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NBC Sports Names Big Ten on Peacock Men’s and Women’s Basketball Broadcast, Studio Crews

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NBC Sports Names Big Ten on Peacock Men’s and Women’s Basketball Broadcast, Studio Crews

NBC Sports has announced its broadcast commentators for its first year of broadcasts of Big Ten Conference men’s and women’s basketball games, which will be exclusively streamed on Peacock.

Throughout the 2023-24 season, the over-the-top (OTT) streaming service will present more than 50 men’s and women’s Big Ten basketball games over the course of the season. The broadcasts are part of a larger seven-year media rights deal between the conference and the network worth a reported $350 million annually.

Zora Stephenson, Cindy Brunson, and Sloane Martin will work as play-by-play announcers for women’s basketball games in the conference. They will be joined by analyst Meghan McKeown, a former college basketball commentator for the Big Ten Network and ESPN. The former Northwestern athlete is also on broadcasts for the Chicago Sky of the WNBA and brings an understanding of the various levels of the sport to the role.

Julianne Viani is also slated to provide color commentary for the games, entering the role after playing basketball for Marist College for four years. Since the 2018-19 season, she has provided analysis on Atlantic 10 Conference games and has also been featured on YES Network broadcasts of the New York Liberty.

As previously reported, Noah Eagle will serve as a play-by-play announcer for the property’s men’s basketball games, adding to his workload as he calls B1G Saturday Night football games throughout the season. Eagle will also call a handful of Brooklyn Nets games on the YES Network after working as the radio voice of the LA Clippers for the last several seasons. Jac Collinsworth and Terry Gannon will also call these basketball games on Peacock, all of whom will be joined by various experienced analysts.

Robbie Hummel, a former forward at Purdue University, is officially making the move to NBC and will also reportedly contribute to FOX and remain on the Big Ten Network. Additionally, Stephen Bardo is joining the NBC Sports analysis lineup and will split calling a majority of the men’s basketball games with Hummel. Former Northwestern guard Tre Demps will also call select games throughout the Big Ten basketball season.

The men’s Big Ten Conference studio show will be hosted by Ahmed Fareed, who has seen his role expand since joining NBC Sports after time at its Bay Area regional sports network. He hosts studio coverage for B1G College Countdown in addition to MLB Sunday Leadoff and the Premier League and will now add the college basketball property to his portfolio. He will be joined by former Memphis and Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner and former ESPN analyst Jordan Cornette on the program.

Conversely, the women’s Big Ten studio show will feature reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year and No. 1 overall draft pick Aliyah Boston. The former South Carolina standout and two-time National Player of the Year averaged 14.5 points on 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, and is now joining network basketball coverage early in her professional career. Boston will work with the aforementioned McKeown and studio host Carolyn Manno.

NBC Sports will present its first Big Ten men’s basketball broadcast on Monday, Nov. 6 when Princeton visits Rutgers for a showdown at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST. Women’s coverage tips off at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on Tuesday, Jan. 2 in a game between Michigan State and Iowa.

KYW to Host Philadelphia Mayoral Debate

BNM Staff
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Cherelle Parker (D) and David Oh (R) are vying to become the next Mayor of Philadelphia. KYW Newsradio will host the two candidates for an on-air debate later this month.

“Since the primary election was decided in May, we have been working diligently to ensure that we could provide this service to our audience,” said KYW News Director Kevin McCorry.

“The next mayor of Philadelphia will shape our city for years to come. We need urgent solutions to the city’s most pressing issues, including the gun violence crisis, the opioid crisis, the economy, and public schooling. Presenting a format where candidates get to exchange ideas in real-time is a fundamental building block of the democratic process, and we’re proud to break our normal format to offer this program.”

The debate between Parker and Oh will take place during the final hour of Philadelphia’s Morning News on October 26th.

The mayoral debate comes after KYW hosted a “Breakfast with the Candidates” forum earlier this year with five Democrats running for the city’s top job. The debate will feature questions from KYW’s morning anchor Ian Bush, and reporters Pat Loeb, Mike DeNardo, and Racquel Williams.

Warner Bros. Discovery Labeled ‘Bidder to Watch’ in Next College Football Playoff TV Deal

BSM Staff
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Next season, the College Football Playoff (CFP) will expand from four teams to 12 teams, meaning that there will be additional games up for grabs, and Warner Bros. Discovery could be a player in the negotiations.

ESPN currently holds the rights for the property for the 2024 and 2025 campaigns, with a reported $470 million per year. The network could propose broadcasting all of the playoff games and renegotiate its deal, something that could be more facile considering the existing rights package. Conversely, the network could permit another entity to bid on the coveted package, and there are various interested parties rumored to be considering negotiating.

FOX Sports has the potential to be a landing spot for some of these games, especially considering that the network has rights for games within the Big Ten and Big 12 conferences.

Moreover, Warner Bros. Discovery may be interested in adding some of these games to its sports programming portfolio, which recently became available through the Max streaming platform via an exclusive add-on.

Andrew Marchand of The New York Post notes that the company is in an advantageous financial position and ready to spend again, focusing on extending its deal with the NBA. Additionally, the company has contracts with MLB, the NHL, All Elite Wrestling, and U.S. Soccer, and also works with CBS Sports to broadcast the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.

Unlike other entities though, Warner Bros. Discovery does not broadcast any college football, and it could look to pair its March Madness offering with the CFP to leverage the college advertising space.

While ESPN and FOX Sports are reportedly the favorites to land the expanded slate of CFP games, there is a chance that Amazon, Apple, and NBC Sports could all end up involved in the bidding. All of these platforms have expanded their sports portfolio in recent years and could aim to become more involved in the aggregate media landscape by coming to terms on a deal.

The resolution has yet to be decided at the moment, but it will likely prove consequential as it pertains to the path to the National Championship Game. Most of these companies will have preliminary discussions with the CFP, but the decision currently stands in the purview of the “Worldwide Leader” since it owns all of the playoff rights until the end of the 2025 season.

CNN CEO Mark Thompson: ‘This Company is Still Nowhere Near Ready for the Future’

BNM Staff
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CNN CEO Mark Thompson: ‘This Company is Still Nowhere Near Ready for the Future’

CNN CEO Mark Thompson is still getting his footing at the venerable cable outlet. Monday marked his first official day on the job. However, he’s already willing to share some of his observations with employees.

During the Monday morning editorial call, Thompson told staffers about what he’s seen so far in a five-minute, pre-recorded message, according to The New York Times‘ Ben Mullin.

“TV is also too dominant at CNN and digital too marginal,” Thompson said. “Despite some recent encouraging developments like the launch of CNN Max, this company is still nowhere near ready for the future.”

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav reportedly selected Thompson due to his reputation as a “transformational leader”, calling Thompson a “true innovator who has transformed for the digital age two of the world’s most respected news organizations,” during his time at The Times and the BBC.

Additionally, Thompson noted that the network’s mission under Chris Licht about airing both sides of every issue isn’t something the outlet should be hindered by.

“Let’s not second-guess ourselves or get distracted by complicated arguments about balance or whataboutism or false equivalency,” Thompson concluded. “Let’s cover political news proportionally and fairly but not be frightened of our own shadows.”

93 WIBC Scores 3 Spectrum Awards from Indiana Broadcasters Association

BNM Staff
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93 WIBC has long been a radio powerhouse in the Hoosier State. That fact was cemented by the station’s results at the latest Spectrum Awards from the Indiana Broadcasters Association.

The station took home three awards at the latest event in the state’s largest category.

News coverage by the station was the big winner, with the station winning Best Newscast. It also won the award for Best Investigative Reporting for its coverage of the death of Herman Whitfield III while in police custody. Ultimately, two Indianapolis Metro police officers were charged with manslaughter in the case.

Additionally, 93 WIBC was awarded top honors in the Sports Coverage category for its efforts of the documentary series Heroes of the 500: Fire and Rain. The series — narrated by the station’s Program Director David Wood — chronicled the history of the Indianapolis 500 that fans would like to forget.

105.7 The Fan On Top For a 7th Consecutive Quarter in Baltimore’s Summer Ratings Book

BSM Staff
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Coming into the summer ratings period, 105.7 The Fan had been the top station with Men 25-54 for six consecutive quarters. You can now make it seven.

The Audacy-owned station delivered another impressive result thanks in part to a stellar lineup and an exciting Baltimore Orioles season.

In weekday prime (M-F, 6A-7P), the station finished 1st with a 10.8 share. Not only did the station have a strong showing with men, but it also finished 5th with Adults 25-54.

The Big Bad Morning Show — helmed by Ed Norris, Rob Long, and Jeremy Conn — saw a 9.9 share in morning drive to secure the top spot. The program produced a 7.6 share in the spring.

Vinny Cerrato and Bob Haynie enjoyed the best ratings performance among all shows during the third quarter. The midday team garnered a 12.6 share, up from the already impressive 12.1 share it featured in the previous ratings period.

Inside Access — the afternoon show hosted by NFL Insider Jason La Canfora and Ken Weinman — also saw ratings growth, moving from a 9.8 share in the spring to an 11.6 share during the summer. Similar to mornings and middays, they too were 1st in their time slot.

The Athletic Ending Local Team Podcasts

BSM Staff
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The Athletic Ending Local Team Podcasts

More changes are on the way to The Athletic as The New York Times Company has decided to tweak its approach to podcasting.

As reported at Nieman Lab and Inside Radio, The Athletic has cut several of its local shows dedicated to covering teams in the NBA, NHL, and MLB.

The Athletic was purchased by The New York Times last year for $550 million. Since that acquisition completed, several layoffs at The Athletic have taken place, as well as the elimination of a dedicated sports staff at the Times. The goal is to have The Athletic turn a profit by 2025.

While the local shows are being phased out for hockey, basketball, and baseball, local podcasts for the NFL have remain unchanged so far. The company is going to continue to produce national podcasts driven by ad revenue and put in front of The Athletic’s paywall.

“We’re always looking to meet our listeners where they are,” a New York Times spokesperson said to Nieman Lab. “And will continue to evolve our strategy based on their listening habits.”

The decision to shift away from local podcasts appears to be one that wasn’t made only recently. Some shows have been dark now for a few months while others either just recently put out farewell episodes or have only been offline for a couple weeks.

Nieman Lab did point out that even though The Athletic won’t house those local shows anymore, the hosts of those shows are now free to pick the podcasts back up – albeit under a new name – and distribute and monetize them independently.

Mike Greenberg: ‘Why the Hell Are You Listening to My Show If You’re Not a Fan of Your Team?’

BSM Staff
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“No cheering in the press box” is an old phrase many sports media veterans have probably heard once or twice over their careers. It’s an implication that as a member of the press, especially in sports media, you’re not supposed to show favoritism or bias towards one team or another. But that doesn’t really apply in today’s sports media landscape, and ESPN’s Mike Greenberg is glad for that.

Because there was a point and time in his tenure at The Worldwide Leader that he had to keep his allegiance to the New York Jets under wraps.

In a recent interview with The New York Post, Greeny said he eventually stopped hiding the fact he rooted for the Jets. He felt like it helped him form a better connection with the audience he was building at the time with former Mike & Mike co-host Mike Golic.

“I didn’t get here like Mike did — Mike played nine years in the NFL,” Greenberg said. “I’m not here because I went to journalism school. I’m here because I’m a sports fan, like everyone else listening, and so I started going in that direction.”

Greeny added that it wasn’t easy at first because people definitely had something to say about his Jets fandom, but eventually the audience started connecting with his passion for his team.

“I got a ton of criticism for it, for just acknowledging I was rooting for the Jets, but for every person who didn’t like it, there were 10 who did,” he said. “They related to it.”

That’s why even today Mike Greenberg continues to openly support the Jets. Because that love for team translates well to listeners.

“Why the hell are you listening to my show if you’re not a fan of your team?” he said. “I think that made me more relatable, and so I never stopped.”

Brian Anderson: Starting Career Behind the Scenes ‘Pays Off Every Day’

BSM Staff
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MLB on TBS play-by-play voice Brian Anderson didn’t have the traditional route most play-by-play announcers have, but that’s something Anderson wouldn’t want to do differently.

Anderson, who is the network’s lead PBP voice, was recently profiled by Sports Business Journal, and in the feature he talked about getting his start behind the camera on the production side.

Brian was a camera operator for the San Antonio Spurs in the 1990s. It wasn’t until 1999 that he got the chance to do some fill-in sideline reporting. That’s when his broadcasting career began.

But Anderson said he knew he wouldn’t have eventually had the opportunity to step in front of the camera had it not been for his experience behind it for so long.

“Every day it pays off,” he said. “Every single day, every game I’ve ever done.”

Brian has always considered himself a jack of all trades, and that versatility is what stood out to many who worked with him or helped Anderson in those early days.

“I was doing all that — camera, audio, graphics, utility, whatever I could — and I pretty much said yes to everything,” he said. “For me, it was always just survival instinct. I tell [aspiring broadcasters] to this day, it’s really important that you find another way to make a living if you’re going to do this.”

Anderson, in addition to MLB coverage, also lends his voice to NBA games on TNT, March Madness games and is the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers on Bally Sports.

Dan Le Batard: ‘People Don’t Want Something New All the Time’

BSM Staff
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Dan Le Batard: ‘People Don’t Want Something New All the Time’

The ESPN show Highly Questionable — hosted by Dan Le Batard — was in a period of transition in 2019 when Dan’s father Gonzalo, aka “Papi”, left. But as Dan worked to try and change the show’s format, he soon learned that the network wasn’t going to take a chance on what he envisioned.

Talking to Katie Nolan on his South Beach Sessions podcast, Le Batard said he approached show producer Erik Rydholm at the time about reformatting the show to incorporate contributions from friends of the show like Nolan.

“There were only a certain number of seats left anymore on television, and they had all these people that they were paying but who didn’t fit in the places where they made their television,” he said.

Dan envisioned the show taking on a sports version of The Daily Show. But as Le Batard said, the way it was explained to him is that there was a good chance the show ratings wouldn’t have improved. It was easier and more cost-efficient to just have Dan and Bomani Jones host the show.

“My suggestion might have been better, but it might not have been better, right?” Le Batard said. “It might have been rejected because the format is you talk on television, people don’t want something new all the time. And so it could have failed and we didn’t end up going that route. But I was hoping to find a place for (Nolan) that could you feel more supported like that.”

Nolan responded to Dan saying she did feel supported by Dan. She felt like doing Highly Questionable was where she felt most supported and most at home at ESPN.

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