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Jazz Owner: Reaching 40% of Market ‘Not Gonna Fly’ in Next TV Deal

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Jazz Owner: Reaching 40% of Market ‘Not Gonna Fly’ in Next TV Deal

The Utah Jazz are looking for a new TV partner and team owner Ryan Smith has a very specific goal in mind. He wants everyone in Utah to be able to see the team’s games on television.

“Right now we’re producing Jazz games to 40% of our market. I stood up publicly and said that’s not gonna fly this next year. We’re going wall to wall in the state, 3 million people. Everyone’s going to have access. If you’ve got rabbit ears on your television, you’re going to be able to watch the games,” he said on the latest edition of Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

The Jazz are one of several teams that have become free agents after WBD Sports decided to shudder the company’s regional networks.

Amidst uncertainty facing the RSN model, multiple teams in the Western United States have chosen to do television deals with local television groups. The Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury will have their games shown across Arizona thanks to a deal with Gray Television. Scripps Sports signed a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights that will have the team’s games on local stations in multiple states.

Smith isn’t just thinking about local television. He wants Jazz fans to be able to stream the team’s games too.

Whatever company ends up in business with the team, it will be the first time the Utah Jazz will be on a new network since 2009. Smith says even if that means taking a hit in revenue, a TV deal that puts the team on more screens is a sound investment.

“That’s super important to me … we’ll figure out how to offset the revenue contract for that another way, but our players and coaches … they’re working way too hard to not have their games be viewed by the masses.”

Sid Rosenberg: No One in WABC History Has Come Close to My Ratings

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Sid Rosenberg: No One in WABC History Has Come Close to My Ratings

77 WABC morning host Sid Rosenberg has taken the station to new heights during his tenure in the morning timeslot. He isn’t shy about boasting about his success, either.

During his show Monday, Rosenberg shared that some of the great hosts in the station’s history hadn’t seen numbers like he’s producing.

“No disrespect to the giants, the legends — Bob Grant and Don Imus, who came before me, because this is a game of ratings — but none of those guys came close to what we’re doing on this show right now,” Rosenberg bragged. “In fact, if you add up (Sean) Hannity and Mark Levin’s numbers with a bunch of others, they still don’t beat me.”

He added that the secret to his success — which he has shared before — is his willingness to incorporate his personal life into his morning show’s content.

“I tell people all the time when I get stopped on the streets, they’re not like ‘I love what you said about (New York Mayor) Eric Adams’ or ‘I love what you said about Donald Trump today’, they say ‘How’s your wife doing? How are your kids doing? Are you feeling better?’ So there’s more personality that goes into the equation than just the topic of the day,” Rosenberg said.

“Which goes to show you…the real dynamic, the real greats, they did not get caught up in the news of the day. It was more personality driven. People love to hear about the wife, the son, what you did on the weekend — as much if not more — than the topics of the day.”

Mike Jimenez Out at San Antonio’s Sports Star

BSM Staff
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Mike Jimenez Out at San Antonio’s Sports Star

Mike Jimenez is no longer part of San Antonio’s Sports Star. He took to social media on Tuesday to announce that he had been let go and the mid day show had been eliminated.

“I found out this morning that I was getting laid off,” he said in a video posted on Twitter. “I got the news about an hour ago and I was actually prepping for my show at the time when I got the news.”

He noted that this does not create a financial burden for him. He has run a successful financial practice out of his home for nearly two decades. 

Jimenez says there is one change the move creates that he isn’t happy about.

“The one thing I’m going to miss the most about being in San Antonio’s Sports Star, is the fact that they gave me an excuse to be sociable all over again. Having a financial practice, especially one that is at home, can be kind of lonely sometimes. And it was nice interacting and having work friends all over again. That’s the one thing I’m going to miss the most, but I’m in a good place. I have no financial worries or anything like that.”

He was the co-host of Jimenez & Spence with PD Tim Spence. He noted that he has no hard feelings to any of his bosses or co-workers and wishes them the best as they move forward.

“I understand it’s not personal. It was business. And that’s the economics of being in radio.”

Colin Cowherd: I Didn’t Take Money From LIV Golf, But Didn’t Bad Mouth Hosts That Did

BSM Staff
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Colin Cowherd: I Didn’t Take Money From LIV Golf, But Didn’t Bad Mouth Hosts That Did

Colin Cowherd says the PGA Tour’s decision is pretty simple. It needed the biggest stars back. It needed the top draws on the top tour. So, when the opportunity to merge with LIV Golf was presented, all of the moral aggrandizing its golfers and leaders were doing last year went right out the window.

He couldn’t help but think about the crow those people and their supporters are having to eat now that they are willing to take money from the Saudi Arabian government, something they said was morally objectionable.

“The only people that are only right on the Internet are anonymous. Isn’t that a coincidence? They’re always right,” he said Tuesday on FOX Sports Radio. “And the only people with morals and values in the world are never offered big money or enormous opportunities. I don’t have to love the LIV Golf tour and everything it stands for.”

Cowherd added that he was offered money from LIV Golf. He didn’t accept it, but understood that others might.

“I was offered six figures to do some reads for the LIV Golf tour. I didn’t accept it, but. BUT! I didn’t bad-mouth other hosts that did. That’s the difference. I was offered six figures to do stuff with LIV Golf. I was invited to tournaments. I said, ‘No, thank you,’ but I didn’t lecture sportscasters that did. I didn’t lecture anybody that did. I’m not in their shoes. I don’t pay their taxes. I don’t have their life. I don’t know what’s going on.”

Some of golf’s biggest names defected from the PGA Tour last year to join LIV Golf. All of them were offered huge paydays to make the move. Cowherd said that sometimes the people that are lecturing others have to stop and think about how hard it would be to turn down that kind of windfall.

He added that there is a lesson in that that can be extended to everyday life as well. Money it is easy for him to turn down may mean something completely different to the members of the sports media that chose to do business with LIV Golf.

“I’m not in your shoes,” Cowherd said. “I don’t know what it means to your family. Maybe get your kids to college. I don’t know. You don’t know.”

CNN CEO Chris Licht Has ‘Lost The Room’, Report Claims

BNM Staff
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After what has been labeled a “disastrous” profile with The Atlantic, CNN CEO Chris Licht has reportedly “lost the room”, according to CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy.

He added that after speaking with more than a dozen colleagues, one feeling was nearly universal.

“Licht has lost the room,” reported Darcy. “In the eyes of so many at CNN, there isn’t anything Licht can do at this point to win over their support. They’ve hit the wall with him.”

A report from The Daily Beasts’ Lachlan Cartwright specifically named Jake Tapper, Wolf Blitzer, and Erin Burnett as those who have “lost confidence in the boss”.

Many have questioned Licht’s future with the organization after the profile called into question his decision-making and professional acumen to lead the brand forward. Darcy reported that Warner Bros. Discovery chairman David Zaslav “had the same reaction that everyone else did to that article, a person familiar with the WBD chief’s thinking told me. A second person familiar with Zaslav’s thinking said the WBD boss was not happy about The Atlantic story and that he is not blind to what is transpiring at CNN.”

The reporting from Darcy comes after Licht apologized to CNN employees during a Monday morning editorial call. He told staffers his goal should only be in the news if he is “taking arrows” for reporters, hosts, and the network. He admitted he had failed that goal and would “work like hell” to restore their trust in him.

Sports Media Sounds Off On LIV Golf, PGA Merger

BSM Staff
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The sports world was surprised Tuesday morning when LIV Golf signed an agreement to merge with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour (European Tour) to create a new for-profit company. The name of the commercial entity has yet to be determined, and the move was reportedly not communicated with its players. As part of the agreement, all litigation against LIV Golf is being dropped and a method is being determined as to how players who received sizable bonuses to join LIV Golf can return to the PGA Tour.

LIV Golf is owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, and those participating in the league have received criticism because of the country’s disheartening history of human rights violations. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan will be the new chief executive of the group, while Yasir al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi wealth fund, will be its chairman. Moreover, the PGA Tour will be responsible for appointing the majority of the new board and garner majority voting power.

“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” said Monahan in a statement. “This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA Tour’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model, and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV – including the team golf concept – to create an organization that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans. Going forward, fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we’ve always made – to promote competition of the best in professional golf, and that we are committed to securing and driving the game’s future.”

The PGA Tour sued LIV Golf for beguiling its golfers to join the tour for lucrative bonuses, and had been in the court for nearly 10 months. Now, the litigation will come to a halt, and some in the sports media industry are viewing this outcome as a settlement of sorts sans punitive and compensatory damages. Many prominent figures from around the industry took to social media to express their thoughts on the convergence, and the implications it will have for the future of the sport.

Dan Le Batard & Crew Rip Skip Bayless Over Jimmy Butler Report

BSM Staff
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Dan Le Batard & Crew Rip Skip Bayless Over Jimmy Butler Report

Hot takes are what Skip Bayless does. They may not be popular with everyone, but there is nothing irresponsible about them. The FS1 host dropping private information about Jimmy Butler’s family on an episode of Undisputed is totally different though and crosses a line according to The Dan Le Batard Show crew.

On Monday, Bayless made reference to a health issue in the Butler family to explain Jimmy Butler’s poor shooting performance. 

Le Batard, on Tuesday, said it was irresponsible and an invasion of Jimmy Butler’s privacy.

Producer Mike Ryan added that the story was well-known by people that cover the Miami Heat. It had not been reported out of respect for the family.

“I was really surprised that, number one, Skip Bayless had the sources to know what was going on because it’s deeply personal,” he said. “Number two, they went to air with it.”

Stugotz took a bit of a different view. He did not excuse Skip Bayless for revealing the private information. He just did not share the shock his colleagues had.

“I mean, him knowing is one thing and maybe I should be surprised by that,” Stugotz said. “Him using it on the air and unveiling it to the world? We should not be surprised. I’m not saying ‘He’s Skip. No one else is Skip!’ like he’s great. That’s what Skip does.”

Le Batard pushed back saying Skip Bayless may try to shock his audience for ratings, but that is very different than breaching someone’s privacy.

“Dan if there was a media member who would have released that information, and I gave you one guess, who are you guessing?” Stugotz responded.

Show contributor Greg Cote did not mince words. As a journalist, he said that there is no justifying what Bayless did.

“It’s a disservice to journalism to invade someone’s privacy like that. Jimmy Butler deserves to deal with personal issues personally and privately, and to put that out there in the middle of the Finals to try to explain why he’s had a couple of shooting games in a row is irresponsible.”

Eric Von Haessler: I’ve Never Watched Meet The Press

BNM Staff
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Eric Von Haessler: I’ve Never Watched Meet The Press

The announcement that Chuck Todd will leave Meet The Press later this year continues to draw media reaction. However, 95.5 WSB host Eric Von Haessler was unbothered by the development.

During The Von Haessler Doctrine Monday, the Atlanta host seemingly mocked some of the reaction to Todd’s departure, and noted that he’s never actually watched the NBC News program.

“What am I going to do now that Chuck Todd is no longer gonna be the host of Meet The Press? Oh, wait a minute. I’ve never one time in my life ever watched Meet The Press with Chuck Todd,” Von Haessler sarcastically said. “Does he have an explanation? Losing such a great journalist. Remember that time he broke that story? No, because he’s never broken a story in his life.”

Von Haessler later joked that listeners needed to sit down to hear the audio of Todd’s announcement because they would be devastated to learn of his impending departure. He then questioned the timing of the move.

“Some of the media scuttlebutt…some are saying Chuck Todd was kicked out of there. Then others are saying ‘No, no. He wanted to go’. Why on an odd year, though? Nine years? Why not stick around and do 10?” asked Von Haessler. “If the ball’s in your court, 10 is a nice number. ‘Yeah, I was the host of Meet The Press for 10 years.”

Dan Abrams: Chuck Todd ‘Almost Certainly’ Lying About Leaving Meet The Press Voluntarily

BNM Staff
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Dan Abrams: Chuck Todd ‘Almost Certainly’ Lying About Leaving Meet The Press Voluntarily

Meet The Press host Chuck Todd will step aside in September, calling the decision a voluntary one. NewsNation host Dan Abrams isn’t exactly buying that.

During Dan Abrams Live Monday, the eponymous host argued that it’s like both Todd and NBC News are lying about the circumstances behind Todd’s departure.

“That a news operation that is supposed to be seeking out the truth and providing its viewers and readers with accurate information, calling out fact from fiction,” said Abrams. “And yet, they are almost certainly creating a fictionalized version of what happened.”

Abrams then noted that under Todd, Meet The Press has gone from the most-watched Sunday political affairs program to being in third place behind offerings from CBS and ABC.

“They had already canceled Todd’s daily show on MSNBC, and NBC was probably under pressure to replace a White male host of a show that was both suffering in the ratings and which was blasted by many on social media.”

He added that while he likes Todd, he doesn’t believe the host would voluntarily “relinquish his highest profile role with the 2024 election around the corner”.

Abrams’ opinion is backed up by previous media reporting that claimed as far back as last August that Todd would be replaced by Kristen Welker, who was simultaneously announced as his successor.

Gregg Giannotti: Hard Knocks Only Gets New York Jets If Aaron Rodgers Wants To

BSM Staff
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The National Football League has yet to announce a team for this season’s edition of Hard Knocks, in part because more than half the eligible franchises do not have palpable interest in the HBO and NFL Films cameras entering their facilities.

In order to be eligible to appear on the show, a team must not have a first-year head coach, not have qualified for the postseason in the last two years or appeared on the show in the last 10 years. The only four teams who fit these criteria are the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New York Jets.

The show is set to premiere on HBO in early August, meaning an announcement should be expected from the league soon. Gregg Giannotti, morning co-host on WFAN, is hoping the Jets ultimately end up being the featured team because of the intriguing storylines surrounding new star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

“Why in the hell would they be reluctant to market their program and their franchise at the height of the excitement?” Giannotti questioned on Tuesday.

The Jets are featured on primetime games for the maximum six times permitted under the league’s media rights agreement. The team plays its first game on ESPN’s Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills, and will also be featured on Amazon Prime Video’s first-ever Black Friday broadcast when they play the Miami Dolphins.

“They have seen the promotional value of Aaron Rodgers already just in the month that he’s been here,” show co-host Boomer Esiason said. “They just don’t want the distraction. I would love for the Jets to be on Hard Knocks.”

It has not yet been determined if there will be another in-season edition of Hard Knocks, but Giannotti noted the struggles of the Colts and Cardinals in the first two seasons.

“When the cameras were in the meeting room, guys were sitting up and they were paying attention,” Esiason said. “[It was] bad because they were replaying Hard Knocks on Wednesday night when now is the time to think about the next team we’re playing; not rehashing the game that we just played.”

The Jets last appeared on Hard Knocks in 2010 under head coach Rex Ryan, a season of the series that won a Sports Emmy award for “Outstanding Edited Sports Series or Anthology.” The Jets refused to appear on the show during the next season after several private moments were exposed, including Darrelle Revis’ contract situation and Antonio Cromartie not remembering all the names of his nine children.

Esiason hopes the league considers asking teams that have not been on the show since its inception in 2001 to appear instead, such as the New England Patriots. Out of all the eligible choices though, Esiason identified the Saints and Jets as the teams most captivating to the viewing audience.

“The other ones aren’t all that interesting to me,” Esiason remarked.

In whatever way the situation ends up playing out, Giannotti asserts that it is Aaron Rodgers calling all of the shots, and that he will have the final say.

“Do you think Aaron Rodgers wants any part of that?,” Giannotti asked. “Probably not – and if he doesn’t want it, the Jets are going to say, ‘No, let’s not do it.’ If he were all about it and say, ‘Hey, I don’t care. I think it would be fun,’ I think the Jets would say ‘Yes.’”

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