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Karl Ravech: Home Run Derby Is Difficult To Call

BSM Staff
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Karl Ravech: Home Run Derby Is Difficult To Call

ESPN will be the exclusive home of the 2023 T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday, July 10. Sluggers including Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts. The presentation of the Home Run Derby will contain various changes from ESPN highlighted by new 3D ball-tracking technology to accentuate the viewing experience. Taking a similar approach to golf broadcasts, ESPN will present a rendering of T-Mobile Park, the home of the Seattle Mariners, and utilize Statcast data to outline where the home runs are landing.

Karl Ravech, who took over for Chris Berman after he stepped aside following the 2016 iteration of the event, will be on the call. Ravech compared the role to serving as an air traffic controller. Essentially, he will need to monitor multiple pieces of action simultaneously and ensure viewers are not confused by what is occurring.

“The Home Run Derby’s as difficult an event that I call because of the speed of it,” Ravech expressed. “The concept of, ‘You can’t throw a pitch until the prior one lands,’ is not necessarily obeyed all the time.”

The allure of the Home Run Derby has long captivated baseball fans since the first time the event took place on the All-Star stage in 1985. Over the years, the competition has become baseball’s version of a skills competition. Because of the popularity of home runs and the excitement they catalyze in spectators, an enigmatic feeling penetrates the atmosphere and adds an extra layer of significance to the event.

“I do think in a lot of ways when we grew up, the heavyweight champion of the world was recognized as universal as any other athlete,” Ravech said. “If you go way, way back to when Babe Ruth was playing, there is something about a home run and a home run champion.”

ESPN’s baseball property is optimistic that its Home Run Derby viewership will continue to rise after it drew an average of 6.9 million viewers last year across ESPN and ESPN2, peaking at 7.5 million viewers. On the night before though, ESPN, in conjunction with MLB Network, will present the first round and compensatory selections for the 2023 MLB Draft, taking place from Lumen Field, the home of the Seattle Seahawks.

ESPN’s coverage of the T-Mobile Home Run Derby begins at 4 p.m. EST/ 1 p.m. PST with a special edition of Baseball Tonight on ESPN. The action continues at 7 p.m. when a Statcast edition of the show airs on ESPN2, along with an alternate broadcast of the action focused on the analytics and technology beginning at 8 p.m. featuring Kevin Brown, Jessica Mendoza and Mike Petriello. The traditional broadcast of the event takes place at the same time on ESPN featuring Ravech and Pérez. On Sunday night, the MLB Draft presented by Nike begins at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST on ESPN and ESPN+, preceded by an hour-long edition of Baseball Tonight.

Pat McAfee: Comparing Threads to Twitter is Like Comparing a Rookie to Aaron Rodgers

BSM Staff
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Pat McAfee: Comparing Threads to Twitter is Like Comparing a Rookie to Aaron Rodgers

Threads is not a true competitor to Twitter, at least not yet according to Pat McAfee. The sports media mogul devoted a segment of his Thursday show to talking about the new platform and expressed a few reservations with the hype.

“We get in there last night. I log in because it seemed like everybody was doing it. I was kind of happy for a new social media app potentially becoming a part of our daily routine in our life. I said, ‘I wanna get in there. Looks like it’s fun. Looks like it’s good,’” McAfee said. “That thing is – I wouldn’t even say ‘Twitter Lite’ because I feel like lite beers are more of a beer.”

McAfee’s complaints echoed a lot of what others have said about Threads. Meta’s new Twitter competitor is not particularly user friendly. Threads users cannot control who comes up on their timeline or how they consume the posts there. 

According to McAfee, the new app only has about “1/30 of the active features of Twitter,” but he says there is a reason for that.

“Twitter though has been around a long time. So they’ve been able to build and stack and add and do this and do this. So, comparing Threads to Twitter is like trying to compare a rookie quarterback to like Aaron Rodgers.”

Producer Ty Schmitt is skeptical about the trajectory of Threads and of the app’s staying power.

“It’s still in such its infancy and it does feel like they just rushed it to market,” he said. “Like Is this going to be just in my daily routine now? Like, I don’t think it is. It’s just such a watered-down version of Twitter.”

McAfee disagreed. He said that he has already found himself checking the app with some regularity and says that right now, “the vibes are high” on the app’s potential.

Mark Arum: Threads Will Stick As A Twitter Challenger

BNM Staff
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Mark Arum: Threads Will Stick As A Twitter Challenger

Threads — the new Twitter alternative from Instagram — debuted on Wednesday evening, and 95.5 WSB host Mark Arum believes it has staying power.

During The Mark Arum Show Thursday, the Atlanta host said that this is the first real challenger to Twitter.

“Ever since Elon (Musk) took over Twitter, there have been a lot of companies that popped in to try to come up with a Twitter alternative. And as far as I know, none of them ever really gained any steam,” Arum said. “I think this one is because it’s got Facebook behind it, Instagram behind it. This one I think is gonna stick.”

Arum then noted that because people are lazy, Threads has an advantage because user information can be shifted from Instagram straight to the new platform. He then added that the speed in which the text-based app has been adopted bodes well for its future.

“It took Facebook 852 days to reach 10 million users. It took Twitter 780 days to reach 10 million users. It took Instagram 355 days to reach 10 million users. It took threads seven hours to reach 10 million users. That’s lightning fast,” admitted Arum.

Mark Zuckerberg — CEO of Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta — shared on the new platform that he believes it will succeed where Twitter has failed.

“The goal is to keep it friendly as it expands. I think it’s possible and will ultimately be the key to its success,” wrote Zuckerberg. “That’s one reason why Twitter never succeeded as much as I think it should have, and we want to do it differently.”

Sports Media Reacts to Launch of Threads

BSM Staff
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Sports Media Reacts to Launch of Threads

You may not be using the app yet, but if you are on social media, you have no doubt heard of Threads. Meta’s new competitor to Twitter was all the buzz on Wednesday when it launched.

Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has had many people looking for an alternative. Whether it is issues with content moderation, functionality, or just a general disdain for Musk, plenty of developers have tried their hand at launching a microblogging platform to take advantage of long time Twitter users looking for a new home.

The media has long been the lifeblood of Twitter. Sports media in particular has been very active on the platform and helped turn it into the place to watch a big game. Can the same group deliver a similar result for Threads?

There were a wide variety of reactions on Twitter Thursday as sports media members checked out the new platform for the first time.

A number of Barrett Sports Media writers have already jumped on Threads. Among them are Barrett Media President Jason Barrett and Content Director Demetri Ravanos.

Chris Brown Remains Interim Voice of Bills As John Murphy Continues Recovery

BSM Staff
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Chris Brown Remains Interim Voice of Bills As John Murphy Continues Recovery

The Buffalo Bills will start the season without John Murphy. Chris Brown will continue to hold down the fort as the voice of the team’s radio broadcasts for the time being.

Murphy suffered a stroke last year. Brown stepped in to finish out the 2022 season.

Last month, John Murphy told The Buffalo News that he was not ready to make a decision to come back. He turned down an interview request saying that at that time, he was not ready to speak in public.

The statement from WGR and the Bills makes it clear that Brown has the play-by-play job on an interim basis.

“We continue to wish John and the Murphy family the best in his recovery,” the statement concludes.

John Murphy has been the play-by-play voice of the Buffalo Bills since 2004. 

Jason Whitlock: Everything Stephen A. Smith Says is a Negotiating Tactic

BSM Staff
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After Stephen A. Smith made public comments about potentially being laid off by ESPN in the future, Blaze Media host and former NFL player Jason Whitlock has fired back via Twitter. In a quote tweet, Whitlock expressed that Smith has been upset since ESPN signed Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pat McAfee to multiyear, multi-million dollar contracts. While Smith’s salary is unknown and has been reported as being $8 million or $12 million, he has spoken on numerous occasions about the last time he negotiated his contract. In his message, Whitlock stated that Smith is looking for $25 million annually in his next negotiation and that everything he says publicly is a negotiating tactic. He also wondered if FOX Sports would consider signing Smith and also have him contribute to its news content as a multifaceted commentator, although Smith has aspirations to do more acting and, perhaps, host late-night television.

“We’ve got a few people at ESPN getting paid more than me,” Smith said to those people wishing he was laid off. “They don’t have the No. 1 show; they don’t have the top ratings [and] they don’t generate more revenue. How come y’all didn’t bring their names up? And by the way, none of them are Black. How come you didn’t bring their names up? I wonder why.”

In The New York Times bestselling novel “Straight Shooter,” Smith discusses his negotiations over the years with ESPN and how he has assembled a team around him to ensure he thrives. From Rushion McDonald to his agents Josh Pyatt and Jon Rosen, along with former ESPN executive Mark Shapiro leading his representation, Smith has the team around him he believes will allow him to continue to thrive.

Earlier this week on The Stephen A. Smith Show, Smith expressed his sentiments towards ESPN laying off several members of its on-air talent roster ahead of the entity reporting its own earnings for the first time this November. As it pertains to his former First Take co-host Max Kellerman, Smith was disappointed to see him let go and said that if he ever needed his assistance, he would not hesitate to do so.

Although Smith has been labeled by many media reporters as being safe from layoffs, Smith does not assume he will always be safe and is grateful for every day he has on the air.

“You shouldn’t blame Disney, and you shouldn’t blame ESPN,” Smith said of the layoffs. “This isn’t some corporate lackey taking the whole corporate line. I’m paying attention and I’m reading the tea leaves, and I’m telling you what it is.”

ESPN New York Adds Garrett Wilson for Weekly Spot With Bart & Hahn

BSM Staff
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ESPN New York Adds Garrett Wilson for Weekly Spot With Bart & Hahn

Good Karma Brands and ESPN New York 98.7 have made a new addition to the lineup, welcoming New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson to its midday show. Wilson, who won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award for the 2022 season, will be making a weekly appearance on the Bart & Hahn show where he will provide his unparalleled perspective of the Jets’ season as it happens.

With the acquisition of star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, an anticipated appearance on the documentary series, Hard Knocks, and the maximum six nationally televised games on the schedule, “Gang Green” will have the spotlight on it more so than previous seasons.

“It’s an awesome opportunity for me to share what my season is like week-to-week,” Wilson said in a statement. “We have a great fan base in New York, and they deserve the world. Hopefully I can talk about wins every week, but I’m just really excited to share my journey throughout the season.”

“We’re excited to have Garrett join Bart and Alan each week during football season,” ESPN New York market manager Vinny DiMarco said in a statement. “He has already emerged as a star in the NFL, and we know he will bring great energy to the show each week, giving fans some exclusive and terrific insight about what’s happening on the field.”

ESPN New York 98.7 will have a variety of additional New York Jets programming throughout the regular season embedded in its programming, including “The Robert Saleh Report” on The Michael Kay Show.

Former Memphis News/Talk Host’s Lawsuit Against Cumulus Gets Trial Date

BNM Staff
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Former Memphis News/Talk Host’s Lawsuit Against Cumulus Gets Trial Date

A trial date has been scheduled after former News/Talk 98.9 The Roar of Memphis morning host Bob Boccia brought a lawsuit against Cumulus.

In a May filing, Boccia claimed Cumulus failed to accommodate his religious beliefs and a medical condition after implementing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. He argues that previous vaccines had caused Crohn’s Disease flare-ups, and would not be receiving the vaccine. He also alleged that as a devout Catholic, his religious beliefs “forbade him from knowingly accepting vaccinations or medications developed using fetal cell lines derived from abortions.”

In 2021, Cumulus mandated that all employees received the COVID-19 vaccine. Boccia failed to do so, and was subsequently fired on October 11th.

A trial date has now been set for Monday, August 19th, 2024 for the U.S. District Court in Western Tennessee.

In response to the complaint, Cumulus has argued that Boccia never sought an exemption from the mandate. The company says Boccia was fired “for legitimate business reasons based on safety requirements which are job-related and consistent with business necessity”.

Boccia — known as “Sideshow Bob” on the station’s morning show — is seeking damages in excess of $75,000.

Brian Kilmeade: Mark Zuckerberg Launching Threads As New Way to ‘Manipulate’ Public

BNM Staff
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Threads, a new social media platform produced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, was released to much fanfare yesterday. Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade isn’t sure why so many are eager to jump to the new platform.

“Mark Zuckerberg’s trying to get you again. We don’t know what happened to Facebook, but you go ahead and get on Threads, you’ll no longer know what’s going on,” said Kilmeade.

He then championed the cause put forth by Elon Musk that claims his mission is to make Twitter the internet’s bastion of free speech.

“Elon Musk, he’s going to make sure — the best he can — it’s possible the First Amendment’s impressed. Does anyone think Mark Zuckerberg — the author of Zuckerbucks, to make sure certain districts got a lot of money in order to vote against Donald Trump in 2020 — does anyone think he’s not going to collect all of you, pull you away from Twitter, and then begin to manipulate again?”

Threads is specifically designed as a Twitter alternative. Zuckerberg has shared he believes the app can succeed where the Elon Musk-owned Twitter has failed.

“The goal is to keep it friendly as it expands. I think it’s possible and will ultimately be the key to its success,” said Zuckerberg in a Thread. “That’s one reason why Twitter never succeeded as much as I think it should have, and we want to do it differently.”

Hubbard Radio CEO Ginny Morris, Premiere Networks President Julie Talbott to Speak at the 2023 BNM Summit

Jason Barrett
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Hubbard Radio CEO Ginny Morris, Premiere Networks President Julie Talbott to Speak at the 2023 BNM Summit

The 2023 BNM Summit in Nashville is now less than 70 days away. If you work in the news talk media industry and plan to go or have been thinking about doing so, this is a great week to purchase your tickets. We’ve lowered ticket prices as part of a special independence week sale. The sale runs through Sunday night, so to secure your seat and save a few dollars, log on to BNMSummit.com. Details on hotel and our full list of speakers can be found there as well.

We have a ton to do between now and September 13-14 to make this event the homerun I’m striving for it to be. Helping broadcasters, brands, and all who touch the industry on a daily basis is what drives me to deliver this show but it only works if the industry supports it. To some in the news/talk format, BNM may be new and unfamiliar, but we’re not foreign to the industry. We know how to create events that help folks learn content creation advantages, how to grow audience, ratings, revenue, and digital impact, and that’ll be on display for all in attendance this September.

But what makes this event work are the people who join us on stage. Gathering smart, successful professionals to share ideas and information, form and strengthen relationships, and to celebrate success is what it’s all about. We’ve revealed twenty two speakers up to this point, all very successful in their own careers. Today, we add two more to our schedule, except these two power players have a much larger view of the business.

I am honored to have Hubbard Radio CEO Ginny Morris, and Premiere Networks President Julie Talbott join us in Nashville for the 2023 BNM Summit. These two impressive leaders will join me for our keynote conversation on Thursday September 14th.

Starting with Ginny Morris, she is a third generation broadcaster, and the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Hubbard Radio. Hubbard Radio currently operates 30 radio stations in Chicago, Washington DC, Seattle, Phoenix, Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Louis, and Cincinnati earning a large percentage of market share in the majority of cities they broadcast in.

Ginny has spent the past four decades learning the business from the ground up. She started in the promotion department of Hubbard’s flagship TV station, KSTP-TV in 1982, became the manager of KSTP-AM in 1990, added KSTP-FM (KS95) to her duties in 1995, was named President of the company in 2000, and officially gained the CEO title in 2014.

Under her watch, Hubbard has become one of the top local radio companies across the broadcasting business. The company owns and operates the radio industry’s top performing revenue brand, WTOP in Washington DC, additional sports and news/talk brands in St. Louis, Minneapolis, and West Palm Beach, and we are thrilled to have Ginny join us, and offer her insights on the radio business, and where it needs to go moving forward.

Julie Talbott started her career in advertising at BBDO, where she spent five years as supervisor of media planning and buying. Her love of radio led her to MJI Broadcasting, where she spent 19 years. She helped grow the company from 5 to over 150 during her time as COO, and played a key role in acquiring the exclusive radio rights of the Country Music Awards and the CMA Music Festival for the company.

In 1999, Premiere Networks acquired MJI Broadcasting. Talbott made the transition, serving initially as senior vice president of integrated marketing solutions, focusing on advertising sponsorships. In 2003, she was promoted to executive vice president, affiliate relations, and in 2009, became president of content and affiliate relations. In 2012 she added oversight of the National Media Groups division of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment (now known as iHeartMedia), and in 2014, was promoted to her current role of President of Premiere Networks.

In her current role, Julie oversees Premiere Networks’ entire roster of more than 100 radio programs and services, while managing business partnerships with talent, and key affiliate relationships. The company features some of the top news/talk talent in the industry including Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Clay Travis, and Buck Sexton. Julie is bullish on the radio business, and has a firm grasp on where it is and what awaits in 2024 and beyond. We are excited to have her join us and share the stage alongside Ginny Morris.

This discussion will cover a lot of ground because these two executives see the business from all directions. We’ll examine the state of the news/talk format from a local and national perspective, the advertising climate in 2023 and 2024, the opportunities and challenges in podcasting and social media, how organizations manage misinformation and noise entering an election year, the rise of artificial intelligence, and much more. It’s a chat I’m looking forward to guiding, and I know those in attendance will gain a ton from it.

A reminder, if you’re interested in sponsorship opportunities for the BNM Summit, email Stephanie Eads at Sales@BarrettSportsMedia.com. For information on speaking opportunities, email JBarrett@sportsradiopd.com.

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