and promote on social media platforms and OTA. This results in increased engagement, followers, and brand visibility for the business, and they’ll obtain these benefits from a single, trusted source – you.
The Verizon State of Small Business Survey should serve as all the social proof you need to recognize that SMBs increasingly rely on social media. We must leverage this trend to our advantage by offering solutions that merge radio’s proven results with the eye-catching pop of social media. Position yourself as a valuable partner for SMBs seeking to thrive in today’s competitive market.
Joe DeCamara has had an interesting radio career. His sports radio journey includes working for both Philadelphia sports stations and taking the reins of the 94 WIP morning show after the legendary Angelo Cataldi retired earlier this year. Could a book about DeCamara’s career be on the horizon?
During DeCamara and Ritchie Thursday, the Philadelphia morning man shared he plans to write a book about his career when he hits the 25-year mark.
“I’ve told you I’m on this radio odyssey that I’ve now been on for 22 years. By the way, three years away from writing my book on my first 25 years in sports radio. We’re going to do that. In 2026, I’ll definitely write a book on 25 years,” DeCamara said.
“I’ll share the inside scoop. We’re going to share who’s a jerk, who’s not, who’s nice. Can’t wait. It’s gonna raise the ratings. It might hurt the ratings. One way or the other, a tell-all is coming in three years. I’m not really joking.”
The 45-year-old Joe DeCamara shared with the 94 WIP morning crew that he would make a great radio DJ after talking about Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion” on a rejoin. The longtime Philadelphia host got his radio start in 2002 at WBCB in Levittown, Pennsylvania before working behind the scenes at WIP and then moving to SportsTalk 950, which later became 97.5 The Fanatic. While at 950 and The Fanatic, DeCamara ascended to the role of Assistant Program Director and evening host before returning to crosstown rival WIP in middays, eventually being elevated to morning drive.
