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Audacy Inks Susan Larkin to 3-Year Contract Extension

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Audacy Inks Susan Larkin to 3-Year Contract Extension

Audacy has disclosed in a submission to the SEC that they have granted a three-year contract extension to Susan Larkin, their Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. According to the agreement submitted to the Securities & Exchanges Commission, the renewed contract for Susan Larkin with Audacy will be valid until May 4, 2026, with automatic one-year renewals unless either party provides prior notice of non-extension.

Radio Insight reported on the recent developments and indicated that throughout the three years covered by the contract, Larkin is set to receive an annual base salary of $775,000, $800,000, and $825,000, respectively. In addition, she could earn an annual cash performance bonus, which the Compensation Committee of the Board will determine at their discretion. This bonus will be contingent upon the Company’s performance evaluation, Ms. Larkin’s annual performance, and potential equity compensation. The equity compensation is targeted at a yearly amount of $500,000, although the relevant parties can adjust this figure as determined.

Larkin became part of the then-Entercom team in July 2017 when she assumed the role of Regional Vice President. Following the acquisition of CBS Radio, she transitioned to the position of Market Manager for San Francisco until April 2018, when she relocated to New York City. Her ascent to her current status took place in May 2020. Before joining Audacy, Larkin dedicated nine years to Cox Media Orlando as Market Manager and served as Regional Vice President for Jacksonville and Orlando for two years. Throughout her career, she also held the positions of General Sales Manager for ABC Radio Minneapolis and National Sales Manager for Jacor Columbus, Ohio.

According to the SEC filing, Monique Nelson has resigned from her position on Audacy’s Board of Directors due to time limitations. Following her departure, the board reduced the number of members from nine to eight, and Sean Creamer was promoted to Class A director to fill the vacancy created. Furthermore, the board revised the annual equity compensation for board members. Instead of the previous arrangement of a yearly grant of $120,000 in shares of restricted stock units, they have now opted for a one-time cash payment of $100,000.

Former Warriors Exec Bob Myers Reportedly Being Targeted For Role at ESPN

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The exit of Bob Myers from his executive post at the Golden State Warriors was big news in the NBA ahead of the start of the NBA Finals.

Myers was instrumental in assembling the Warriors teams that went on to win four championships in eight years, including back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.

Reporting from Front Office Sports indicates ESPN has expressed interest in hiring Myers.

Myers hosts a podcast, Lead by Example, through ESPN and Omaha Productions. It’s unclear how Bob would factor into NBA coverage at The Worldwide Leader, or if he could serve in some kind of advisory role.

Media rights negotiations for the NBA are expected to take place very soon, and ESPN is going to be vying to retain rights to carry the league.

Lisa Ling Joining CBS News Following CNN Exit

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According to the NewYork Post, Lisa Ling, a former co-host of “The View,” has secured a position at CBS News following her departure from CNN. CBS announced on Wednesday that Ling, aged 49, will join them in the summer and be based in Los Angeles. Her role will involve covering in-depth stories for various shows, including “CBS Sunday Morning.”

CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani praised Ling’s interviewing skills, stating that she delivers authentic, human, and revealing interviews by immersing herself in communities and the subjects she covers.

“Lisa delivers some of the most authentic, human, and revealing interviews because of how she embeds with communities and the people she covers,” CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani said.

He emphasized that this approach allows her and CBS News to convey the pulse of the country and the world more experientially. Before joining CBS, Ling spent nine years at CNN, serving as the host and executive producer of “This Life with Lisa Ling.” The show delved into interracial families, sex trafficking, and artificial intelligence.

However, last November, the show and Lisa Ling’s time at CNN were terminated by the network’s new chief, Chris Licht, who had been assigned to implement extensive budget cuts.

“I can’t imagine a more suitable platform for my reporting style than CBS News, considering its long-standing commitment to exceptional news coverage and insightful storytelling,” said Ling.

Ling’s sister, journalist Laura Ling, gained nationwide recognition after she and Eugenie Lee were arrested while reporting in North Korea in 2009.

Recently, the network welcomed Natalie Morales, a former NBC News personality, who has made appearances on shows like “48 Hours,” “CBS Mornings,” and has also served as a co-host on “The Talk.” Additionally, CBS managed to secure Cecilia Vega, a former ABC News anchor, who made history as the first Latina correspondent on the renowned news magazine “60 Minutes.”

Pat McAfee: ARod is ‘One of the Biggest Climbs in the Court of Public Opinion’ Ever:

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Pat McAfee is amazed at the career turnaround Alex Rodriguez had after his PED suspension in 2013 and 2014.

Rodriguez joined McAfee on The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday, and Pat said ARod was a stronger man than he probably would’ve been given how big a fall from grace Rodriguez suffered.

“I would’ve been devastated and broken from that,” McAfee said. “I feel like this is one of the biggest climbs in the court of public opinion’s eyes. Maybe of all time from where you were to now.”

“It might be one of the biggest falls of all time, because I played for the great New York Yankees, for the great George Steinbrenner,” Rodriguez responded. “I was the highest paid player in the game. I played with one of the great icons in Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Petite.”

ARod had to deal with disappointing not only the organization, the league and the fans, but also his family. He said he went through the whole gamut of emotions.

“I felt all those things. Depression, I felt like a pariah,” he said. “I was a first-ballot hall of famer. I was probably that five or six years before I got in trouble. And to think I remember I would send emails and people wouldn’t write back to me. It was terrible!”

But somewhere along the line, ARod said he looked in the mirror and had to just take responsibility for what he did and try to move past it. Ultimately that’s what happened when he made a playing comeback at 41 years old.

“I think when you face reality and you can come back and man up, I was fortunate to get a break,” he said.

Rodriguez never returned to being one of the game’s most popular players. He did see enough of a rebound though that he was able to begin a broadcasting career. He has since become one of the most recognizable faces covering the game. He handles studio work for FOX and co-hosts the Kay-Rod Cast on ESPN.

Project Veritas Initiates Legal Action Against Founder, James O’Keefe

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Project Veritas Initiates Legal Action Against Founder, James O’Keefe

According to a report from The Daily Beast, conservative media organization Project Veritas has initiated legal action against its founder, James O’Keefe. The lawsuit alleges that O’Keefe engaged in employee mistreatment, incurred substantial personal expenses using company accounts, and utilized Project Veritas resources to establish a competing media outlet.

The legal dispute, filed on Wednesday in a federal court in New York, arises from a deepening rift between O’Keefe and Project Veritas, the right-wing undercover video operation he established in 2010. Earlier this year, a group of Project Veritas employees penned a letter claiming that O’Keefe had transformed into a “power-drunk tyrant” who displayed outright cruelty toward staff members. Examples cited ranged from O’Keefe allegedly consuming a sandwich belonging to a pregnant coworker to utilizing company funds for theatrical productions.

In February, James O’Keefe was suspended and shortly thereafter revealed the establishment of a new organization called O’Keefe Media Group (OMG), which bears similarities to Project Veritas. Project Veritas alleges that O’Keefe initiated his new venture while utilizing Project Veritas resources, including donor lists and laptops.

When approached for comment by The Daily Beast, neither Project Veritas nor O’Keefe responded. Additionally, two former Project Veritas employees named defendants in the lawsuit either did not respond or could not be contacted for comment.

Project Veritas asserts that O’Keefe’s erratic conduct violated the terms of the contract even prior to his establishment of OMG. During an internal investigation conducted earlier this year to examine O’Keefe’s behavior, the company’s board received allegations indicating that O’Keefe frequently engaged in unprofessional behavior during team meetings. These allegations included instances of O’Keefe shouting at and demeaning colleagues, focusing on female employees. It was claimed that he made disparaging remarks about their contributions to the company and made inappropriate comments about personal matters such as pregnancies.

Furthermore, employees reportedly stated that they personally witnessed explicit messages exchanged between O’Keefe and various women on social media platforms while accessing O’Keefe’s phone for work-related purposes.

According to employees, the unprofessional behavior also extended to financial matters. The lawsuit claims that O’Keefe regularly displayed tardiness for meetings and exhibited rudeness during VIP events intended to provide donors with additional access to O’Keefe. As a result, strained relationships developed with several donors.

The lawsuit accuses O’Keefe of assigning personal tasks to employees, such as cleaning his boat and running errands like picking up his laundry. While employed at Project Veritas, O’Keefe allegedly misused company funds for questionable purposes. These actions included spending over $10,000 on a helicopter flight from New York to Maine without clear benefits to Project Veritas. O’Keefe also reportedly expensed first-class air travel and luxury accommodations.

Howie Rose: Highest Compliment is Fans Comparing me to Past Mets Broadcasters

BSM Staff
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It’s turning out to be quite the week for New York Mets broadcaster Howie Rose. The longtime radio voice is not only set to be inducted into the team’s hall of fame on Saturday, but was honored ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Phillies with a bobblehead giveaway.

Rose joined Carton & Roberts earlier that day. He said seeing his face on a bobblehead was wild to him.

“It’s a little surreal to see yourself in that form,” Rose said. “It looks more like my dad than it does me, I wish I looked that good. But it’s cool!”

The bobblehead also played Rose’s signature victory call, “Put it in the books!” Howie said he was inspired by legendary Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman’s victory call, and went with something he and his buddies would say to each other when they won a stickball game.

“I wanted to think of something that I could use in a similar vain,” he said.

Co-host Evan Roberts told Rose that his most memorable “Put it in the books” calls came when Johan Santana threw a no-hitter in 2012 and in 2015 during the Mets’ World Series run when they beat the Dodgers in the Division Series.

But Howie said in his mind the most memorable in his mind came during the 2006 season in a subway series game at Shea Stadium against the Yankees. A come from behind Mets win had Rose put a different variation on the call.

“Put that in your books!” Rose shouted.

Howie has been calling Mets games since 1995, and is among the beloved voices of the team for fans. Being a lifelong Mets fan, Rose said former broadcasters Bob Murphy, Lindsey Nelson and Ralph Kiner have meant a great deal to him. He added that he made sure to have a photo of the trio in the booth at Citi Field as both a tribute and as a source of inspiration when you’re in the doldrums.

“When a game starts to drag on, or if there’s a season that you know will not end in a postseason berth, and the games start to feel or look alike – or it’s just one of those nights where you’re ready to say, ‘You know I’ve had enough for tonight let’s come back tomorrow,'” he said. “If I ever get to that point, I very subtly look over my right shoulder at those three guys and that picture and I absorb what they meant to me.”

Howie added that he takes great pride in talking to Mets fans young and old who mention him among the greats like those three.

“When they say that, that is the highest compliment anybody can ever give me in my role as a Mets broadcaster, because I know what they represented to me, what the sound of their voice meant,” he said.

JJ Redick to Chris Russo: ‘You are the Absolute Worst’

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It was another “Mad Dog Wednesday” on ESPN’s First Take featuring Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, and he was once again embroiled in debate about the National Basketball Association. He listed 20 players he feels are better than Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown. to demonstrate that Brown is not worth the five-year, $295 million supermax extension for which he is now eligible.

Among the players on his list were Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Kyrie Irving. The list left both Stephen A. Smith and JJ Redick in shock.

There has been scrutiny of Russo’s basketball acumen and analysis since he joined select editions of First Take on ESPN last year, but his latest take filled Redick with indignation. He pointed out ostensible hypocrisy behind Russo’s opinion, and it was subsequently backed up by Smith.

“You are the absolute worst,” Redick exclaimed. “The fact that you put Kawhi, Paul George and Kyrie on the list ahead of Jaylen Brown when all you do is complain about their availability? Stop it, man. I’m not debating whether or not those guys are more talented than Jaylen Brown, but Jaylen Brown plays. You can’t have it both ways, buddy.”

Indeed, the trio of Leonard, George and Irving played a combined 68.2% of potential regular season matchups in which they could have. The reasons for their inactivity varied from injury to load management to suspension, and they have all been enduring matters of concern for an extended period of time. Conversely, Brown played 67 of the Celtics’ 82 games – 81.7% availability – and was named to the All-NBA Second Team at season’s end.

“I can’t wait for your reactions when the supermax contracts kick in after the new TV deals,” Redick said, “because people are going to look back and be like, ‘Jaylen Brown at $295 [million] was a bargain.’ That’s the truth; that’s the truth. He’s 26 years old; two-time All-Star; second-team All-NBA; he’s been to five conference finals in his career. There’s no perfect player – there isn’t – and he still has room to grow both as a shooter, a playmaker [and] setting up other players, but this is the going rate for a player of his caliber.”

Padres CEO Tells Ben & Woods Losing Bally Sports San Diego is Good For Fans

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After Diamond Sports Group informed the San Diego Padres it was neglecting to pay the fee for the local broadcast rights, Major League Baseball has officially taken control of local broadcasts for the team. Games will continue to be made available on linear television providers, but will also be available to stream on MLB.TV. Fans in the team’s home market can subscribe to MLB.TV for $19.99 a month or pay $74.99 for the remainder of the season.

On Wednesday, San Diego Padres chief executive officer Erik Greupner joined Ben & Woods on 97.3 The Fan to inform consumers what the process has entailed over the last several months. He said Diamond Sports Group had a two-week grace period to submit their rights payment, but he received a call from company CEO David Preshlack saying that wasn’t going to happen.

“We’ve been working for months with Major League Baseball, [and] we’d already been sort of through a fire drill once or twice before,” Greupner said. “I think we’re as prepared as we can be. It’s never easy to make these sorts of changes in-season. We’re trying to do our very best to communicate with our fans, but the bottom line is this is a really good development for fans.”

The move could be indicative of things to come, as the league is looking to end local blackouts and expedite its own direct-to-consumer streaming option by reacquiring broadcast rights as the deals expire.

“I was in a full-blown panic last night [and was] almost on the phone with Cox because I’m a Cox subscriber,” show co-host Steve Woods said. “It’s convenient – my Cox is there; it’s ready; it’s waiting. I turn on Cox. I’m good to go and there’s my Padres on Bally – I’m good. As we know, things have changed, and I don’t like to change. I don’t like change at all. I’ll do it if I have to, but I really am the guy that needs his hand held.”

Major League Baseball hired Billy Chambers to become its first executive vice president of local media. He brings over 20 years of experience to the role, largely in senior finance roles with FOX Sports and Sinclair Broadcast Group, and has been tasked with overseeing media rights distribution and local management.

The Padres’ new broadcast arrangement augments the reach of games by 189% and gives fans multiple options to keep up with the team. Greupner expressed how fans have been asking for the ability to stream games in the market without blackouts. Moreover, some locations where fans are bound by blackout restrictions because of exclusive local rights do not even have regional sports networks distributed to them, leaving them entirely in the dark.

“This move, we anticipate, is going to be the last move that we have to make for quite some time as far as the eye can see,” Greupner revealed. “Under the direction and leadership of the Commissioner [and] what MLB is doing – and we happen to be the first team that’s making the move – but they are stepping in and replacing what has become a broken RSN model.”

Diamond Sports Group, a subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is in active litigation with the league after refusing to pay the full amount of rights fees to other teams. The entity stated it had sufficient funding in liquidity and would agree to do so in exchange for valuable direct-to-consumer streaming rights, something the league quickly shot down.

“It’ll take you a day or two to get used to turning the Padres to a different channel on your cable,” show co-host Ben Higgins said. “If you were getting the Padres before, you will be getting the Padres starting today as well – just not on Bally Sports San Diego anymore.”

Rich Shertenlieb: I Can’t Talk About Fred Toucher Without Corporate Approval

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Rich Shertenlieb: I Can’t Talk About Fred Toucher Without Corporate Approval

Fred Toucher has not been on 98.5 The Sports Hub since the end of last week. His partner Rich Shertenlieb told listeners that he will likely not be back on Thursday either. He understands why they have so many questions.

“A question I’ve gotten a few times is, ‘why aren’t you talking about Fred?’ That is more than a fair question,” Shertenlieb said on Wednesday. “You’ve been fans of the show for years. You’d like to know what’s going on. And the best answer I can give you is that I unfortunately can’t talk about Fred, because there’s any statement that I make right now has to be approved through management.”

Over the weekend, Toucher tweeted statements suggesting he may harm himself. On Sunday, he posted a photo of Instagram of himself confirming that he was in the hospital.

Toucher only recently returned from a sabbatical he took to deal with vocal issues. That turned into a cancer scare, although he was medically cleared. Shertenlieb told listeners that during that absence, his bosses at Beasley Broadcasting told him there were “a number of reasons” they wanted to approve anything said about Fred’s absence or condition.

“Listen, no one wants to be in this position,” Shertenlieb said. “Fred doesn’t want to be in this position. The station doesn’t want to be in this position. I certainly don’t want to be in this position. But as of now, all I’ve been approved to tell you, because you’re such great listeners and we love you, is that he’s not here today. I don’t know when exactly he’ll be back, but I’ve been a friend of Fred Fred’s for years and I hope the best for him.”

Fred Toucher had made comments on social media questioning Shertenlieb’s friendship during the cancer scare. He accused his co-host and other members of the show staff of not checking on him during the absence.

On his first day back at 98.5 The Sports Hub, Toucher acknowledged that he was out of line and apologized to his colleagues and the audience. He and Shertenlieb said that incident generated “fan fiction about our show.”

Perhaps in an effort to head any future speculation off at the past, Shertenlieb closed his remarks on Wednesday by making it very clear that he wants to get back to the version of Toucher & Rich that the audience knows.

“I just want you to know that we want him. We want the best for him, all of us. So. You know, hopefully everything will be back to normal soon. I don’t know how much more I can say, but we’re rooting for you. Fred, if you’re listening, we’re rooting for you.”

Pat McAfee: I Never Told Andrew Marchand My ESPN Salary

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Is Pat McAfee really going to make $85 million from ESPN? He won’t say. What he did say on his show on Wednesday is that was the one question Andrew Marchand asked him that he declined to answer.

“He asked me he’s ‘hearing that that’s the number. Can you confirm?’” McAfee told his audience. “And I said, ‘Interesting number. I’ll never talk about the actual numbers. Not my thing. But I do appreciate your interest in our show.’ And then I went on to answer all of his other things. Then the headline is ‘Confirmed!’.”

Marchand reported that McAfee will be getting $85 million from the network in a five year deal. There has been plenty of hand-wringing about ESPN hiring McAfee while the network is in the midst of layoffs as part of the Walt Disney Company’s effort to reduce costs by slashing 7000 positions across the company.

“This is interesting, though that this has become a focal point of the conversation around our business,” Pat McAfee said. “But it is also a focal point around my negotiation abilities and my business sense and my business smarts. So like when 10 million was talked about, I was like, ‘Alright, little disrespectful. Little disrespectful here.’”

He understands the morbid curiosity. That doesn’t mean he is going to make it easy for anyone trying to get answers.

“It’s not my job to tell people what we’re making. No, it’s our job to earn more than what we are getting paid, so we can be good business partners. And when you’re good business partners with people, guess what happens with the next one? It’s bigger.”

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