Monday was a busy day at Compass Media Networks as the syndicator announced the promotion of 5 employees and the addition of another.
Marc Siegel has been hired as the company’s new Director of Audio Sales and General Manager of Spoken Word Sponsorships & Activations. Before joining the network, Siegel worked at NPR, Bloomberg, and iHeartMedia.
Kassandra Faber and Sydney Sperling will serve as Associate Directors of Affiliate Sales. Faber recently graduated from Hofstra University, while Sperling just graduated from Trinity College.
Liane Sousa has transitioned from Director of Affiliate Sales to an account executive with the organization. She has been with Compass Media Networks for four years, and was recently named as one of the Top 30 Executives Under 30 by Radio Ink.
Matt Wallach has been promoted from Junior Accounting Analyst to Accounting Analyst. He has been with the company for four years.
And finally, the company has hired Jim Davison to serve as a Project Manager for all of the creative services provided. His previous stops include Regent Broadcasting, Results Media, and Stephens Media Group.
Salem Radio Network host Charlie Kirk has defended a recent speech he gave on the campus of Arizona State University after his appearance was met with criticism.
During The Charlie Kirk Show podcast, the Turning Point USA founder argued that professors met his appearance on the campus with opposition before they even knew what he would be speaking about.
“The event was called Health, Wealth and Happiness. Dennis Prager, myself, and “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” (author) Robert Kiyosaki — who we should have on the program, he is excellent — were the speakers,” said Kirk. “So in the weeks leading up to it, there was a fair amount of controversy. Because you can’t obviously allow health, wealth, and happiness to be talked about on college campuses.”
Kirk then argued that its preposterous to believe a seminar on such a topic could be viewed as controversial.
“So Health, Wealth, and Happiness might sound as if it’s not controversial. Health, Wealth, and Happiness might sound as if it’s very agreeable. But the title of the seminar is at direct odds with what the Marxist totalitarian godless degenerates are trying to teach young people at Arizona State University,” Kirk continued.
“There’s something like 39 professors at the Arizona State University Honors College. They signed this open letter where they just say they disagreed with us. Calling us white nationalists. They call us white supremacists. They call us purveyors of hate — Dennis Prager, Robert Kiyosaki, and myself — and they said we should not be allowed on the campus of Arizona State University.
“Now the event went on even though professors told students not to attend. They tried to kill our speech. I gave a very controversial speech on one topic: the Sabbath. Literally, my speech was on how the Sabbath has impacted my life.”
Longtime Chicago Cubs radio play-by-play announcer Pat Hughes received the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in a ceremony over the weekend. The honor is bestowed upon a baseball broadcaster once per year and is considered an immense accolade within the industry. Previous winners of the award include Jack Buck, Ernie Harwell and Vin Scully among others, immortalized in Cooperstown and considered among baseball’s greatest commentators.
Hughes outlined the euphoric moment when he found out he was being honored with the award, recalling the scene in his living room. Ron Coomer, the team’s radio color commentator since 2014, was with Hughes – as was Audacy regional president Rachel Williamson and 670 The Score vice president and brand manager Mitch Rosen. Chicago Cubs President of Business Operations, Crane Kenney was also on hand and listened as Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch spoke to Hughes over the phone.
“Josh Rawitch says, ‘Pat, congratulations on being named the Ford C. Frick Award winner for 2023,’” Hughes recalled. “He said more, but I did not hear another word. My head started spinning with joy and emotion, and I truly wish that every baseball announcer could experience that thrill.”
Upon learning of his induction into Cooperstown, Hughes noticed his phone lit up with a text message from Bob Costas, one of the industry’s most accomplished broadcasters and a former Ford C. Frick Award winner himself. The message read, “Congrats, Pat. Richly deserved. Welcome to the Club.” Hughes particularly noticed the capital ‘C’ in the word ‘Club,’ a punctilious grammatical detail since ‘Club,’ metonymic for former award winners, is, in this case, a proper noun.
Hughes then waxed poetic about his love for the game of baseball, which he cultivated in his youth and hoped would emerge as a professional athlete. Although he played for championship teams, he recognized that his skill set was not good enough to make the major leagues. At the suggestion of his brother, he considered a path as a play-by-play announcer and started his career by delivering commentary as a bench player on the San Jose State University men’s basketball team.
After 12 seasons in Milwaukee working with the venerable Bob Uecker, Hughes made the move to Chicago and emphasized the importance of Ron Santo, his first broadcasting partner. On the night before the duo’s first game together in spring training, Santo called Hughes and offered him reassuring words and expressed how the experience would be a lot of fun.
Hughes vividly remembers feeling the tension exit his body and immediately finding an on-air chemistry with Santo in the booth. Since then, he has been at Wrigley Field and with the team for a deluge of memorable moments, perhaps none more so than its first World Series championship in 108 years. The listeners, however, are the ones who choose to listen to Hughes and Coomer call the games, and he conveyed his gratitude for the Cubs fans at the podium.
“What an extraordinary group of people you are,” Hughes said. “I want to thank you so much for your unbelievable passion for the ballclub, and your support of me. When I got the call from Cooperstown last December, I truly think there were some Cubs fans who were just as happy as I was with the news.”
Hughes closed his speech by thanking his colleagues, Cubs ownership, Marquee Sports Network executives, engineers and production employees behind the scenes. He also took the time to thank Rosen, who also serves as the executive producer for Cubs radio broadcasts and has helped craft and sustain the revered on-air product.
“In 41 years of big league baseball play-by-play, I’ve worked with dozens of programming directors and station management-types,” Hughes said. “…Mitch Rosen is simply the best I have ever worked with.”
The Cubs fanbase, widely regarded as some of the most loyal spectators in baseball, ardently cheer on their team with the hopes of capturing another championship. Whether they are listening to Jon “Boog” Sciambi call the games on television or Pat Hughes on the radio, the fans know they have an experienced broadcast duo who exude passion for the home team and sport at large. Hughes feels the Cubs fans have accepted him as one of their own and appreciates their benevolence and enduring congeniality over the years.
“You make me feel like I’m part of your family,” Hughes said. “You invite me to special events like graduations, bar mitzvahs and birthdays, and I absolutely love those games at Wrigley Field; those close ballgames where you fans are not just part of the ballpark atmosphere, but you become part of the ballgame itself, and you play a significant role in a dramatic Cubs victory.”
MSNBC host Jen Psaki aired her displeasure with Fox News over its continued coverage of 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
During Inside with Jen Psaki Sunday, the former White House Press Secretary noted the coverage Fox News has given to RFK Jr. in recent weeks. The network hosted the challenger to Joe Biden for an interview with Maria Bartiromo Sunday. It also aired his testimony in front of a Congressional committee last week. Fox News is also scheduled to hold a town hall event with RFK Jr. hosted by Sean Hannity.
Psaki questioned the reasoning for conservative media’s interest in the candidate.
“So maybe, just maybe, the problem isn’t just RFK Jr. or even Donald Trump. Maybe the problem is the tendency to give credence to conspiracy theorists,” said Psaki. “Here’s the thing: There are two explanations, only two here, for why the right loves RFK Jr. so much. One is that they genuinely believe in him and that his conspiracies deserve to be amplified in the national conversation. They think those conspiracies should be out there.
“The other explanation is that they don’t believe RFK Jr., but believed that it would be beneficial to them if they help boost his megaphone anyway. So no matter how bizarre and dangerous his conspiracies may be, it doesn’t matter. One explanation is ignorance, the other is cynicism. Both are a pretty embarrassing look for the right-wing machine trying to prop up this man’s campaign.”
Fox News media reporter Howard Kurtz has questioned why cable news outlets continue to give prospective Democratic presidential nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a platform.
During his MediaBuzz program Sunday, Kurtz simply asked “Why do news organizations keep putting RFK on the air?” after running down his record of controversial statements on different topics.
“He has a long history of spreading conspiracy theories and falsehoods. He is obviously entitled to speak — I’m not saying he shouldn’t have any access to the media,” said Kurtz. “Sometimes he is challenged as he was by Martha MacCallum this week, but it’s almost like he’s a celebrity providing entertainment.”
The comments from Kurtz came roughly an hour after RFK Jr. appeared on Fox News for an interview with Maria Bartiromo. Last week, Fox News host Bill Hemmer patted the network on the back for being the only cable outlet to air Kennedy’s testimony before Congress live. The network also announced a town hall event hosted by Sean Hannity with the 2024 challenger to Joe Biden.
“If his last name was Jones, and he was making all the false statements would he be getting all these TV invites?” Kurtz continued. “Journalists don’t take him seriously. If journalists did take him seriously, he would be all over the news constantly.”
When the clock struck 10 a.m. in New York City, a new era of WFAN officially commenced with the launch of the new midday show featuring Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata. About 10 seconds in, the duo set off fireworks by coming out firing with a disagreement about the New York Yankees and whether or not the team has a chance to win a World Series. There was no protracted welcome to the show or pleasantries exchanged between the co-hosts, at least not initially. Instead, Tierney and Licata gave WFAN listeners what they had been waiting for ever since the revamped station lineup was announced following the departure of Craig Carton: hard-hitting, sports talk radio.
“This is the start of a new day – it’s a new day, obviously. When you wake up it’s a new day,” Tierney said. “It’s the start of a new era, and it’s the start of our first disagreement.”
Licata, a die-hard fan of the New York Mets, believes the Yankees have a legitimate chance to qualify for the World Series and offered his perspectives on the situation. The team recently swept the Kansas City Royals but is still without superstar outfielder Aaron Judge after he suffered a toe injury in early June.
“This Yankee team still has everything out there in front of them to make a run in the postseason,” Licata said, describing the turbulent state of the American League. “….You guys make it like, ‘Oh, this team’s dead.’ They’re not dead!”
In the middle of the argument, Tierney had a brief aside and expressed just how pumped he was for the new program. Within about three seconds, he resumed the argument and expressed his chagrin towards the notion of patience. The Yankees have not won a World Series, let alone won an American League pennant, since the 2009 season – and fans are growing more agitated by the day. Tierney is among that cohort who is less than pleased with the job that general manager Brian Cashman has done in building a championship roster, and outlined his rationale engendering despondence.
“I need something tangible,” Tierney said. “I don’t want, ‘There’s time,’ and, ‘They’re only two-and-a-half out of the wild card.’ Tangibly speaking, why are the Yankees going to go on a run?”
Tomorrow night, the New York Mets visit the Bronx to take on the Yankees in the second installment of the Subway Series in 2023, which is currently even at one game apiece. While the Yankees are coming off a sweep of the Royals, the Mets lost two of three games to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park and will aim to get their season back on track. The two-game set comes at a critical juncture for both teams, and the melodious dissonance of Tierney and Licata offers a new sound to one of the summer’s most anticipated matchups. It is a chance for Tierney and Licata to establish themselves as a dynamic duo and captivate shares of listeners.
Virginia loves to gamble and sports radio has taken notice! That is why Mobile Radio Partners is turning to VSiN to help launch 1480 The Line in Richmond.
The station will carry the full VSiN lineup. The 1480 signal had been part of Mobile Radio Partners’ Spanish language brand Ultra Radio. That format will continue to be heard locally on 94.1 FM.
“It’s great to work with Mobile Radio Partners to bring the first and only all-sports betting radio station to Richmond,” Brian Musburger, founder and CEO at VSiN, said in a press release. “We’re excited to continue to expand our audio distribution footprint and deliver the real-time sports betting news and insights Richmond sports fans need to inform their wagering decisions.”
In addition to The Line, Mobile Radio Partners also owns Ultra Radio and Boomtown Richmond, a classic hits format heard on 92.9 and 101.7 FM locally.
“The new format will bring 24-hour sports betting programming to Richmond for the first time,” Mark Smith, General Manager of 1480-The Line, added. “The new station leverages the growing interest in sports betting by covering all sports through the wagering lens. So many markets have embraced sports betting stations and it’s high time that Richmond started delivering the news and analysis folks need with best-in-class content from VSiN.”
Jeff Saturday left ESPN during last football season to serve as interim head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. The former center won his first game with the team, but then endured a seven-game losing streak to conclude the 2023 regular season. Following the year’s end, Saturday was in consideration to be named the permanent head coach of the team; however, the organization ultimately decided on Shane Steichen, who was most recently the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator. Now, according to The Athletic and the New York Post, Bristol wants him back.
ESPN is intrigued by Saturday’s potential return to television, even though his interest in an NFL return is unknown. Saturday first joined the “Worldwide Leader” in 2013 and has contributed across studio programming, including First Take, NFL Live and SportsCenter.
The difficult part of the situation, which remains unresolved, is in making the hire amid notable layoffs of talent and other staffers. ESPN recently complied with The Walt Disney Company’s organizational mandate to cut $5.5 billion in operating costs and eliminate 7,000 jobs. Cuts of talent, which included Jeff Van Gundy, Suzy Kolber and Steve Young among others, were reportedly outside of the company layoffs and obfuscated some in the industry.
The role Saturday would assume upon re-signing with the network remains unknown, but there is an opening on Monday Night Countdown and plenty of other areas within its football portfolio where he could contribute. Saturday had inked a contract extension with ESPN last August, but suddenly left upon the exigent coaching situation in Indianapolis.
Saturday played 14 years in the NFL, primarily with the Indianapolis Colts, where he won a Super Bowl championship, named an All-Pro twice, and was given a spot in the team’s Ring of Honor.
After announcing her exit from CNBC late last month, Kayla Tausche has a new landing place at CNN.
The network announced Monday that she will become a Senior White House Correspondent.
Based in Washington D.C., Tausche hosted SquawkAlley for CNBC from 2014-2017. She originally joined the business-focused network in 2011.
Tausche does have previous political experience. She served as co-host of CNBC’s election night coverage in 2020, and also covered the Inauguration Day events for the network as President Joe Biden took the oath of office.
In addition to her role as Senior White House Correspondent for CNBC, she was also a contributor to MSNBC, NBC Nightly News, and Today.
During the Trump administration, Tausche procured interviews with Vice President Mike Pence, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), among others.
CNN reports that Tausche will begin her duties as Senior White House Correspondent today.
Will Pat McAfee be a part of ESPN Radio in the future? That is what the network wants according to reporting in The New York Post.
Sources have told Andrew Marchand and Ryan Glasspiegel that the network would like to be able to tell affiliates that they will have access to The Pat McAfee Show when it unveils a new schedule.
ESPN Radio was hit hard by recent layoffs at the network and across the Walt Disney Company. The network is in need of new shows in multiple time slots, including from noon to 3 pm, when McAfee and crew are usually on. On ESPN Radio, that had been the home of Fitz & Harry before Jason Fitz was let go.
Radio distribution would make Pat McAfee ubiquitous across all ESPN platforms in his new deal. ESPN has declined to comment on the status of the new radio schedule, which Marchand writes “is getting a total reboot this fall.”
ESPN announced it had reached a deal with Pat McAfee to take over distribution of his show at its spring upfront presentation. Marchand has reported that the deal will pay McAfee $15 million per year, but the star has said that he never confirmed to Marchand that was the amount.
