Jamal Crawford is in his first year working full-time at Turner Sports. The three-time Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year was a regular analyst on NBA on TNT Tuesday with Adam Lefkoe, Candace Parker, and Shaquille O’Neal. Being in the media full-time was not something Crawford saw coming, but he enjoys talking about the game with others.
“I didn’t think this was the plan. When the pandemic hit, I started doing so many different podcasts and I didn’t realize I loved talking the game this much. It’s so cool that there are people out there that want to talk the game like I do….I love it and I got bit by the bug. The crazy thing is when I started going on TV, I started getting text messages like I would when I scored 20 on TV like when I was playing.”
During his first full year at Turner, Crawford mentioned that Turner Sports was the perfect place to start because the atmosphere was always fun.
“It was great. I’m not sure if I could have walked into a better place to start to be honest with you because there was no pressure. It was all fun. We’re always just like clowning around. The stuff behind the scenes is even better. Me and Shaq had a versus every single week. We’d pick a topic and we would ask people in the room what they wanted to hear and we’d go back and forth picking songs. Some of that stuff I’ll never forget, but working on that crew, it definitely made it a lot smoother for sure.”
As for his critiques on current players, Crawford told Redick and Alter that the goal for him is to be authentic in anything that does and that if the relationship was strong beforehand, then the player will understand where he’s coming from.
“I just try to be honest. I’ve always prided myself on being authentic, so I’m always trying to be honest. There’s a way you can get your point across without tearing somebody down. They understand someone missed a big shot or it was a different read they could have taken. You can say it without the shock value of screaming it or trying to belittle someone.
“At the end of the day, if the relationship is solid and it’s really there, they will understand and respect where you are coming from…My best friend said that would be the hardest challenge for me being in full-time media. There’s going to come a point where you have to say the truth or you’re going to have to kind of protect the friendship. My mindset is if I keep the game the main thing, I’ll always be guided in the right direction.”
Fred Jacobs is giving a preview of the information he will share as part of the All Access Audio Summit next week. He has good news for the sports radio format – as more listeners switch their consumption of live audio to digital methods, our format is well ahead of the curve.
Jacobs Media conducted a survey at the beginning of the year titled “Radio in the Post-Pandemic Era.” It is this year’s edition of the company’s TechSurvey series.
Respondents were asked about their familiarity with and use of their favorite stations’ mobile apps. Sports radio listeners came back overwhelmingly more likely to have downloaded and use those apps.
“Nearly four in ten smartphone/tablet owners say their favorite stations has an app and they’ve downloaded it,” Fred Jacobs said. “Sports radio fans are well out in front of this mobile competition.”
In what is surely a good sign for stations on the AM band, 54% of sports radio listeners have and use their goto station’s app, well above the overall average. Rock, Hot AC, and Classic Rock were the only other formats to achieve over 40% app usage.
The new TechSurvey also looks at new technology stations are using and how receptive listeners are. Fred Jacobs will present the full results on Wednesday as part of the All Access Audio Summit.
Twitter has officially taken the verified blue checkmark away from almost every user that hasn’t subscribed to its premium Twitter Blue service. FOX Sports Radio host Doug Gottlieb believes the verified stamp is now completely worthless.
“As of now, I’m not going to buy one unless my boss tells me to do it, or somebody who says business-wise ‘This is what you need to do’,” Gottlieb said Thursday. “Nobody’s really giving me any guidance. I like Twitter. I think there’s some downside to it. I’ll be totally honest with you. There have been moments in my life where I’ve been too engaged in it and missed part of the rest of my life, my real life. And I’ve tried to do a better job.”
Gottlieb then said he received backlash from his bosses while working for CBS Sports for his Twitter interactions.
“CBS got mad at me because I would reply to people. And they’re like ‘Don’t reply to people. They don’t matter’. I was like ‘Well, I don’t know. That’s kind of the platform. It’s like an open discussion’. Their take was it just doesn’t matter,” continued Gottlieb. “Like, you’re just welcoming somebody’s comments into a conversation that don’t belong. Don’t give them the time of day and they’ll just go away. I’ll readily admit, readily admit, that some people in the media should lose the right to comment on certain things. You don’t have to comment on everything, but I do think that evening the playing field is exactly what’s happened. And I don’t think that’s what should happen. I do think some people’s word should mean more.”
Gottlieb concluded by saying that some people will discuss topics they know nothing about. He pointed to recent comments made by CBS Sports NFL analyst Phil Simms who said Tom Brady would work better as a studio analyst than a game analyst as an example.
“You can dislike it all you want, but you actually don’t know anything about our business. And this allows people in the business, when you have people with verified check marks commenting, and randoms get caught up and it just kind of gets lost in the wash.”
Gottlieb added that his favorite part about Twitter is the “sports bar” type atmosphere it can provide during large events, but said “Once you start making people pay for things, it completely changed the dynamic”.
After starting at ABC News in 2006, Bruce joined This Week with George Stephanopoulos as a segment producer. She then transitioned to a role as a White House producer, before becoming a reporter with the organization. She was elevated to a lead campaign correspondent in 2020.
“For more than 15 years, Mary has been an integral part of our Washington team. As senior White House correspondent, she covered every step of the 2020 Biden campaign and election, which included the primaries, presidential and vice presidential debates, conventions, and five straight days of reporting as the winner was determined in the historic election,” ABC News President Kim Godwin wrote in an internal memo obtained by Deadline.
“She has traveled with President Biden to report on many of his domestic and foreign trips, including his recent visit to Ireland. Mary has also brought her reporting and insight to our coverage of the 2022 midterm election, State of the Union addresses, and President Biden’s historic trip to Ukraine.”
The elevation of Bruce comes as President Joe Biden is expected to officially announce his re-election bid in the coming days.
CNN has previously tried to bolster its Friday evening programming by adding the Overtime segment from Real Talk with Bill Maher in the 11:30 PM ET timeslot.
“Our viewers have come to expect real, authentic conversations with a rich variety of guests,” said Wallace. “We’ve really hit our stride this season and I’m excited to continue to bring these timely conversations to both HBO Max and CNN.”
Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? will also continue to stream on the reimagined Max streaming service when it launches on Tuesday, May 23rd.
In the show’s third season, which debuts on Friday, April 28th, guests will include Jay Leno, Carol Burnett, Bill Hader, and Miranda Lambert, among others.
95.5 WSB has announced changes to its daily lineup, with Chris Chandler being named the new host of Atlanta’s Morning News.
Chandler has worked as the station’s afternoon drive news anchor and will now transition to the 5:00-9:00 AM timeslot. Chandler will replace Scott Slade, who stepped away from the station in January for what, at the time, was called a “temporary” shift away from the early morning window. Slade had hosted the show since 1991.
“It is the honor of a career to step into one of the great heritage radio news programs in the country,” Chandler said. “Scott Slade can’t be replaced, but I’m committed to maintaining the integrity, consistency, and fairness he brought Atlanta’s Morning News over his legendary run.”
“95.5 WSB has such a deep roster of talent. I am excited to promote Chris to this new role. As part of the process, we took the time to examine the entire station lineup,” said Ken Charles, Director of Branding and Programming for 95.5 WSB. “Additionally, we asked our audience what they expected from WSB. These changes reflect those expectations and leverage our local stars to position the station for the future.”
The station is also flip-flopping two other programs in its daily lineup.
Mark Arum will move from his current afternoon timeslot to host the 9:00 AM-Noon show. He had previously hosted Atlanta’s News & Talk from 4:00-7:00 PM. However, Eric Von Haessler will move his The Von Haessler Doctrine to the afternoon timeslot.
“I couldn’t be more excited about this dynamic change to the weekday lineup,” said Arum. “I’m honored to be handed the keys to what truly is a legacy time slot on 95.5 WSB.”
“After being on in the mornings since 2017, I’m looking forward to the challenge of capturing another audience in afternoons, and I have no doubt listeners will enjoy Mark in the mornings,” Von Haessler said. “I used to come in at 6 a.m., not because I’m a good employee, but because I hate traffic, and not having to deal with that might be what I am most looking forward to.”
Those changes will take effect on Monday, May 1st.
It was announced yesterday that BuzzFeed News was shuttering after taking the digital media landscape by storm in the early 2010s.
The company made the decision to close the outlet to put more focus on HuffPost. CEO Jonah Peretti told employees the company made a mistake.
“I made the decision to overinvest in BuzzFeed News because I love their work and mission so much,” Peretti acknowledged. “This made me slow to accept that the big platforms wouldn’t provide the distribution or financial support required to support premium, free journalism purpose-built for social media.
“I regret that I didn’t hold the company to higher standards for profitability, to give us the buffer needed to manage through economic and industry downturns.”
Ben Smith was the first Editor-in-Chief of the digital outlet. He claims he worked diligently to bolster its investigative journalism division during his tenure. He added that the downfall of the organization is the final nail in the coffin between journalistic endeavors and social media platforms.
“I do think it makes really clear the relationship between news publishers and social media is pretty much over,” Smith told CNN’s Oliver Darcy.
“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about when the tide turned. I have a book coming out in a couple of weeks, called “Traffic”, that tries to tell the story of the era — the rise of a new kind of digital media in the early 2000s in lower Manhattan,” Smith wrote on Semafor. “Much of it is about that turn, between 2015 and 2017, to a darker societal view of social media, to the platforms’ flight from increasingly toxic global politics, and away from the internet BuzzFeed shaped and thrived on.”
Smith departed the digital outlet in 2020 for a position with The New York Times. He ultimately departed the Grey Lady to co-found news startup Semafor with Justin B. Smith.
BuzzFeed News grew to prominence during a time in Facebook’s history when it amplified links to outside sources. As the social media giant grew, changes in its algorithm continually limited the reach of organizations like BuzzFeed News to the point of closure.
After the announcement of BuzzFeed News’ demise, the company’s stock price dropped by 20%.
Pete Buttigieg, the US Secretary of Transportation, has recently addressed the issue of safeguarding AM radio in electric vehicles (EVs). During an interview on Washington Watch, he was questioned about the Department of Transportation’s approach towards automakers who are eliminating this radio frequency band.
According to Radio INK, Seven ex-FEMA administrators wrote to Congress members and Secretary Buttigieg in February, highlighting the significance of AM radio in the infrastructure of the National Public Warning System. This system, operated by FEMA, conveys emergency alerts and warning messages to the public during natural disasters and severe weather conditions.
“We certainly recognize the importance and the important role that AM radio has played and continues to play about people getting information that they need for safety, notably but not only when it comes to weather emergencies, and one thing we know about these times is that weather emergencies are becoming more frequent and more severe,” said Buttigieg.
Recently, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) unveiled a new initiative emphasizing the significance of AM radio in automobiles for news updates, community involvement, entertainment, and crucial public safety information.
“While I don’t know of a formal legal role that we have about that, it’s certainly something that will be on our mind as we remain in dialogue with the auto industry and related industries regarding transportation,” added Buttigieg.
Madison Shipman knows what it is like to compete for glory, and she hopes to impart the knowledge she learned from the softball field to baseball fans this season. Taking a swing to enter baseball was a calculated risk for Shipman, who had previously been contributing to softball coverage on ESPN and the SEC Network. It took immense preparation and an alacrity to make adjustments to her process in order to give herself a broad pedagogy into Major League Baseball at large.
“It’s been really fun to kind of dive into a different sport the same way that I would softball,” Shipman said, “[and] just getting to learn these players on a different level. You know that they play on such a high level every single day [and also] hearing the background stories of how they got to that point and the hard work that they put in the offseason.”
At a glance, baseball and softball are two sports based on a similar premise: scoring more runs than the other team. While similar principles apply, the means in which they are executed differ in softball because of the sizes of equipment, the underhand delivery of pitches and distance between the bases. Moreover, there are subtleties within the sport that Shipman is attempting to discern, such as the evolution of swings, approach towards fielding and physics of pitching. The analysis process is similar in and of itself, but expressing a comprehensive and logical point comes from understanding the game and combining it with unique, proprietary experience.
All of it, however, has arguably been sped up due to the strict enforcement of the pitch clock, a new part of the game absent from when Shipman consumed baseball in her youth. It has impacted both pitchers and hitters and provided the sport a more paradigmatic rhythm, favorable towards younger demographics. Combined with the young star power of the game with transcendent athletes including Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout and Sandy Alcántara, baseball is making a conscious effort to adapt to changes in media consumption and distribution. At the same time, it does not want to let go of the tradition that rendered it one of the world’s most popular and sustainable sports, and is endeavoring to amalgamate innovation with the innate purity of the game.
“I try to put myself back into my player shoes and try to think of how much time I was taking in-between pitches as a batter,” Shipman said. “I was somebody that never liked to step out of the box really, so I’m not sure it would have affected me a ton, but I think there are some players who have a very routine-oriented way that they step into the box. They kind of have to adjust how they do their routine up at the plate.”
Shipman played softball throughout her time as a student at Valencia High School and was named the No. 2 national recruit in the United States by ESPN and RISE Softball in 2010. In high school, she was named to the first team All-California Interscholastic Federation and received honors from The Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News among other publications.
By the time she took the field at the University of Tennessee, Shipman was quickly inserted into the starting lineup as the starting shortstop. She hit .292 as a freshman. Every game she played from the time she was a sophomore to a senior was as the starting shortstop, and helped lead the team to back-to-back Women’s College World Series appearances. Every year, her statistics gradually improved, so much so that she hit .416 as a senior with 18 home runs and an .833 slugging percentage. Her performance merited various honors at the season’s end, taking home the SEC Player of the Year award, along with the Senior CLASS Award and the Honda Sports Award as the top softball player in the country. Through the various tournaments, her team competed in, along with her abilities as a player, Shipman was frequently interviewed by those covering softball for major television networks.
“We got to do stuff with Holly Rowe and Jessica Mendoza and Michele Smith and Beth Mowins just to kind of prepare for the World Series [in 2013],” Shipman said. “I always tried to do my best in those interviews, and now when I look back at some of those interviews, I cringe just a little bit just because I was so young and so new to everything. Still, we made it a point of emphasis to be as poised as possible in those interviews.”
Following her senior season, Shipman remained in Knoxville, Tenn. with the Volunteers as a volunteer assistant coaching, offering her expertise to players and helping the team continue to improve as a whole. One of the means through which she achieved that goal was by repeatedly engaging in film study in an effort to extrapolate the tendencies and strategies of opponents. As a versatile broadcaster, she takes a similar approach into learning about both softball and baseball teams, and employs her observations in order to make clear and effective points.
“I tap back into the coaching side of things, and I will just watch game after game after game,” Shipman said. “I love diving into the hitters specifically and maybe something that they do in their swing that makes them successful.”
Shipman spent the ensuing four seasons as a volunteer assistant coach, but experienced an ostensible change of heart prior to the 2018 season and proceeded to move away from the game entirely. It turns out that executives at SEC Network had been keeping an eye on her for many years, viewing Shipman as a personality who could easily make the transition to sports media and invited her to audition. It was an opportunity she never thought of passing up despite having no experience on television and being handed a rundown at the audition with terminology that was all very new to her.
Once she landed the role, Shipman expeditiously immersed herself into softball coverage both as a studio analyst and color commentator for select Tennessee Volunteers games on linear and digital platforms. Personalities at the SEC Network, including Amanda Scarborough and Kayla Braud, took the time to reach out to Shipman and offer her assistance in learning how to discuss the game and experience success on television. Additionally, Laura Rutledge inspired Shipman to continue to work at her craft when they worked together at an SEC Tournament, especially when she quickly shifted from talking about softball to doing live golf hits for ESPN.
“I feel in my element because I get to talk about a game that I absolutely love and have been playing or coaching and been around for my entire life,” Shipman said.
Throwback Throwdown could not have been more fun! And yes, my arm is sore today. I’m glad I don’t have to try to throw Kayla out anymore. Thank you to everyone for all of their hard work to make this happen! @KaylaBraud1@ericfrede@megaronowitzpic.twitter.com/7QwHu1ZAxO
Shipman believes her fastidious preparation for studio coverage helps her in being adept to move over to calling games and vice versa. It is in how the information she has learned and the perspectives she brings are delivered that differentiates one from the other. Nonetheless, it is all predicated on watching film, conversing with athletes and coaches around the sport and developing rapport with her colleagues.
Through learning the style of different play-by-play announcers, Shipman has been able to adapt her style to fit the broadcast. At the same time, her broadcast partners have taken the time to learn more about how she approaches analysis. In describing her style, Shipman expressed how it was influenced by her father, who enjoyed watching baseball games where it felt like the announcers were sitting in the living room having a laidback conversation.
“I want to be teaching you maybe something about the game that you didn’t know before you started watching the game, or teaching you something about one of the players that’s on the field that maybe you didn’t know, but to do it in such a casual way and even in a fun way,” Shipman said. “I tend to be sarcastic at times every once in a while just so you’re fully enjoying the game, but also learning something about that particular team or player; whatever it might be.”
Over the last several years, the trajectory of women’s sports in terms of viewership has been steadily increasing. Last year’s Women’s College World Series averaged approximately 1 million viewers per game for the third consecutive year. Additionally, two games aired on ABC for the first time in the history of the tournament, giving linear television viewers an opportunity to be exposed to new athletes and new voices alike. Similarly, the 2022 Little League Softball World Series posted record viewership numbers – 294,000 across its two primary linear channels (ESPN; ESPN2) – the most since the tournament’s expansion occurred in 2017.
Outside of media growth, analyzing the changes in attendance reinforces the assertion that softball is on the rise. The Women’s College World Series set attendance records in both its first and second sessions last year, and Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla. added an upper deck to its facility in 2019 to accommodate more fans.
“There’s so many stadiums across the country where you just cannot build enough seats [and] people are trying to pack themselves in,” Shipman said. “It seems this year in particular, record-setting crowds are happening left and right. I think it’s phenomenal that these institutions have invested as much as they have into the sport of softball. Some of the facilities that you’re seeing out there are absolutely incredible, and I don’t think that growth is stopping anytime soon.”
While softball itself is predominantly played by women, professional baseball has seen few women take the field at all, let alone none at the major league level. There are, however, plenty of women working in Major League Baseball and professional sports in roles pertaining to scouting, coaching, game presentation and digital content creation. Unfortunately, many women encounter misogyny from colleagues and consumers; however, the possibility of that has not stopped Shipman and many other women from maintaining their pace and encompassing what it means to be trailblazers.
“I called my first baseball game last year kind of taking advantage of the fact that I live in Knoxville,” Shipman said. “I had asked to jump on a Tennessee baseball broadcast and they absolutely let me do it, and everybody was very welcoming.”
Although she is working remotely on Toronto Blue Jays broadcasts on SportsNet, Shipman has assimilated into the role and with it, become more comfortable discussing baseball. There are challenges she faces broadcasting in this way, largely due to the delay between the moment she speaks and hears from the studio host, but she has grown used to it and adapts to make it work. As she continues to penetrate into the industry, Shipman takes a similar approach to her role in sports media as she did as a player or a coach: steadily improving on a daily basis.
“I’m always probably the harshest critic when it comes to my own analysis of stuff. With the growth of the sport, softball in particular, I just always tell my bosses, ‘I want to do as much as possible; I want to do as many games as possible,’ of course for myself, but also to help grow the game.”
Whether it is on the field, in the dugout or perched high in the broadcast booth, Madison Shipman’s infatuation with the game of softball shines through. Now as she pairs her softball experience with an analyst position on Toronto Blue Jays broadcasts, she intends to ensure she continues to flourish both at a local and national level. Through preparation, persistence and passion, she wants more chances to engender the amplification of softball – and she seems to possess the work ethic and dedication to do it.
“Always work hard in whatever it is – whether it’s sports broadcasting or accounting or whatever you want to get into – just putting your full effort into everything every single day, I think is something that I’ve always lived by whether it be softball or something else,” Shipman said. “If your full heart is in it; if you’re passionate about it and you’re working hard, that hard work and passion is definitely going to overflow in the work that you do no matter what it is.”
Sean Spicer, the ex-White House Press Secretary and former host of Newsmax TV, departed from his television position after a three-year tenure at the network. On Thursday, Spicer spoke with WIBC Radio’s Tony Katz on his podcast “Tony Katz Today” to express his views on his exit.
“I have some new opportunities that I will share soon, and most of it comes down to having the freedom to do a lot more of what I want in a forum in which I want to do it,” said Spicer. “Meaning to do it independently as opposed to through a network.”
Spicer expressed his fondness for his stint at Newsmax and appreciated the chance they gave him. He further stated that his departure from the network was amicable.
“They are moving forward in a direction that I had 44 minutes of television that I could do; I have a project that I am working on that I will be announcing very soon,” Spicer said. “It was quite simply the opportunity to go and do more content that I wanted to do. When you work for a network, it’s their network, their show, their timing, and I appreciate what they did for me and the opportunities they gave me.”
According to Spicer, he talked with Newsmax about their plans for the next couple of years. After careful consideration, he chose to have faith in himself and plan accordingly.
“You look at what the folks at the Daily Wire have done, Megyn Kelly, Liz Wheeler, Dana Loesch, and I said I like what they’re doing, and I had conversations with all of them over the last couple of years, and I had some conversations about what it would take to do something that I wanted to do, so that’s the avenue we are heading down.”
Spicer stated that he is not prepared to disclose his complete plans at this time.
“There is something about being a W2 employee, which I was at Newsmax, some benefits that go along with that, but there’s something about being your boss,” Spicer added. “From the models I’ve put together and the marketing team and the sponsorships, the money part is going to be just fine, fingers crossed.”
In addition, Spicer mentioned his excitement about engaging in discussions with guests on his platform without the limitations of time and editorial direction.
