For the first time in several years, FOX Sports 980 WONE in Dayton, Ohio will have its own local sports talk radio show. Marty Bannister announced that he will be hosting The Press Box, which will make its debut next Monday, July 17, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST on the station, commencing a new era in the sound of sports in the area. According to Nielsen Media Research, Dayton ranks as designated market area No. 64 in the United States, but most of its sports programming is syndicated from larger marketplaces.
FOX Sports 980 WONE, an iHeartMedia-owned station, airs The Dan Patrick Show, The Rich Eisen Show and The Doug Gottlieb Show in addition to other national programs. Now, Bannister will be bringing a local afternoon drive show back to the locale. Bannister formerly hosted afternoon drive at 93.1 The Fan in Lima, Ohio and also works as a play-by-play announcer and sideline reporter on local television outlets in Ohio.
At the college level, Bannister has appeared on broadcasts for The Ohio State University Buckeyes women’s basketball team and Ashland University Eagles men’s and women’s basketball. He began his broadcasting career in Columbus, Ohio as a factotum of sorts – sports producer, anchor, engineer and reporter – for WBNS.
Bannister shared that more details about the show will follow, presumably in the coming days. FOX Sports 980 WONE will need to adjust its programming lineup in order to accommodate the new show since the current programming slot carries The Doug Gottlieb Show, a Premiere Radio Networks program distributed to FOX Sports Radio.
Pat Hughes, the radio voice of the Chicago Cubs on 670 The Score, is set to be honored with the Ford C. Frick Award on July 23 from the grounds of the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y. Hughes will join baseball immortality as a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and he continues to demonstrate why he is more than worthy of receiving the immense accolade.
Contrasting Hughes with Michael Kay during their midday program, Dan Bernstein and Laurence Holmes showered praise onto Hughes’ approach as a broadcaster. Exiting a commercial break, the show played a clip of Kay mispronouncing Chicago Cubs pitcher Adbert Alzolay’s name and stated that Kay did not care that he got the name wrong.
Adbert Alzolay having a great season for the Cubs. Too bad ESPN’s Michael Kay didn’t bother to learn how to pronounce his name.
On the other hand, Hughes meticulously ensures he pronounces every player’s name correctly, something that was evinced during the team’s recent series against the New York Yankees.
“Kyle Higashioka is on deck,” Hughes said, referring to the Yankees catcher. “I’ve been rehearsing that name; I wasn’t pleased with the way I attempted to say his name the first time or two on Friday night, [and I am] determined to make that not happen again.”
Upon the admission and ostensible display of humility, Bernstein was satisfied with the expectations he places onto himself as a play-by-play announcer.
“He’s that conscientious that he just wasn’t pleased with him getting it correctly enough,” Bernstein explained.
Holmes remarked earlier in the segment that when he works as a play-by-play announcer, he feels he has a distinctly different style than Hughes. Yet he is able to appreciate the nuance of the craft and the way in which Hughes has been able to engender a four-decade long broadcasting career.
“I just really like him,” Holmes expressed, “and I think that he does the job in a way that if you’re a young broadcaster that wants to learn how to do it, there’s a lot that can be learned [by] listening to a broadcast – including when Pat feels like he has not done a player justice.”
Holmes overheard employees at 670 The Score making travel arrangements to be on hand for the highly anticipated moment of Hughes’ induction. Previous winners of the Ford C. Frick Award include Al Michaels, Ken Harrelson, Jack Graney and Bob Costas, which honors a broadcaster who has made “major contributions to baseball.”
Futuri has announced the launch of its SpotOn software. The fully AI-powered technology will instantly generate commercials.
“Futuri’s SpotOn is yet another example of how AI can be an incredible assistant for growth. With SpotOn, brands can save countless hours by streamlining the production process and speeding up the sales cycle,” said Futuri CEO and Founder Daniel Anstandig.
“Now sales teams can deliver spec spots and commercials to any client, regardless of size, instantly. We believe the best way to get clients to appreciate the power of audio is for them to hear it themselves, and SpotOn makes that possible at scale.”
The software allows users to select voiceover talent from a library of human-cloned voices in dozens of available languages. It also features a full music production library.
Additionally, the software allows stations to generate station liners and imaging.
Over the weekend, Pat McAfee tweeted out a video clip from a previous episode of his eponymous program, The Pat McAfee Show, where he declared he was “Up to Something.” The return of “Up to Something Season” this time around, however, seems to have been ephemeral with McAfee divulging news on his show Monday afternoon.
With the upcoming ESPY Awards (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) taking place from the Dolby Theatre, McAfee will be present and, apparently, be holding a microphone in the early stages of the ceremony. This has led some fans to speculate he will be giving an opening monologue, especially since the show will be without a host for the first time in its history because of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.
“I feel good where we’re at right now; I’ve got a couple of days to kind of piece some things together,” McAfee said. “I will have a microphone on Wednesday night at the ESPYS, and I’m honored for that, I’m pumped for that, I’m thankful for that and I can’t wait for that.”
McAfee recently inked a multi-year, multimillion dollar deal with ESPN to bring his hit digital show to its linear channel and digital platforms. The announcement was made during the 2023 Upfront event for The Walt Disney Company, much of which spotlighted burgeoning sports properties of the “Worldwide Leader.” Other athletes presenting at the ESPYS include Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, retired WNBA champion Sue Bird, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, gymnast and social media influencer Olivia Dunne and WWE superstar Becky Lynch. Additionally, Peyton and Eli Manning will participate in a comedy sketch together.
Lil Wayne will begin the show with a performance, and music throughout the night will be provided by the House of Vibe All-Stars. The show will also feature a performance by five-time Grammy Award winner H.E.R. to commemorate the 30th anniversary of The V Foundation and Jim Valvano’s 1993 speech imploring viewers not to give up. Before the ESPYS begin, ESPN will air a new SC Featured documentary titled “The Speech,” featuring interviews with Valvano’s family members, ESPN personalities Chris Berman and Dick Vitale and former network president George Bodenheimer.
As the 2024 presidential campaign continues to heat up, Fox News has announced the seven reporters the network will embed with the candidates.
The seven reporters are Jamie Brennan, Kirill Clark, Deirdre Heavey, James Levinson, Claire O’Connor, Monica Oroz, and Matt Reidy.
Brennan has been with Fox News since 2016 and has served as a producer in the network’s Los Angeles bureau since 2020.
Both Kirill Clark and Deidre Heavey work in daytime programming for Fox News in the network’s New York bureau.
Levinson has previous experience reporting from conflict zones in Poland and Ukraine, but most recently covered the 2022 midterm elections.
O’Connor is currently a producer at Fox Business focusing on the economy and the White House.
Oroz was promoted to the position of Field Producer earlier this year in the network’s Los Angeles bureau.
Finally, Reidy began his career at Fox in 2018 and has since served as a producer on Fox News Sunday.
The reporters will be overseen by the Fox News political team. The seven reporters will cover campaign events from the early primary states through the 2024 Republican and Democratic National Conventions next summer.
Fox News becomes the latest outlet to name its embed reporter roster. Both ABC News and NBC News announced their embeds within a week of each other in June.
Beasley Media Group has cut two members of its staff at Philadelphia’s 97.5 The Fanatic. Afternoon show personality Hunter Brody of The Best Show Ever? was one of the two affected. The radio station’s Assistant Program Director and executive producer of The John Kincade Show, Eric Camille, was also let go.
Brody began his radio career interning with 97.3 ESPN in Atlantic City, NJ. He also launched a YouTube channel “Sports Talk with Brodes,” focusing on Philadelphia sports and news.
After serving as a producer and, eventually, afternoon drive host at 97.3 ESPN, Brody drew interest in Philadelphia. 97.5 The Fanatic hired Brody initially as a digital sports influencer. He later joined the afternoon show in August 2022 alongside Tyrone Johnson, Ricky Bottalico and Jen Scordo. The show replaced Mike Missanelli in afternoon drive after he departed the station a few months earlier.
Camille on the other hand was with the station since 2009. He was responsible for assisting program director Chuck Damico with day to day operations. He also oversaw the morning show and handled the station’s imaging.
“It makes me extremely sad, and upsetting for it to happen,” host Tyrone Johnson said on the air. “I’m not happy about it; I know my program director is not overly happy about it, but this is the profession that we chose, and this is where we are employed.”
“The post-Covid months have been a particularly challenging time in our industry,” a Beasley Media Group spokesperson said in a statement provided to RadioInsight. “Like other media companies, our markets have been directly impacted due to these uncertain economic conditions. As a result, we have proactively adjusted our operations accordingly to reflect the current financial climate.”
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced it has begun a nationwide search for a new Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Global Connections and Events.
After nearly 25 years of service to the NAB, Chris Brown — who currently serves in the role — will depart the organization following the 2024 NAB Show.
“Chris’s guidance and leadership have been critical to the success of NAB’s world-class conventions, which prepare broadcasters and the larger media and entertainment community for the challenges of tomorrow,” said NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt.
“Through his leadership, Chris has ensured that the entire NAB Show portfolio is constantly innovating to deliver a superior experience. During his tenure, the Show has remained among the ten largest shows in North America and the undisputed top global brand for the media space. I am personally grateful to Chris for his contributions to the success of our association and thank him for his many years of service.”
The NAB is seeking an experienced trade and business show strategist to serve as the chief ambassador for the organization to outside customers and partners.
More information on specific job responsibilities can be found here.
FOX Sports Films has announced that it has closed a multi-year deal with Religion of Sports to produce content accentuating iconic moments in sports history. The collaboration will implement historical footage, interviews and varying perspectives on the most memorable and enduring occasions spanning various leagues. The first film under the new deal will debut tonight at 11 p.m. EST/8 p.m. PST on FOX Sports 1, and is titled Baseball’s Greatest Moments with The Kid Mero: the MLB All-Star Game.
Joel Armogasto Martinez (“The Kid Mero”), who was a co-host of Desus & Mero across various different networks, will take viewers on a journey through 10 memorable moments that took place over the years at the MLB All-Star Game. FOX Sports will present the Midsummer Classic for the 24th time in network history on Tuesday night from Seattle, Wash., with coverage beginning at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST.
The two entities have worked together on various standalone projects in the past, most recently Searching for Shohei: An Interview Special. This hour-long special features an exclusive longform sit-down interview with Los Angeles Angels superstar two-way player Shohei Ohtani, conducted by Flippin’ Bats host Ben Verlander. Additionally, The Great Brady Heist documentary spotlighted the thievery and subsequent recovery of Tom Brady’s Super Bowl LI jersey by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“FOX Sports is excited about collaborating with Religion of Sports to spotlight captivating sports stories that are deeply ingrained in the heart of America’s culture,” Barry Nugent, FOX Sports vice president of development and original programming, said in a statement. “These new films will feature the renowned legends and intense rivalries that have thrilled fans for generations.”
The program will utilize archival footage and enticing commentary as Religion of Sports’ premium content engine enhanced FOX Sports library of content. Eric Shanks, chief executive officer of FOX Sports, served as an executive producer on the project. Mark Silverman, Charlie Dixon and Barry Nugent comprised the executive production team from FOX Sports and were joined by Religion of Sports CEO Ameeth Sankaran, along with founder Gotham Chopra and Victor Buhler.
The film is directed by Bradley Jackson, and is the first of many forthcoming projects under the partnership. Religion of Sports has produced various sports-related podcasts and documentaries, including Man in the Arena on ESPN+. Earlier this year though, the company eliminated its entire podcast division, causing 12 producers to lose their jobs.
The media entity, founded in 2016 by Tom Brady, Michael Strahan and Chopra, also completed a $50 million Series B funding round last year while winning a fifth Sports Emmy Award. The company has now funded $66 million across three rounds of funding, precipitating its growth in the saturated content marketplace. Last summer, it was reported that the venture had 17 unscripted projects in development, and now figures to have many of those on FOX-based platforms.
“Religion of Sports has built a foundation around storytelling and this deal marks new and exciting territory for the company,” Sankaran said in a statement. “We are thrilled to be able to partner with FOX Sports.”
Is Sean Casey’s media career over? Well, it appears to at least be on hold as the MLB Network analyst is on his way to the Bronx to take over as the hitting coach for the New York Yankees.
The MLB Network analyst is taking over for Dillon Lawson, who was let go over the weekend. Casey and manager Aaron Boone were teammates with the Cincinnati Reds in the early 2000s.
Casey’s playing career ended in 2008. He began his media career in 2009. He has been with MLB Network the entire time.
He has been used across nearly the entire program lineup. He is a regular contributor to MLB Tonight. He has also been a prominent part of the Spring Training series 30 Teams in 30 Days and the demonstration show Play Ball.
It has been just over a month since CNN CEO Chris Licht was fired after a disastrous profile in The Atlantic questioned his ability to lead the company going forward. CNN anchor Jake Tapper said the feeling at the network has been the opposite of doom and gloom.
In an interview with Kara Swisher for her On podcast, Tapper shared he was disappointed Licht’s tenure came to an abrupt end.
“I’m not here to judge whether the firing was the right thing to do. I’m bummed that it didn’t work out with Chris. I am,” admitted Tapper. “I’m bummed that it didn’t work out. But I will say that things are really good right now.”
He then added that the feels a close connection to the executives who place in charge of the network in Licht’s stead, so he couldn’t be unbiased about the current state of CNN.
“Take what I’m saying with a grain of salt,” Tapper said. “I think they’re doing a great job and the focus is back our journalism, not on palace intrigue and not on media criticism. And morale hasn’t been better in years.”
Tapper then was asked if the failings of Licht prove there isn’t an appetite for straight-down-the-middle news coverage.
“I think there is. That’s what I watch. That’s what I want to watch. I don’t want to watch anything else, and I do think most Americans feel that way,” he said. “It’s just that most Americans aren’t news junkies, and the ones who are, when there isn’t a big news story, might like, especially in prime time, putting on their team jerseys and rooting for their side. I think that’s certainly possible. But that’s not a long-term play. That’s a short-term business decision.
