Celtics fans love Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell. Fellow broadcasters in the NBA? Maybe not as much. On Wednesday morning, Toucher & Rich learned just how common it is for the radio analyst to get into fights with other radio crews.
Jon Wallach, who serves as the update anchor and third mic on the 98.5 The Sports Hub morning show, is also Maxwell’s partner for Celtics’ radio broadcasts. He played audio for Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb from the team’s loss in Cleveland earlier this week.
Forward Grant Williams was fouled at the end of the game. Jim Jones, the radio analyst for the Cleveland Cavaliers, clearly disagreed with the call.
“That’s a foul, Jim,” Maxwell can be heard shouting. “That’s a damn foul!”
“For those of you that don’t have a camera on it, Max is talking trash to the Cleveland broadcast team, who is sitting right next to us,” Jon Wallach can then be heard telling the audience.
Wallach told Toucher & Rich that Cedric Maxwell has a storied history of fighting with other broadcast crews. Shertenlieb said he could remember arguments with broadcasters for the Lakers and the 76ers. Wallach noted that the argument with the 76ers’ crew also included the Philadelphia crowd.
“It’s great. It’s entertainment,” Fred Toucher responded.
He added that Maxwell is something of an enigma, which makes him unique amongst broadcasters.
“I’ve always been fascinated by Cedric Maxwell’s lifestyle,” Toucher said, marveling at the fact that the former guard avoided driving entirely until recently and that when the team is on the road, Maxwell prefers to stay in his hotel room rather than explore different cities.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson produced a segment on Monday’s program showcasing portions of the more than 40,000 hours of security camera footage taken from the US Capitol during the January 6th Insurrection. Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly wasn’t appreciative of the way Carlson represented the event.
During his No Spin News and Analysis program, O’Reilly lamented the way January 6th had been handled by prominent Democratic lawmakers and pushed back against the insinuation that Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick died due to his involvement in defending the Capitol during the riots. O’Reilly contended that narratives around the day had been fabricated by those seeking to discredit former President Trump.
He then turned his attention to Fox News, and shared his disagreement with Carlson’s encapsulation, without naming the host.
“The tape shown by the Fox News Channel de-intensified how bad it was. Because the Fox editors, the producers, they took what they wanted to take,” O’Reilly said. “They didn’t show you the whole tape. The selectively took what they wanted to make points. Some of the points were valid, some were not. This wasn’t some sort of tourist excursion. This was a violent break-in. Doors, windows were smashed. People were out of control…so to try to diminish that it wasn’t a big deal that’s — on the other side — a lie. It was a big deal! It was appalling.”
During the segment Monday, Carlson claimed that people who broke into the Capitol on January 6th were not rioters, they were “sightseers” in his estimation, saying “very little about January 6th was organized or violent”.
“Footage from inside the Capitol overturns the story you have heard about January 6th,” Carlson said.
O’Reilly opined by simply stating “people will believe what they want to believe”.
A recent filing by Fox News in defense of a defamation lawsuit brought forth by Dominion Voting Systems contends the cable news channel did not act with actual malice and points to an offer made by Maria Bartiromo to the election machine company’s CEO as evidence to support its case.
In the filing, Fox News contends that it offered Dominion the opportunity to share its side of the story, with Bartiromo offering to interview the company’s CEO in an email exchange with Dominion representative Tony Fratto.
In the exchange, Fratto told the Fox News host that claims from Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell — lawyers for then-President Trump — were “verifiably false”, adding that they were “tinfoil hat conspiracy stuff”.
“I’m not saying you should ignore the story, but Rudy is literally making things up as he goes,” Fratto said.
“Are you saying I should not cover a sitting president contesting a presidential election?” Bartiromo pondered. “Should I just blow it off & go with the rest of the media who has taken us down rabbit holes based on their ideologies now for 4 years and counting? Is that what you suggest I do?”
After being told that Dominion employees were receiving death threats after being harrassed by Powell, Bartiromo then agreed that she would push Powell on her election claims. Later in the exchange, Bartiromo asked “Do you want me to have Dominion CEO on?”
According to the network, Dominion CEO John Poulos said that potential customers of the company “don’t care about the media. It’s just more words from their perspective”. The network also claims that an independent arbiter for the voting machine company showed it had not experienced “a loss of clientele” and that it actually attracted new customers.
“Thanks to today’s filings, Dominion has been caught red-handed againusing more distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign to smear FOX News and trample on free speech and freedom of the press,” a Fox News spokesperson told Barrett News Media. “We already know they will say and do anything to try to win this case, but to twist and even misattribute quotes to the highest levels of our company is truly beyond the pale.”
New emails uncovered in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit against Fox News reveal Rupert Murdoch believed hosts on the network were reason rioters stormed the Capital on January 6th.
The election machine company released more than 6,500 pages of exhibits Tuesday, and while many are heavily redacted, some emails and text messages show the behind-the-scenes feelings of Murdoch, as well as Fox Corp. board member and former Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan.
In an email to Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott on January 21st, 2021, Murdoch asked “Is it ‘unarguable that high-profile Fox voices fed the story that the election was stolen and that January 6th an important chance to have the result overturned”? Maybe Sean (Hannity) and Laura (Ingraham) went too far.”
Murdoch then noted that Hannity had privately shared his disdain for Trump, but questioned “what did he tell his viewers?”
In a separate email exchange, Ryan told Murdoch “the sooner we can put down the echoes of falsehoods from our side, the faster we can get onto principled loyal opposition. I truly hope our contributors, along with Tucker (Carlson), Laura (Ingraham), and Sean (Hannity) get that and execute.”
Murdoch responded by saying “everything changed” on January 6th, adding Trump’s businesses were “ruined” before questioning if he could resign with the understanding that Mike Pence would pardon him.
“The emails, texts, and deposition testimony speak for themselves. We welcome all scrutiny of our evidence because it all leads to the same place — Fox knowingly spread lies causing enormous damage to an American company,” Dominion said in a statement.
In response, Fox News has continually pointed towards protections afforded in the First Amendment, alleging that Dominion has “cherry-picked” and “misrepresented” the contents of the emails and text messages.
“Thanks to today’s filings, Dominion has been caught red-handed againusing more distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign to smear FOX News and trample on free speech and freedom of the press,” a Fox News spokesperson told Barrett News Media. “We already know they will say and do anything to try to win this case, but to twist and even misattribute quotes to the highest levels of our company is truly beyond the pale.”
Grace Curley, a syndicated radio host, shared her thoughts on the media’s reaction to the January 6 tapes broadcast on the “Tucker Carlson Show.”
During an interview Tuesday on CNN, Adam Kinzinger, recently hired as a senior political commentator for the network, criticized Carlson’s narrative and those who believe it. Kinzinger suggested that people who currently believe Carlson’s version of events will likely not admit to it in the future once the history has been set straight by the January 6th committee.
“It’s disgusting. Look, you know, the sad thing is you have people that have only gotten their news on FOX News that will never have the opportunity to hear the truth,” said Kinzinger via Real Clear Politics. “Because what Tucker Carlson — he has employed at his entire time he has been a grifter TV show host, because he knows better than this, by the way.”
Curley expressed frustration with the lack of follow-up questions during Kinzinger’s CNN interview, particularly around why the Democrats did not release the Jan 6 tapes earlier and their handling of the Brian Sicknick case.
“Why did you lie about Brian Sicknick,” Curley said. “Forget Tucker Carlson about whether he could wake up and look into the mirror or not, I don’t care, and I don’t understand why you care either. I would redirect the witness if I were Kaitlin Collins.”
Kinzinger was part of the January 6th committee tasked with investigating the U.S. Capitol riots. Curley acknowledged that Kinzinger’s position as a political commentator for the network makes it unlikely that he would face tough questioning from his colleagues.
Recently, eight radio companies, namely Connoisseur Media, LLC, Townsquare Media, Inc., Mid-West Family Broadcasting, Midwest Communications, Inc., Frandsen Family Stations, Forever Media, Inc., Neuhoff Communications, Eagle Communications, Inc., Patrick Communications, LLC, and Legend Communications, LLC, submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding ownership caps.
These caps limit the number of radio stations that an entity can own in a particular radio market. The comments were submitted by the top executives of these radio companies, including founders, CEOs, senior vice presidents, general counsels, presidents, chief operating officers, and managing partners.
As per a report by Radio Ink, the broadcasters are requesting the FCC to eliminate the local radio ownership rules say they were implemented 27 years ago in a different media landscape. The current regulations restrict the consolidation of local radio and, according to the submissions, hinder the ability of radio stations to compete with tech giants.
The broadcasters argue that the competition for audience and advertising has intensified since 2021 and is expected to continue as non-broadcast media outlets, owned and controlled by the largest companies in America, continue to expand. Unless outdated and overly restrictive ownership restrictions are removed, over-the-air radio stations will struggle to provide current service levels, which is not in the public interest.
The executives collectively urge the FCC to remove the antiquated regulatory barriers hindering radio’s ability to compete in the modern market. They are endorsing a proposal from 2019 to eliminate local radio ownership rules.
The remarks were expressed and endorsed by a group of industry leaders, including Jeffrey D. Warshaw, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Connoisseur Media, LLC; Thomas A. Walker, President of Mid-West Family Broadcasting; M. Kent Frandsen, President of Frandsen Family Stations; Michael Hulvey, Chief Executive Officer of Neuhoff Communications; W. Lawrence Patrick, Managing Partner of Patrick Communications, LLC; Allison Zolot, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Townsquare Media, Inc.; Michael Wright, Chief Operating Officer of Midwest Communications, Inc.; Lynn Deppen, President of Forever Media, Inc.; Gary Shorman, Chairman of Eagle Communications, Inc.; and Susan K. Patrick, Managing Partner of Legend Communications, LLC.
Christina Buttons, an investigative reporter with The Daily Wire for the past six months, announced in a blog post titled “Why I’m Leaving the Daily Wire” that she has resigned.
She had been writing about transgender issues, specifically pediatric gender medicine. Still, she became disheartened by recent videos and posts that do not align with The Daily Wire’s original stance of safeguarding children and tolerance for alternative adult lifestyles.
“The political Right often rails against ‘identity politics’ and group labels, yet many fail to distinguish between transgender people and transgender activists,” she said. “Not all transgender people are transgender activists, and in fact, many—especially of the older generation—find the extremism of contemporary trans activism appalling.”
She said she took issue with the extremist rhetoric of Matt Walsh, who has defended his inflammatory comments as an excellent strategy to rally the conservative base, and Michael Knowles, who made a controversial statement at CPAC that transgenderism needs to be “eradicated from public life”. Buttons argue that it is essential to distinguish between transgender people and transgender activists, as not all are the same.
“As a journalist, I have to believe there are reachable centrists, including moderate liberals, who are uncomfortable with gender ideology but who have been insulated from serious coverage of this medical scandal,” she added.
She notes that transgender identities are not always fixed and that what she calls “de-transitioners” will need support, especially in the face of attacks from their former community. Finally, she calls for a more compassionate approach to those struggling with gender issues, as inflammatory statements only alienate those in the middle.
“Many wonderful journalists at this organization continue to do stellar work, and I hold no animosity toward any of them. But when my employer can no longer make good on the promise I was given at the start of my employment, my only recourse is to resign,” Buttons said.
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Those 37 words changed the course of United States history, providing more equitable opportunities for women like Bonnie Bernstein to immerse themselves in activities some entities previously prohibited.
Today, women comprise approximately 45% of all college athletes, and many are profiting off of their name, image and likeness through professional careers and endorsement deals. Bonnie Bernstein was one of the many beneficiaries of the decision, and it influenced her career both as an athlete and sports media professional.
Bernstein is starting a new podcast series with Audible this week called She Got Game, in which she seeks to shed light on successful women and the influence sports had on their careers.
Some of the interviewees in the 10-episode project include XFL Chairwoman and Owner Dany Garcia; NFL on CBS analyst Amy Trask; and founder and CEO of Salamander Resorts and co-founder of BET Sheila Johnson. Through conducting casual interviews, Bernstein looks to promulgate the fundamental skills women can gain from playing sports and becoming invested in them.
“For as many doors as Title IX has opened, what we also know is that girls are still exiting sports at a younger age and at a higher frequency than boys,” Bernstein said. “….Whatever the challenge may be that may have a girl or young woman thinking about leaving sports: stay. If you stay, you will continue to hone those life skills that will tee you up for success in life.”
–
As a student at the University of Maryland, Bernstein was an All-American gymnast, but her love of sports was fostered at home by her parents. When the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants left New York City to move to Los Angeles and San Francisco, Calif., respectively, after the 1957 season, Bernstein’s parents quipped that they refused to watch New York Yankees baseball. Fortunately for them, “The Big Apple” received a new National League baseball team with the founding of the New York Mets in 1962 – but for Bernstein, her parents’ interest in sports subsequently helped fuel her passion. From an early age, she possessed a penchant for creative writing and tried to amalgamate it with sports, dreaming of one day writing for Sports Illustrated.
Early in her tenure as an undergraduate student, Bernstein queried other students regarding which professors they recommended studying under. Through these conversations, she found that Prof. Chet Rhodes continued to be mentioned, the instructor of an introduction to broadcasting class. By her junior year, she found herself in the classroom mesmerized by the possibilities this facet of the industry had to offer, including anchoring, producing, engineering and filming. Because of the class, she decided to focus on cultivating a career in broadcast journalism and remained eager for chances to hone her craft.
During her formative years in the industry, which began in Lewes, Delaware at WXJN-FM, a station broadcasting in the country format, Bernstein was operating without a bonafide playbook. As the news and sports director of the station, she was responsible for finding and reporting on stories around the community.
On most days, she would be at the station by 4:30 a.m. to write top of the hour updates, load carts and slice tape. Then she would spend the next several hours driving around in a white van with the station’s call letters prominently on display acting as a field reporter. By the time she returned to the station, she would refine her stories and prepare them for the afternoon news. These arduous tasks would consume her days, but gave her valuable repetitions and shaped her work ethic.
Although there were not many women in the industry, Bernstein looked up to Lesley Visser, an accomplished sports media personality and journalist who reported on many seminal events. Visser was the first woman to appear on Monday Night Football, the first woman inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the first woman to earn the Sports Lifetime Achievement Award given at the Sports Emmys.
Aside from Visser, Bernstein also watched Gayle Gardner and Jayne Kennedy enter the field; however, it was hardly facile to ascertain an effective direction for her career based on looking at others. Instead, Bernstein had to forge her own path and is thankful she can pay it forward to the next generation.
“One of the nice things about being where I am in my career is that I now get to serve as the mentor for young people that I didn’t have,” Bernstein said. “I was just really flailing blindly for a long time trying to do the best I could with the hope that my desire and passion and commitment to being the very best sports journalist I could be would somehow propel me through my career.”
–
Beginning in any new industry is hardly an easy task, making the probability of failing much more likely. Even though Bernstein began working with ESPN as a Chicago bureau reporter just two years after leaving WXJN-FM, she always continued to learn and find ways to improve her craft. In having the chance to cover Chicago Bulls superstar and Basketball Hall of Fame member Michael Jordan, along with contributing to shows such as NFL Countdown and SportsCenter, she further augmented her versatility.
Sticking to the status quo remains something she tries to avoid, instead maintaining an alacrity for progression and innovation.
“When I was younger, I would use failure as a personal indictment on me. You are less than; you are not worthy; you are not capable. What I’ve learned through lots of conversations with entrepreneurs and strong leaders is that failure is a critical part of success. If we can shift the mindset about failure, then entrepreneurship is a much easier road to travel because there will be failures and there will be a lot of them.”
Even though she did not create her first company until 2016, one could argue that Bernstein has been an entrepreneur throughout her entire broadcast career. In essence, being a personality means establishing a brand that stands out from others, conducive to professional success and sustained growth.
On television, she was doing it from the moment she joined WMDT, a local ABC affiliate in Salisbury, Md. anchoring news on the weekends. Shortly thereafter, Bernstein made the move to KRNV, a local NBC affiliate, in Reno, Nv. where she became the first woman in the locale to serve as a weekday sports anchor.
Working as a woman in sports media, Bernstein has been the subject of criticism and misogyny and has had to find ways to cope with antagonism. She affirms that women are held to a higher standard and that it is impossible to satisfy everyone all the time. The negative commentary from others surely hurts but does not hinder. As her career has progressed, she has been able to contextualize these situations to realize that the commenters are likely afflicted or disarmed by other scenarios, wherefore they choose to take out their frustration on others.
“At the end of the day, I know who my inner circle is,” Bernstein expressed. “I know if I’m meeting my own expectations, then hopefully the other meaningful expectations will follow suit. The reality is women in sports broadcasting are not for everybody, and that’s okay…. More important for me is not so much the public opinion as much as the joy I get from doing what I do.”
In 1998, Bernstein joined CBS Sports where she was quickly named as a sideline reporter for live broadcasts of NFL games and the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. Some of the colleagues she collaborated with for NFL games included Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Dan Dierdorf, Verne Lundquist and Dick Enberg.
Bernstein was the sideline reporter for the television broadcast on CBS and the radio broadcast on Westwood One for Super Bowl XXXVII. Additionally, she compiled and produced features for The NFL Today as its lead reporter and anchored studio coverage for CBS programming of sports updates and college basketball coverage.
“If you’re doing the sideline the right way, you’re doing as much preparation as anyone else on the team, but you are only utilizing very specific instances,” Bernstein said. “There is nothing that will ever replace the thrill of being on the sideline and having a vantage point that nobody else has except you and the photographers who are allowed on the field.”
Bernstein departed from CBS in 2006 and ultimately signed with ESPN where she began reporting on Sunday Night Baseball and ESPN College Football on ABC, allowing her to continue telling stories and providing information to enhance the broadcast. A few months into the job though, Bernstein endured a life-threatening health scare when she began to feel pain in her leg.
–
She recognized this leg pain, along with accompanying shortness of breath, in the midst of running to her car following coverage of the Red River Showdown between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and University of Texas at Austin Longhorns. Following a flight back to New York, she immediately went to see a chiropractor who referred her to the emergency room to be checked for blood clots. It was a directive that may have ultimately saved her life.
“Never in a million years did I think I would be in the hospital and have a doctor come in and throw the films up and say, ‘See all these black dots in your lungs? Those are blood clots. I have no idea how you’re still alive, and the only thing I can think of is that you’re in fantastic shape,’” Bernstein recalled. “That’s what saved me. The only reason I’m still alive is because health and wellness is really important to me.”
Bernstein’s official diagnosis was bilateral pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, the result of a blood clot that was the full length of her leg, broke off, and spread into both of her lungs. She was rapidly treated with blood thinners.
According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 900,000 people annually can be affected by deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, and the first symptom experienced by 1 in 4 is sudden death. Moreover, one-third of those affected will have a recurrence within 10 years, making monitoring symptoms and receiving medical checkups pivotal.
March is deep vein thrombosis awareness month, and Bernstein has tried to utilize her platform to spread the message about the severity of this treatable, yet life-threatening disease. She urges people to take a risk assessment test while monitoring potential symptoms, and has been a spokesperson for the Coalition to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis for many years.
“When I come across somebody who’s suffered a blood clot or when we’re in the month of March,” Bernstein said, “I always try to find a way to share that messaging with folks who are kind enough to follow on social [media].”
–
Aside from reporting and hosting television shows such as Outside the Lines and First Take, Bernstein contributed to programming on espnW, meant to disseminate stories and interviews with women in sports. Several broadcast networks are holding events for International Women’s Day, including an all-women broadcast and production team for the NBA on ESPN broadcast of the Dallas Mavericks’ matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans.
While working for ESPN, Bernstein executive produced and hosted a six-part interview show titled Winner’s Circle where she welcomed influential women in the world of sports to discuss their stories.
The show aligns with her new Audible podcast; however, it did not have the ability to go into profound detail because of time constraints. Nonetheless, the experience further sparked her interest in interviewing and telling these stories to viewers around the world – she was just simply waiting for the right opportunity to revitalize the effort.
Bernstein was the creator and co-host of NY Football Live, a program that aired on ESPN Radio in New York with former New York Jets linebacker Greg Buttle. She had previously had the chance to work with Michael Kay and Don La Greca on The Michael Kay Show beginning in September 2009 where she learned how to appeal to local listeners and expanded her storytelling in the audio space. It is usually difficult to create and transition to a brand new show, evinced by a dearth of callers; yet the phone lines began to light up regularly as their program became more established.
“There’s some incredible, award-winning storytelling in linear and digital,” Bernstein elucidated, “but there’s just something special about the audio space because all of your senses are completely locked on one thing: audio. There are no pictures; there are no graphics – you’re just listening. I think the ability to really have an impact on a listener is powerful when doing audio.”
Being able to effectively create a new show of her own required Bernstein learn more about management, leading her to join Campus Insiders, a new, digital college sports network owned and operated by Silver Chalice Ventures. Bernstein was initially approached to serve as a host, and she responded to the company’s initial offer with gratitude.
Knowing that she wanted to start her own production company in the future, she negotiated the role into a hybrid between hosting and serving as the company’s vice president of content and brand development. Digital media was fairly new at the time with an ambiguous outlook, but Bernstein recognized the concept as anything but transitory in nature. Adaptation is oftentimes the key to survival in a dynamic marketplace, and Bernstein has been ready and willing to explore new ideas amid other prosaic instantiations.
“When you have an entrepreneurial spirit and you’re doing it the right way, part of that is trying to stay on top of emerging trends – and in this case, technology,” Bernstein said. “When digital media was initially emerging and we were calling it ‘new media,’ I had the sense that it was not something that was just some sort of fad or trend that would fade.”
Bernstein achieved her entrepreneurial goals when she founded two companies – Velvet Hammer Media Consulting and Walk Swiftly Productions. Moving in this direction for her career aligned with the goals of continued flourishment and evolution in mind as an on-air talent and a manager. Through these endeavors, she has worked on programs both linear and digital with the XFL, College Football Playoff and ESPN.
“I have so much admiration for people who have on-air careers for 30-40 years,” Bernstein said. “I still love that aspect of it too; I love telling stories [and] I love doing interviews. The business piece of what you have the ability to do as an entrepreneur is where I really experienced the most growth. Yes, it’s hard; and yes, it requires an inordinate amount of intestinal fortitude.”
With this new podcast, which becomes available for Audible subscribers tomorrow, the company has pledged $25,000 to organizations based in Newark, N.J. working to provide opportunities for women to participate in sports. The company’s commitment to its surrounding community further underscores the mission of the podcast itself in engendering inspiration for women to play the games. A study by Ernst and Young as part of the EY Women Athletes Business Network found that 94% of C-suite women have played sports, an activity that has helped facilitate success.
“It’s storytelling with real impact, and I’m not sure that I would have ever been able to get a concept like this across the finish line if I were talent working for a network,” Bernstein articulated. “I needed to be able to take this from concept to market myself.”
In interviewing these successful women with a background in sports, Bernstein knows it is her job to listen and help create an on-air product that attracts and retains listeners. These are lessons that she learned from her time working in news and has since refined at a national scale. She continues to modify her parlance to fit the marketplace, always ensuring that she is able to elicit insightful and comprehensive answers from her guests.
“If you’re interviewing [in] the right way, you don’t drive conversation; your guest does,” Bernstein said. “A lot of times, these interviews wound up going in different directions that I didn’t expect. That’s not only okay – it’s awesome. That’s what I hope will enable listeners to feel like they’re really glad they took the time to listen.”
As her career in sports media moves forward, Bernstein aims to receive the green light regarding some other projects she has been working on, along with thinking about authoring a book. In addition, she immensely values philanthropy and volunteer work and serves as the advisory board co-chair for Every Kid Sports. The organization provides funding for families who are unable to pay league entry fees to ensure everyone who wishes to participate and make sports a part of their lives has the chance to do so.
During the pandemic, Bernstein took a board certification course so she has the ability to lend her expertise and passion to other organizations and try to actualize change in the world. She remains ready for new challenges and instances where she can grow both personally and professionally, keeping her energized and perceptive on a regular basis.
“Daily growth and evaluation is really at the core of my being,” Bernstein expressed. “That’s not to say that there’s always room to continue growing as on-air talent…. The opportunity to start at the bottom of the learning curve and work my way up has always been so extraordinarily enticing and exciting to me.”
As more people pursue careers in sports media with a concomitant rise in the demand for compelling and engaging content, the industry remains competitive. Bernstein affirms that the sheer demand outpaces supply; however, those who try to enter the industry are sometimes precluded by those performing multiple jobs.
Ultimately, the craft comes down to timing, sustainability and networking. Those who are able to sustain a career in sports media usually take chances and adapt, and also have additional experiences that enhance their portfolio or add to their personality – including playing sports themselves.
With the array of people broadcasting their opinion en masse through a wide variety of traditional and digital platforms, it is crucial to stand out. Much like an entrepreneur, one must build their own brand and, according to Bernstein, should start doing so from the moment they determine in what industry they want to work. Employing a stellar work ethic and a willingness to go the “extra mile” helps set people apart, combining talent with hard work, humility and erudition.
“That’s the amazing thing about 2023,” Bernstein said. “You don’t need a platform; you don’t need a job. All you need to do is start creating content; start a YouTube channel [and] start networking.”
She Got Game is a 10-part Audible Originals series to be released Thursday, March 9 amid the celebration of Women’s History Month and 50th anniversary of Title IX. Bernstein will sit down with guests Laila Ali; Bianca Belair; Chelsea Clinton; Dany Garcia; Shawn Johnson; Sheila Johnson; Folake Olowofoyeku; Amy Trask; Aisha Tyler; and Julie Uhrman – interviewing them about how sports has helped them facilitate successful and enduring careers. In the process, she hopes the project serves as another avenue to compel young people to explore and leverage the advantages and lessons learned through sports for future growth.
With network TV owning football on Thanksgiving Day, Amazon is working with the NFL to capitalize on Black Friday.
An announcement from Amazon on Tuesday revealed that starting in 2023, the Thursday Night Football crew would be live the night after Thanksgiving in a new traditional broadcast window.
Additionally, the game will be available for free on Prime Video. So you would not need to pay the $14.99 or $139 to access the broadcast.
“We’re excited to expand our relationship with the NFL and build a new holiday tradition for our customers with the first Black Friday NFL game,” Amazon vice president of Prime Video and global head of Sports Jay Marine said in a statement. “We’re so very proud of our Thursday Night Football production and all the teams in front of and behind the camera. As families look to spend time together over the holiday weekend, we are excited to provide an opportunity for everyone to enjoy this new day of NFL action.”
The tech giant began its run as the home of Thursday Night Football last year. It was the first year of an 11-year, $11 billion agreement between the company and the NFL.
Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit will be on the call, with Charissa Thompson, Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Richard Sherman, Andrew Whitworth, Taylor Rooks and Michael Smith leading studio coverage from the field.
Legendary CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz dialed up 104.5 The Zone in Nashville on Tuesday to offer his perspective on the recent Derrick Henry trade rumors.
Nantz’s voice on the other end of the phone line shocked 3HL hosts Brent Dougherty, Dawn Davenport and Ron Slay, but his appearance also revealed Jim is an avid listener when he’s at his home in Tennessee’s capital city.
“You guys are terrific, and though I’m still kind of semi-new to the neighborhood – I love it here,” Nantz said. “I’ve been here 18 months. I drive around all the time listening to you guys, and thank you for entertaining me and also informing me. I love it.”
The studio was still in a state of shock that Nantz called in and also was a fan. Jim explained a friend of his in town mentioned that his name had come up on the show in various discussions. Nantz said he was a bit surprised he had been living in town this long and had yet to be invited on for an interview.
“I’ve gotten all sorts of invites from people around Nashville to come to their homes and have dinner,” Nantz said. “The country music world has been unbelievably embracing. But for some reason, I haven’t been invited on the show yet. So what do we gotta do to get on 104.5 The Zone? Come on!”
“We thought you would turn us down!” Davenport said.
“Never,” Nantz responded.
When they got around to talking about the biggest local headline in sports, Nantz said the idea of the Tennessee Titans shopping their star running back around had no merit to it.
“I just don’t see you trading Derrick Henry. First off, if you’re worried about what it’s going to cost you against the cap, we all know the running back position is the cheapest position on the field other than a special teamer,” he said. “It’s crazy the way it’s worked out, Derrick has served this community so well. And I think he’s got a couple of really big years still remaining. I’m not saying it’s five years, but there are other parts that need to be addressed well before we talk about doing anything with 22.”
Nantz stuck around for several more minutes where he talked about his upcoming final NCAA tournament broadcasts, memories of tournaments past, calling the 2023 Masters, relocating to Nashville and the meaning behind his trademarked opening phrase “Hello friends.”
By the end there was an open invitation for Nantz to come to the studio and join the show. Jim said once he gets through the NCAA and Masters gauntlet, he’d love to.
