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Cumulus Reaches Settlement with Dan McDowell & Jake Kemp

BSM Staff
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Cumulus Reaches Settlement with Dan McDowell & Jake Kemp

The legal dispute between Cumulus Media, Susquehanna Radio and former The Ticket hosts Dan McDowell and Jake Kemp is officially over.

The station on Tuesday evening released a statement saying that a mutually agreed resolution of litigation has been reached.

“They each appreciate one another’s sincere efforts to resolve their differences so that everyone involved can move forward,” the statement read. “The parties wish each other well.”

McDowell and Kemp resigned from The Ticket in July after discussions between the station and the duo on a new contract had reached a stalemate. The big discrepancy centered around McDowell and Kemp’s desires to have a podcast outside of their sports talk radio hosting duties.

Dan and Jake would later launch a Patreon-funded podcast called The Dumb Zone, which was a play on the name of their show on The Ticket, The Hang Zone. Cumulus/Susquehanna sent a cease and desist prior to filing a lawsuit against the pair in federal court.

The company alleged that McDowell and Kemp launched their podcast while still actively employed at the station and formatted the podcast similarly to the radio show, targeting the same audiences.

The company alleged McDowell violated a six-month non-compete clause in his contract, which would’ve prohibited him from radio or media work from the time his employment was finished.

“The Dumb Zone does not occur at any specific time. It is not published daily or even on five consecutive work days. There is nothing about The Dumb Zone that prevents or discourages listeners from listening to The Ticket at any time,” a legal response to the Cumulus suit filed on behalf of McDowell and Kemp said. “To the contrary, Ticket listeners choose to listen to The Ticket based on the content The Ticket broadcasts. If Plaintiff suggests that its audience has shrunk, it’s not difficult to identify the primary reason.”

Mediation in this case started at the end of August. In mid-September, a motion to dismiss the lawsuit was filed.

Since it ultimately was an employment matter, the legal argument for McDowell and Kemp was that federal court was not the proper venue.

Lawyers for the pair argued that they didn’t violate their non-disparagement clauses by discussing some of what ultimately led to their departure from The Ticket.

“None of these four things appear to be ‘confidential information’ even under the extremely broad terms of the confidentiality rule at issue here,” the filing said.

Now that the case has settled, both parties can move on.

Dukes & Bell Laugh at Ex-Producer Going Hollywood After Becoming Morning Show Host

BSM Staff
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Former Dukes & Bell producer and now The Morning Shift co-host Beau “Squidbilly” Morgan turned some heads at the 92.9 The Game on Tuesday morning just casually mentioning that he owns a Louis Vuitton travel bag.

Morgan is the executive producer for the Atlanta Falcons radio crew, and he will be making the trip to London for Sunday’s game between the Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium. On the morning show earlier in the day, Morgan said something when talking about traveling to England that Carl Dukes couldn’t resist discussing with Mike Bell.

“I need help about a weather report this time of year,” Morgan said in the brief clip Dukes played on their show Tuesday afternoon. “I can only take my little small Louis bag so I don’t know how much to pack.”

“How much has changed when Squid used to tell us, ‘I can’t afford that,’ and now, Mike, he’s talking about packing a Louis bag,” Dukes said.

“I’m literally dumbfounded,” Bell responded.

Dukes and Bell weren’t trying to rain on or put down the success Morgan has had at The Game, but it was just hilariously shocking to learn that Beau could afford a luxury brand like Louis Vuitton.

“Guys, this is what we do,” Dukes said. “We push people to become very successful, and then Mike this kind of stuff happens.”

“I had to share it with our audience because I loved it. It was funny,” Dukes later added. He mentioned that part of what made the clip so great was the reactions from Morgan’s co-hosts Mike Johnson and Tiffany Blackmon. “And Beau, I hear you man. You know what, just don’t forget the little people as you continue to move up alright?”

Bell figured since Morgan was traveling with the team for this trip, Beau probably had to step his luggage game up just a little bit.

“I guess when you’re traveling with the Falcons you do have to look like a baller to keep up with the styles in the room,” Bell said.

It obviously was all in good fun. Morgan caught wind of the segment and responded on Twitter not long after hearing.

Boomer & Gio Break Down Fight Between Tiki Barber & Joe Benigno

BSM Staff
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Boomer & Gio Break Down Fight Between Tiki Barber & Joe Benigno

Even if WFAN is in the news for something a little less than flattering, the station does not run from it. That was evident on Tuesday morning as Boomer & Gio broke down the argument between Tiki Barber and Joe Benigno on Evan & Tiki from Monday afternoon.

Gregg Giannotti found it tremendously entertaining. Boomer Esiason says he had not seen the video, but had read about the argument.

“I was laughing,” Esiason said. “Then, of course, I started to think that, you know, you have, you know, obviously passionate fan. in Joe, who is just going to be screaming and yelling, and you have Tiki, who’s a very reserved, smart bright that is not going to want to put up with the frickin nonsense.”

Both hosts agreed that Tiki Barber and Joe Benign will not let this ruin their relationship. Giannotti said that there is no denying that Barber took Benigno questioning his work personally. He very clearly pointed to the screen Benigno appeared on and said “that’s bullshit.” 

Giannotti added that the visual is even better than the audio.

“Joe, who I believe just turned 70, is wearing a jet sweatshirt, a Jets hat. He’s got a Joe Namath Jersey thumbtacked to the wall behind him, and he is screaming at Tiki Barber’s credibility in breaking down Zach Wilson,” Giannotti said. “Here’s Tiki, 0% body fat, all-time leading rusher for one of the great franchises in history, has run marathons in like seven different countries, and he’s got to deal with this wacko on Zoom.”

“Well, welcome to talk radio,” Esiason joked.

Jeff Teague Bringing ‘Club 520’ Podcast to The Volume, Shay Shay Media

BSM Staff
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Former National Basketball Association point guard Jeff Teague is bringing his Club 520 podcast to The Volume, a digital sports media platform started by Colin Cowherd, specifically under Shannon Sharpe’s Shay Shay Media venture. Teague launched the podcast alongside Brandon Hendricks and DJ Wells and will record two to three episodes per week covering the NBA and culture. The podcast will be available for consumers to listen to on all podcast platforms and will also be available on social media channels as well. News of the transaction was first reported by Kyle Koster of The Big Lead, a website started by Sharpe’s former FOX Sports colleague and Cowherd’s current co-host of The Herd, Jason McIntyre.

Cowherd and Sharpe became business partners in August when Sharpe announced that he would be bringing his popular Club Shay Shay podcast to The Volume platform. Additionally, Sharpe is working to develop new shows and sign additional talent under the Shay Shay Media brand as part of the agreement.

“I’m happy to have Jeff Teague and the Club 520 podcast be part of Club Shay Shay and The Volume,” Sharpe said. “We are excited to work with Jeff, Brandon, DJ and Mike.”

The Volume has a variety of podcast offerings in addition to Cowherd and Sharpe’s individual programs, including The Draymond Green Show and The Richard Sherman Podcast. Cowherd estimates the value of the company to be $100 million, as it has accumulated over 2.5 million YouTube subscribers and garnered 330 million downloads on 2 billion impressions last year. Sharpe also hosts the new podcast, Nightcap with Unc and Ocho, alongside Chad Johnson, and is averaging more than 2 million weekly views on YouTube and 12 million weekly views on social media channels.

Teague is the latest acquisition from the burgeoning company, and he brings his knowledge and expertise after playing 12 seasons in the NBA and winning an NBA championship in 2021. He spent a majority of his career with the Atlanta Hawks as its starting point guard before playing for a variety of teams to conclude his time in the Association. The new partnership excites Teague and is something he hopes will help augment the growth of the platform.

“We are huge fans of what Shannon and The Volume have been building,” Teague said. “It’s the perfect platform to take Club 520 to the next level.”

Greg Hill: Courtney Cox Controlled ‘Narrative of the Entire World Yesterday’

BSM Staff
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Greg Hill: Courtney Cox Controlled ‘Narrative of the Entire World Yesterday’

One woman has proven that she knows how to get Bill Belichick talking and willing to have fun with the media. Media outlets of all types ran with the Patriots’ coach’s reaction to seeing Taylor Swift in concert last month with WEEI’s Courtney Cox asked him about it. Those same media outlets pounced again this week when Cox asked Belichick about his thoughts on Swift being romantically linked to Travis Kelce after she showed up in a luxury suite with Kelce’s mother in Kansas City on Sunday.

“Well, I would say that Travis Kelce has had a lot of big catches in his career. This would be the biggest,” Belichick quipped during his regular appearance on The Greg Hill Show Monday morning.

Hill opened his Tuesday show by acknowledging Cox once again using Swift to get attention for the show.

“Congratulations on directing the narrative of the entire world yesterday with your question for Bill,” he said.

The show debated if Kelce and Swift were really an item or if this was a publicity stunt. Cox said it doesn’t matter if it is real or not. The NFL is embracing it for a reason.

“Travis Kelce ended up being one of the top five selling NFL players’ jerseys on Sunday after the game. His jersey sales spiked 400%. That is the Taylor Swift effect,” she said. “Whether you like her or you don’t. That’s why the NFL is running with this. That’s why everybody’s talking about it.”

She added that the NFL has changed it handles on multiple social media platforms as well to take advantage of the moment. The league’s bio on its TikTok account reads “Taylor was here” while its name on X (formerly Twitter) is now The NFL – Taylor’s Version,” a reference to Swift’s album re-releases on Spotify.

Greg Hill believes the relationship is not real, or at least that it is not really romantic. Co-host Jermaine Wiggins said that there is too much upside for the NFL to completely dismiss the idea that this is not a set up.

“You can’t get as wholesome and as basic and as, you know, cookie-cutter as they come than Taylor Swift, and if she’s a fan of the NFL, then it is okay for anybody to be a fan of the NFL.”

Kevin Burkhardt: ‘We Couldn’t Do Enough’ Taylor Swift Coverage

BSM Staff
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Kevin Burkhardt: ‘We Couldn’t Do Enough’ Taylor Swift Coverage

When FOX Sports revealed that Taylor Swift was attending the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon, it sent the world of sports and pop culture into a frenzy. There had been rumors over the preceding weeks that Smith had been conversing with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, possibly dating him after he tried to give her a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it at one of the shows on her “Eras Tour.”

While no public confirmation has been made regarding whether or not the duo is officially a couple, many fans are assuming that their getaway in a convertible and hosting a private party at a Kansas City restaurant are signs pointing in that direction.

Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi were on the call for the “America’s Game of the Week” matchup on FOX Sports and received word a few hours before the game that she would be present. There was little to no discussion about it, however, instead focusing on the game at hand. Once the game turned into a blowout – which Kansas City led 41-0 at one point – producer Richie Zyontz and associate director Rich Russo guided the broadcast and chose to broadcast Swift’s reaction from the suite level.

“I think we played it out naturally,” Burkhardt said in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated. “Obviously, we set it up early and showed it and showed him coming on the field and she was there and her reaction, and I think we went to it maybe one other time. And then in the second half, we couldn’t do it enough. He scored the touchdown, but that’s all I wanted to do was Taylor Swift.”

Burkhardt does not feel that the broadcast overdid its coverage of Swift, working it into the broadcast flow of the game. FOX Sports revealed that the game was the most-watched telecast among any network with an average viewership of 24.3 million viewers. The broadcast also ranked first among all key female demographics and led Kelce to gain 300,000 social media followers and counting and see a 400% increase in merchandise sales. Kelce and his brother host a weekly podcast, New Heights, through Wave Sports + Entertainment and release new episodes on Wednesdays, a moment when they could discuss what happened on Sunday.

After the game, Erin Andrews asked Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes if he felt any added pressure to get Kelce a touchdown. In response, Mahomes revealed that he knew that she was there and indeed felt some pressure to get a pass to the two-time Super Bowl champion tight end.

“We talked about it and then he scored,” Burkhardt said. “It was just so awesome, so that part was evident, but with the fans it was hard because that place is always rocking and crazy.”

Burkhardt shared that one of his favorite Taylor Swift songs is “22,” which comes from the “Red” album. While he does not know when it is the next time the FOX Sports lead announcing team will call a Chiefs game, he hopes to be behind the microphone for a game from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium sometime again this season. The Chiefs will be featured on this week’s edition of Sunday Night Football on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 8:20 p.m. EST/5:20 p.m. PST against the New York Jets.

“I think my line on Sunday was like, ‘The romance America needs,’ and it’s funny because we all love it,” Burkhardt said. “We all love Kelce; he’s the greatest dude ever. It’s fun. Also, I think, like, ‘Okay, Taylor Swift is here,’ but if she was there and you saw her on camera and she was hard to see… but she was jumping up and down watching the game going crazy. It was awesome. That was the best part about it – it wasn’t just that she was there; it was her reactions.”

Dan Le Batard Show Reacts Live To Stephen A. Smith’s ‘A-List’ NFL Rankings

BSM Staff
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Dan Le Batard Show Reacts Live To Stephen A. Smith’s ‘A-List’ NFL Rankings

After First Take reported its 14th consecutive month of year-over-year (YoY) viewership growth, Stephen A. Smith unveiled the latest edition of his “A-List,” outlining his top five teams in the National Football League. As Smith starts every one of these segments, he makes sure to remind viewers that “The list is fluid” and then proceeds to give his soliloquy explaining why he made these choices. Anticipating that the Miami Dolphins could be elevated to No. 1 on the list after scoring a franchise record 70 points in a 50-point victory over the Denver Broncos, the cast of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz eagerly awaited this part of the program.

When Smith began announcing his list, he disclosed that the Kansas City Chiefs were listed fifth followed by the Buffalo Bills. The Philadelphia Eagles slotted in the No. 3 spot, and the room began to ascertain that it would either be the San Francisco 49ers or the Dolphins in second place. Once it was divulged that Smith had the 49ers placed second following their defeat of the New York Giants, the Miami-based studio erupted in a frenzy.

“If he puts the 49ers No. 2, I think you know who’s going No. 1,” show co-host and Meadowlark Media co-founder Dan Le Batard said.

“And if he puts the Dolphins No. 2, I think we know who’s going No. 1,” co-host Jon “Stugotz” Weiner replied.

Once the 49ers were revealed in the second spot, Le Batard removed his headphones and fell from his sliding chair. Weiner celebrated the news, as did the show producers and contributors Billy Gil, Lucy Rohden and Roy Bellamy among others. He then waited for the news to become official as Le Batard remained prostrate, and at the moment it did, there was as the jubilation grew louder and caused the audio modulation to peak. “Curveball!,” one of the people in the studio could be heard shouting as the camera panned to the production room where employees had their arms in the air.

Le Batard eventually got up and turned his cap sideways as the room began signing the Miami Dolphins fight song. The team is in first place in the AFC East division and will seek to keep that position as they face the Buffalo Bills this Sunday, Oct. 1 at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST.

“We’re the Miami Dolphins – Miami Dolphins – Miami Dolphins, No. 1,” the room sang. “We’re the Miami Dolphins – Miami Dolphins – Miami Dolphins, No. 1!”

What Rupert Murdoch Got Wrong at Fox News

BNM Staff
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The legacy of one Rupert Murdoch has been hailed as transformative in right-leaning publications since last week’s retirement announcement. I can’t argue with that. Fox News has altered the country, its journalism, and its politics. And not for the better. That — I would argue — is Murdoch’s true legacy.

It started overseas in Australia, where a former prime minister said this week that Murdoch did “enormous damage to the democratic world” by creating “an anger-tainment ecosystem” that left the US “angrier and more divided than it’s been at any time since the Civil War”.

The legacy grew next in Britain with minor disgraces in the tabloid world, exploiting women and cheapening journalism with his page three topless photos, and subsequent major journalistic crimes of hacking the phones of ordinary citizens, politicians, law enforcement, celebrities, royalty, and even crime victims. A scandal that forced Murdoch to shut down the scummy News of the World tabloid.

But the most notorious damage done by News Corp. and its immoral leader was done here in the United States by the ratings success of its cable propaganda outlet falsely named Fox News. By its own lawyers’ account, it is not a news outlet, but right-wing hate entertainment designed to echo the worst qualities of America that had been hidden in the shadows.

From white nationalism, the replacement theory, COVID misinformation, destruction of our institutions from the courts to the electoral process to the media itself, Fox News — led by Rupert Murdoch — has left this country worse than when it started in 1996. Let me count the ways.

It began way before Trump. Fox News constantly promoted the false charges that Barack Obama was not born in the United States, elevating the crackpot Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio’s bogus investigation into Obama’s birth certificate.

Next, was the “what about her emails” excuse to each bonafide Trump scandal exposed in the 2016 campaign. Scandals such as “grab them by the (genitals)” to campaign manager Paul Manafort’s meeting with Russian agents.

Rupert Murdoch’s political legacy is Donald Trump. He helped put him in office, made excuses for him while in office, and his network backed his claims of election fraud in 2020, which cost his network $787.5 million in damages because it carried and promoted the false claims that Dominion ballot machines were controlled by Venezuelan communists.

Fox, led by Rupert Murdoch, promoted wild conspiracy theories about the January 6th Insurrection. Its anchors and commentators routinely minimized the storming of the capitol, often repeating the claim that the rioters were merely “tourists” on an unauthorized tour of the seat of American democracy. Its most popular host publicized the bogus claim that the armed protest was led by Antifa, rather than The Proud Boys and other white nationalists.

Fox was also a major player in the disinformation claiming the capitol riot that killed 5 and injured 138 was a false flag operation. Tucker Carlson’s “documentary” on FOX Nation and on his nightly show falsely claimed that the FBI instigated the attack on the capitol. Murdoch’s disinformation on COVID-19 and vaccines cost human lives among its very viewers. Giving a platform to anti-vaxers and disrupting the national effort to control the virus through mass vaccination. A Yale study found that after the vaccine was made available, Democrats got the jab, while many Republicans did not. The result: the death rate in Republican states was 43 percent higher. Now, that is a legacy.

And perhaps just as damaging is the Murdoch contribution to the division in America. Pre-Fox, most Americans got their news from the three major networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN.

Objective reporting with no opinion was the gold standard. A media that helped the country through crises such as the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and Watergate, by shining the light on facts. Exposing the Pentagon lies that the war was going well, disinformation that Blacks were treated equally in the South, and beyond, and the coverup of the Watergate break-in.

But in 1996 with the invention of Fox “News” — designed by the former Nixon propagandist Roger Ailes, who was forced from power at Fox by his sexual harassment antics — that gold standard changed. Much of America still turns to CBS, ABC, and NBC for its straight news, but Fox is the leading cable outlet, and it nightly masquerades right-wing opinion as news, a formula that led to MSNBC morphing from straight news to opinion from the left, and even CNN reacting to Donald Trump by becoming more opinionated.

The landscape was changed from broadcasting to narrowcasting. Each outlet is now an echo chamber of its most extreme viewers.

There is no doubt Rupert Murdoch is a transformative figure. A foreign billionaire, who rejected American values, and destroyed many of them. He provoked racism, fascism, and exploited the hate that some Americans always had, but hid from sight.

It is a legacy, but a destructive one on too many levels. Farewell and good riddance.

SiriusXM Presenting Broadcast Coverage of 2023 Ryder Cup

BSM Staff
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SiriusXM will be the radio home of the Ryder Cup, delivering consumers more than 28 hours of live coverage from the bi-annual international golf competition from Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia just outside of Rome, Italy. The tournament will showcase various teams of skilled golfers from the United States and Europe that will face off with one another in match play, including head-to-head singles matches and four-ball matches over the three days.

Coverage begins on Friday, Sept. 29 at 1 a.m. EST/10 p.m. PST (Thursday, Sept. 28) and will continue through the final hole of play. The same structure will take place the next day and feature commentators Mark Carnevale, Brian Katrek, Colt Knost, John Maginnes, Drew Stoltz and Taylor Zarzour. The official Ryder Cup Radio channel, which is produced in partnership with IMG and Ryder Cup Europe, will include a score of additional voices such as Alberto Binaghi, Raymond Burns and Sophie Walker. All of the broadcasts will be available to consume on SiriusXM channel No. 92 and on the SiriusXM app.

“The Ryder Cup is one of the most exciting events in all of sports,” Scott Greenstein, president and chief content officer of SiriusXM, said in a statement. “Our listeners will get comprehensive access to the tournament, with live coverage of every match and a level of insight and analysis leading up to and throughout the event that you’ll only get from SiriusXM.”

As the competition approaches, listeners can tune into SiriusXM for golf programming previewing the festivities. Moreover, listeners can tune in for a special, Backstory: Ryder Cup, hosted by David Marr III that examines Europe’s success in the competitions played on their own continent. Marr III will decipher the phenomenon through the lens of the 1993 Ryder Cup in England, the last time the competition was won by the United States overseas, led by Jim Gallagher’s win over Seve Ballesteros.

Two special collaborative podcast episodes hosted by former American tour pro Smylie Kaufman and European Tour pro Andrew “Beef” Johnston will debut on Tuesday, Sept. 26 and Wednesday, Sept. 27. Both golfers currently host their own podcasts – The Smylie Show and Beef’s Golf Club, respectively – and will blend the American and European perspectives on the tournament. Kaufman will record episodes of her show each night in Italy reacting to the day’s events and looking ahead for what is to come.

CBS Sports’ Sean McManus Retiring in April 2024, David Berson Named Successor

BSM Staff
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CBS Sports’ Sean McManus Retiring in April 2024, David Berson Named Successor

Sean McManus will be retiring as the chairman of CBS Sports early next year, and will be succeeded by David Berson in leading the entity. McManus has been leading the company since 1996 and helped reacquire rights to the National Football League in 1998, keeping a relationship with the league ever since. News of the decision was first reported by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post and later confirmed by CBS Sports.

“Leading CBS Sports has been an honor and I have been so fortunate to work with the most talented team in sports media, along with our incredible partners, for nearly three decades. It has been a fantastic run and the thrill of a lifetime,” McManus said in a statement. “I am pleased to leave CBS Sports in an even stronger place than when I arrived, knowing that all of our marquee properties are locked up through this decade and beyond.”

McManus negotiated media deals with the National Football League several times throughout his tenure with the company, including a recent 11-year multi-platform rights agreement that sheds conference affiliations. In the end, the agreement sees CBS Sports pay a reported $2.1 billion a year for rights to games and has top-tier commentators Jim Nantz, Ian Eagle and Kevin Harlan on the call. The NFL on CBS recently reported a record-setting September, with its best viewership in the month over the last 13 years with an average of 18.7 million households. McManus will remain in his position through Super Bowl LVIII and the 2024 Masters Tournament, the latter of which concludes on Sunday, April 14.

“Sean is a first-ballot, hall of fame executive who has masterfully managed all aspects of CBS Sports for 27 years and helped guide us through a transformative era in sports television,” George Cheeks, president and chief executive officer of CBS and chief content officer of news and sports at Paramount+, said in a statement. “His achievements here and the culture of excellence he established for CBS Sports – on screen and off – will benefit CBS and Paramount Global long into the future.”

The network is also in the midst of its first season with rights to the Big Ten Conference, televising a 3:30 p.m. national game for seven Saturdays throughout the season. This is the final season the network has rights to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) before The Walt Disney Company (ABC/ESPN) takes on the full package in 2024, worth a reported $710 million annually.

“The timing just feels right to me,” McManus said. “I’m proud of the fact that George [Cheeks] and Bob Bakish are in complete agreement that this timing is perfect, so I feel really good about it, and I have total and complete faith in David.”

David Berson

David Berson is set to become the next leader of CBS Sports. (Michele Crowe/CBS)

David Berson will assume the role of “Chief Executive Officer” in addition to his title as President of CBS Sports in April 2024. The move will make him the seventh person to lead CBS Sports in the history of the business division.

“The future at CBS Sports is in the extremely capable hands of David Berson, who will seamlessly succeed me, as we planned,” McManus said. “He is an outstanding leader and strategist, with knowledge and experience across all facets of the business, and has established excellent relationships with our partners and across our team.”

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