Former President Donald Trump is set to have an exclusive one-on-one interview with Tucker Carlson, airing on Tuesday, April 11th at 8 p.m. The interview will take place at Mar-a-Lago and will be Trump’s first media appearance following his recent indictment on 34 felony charges. According to Fox News, the discussion will touch upon various topics, including the indictment, the upcoming presidential election, and current events.
Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 34 felony charges related to his purported involvement in a scheme. This plea was made after an extraordinary visit to the courthouse by Trump, who became the first former president to be indicted. Trump submitted his plea in a Manhattan courtroom following his surrender to the authorities just a few hours earlier.
According to the network, throughout March, “Tucker Carlson Tonight” commanded the top spot as the most-watched program on cable news among both viewers and the 25-54 demographic. With an average viewership of 3.3 million and a 421,000-strong audience in the younger demographic, the show outshone all other cable news programs across the board.
On Wednesday, Variety exposed Don Lemon’s alleged egregious behavior, documenting that he had exhibited questionable conduct since joining CNN in 2006. The report stated that he had sent malicious texts, mocked female colleagues, and engaged in “diva-like behavior.”
Gerry Callahan, a longtime Newsmax contributor and radio host, stated that Lemon dislikes his morning co-hosts. Still, he doubts Lemon will be fired, despite the increasing evidence of workplace violations he has committed over the years.
“His ratings have sucked in every daypart, but he survives; it pays to be a box-checker,” said Callahan. “I don’t want him to get fired; I watch him off and on in the mornings just for laughs; he’s so bad. You can tell he doesn’t like his co-hosts and is only concerned with his appearance. He’s very stylish, and he’s always concerned about what angle the camera is at.”
Within the Variety article, several ex-colleagues of Lemon expressed their discontent towards him, including Goldie Taylor, who previously consulted for CNN and appeared on Lemon’s weekend show. Taylor stated that she was prohibited from appearing on the program after speaking out against Lemon for controversial comments about the Black community. She added that Lemon’s conduct did not surprise her and that it appeared he tended to single out women.
“He’s just such a narcist, but he entertains me; keep him around,” Callahan added.
Could your job be replaced by Artificial Intelligence? What about ChatGPT?
Those are the water cooler conversations that have been happening all over the country over the last few weeks following more reports of both products becoming more prevalent in every day life.
In radio, much of what we do is automated far beyond what the listener envisions. They likely have visions of what radio stations looked like a generation or two ago, not what they look like in 2023..
Like it or not, that’s the reality of how the industry has operated. Some of those decisions have been solid business moves, some have been short-sighted and hurt the product over the long haul.
But as we look to the next wave of technology, who should be concerned about AI and/or products like ChatGPT?
Anchors, reporters, play-by-play announcers would be the obvious on-air (no pun intended) targets of AI.
Just check out this AI call from some trials being done at The Masters this week.
We got a sneak peek at the Masters app’s new AI commentary, which’ll be live this week.
@IBMWatson has trained a language model to learn golf and deliver insights in real time like an announcer would. Here’s an example of what it’ll sound like. pic.twitter.com/Epij5Rcvse
Sure, it’s not Jim Nantz. But it’s not too shabby.
Meantime, if AI is getting smart enough to do play-by-play, it’s easy to see how the idea of an AI-generated news or sports anchor would be an obvious “next”. Heck, in China, there is already an AI news anchor who works 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. China’s state-owned news outlet People Daily unveiled its new presenter named “Ren Xiaorong” in a video posted on the country’s main social media platform Weibo last month.
Here’s that video. And no, don’t ask me for an interpretation.
Then, there’s ChatGPT. It’s essentially a simulated chatbot primarily designed for customer service, but people use it for various other purposes too. These range from writing essays to drafting business plans, to generating code.
There will come a day when a product like ChatGPT could easily displace thousands of news and sports reporters around the country. How about AI-driven AP wire writers?
Granted, none of this is happening tomorrow, next week, or next year, but it would be naive to think that this day could not ultimately come.
However, enter: creative, opinion-driven, talk show hosts.
I have a hard time seeing anywhere in the near future how AI could inject the personality, insight, humor, interaction, and conversational nature of a talk show host to put together a show that is fast-paced, original, and can and will need to change on the fly. This feels like a bridge too far, at least in my lifetime.
That’s not to say that there aren’t ever going to be job cuts. There will be. That’s how it works. But as many white-collar jobs are the expected target of AI jobs in the future (Business Insider listed some of the top potential jobs on the chopping block), it’s safe to say that as long as people still desire talk-driven content in any format, we should be safe. For now… I think?
Then again, someone will need to fix these AI machines and software systems, right?
Maybe I should brush up on my coding, just in case.
Baseball in the calendar year 2023 looks and feels drastically different with history being made in ways never before perceived as possible. The pitch clock has had a dual effect in that it has correlated to a shorter average game duration of two hours and 38 minutes – down from last year’s figure of three hours and eight minutes), but has also caused batters to accumulate balls or strikes through a timer violation of some kind. As a play-by-play announcer, Mike Monaco precipitously felt the effect of the rule changes when calling a Boston Red Sox spring training game against the Atlanta Braves. The score was tied at 6, and the Braves had the bases loaded with a chance to win the game.
On a 3-2 count with two outs in the ninth inning, Red Sox pitcher Robert Kwiatkowski prepared to deliver a potential game-altering pitch; however, the umpire quickly gestured to stop play and mark a seminal moment in baseball history. Atlanta Braves shortstop Cal Conley was called out without a pitch being thrown since he was not set in the batter’s box with at least eight seconds to go.
The crowd at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, spring training home of the Boston Red Sox, had just witnessed something new: the first professional baseball game to end on a pitch clock violation, and in a tie nonetheless. “America’s Pastime” has officially been altered, and now there is no turning back.
“I said to Lou Merloni – who had just finished calling his first Red Sox TV game because his experience in the past had been on radio for Red Sox broadcasts – I said, ‘Did you think you’d go viral in your first game in the booth?,’” Monaco recalls. “It was a crazy ending, and at that point, we were still sifting through the mechanics of the call.”
Just as the new rule alters pitchers in terms of their usual sequence, it has changed the way hitters approach a plate appearance. Because they are only allowed to call for a timeout once per at bat, along with the fact that they need to be ready at the plate by the point in the countdown where at least eight seconds are remaining, batters must remain focused and locked in at all times.
Moreover, the institution of the pitch clock has, in essence, altered the sound of a game broadcast and forced commentators to render their points more compendious and succinct in nature.
“It’s made me rethink about how I set up stories and how quickly I try to get into something,” Monaco expressed. “In the past, you might be able to meander into something and then kind of get your story started and your point across in a more ‘folksy’ way that we always think of with baseball broadcasting. It’s definitely changed how I view it from a broadcast perspective.”
In listening back to the call, Monaco’s reaction is obviously one of shock and mesmerization, and it can be discerned that most viewers felt the same way. As a broadcaster, he portrayed the feelings of the audience at that moment, demonstrating his adept versatility and instincts.
https://youtu.be/MHXYwm61Yfg
Make no mistake about it – Monaco is familiar with the history of the Boston Red Sox. He has been watching the team both at Fenway Park and at home since he was young, and he considers their play to have been a vehicle that fueled his love of sports. Reflecting on his time as a young Boston sports fan, he realizes that he was spoiled with success, highlighted by the Red Sox breaking the infamous, 86-year “Curse of the Bambino” when the team won the 2004 World Series.
Since the turn of the century, the New England Patriots, led by head coach Bill Belicheck and quarterback Tom Brady, formed a dynasty and won six Super Bowl championships. The Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins have had formidable chances to win multiple titles over the last 20 years as well, with the teams securing glory in 2008 and 2011, respectively.
Aside from being an avid fan of the teams, Monaco was an athlete himself, yet inherently aware that he had no chance of completing the path to competing professionally. As a student at Cohasset High School, Monaco played baseball and basketball and, in his senior year, was named captain of the soccer team. When it was time to think about applying to college, Monaco decided to try and study to become a general manager of a Major League Baseball team, an occupation with only, at most, 30 potential job openings.
During his formative years as an undergraduate student attending the University of Notre Dame, Monaco remained focused on his classwork but joined various campus organizations including the school’s newspaper and radio station.
Through opportunities to write and broadcast on these platforms, he recognized that he wanted to pursue a career in sports media, leading him to major in journalism and learn the trade. From Notre Dame softball games, fencing events and even football contests between different dorms, Monaco covered all different types of sports at a high level, and also worked to develop hosting skills in the campus radio studios.
Additionally, he was promoted to sports editor of the school newspaper and had the ability to cover events and write a variety of stories disseminated to the local community. The athletic department’s decision to begin streaming games engendered additional chances for him to take the microphone, providing him with a litany of repetitions and the credentials needed to land an internship.
“For two years in college in the summers, I interned in the Cape Cod Baseball League calling baseball games,” Monaco said. “It was 44 games in a little less than two months, so basically a game every day. I knew that I loved it; I loved hanging out at the batting cages during batting practice in the afternoons and talking to players and coaches, and it’s really cool how many guys I know from there.”
The Wareham Gatemen, the team for whom he called these games, exposed him to the quotidian nature of the sport and how to prepare and execute broadcasts. Before that though in the summer after his freshman year, Monaco had interned with New England Sports Network (NESN), specifically on its Boston Red Sox broadcasts.
For select games, his role was to sit in an edit bay throughout the duration of the Red Sox game and help produce a 30-second commercial for the next contest. By being present, he discerned the conversations happening in the broadcast truck between producers, directors, broadcasters, and other personnel. It allowed him to develop a cognizance of industry jargon, invaluable to cultivating a fastidious approach in his preparation that continues to pay dividends today.
“There’s no shortcut for it,” Monaco said of preparation, “and it’s the baseline expectation of a fanbase tuning into your game, whether that’s a national broadcast or a local broadcast. They are watching because they care so much about the team – or maybe about a family member or a friend on the team – or just fandom. You can’t cheat that, and you can’t shortcut it.”
By the time he was a senior at the university, Monaco became a media assistant with the South Bend Cubs in its first year as a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The roster featured future major league players to go with an environment where development was at the top of mind.
By that fall, he was off to Western Michigan University, not to attain another degree, but to broadcast its basketball games, marking his first job out of college with some pressure to prove the people that took a chance on him sagacious in doing so. The games were televised on ESPN3, granting the production team the capability to establish its own identity and make the broadcasts unique and compelling to watch.
“It gave me a chance on air to try different things and to make mistakes and to learn,” Monaco said. “….Through the basketball season, [I found] ways to tell stories about the same team and [not only covered] them each time I had their game, but [tried] to bring something new to it. It was an amazing experience.”
The next spring, Monaco resumed his baseball duties – this time with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, a minor league affiliate of the San Diego Padres. In broadcasting a sport with an average of less than 20 minutes of action, a fundamental aspect of the job is in attracting and maintaining an audience, something that is often done by being invested in the game while having synergy with on-air partners.
“To really be a good partner and a good teammate, even with the production crew as well, and to accentuate the other people that are a part of the broadcast and to bring out their strengths and be a good point guard so to speak,” Monaco described as part of his role. “That’s a lot of what I think being a play-by-play [announcer] is – to have that role and to hopefully put others in a position to be successful and make them feel comfortable and bring out their best characteristics.”
Over the time Monaco assimilated into working professionally in sports media, he sought out and received advice from many prominent broadcasters in the field, such as Sean McDonough, Adam Amin, and Len Kasper. As time has gone on, he has established relationships with Brian Anderson and Jason Benetti, receiving insight and expertise into what it takes to succeed in the industry and how to best position himself moving forward. One method anyone pursuing a career in most professions could take is by aligning oneself with a proven commodity, something that has been refined and established with the proper ethos.
By joining the Pawtucket Red Sox as an intern in broadcast and media relations in the spring of 2017, Monaco was doing just that. The organization has a long list of alumni who have made the transition from the minors to the majors over the years, including Cincinnati Bengals radio play-by-play voice Dan Hoard; San Francisco Giants broadcaster Dave Flemming; and New York Mets television play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen. Yet when he joined the organization, regularly going on air was no guarantee, and the situation became more unpredictable when the team landed a local television deal.
In the end, Monaco was assigned to broadcast Saturday home games in the first season and performed other tasks under Josh Maurer and Will Flemming, both of whom now broadcast Major League Baseball games on the radio. When Flemming received a chance to broadcast Boston Red Sox games, Monaco was paired in the booth with Maurer, forming a duo that called games throughout the course of the 2019 season.
“You’re right in the Boston market basically, and there’s coverage from Red Sox media of the PawSox, [so] that was a great learning experience too [in] being a step closer to the major leagues and seeing how things operate. It was three amazing years there, and I’m still really close with all those people and wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
In the midst of his final season with the Pawtucket Red Sox, Boston play-by-play announcer Dave O’Brien was unable to broadcast two late-season home games against the Baltimore Orioles. As a result, Monaco was paired with Jerry Remy and Dennis Eckersely, officially receiving his call to the show and a new vantage point from which to watch the game at historic Fenway Park.
“Two of the biggest days of my career to that point and two days that I still hold really closely to my heart,” Monaco said of the occurrence. “I was incredibly excited. I couldn’t believe [it] when they called me to tell me that they were going to have me fill in for Dave. It was an honor then to fill in, and it’s an honor any time I fill in now.”
Broadcasting his childhood team alongside Remy and Eckersley was somewhat intimidating for Monaco, but an opportunity he knew he would never pass up. Feeling excitement, nerves and disbelief as he entered the NESN broadcast booth, he remembers both color commentators making him feel comfortable and affirming the value his intellect and impressions garnered. They offered to adjust to him and try to make the broadcast as enjoyable as possible, helping make that stretch even more memorable.
“I’ll never forget [that], and I hope to pass that on to any new partner that I work with at whatever level down the road,” Monaco expressed. “They really did go out of their way to make me feel like I was supposed to be there and that my opinions, thoughts and words were as valuable as theirs. Certainly, the experience factor says otherwise.”
Since that time, Monaco has had several chances to broadcast Red Sox games on NESN, requiring somewhat of an adjustment from his days in the minor leagues. Additionally, he has been given the chance to fill in for Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox games in parts of the last few years.
For starters, Major League Baseball teams, especially in large markets, receive what may seem like an interminable amount of press. As a result, there is an unimpeded circulation of news, analysis, statistics and other information that factors into the broadcast. Furthermore, a large proportion of fans are recurring viewers of content related to their favorite teams, indicating that they comprehensively and instantaneously know the ins and outs of what is happening.
“There’s just a baseline understanding between announcers and [the] audience of who guys are that I [do not] necessarily need to rehash a player’s backstory when I’m doing a game on NESN,” Monaco said, “whereas there’s maybe a little bit more introduction of who someone is in the minor leagues to a listener in a town where the fanbase isn’t as big.”
Around the time when he began working with the Pawtucket Red Sox, Monaco signed a deal to broadcast games for FOX Sports and the Big Ten Network including football, soccer, volleyball, and lacrosse. Calling myriad sports with varying rules and rosters without a fixed, recurring role took an adjustment period, but fostered an even greater sense of versatility and value in his craft.
“There have been times in the fall or even in the spring where I might have five games in five days and they might be three different sports,” Monaco said. “Trying to keep everything straight is a challenge, but it’s also the joy in this and it’s why you get into it in the first place. It doesn’t feel like work.”
Although he continues to keep in touch with lead NHL on ESPN play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough, Monaco says that their relationship had no direct influence on his joining the network in 2019. It took considerable effort for Monaco to learn the game well enough to be considered for professional broadcasting roles, and surely his time calling college hockey at Notre Dame gave him somewhat of a background in the nuances of a sport predicated on dynamic action.
Last March, he made his debut and today calls a variety of national contests throughout the course of the regular season; in fact, he estimates that, at this point, he has worked with nearly every one of the property’s analysts.
“I’ve learned a ton just from sitting next to them at a morning skate [and] over the course of a two-and-a-half hour broadcast as well,” Monaco said. “It’s an incredibly challenging sport to call, but it’s incredibly rewarding.”
The skill and abilities of the athletes to play with finesse and physicality on the ice make the sport somewhat of an outlier in that no matter the situation, fans are always at the edge of their seats. In an era with interminable amounts of distraction and other activities to engross oneself in, hockey shines through and holds its broadcasters to a high standard to keep up and cohesively describe the game.
“It’s the fastest sport there is,” Monaco said. “That’s a reason why I think from a sheer fan entertainment perspective, I think it’s the most enjoyable sport. If you plop down at a sporting event, it’s the most enjoyable sport to watch in person because of how fast it moves paired with the incredible skill in the game.”
No matter the broadcast, commentators have set a standard since the advent of sports media in acting as acquiring information and delivering it on the broadcast, instantiated in an objective manner. Although there is opinion imbued in sports broadcasting, stellar broadcasts utilize it to contribute to the game story rather than attack individuals personally. In having a platform with the capability of reaching a large number of people, Monaco and his broadcast team, whether it is on NESN, ESPN, or the ACC Network for college football, has a responsibility to precisely depict the game and, if the situation calls for it, accompany it with mirthful moments.
“If someone has a career game, that might be the biggest moment of their life at that point,” Monaco said. “I feel a duty to be prepared to hopefully tell that story accurately for how that person got to this point and what this moment means for them.”
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the time thereafter, a question about sending broadcasters to road games has been posed throughout the industry – and it made gathering stories to tell considerably more difficult. Those opposing broadcasts on the road usually cite how it hurts teams financially and that a comparable product can be generated from a remote site, while those in favor talk about the importance of being able to discern the whole game and gain intangibles through their observations.
In Major League Baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Angels are the only franchises that do not send their English radio announcers on the road for games – and they have received a fair amount of backlash for their decisions.
Monaco is of the belief that broadcasts sound better when announcers travel with the team and call the games in person, but also understands the other side of the quandary. There were occasions when he flew back home to Chicago just to call a game remotely, and he still continues to do so in special circumstances. He knows the stretch of time doing it regularly was a challenge for him and adjusted his means of preparation. The relationships with those around the industry made the time easier in keeping an open line of communication and remaining in the subconscious of decision-makers.
“I think in any industry that’s probably the name of the game,” Monaco said of relationship building. “In any walk of life, it’s great. What you’ve done and what you’re capable of, but also who you know is really important.”
While he tries to resist thinking about future goals and instead remain grounded in everything he is presently doing, Monaco knows he wants to continue broadcasting meaningful games and telling stories to an audience. There are many people with this same desire, making sports media a particularly competitive and sometimes cutthroat industry in which to work wherefore establishing a work ethic is of the utmost importance. In addition, astutely watching other broadcasters and reaching out to get feedback demonstrates humility and a yearning to enhance one’s skills and adapt.
Quite simply, staying ahead of the curve is crucial in staying in the industry, and while there is a certain allure to tradition, the industry continues to look forward and find new ways to implement its talent and showcase the best the games have to offer.
“There’s no substitute for the hard work component,” Monaco said. “….Just bring a thirst and a great unparalleled work ethic to it.”
During the nationally syndicated “Clay& Buck” show on Thursday, Clay Travis, the founder of Outkick, disclosed to his audience that he had previously lost a sponsorship deal with Jack Daniels because of his political beliefs. Travis has previously criticized advertising agencies for allowing political bias to affect their purchasing decisions, particularly on his program “Clay & Buck.”
“I sit here and think, how do we return to normalcy?” Travis said. “Nike and Bud Light are two of the biggest ad spenders ever. Nike and Bud Light would never spend money on this radio show because Buck and I are too controversial, and our opinions on this show are too controversial to be associated with beer and tennis shoes.”
Travis stated that a couple of years ago, he was scheduled to attend a paid appearance sponsored by Jack Daniels.
“I’m not opposed to whiskey, I’m not opposed to alcohol, they reached out to me here in Nashville where I live,” he said. “They said we will pay you several thousand dollars to show up and take a couple of whiskey drinks; I was like, fine, I’ll do it.”
The week before the appearance, Travis said news broke about one of the schools Travis is an alum of, Vanderbilt University, planning to spend more than a million dollars to remove the term “Confederate” from a 19th-century building. The building was designed to honor the soldiers that fought for the Confederate Army.
“Nobody could even see it; nobody even knew that it said Confederate anymore,” he added. “I came out, and I said this to me is everything that is wrong with trying to wokeify our history. I disagree with it as an alum of Vanderbilt University.”
Travis said that when he made that statement, Jack Daniels canceled his endorsement appearance and told him they could no longer be affiliated with him.
“Just for sharing my opinion that the word ‘Confederate’ shouldn’t pay a million dollars at Vanderbilt University to have the word sandblasted off a building. I think the idea that we completely erase a historically relevant issue is a bad precedent to set.”
The NFL Draft is coming up in a few weeks, and a lot of draft experts have been weighing in with their picks and projections.
Some analysts are more right than others. And on In The Loop on Sports Radio 610 in Houston, co-host Landry Locker said ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has generally had a pretty solid track record of projecting picks. But he hasn’t been all right all the time.
“Mel Kiper’s had some interesting takes over the course of his career especially when it comes to quarterbacks,” Locker said. “Now I think Mel Kiper is a legend, I think Mel Kiper is hall of fame caliber. I think Mel Kiper is entertaining. Mel Kiper he falls into the area that I was talking about in which he has to pick a quarterback.”
“Mel Kiper’s putting together these lists and stuff so a lot of times he’s trying to turn chicken ish into chicken salad,” Locker added. “And we have fun with what he says. But he’s one of the best to ever do it. He’s one of the voices of my childhood, one of the faces of my childhood.”
Kiper in 2014 thought Johnny Manziel would go number one overall to the Houston Texans. That year Houston drafted Jadeveon Clowney out of South Carolina with the first selection. Manziel wasn’t even the first quarterback drafted that year. The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Blake Bortles third overall. Manziel didn’t come off the board until 22nd overall to the Cleveland Browns.
Co-host John Lopez said he was surprised that there weren’t as many instances of Kiper being incorrect. That speaks to his credibility.
“You’d think there’d be a lot more,” he said. “For as much as he’s done it, he’s pretty right more often than not.”
Some clients do no radio but spend on SEO, Google, and Facebook. They see radio as an outdated, non-targeted ad spend. We have other advertisers who spend on radio and digital.
There are a lot more local clients not spending on radio at all. A LOT MORE.
Here are some ideas on how to attract that digital-only budget. I wouldn’t take on too many of these clients at once but identify one or two with whom you have a relationship or a clear path to connect. Maybe they are huge sports fans, handle advertising or marketing for a local company, and have an open mind. This will be hard work to attract their ad dollars, so make sure the budget is worth it and they are receptive to seeing radio differently.
Make them cry or laugh
Sports Radio is a powerful way to reach listeners personally and emotionally. Listeners call the station to rant or rave about their team. They also text and email. Ask your on-air talent for compelling audio or, better yet, a video of your listeners going off and send it to the buyer.
Your on-air talent tell excellent stories about your local teams that move people. Great play-by-play highlights are filled with descriptions of events that impact listeners. Your station connects your listeners to their community.
Send them your compelling stories, emotional or funny social media posts, and sponsorship examples of how you drove brand awareness.
We got digital
Digital buyers are all about targeting and measuring, right? The IAB says 58% of US digital ad spend is audience-based, and almost all digital display ads use targeting techniques. They want to show results to a targeted audience. You can bundle digital and social media with spots to drive foot traffic. Take advantage of drive times. That is still a competitive advantage.
The Edison Research Share of Ear survey indicates that podcast listening in the car is right behind at-home listening. Watch Larry Rosin from Edison at the BSM Summit discuss sports radio’s future advantage over music. What a powerful combo you have with live local sports talk and podcast listening during commute times. Do it.
Track it
We can measure results. Promote phone numbers only available through your platforms, show website analytics to track website traffic, and do listener surveys. Why not let the client survey monkey your listeners? Now, that’s first-party data! Use that email club for something other than contests and promotions!
Pepper them with stories
Send videos and blogs about relevant trends and developments in their industry. Show them case examples of other similar companies using radio. Talk about how your stations use streaming, podcasting, and online promotion. Position yourself as a thought leader. Blog about valid business reasons on how radio can help them with cutting-edge advertising solutions.
Get to know them
One way or another, you need to get to know them. Follow them on social, meet face to face, or via Zoom. Be consistent with responding to emails and texts. Do what you say. Don’t push or pull. Just offer.
We have a lot of opportunities in sports radio to succeed with businesses wrapped up in digital romance. Your station is unique and allows you to leverage digital media, measure results, and be current and connected to your community.
Kevin Egan has dedicated himself to multiple opportunities like a lot of other broadcasters out there.
Egan is a play-by-play commentator for Atlanta United and MLS and contributes to SiriusXM FC while also being the lead announcer for WWE’s flagship weekly program Monday Night Raw.
But Egan doesn’t call the action in the WWE ring as Kevin Egan. Instead like a lot of the talent in WWE, Egan uses a stage name. He’s Kevin Patrick when he welcomes the audience to Monday Night Raw on USA Network.
Egan told The Athletic that Patrick is his middle name, and he wanted to use a stage name much how the wrestlers do. To create a persona to go with being the guide for the audience each week.
“You’ve got to be yourself, especially in a show like RAW that requires personality,” Egan said. “In those big near-fall moments, you’re all in. If, for example, Seth Rollins stomps Logan Paul, you’ve got to be all over that moment in giving it a full 10 out of 10 in terms of energy and excitement.”
Kevin added that when he’s behind the microphone calling an MLS match, it requires a different touch.
“In football, it’s a little bit different because you could have a scramble inside the box after three minutes of the game, you won’t give that goal the full Logan Paul stomp energy,” he said. “You’ve got to find the appropriate energy with both. Like when Thiago Almada scored a free-kick in the 97th minute after equalizing in the 93rd, I’m giving that the same 10 out of 10 energy. But finding the balance and level of excitement that fits both roles is not an easy thing to do. It’s been a challenge for sure, but I am improving.”
Egan said even though match results in WWE are predetermined, it’s still very much a situation where he’s got to think and react quickly to what’s happening. He added that it’s rare for the announcers to even know how matches are going to end.
Could we see former WFAN hosts Mike Francesa and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo reunite for another run in sports talk radio? The man who launched the station believes that if it ever were to happen there’s no doubt it would do well, even now.
Emmis Communications CEO Jeff Smulyan was a guest on The Pat & Aaron Show on WDAE in Tampa on Thursday, and said when Mike and Chris get together, it is always going to be compelling.
“I think great content always works,” Smulyan said. “There is a chemistry between those guys. Now, it is a long time later.”
Smulyan did say that the likelihood of a full-time reunion for the two sports talk legends is slim, but the odds aren’t completely zero.
“Whether they do it or not, Mad Dog is tied up with his SiriusXM thing, you never know,” he said. “But they certainly have great chemistry even though personally sometimes they didn’t get along.”
Russo and Francesa did reunite on First Take earlier this year, but Russo remains dedicated to his daily national radio show on Sirius. Meanwhile, Francesa recently said he is happy doing a podcast for BetRivers.
After joining Newsmax in 2020, Sean Spicer has announced Thursday was his final day with the conservative cable outlet.
Spicer & Co. originally began airing in the 6:00 PM time slot, but was moved to 5:00 PM after the addition of Greta Van Susteren to the lineup.
The host was perhaps best known for his role in the Trump White House, serving as the administration’s Press Secretary for eight months before departing in 2017. Spicer developed what could be described as an adversarial relationship with the press during his tenure, especially with CNN’s Jim Acosta.
Spicer announced the move at the end of his Thursday program, and was slightly vague on details.
“Today is a bittersweet one,” Spicer said at the end of his Thursday broadcast. “It will be my last day onSpicer & Co. and my last day with Newsmax.”
Spicer added he was “grateful for the opportunity” given to him and was “proud of the work” he did at the outlet. ‘
“But now it is time to turn the page to the next chapter,” Spicer said.
According to a conversation the host had with CNN’s Oliver Darcy, Spicer has ruled out working on any 2024 Presidential campaigns.
