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Scripps Sports ‘Ready to Do A Deal’ With MLB Clubs

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Scripps Sports ‘Ready to Do A Deal’ With MLB Clubs

After announcing their first national television sports deal yesterday, Scripps CEO Adam Symson says the company is ready for more rights deals.

ION television network will broadcast WNBA games on 15 consecutive Friday nights during the league’s season, marking the first sports property placed on the channel. Symson says there’s an opportunity for more deals to be done.

“If we found another league that was the right fit and intersected so well with the demographics that we have on ION, there’s room for more,” Scripps CEO Adam Symson told Broadcasting+Cable.

The launch of Scripps Sports coincided with reports that the Bally Sports-branded regional sports networks were approaching bankruptcy last December. That ultimately proved true, as Diamond Sports Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, and has been the subject of speculation that it could choose to end contracts with several MLB teams to get out from under the unfavorable financial terms.

While no club has yet to depart the Bally Sports channels, Symson added that Scripps will be there should MLB need a landing spot.

“MLB has the whole situation well in hand. We’ve obviously had conversations with the folks in distribution with every major league that has been dependent on the RSN business,” Symson said. “Where we think there’s a fit with our local footprint and league or a series of teams, we’re absolutely ready to do a deal.”

The Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, and Texas Rangers have all been pegged as likely candidates to see their television contracts with Bally Sports end, leaving them looking for new television homes. Scripps owns over-the-air television stations in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Phoenix, and Tucson, among other major and large market cities.

Stephen A. Smith Says People Criticizing His Clay Travis Interview ‘Are a Problem’

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Stephen A. Smith made some waves inside of ESPN earlier this week according to Kyle Koster of The Big Lead. He reported that Smith’s interview with FOX Sports Radio personality-turned-conservative pundit Clay Travis “has not been a huge hit” with Smith’s ESPN co-workers.

Ben Koo of Awful Announcing added to that, saying that many at ESPN understand that Smith mostly gets to operate however he wants, but he has been characterized as a “bad teammate” by some that don’t like that he made time for someone who has been so critical of ESPN.

Smith answered those accusations on the new episode of his Audacy podcast K[no]w Mercy.

“These are the people who are a problem,” Smith said. “I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Clay Travis. He has his opinions. I have mine. He expressed them cogently with clarity. You can agree or disagree. I have my opinions. That’s what makes the world goes round. That’s what K[no]w Mercy is about and that’s what the hell it’s gonna stay about.”

K[no]w Mercy is not an ESPN production, so Stephen A. Smith does not necessarily have to think about what is best for the Worldwide Leader when putting episodes together. He doesn’t want the show to ever follow an agenda or his guest list to ever become too predictable.

“Let me be very, very clear: I talk to everybody. I don’t agree with a lot of people or a lot of things that people say. I don’t believe that’s a reason to hate them, any more than I want that to be a reason for them to hate me.”

Travis has also been critical of accusations that Stephen A. Smith did something wrong by having him on the show. Earlier this week, he demanded that Koo name the people at ESPN that allegedly told him there was something wrong with Smith and Travis talking.

Jamal Crawford: There’s ‘No Pressure’ Working For Turner Sports

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Jamal Crawford: There’s ‘No Pressure’ Working For Turner Sports

Jamal Crawford is in his first year working full-time at Turner Sports. The three-time Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year was a regular analyst on NBA on TNT  Tuesday with Adam Lefkoe, Candace Parker, and Shaquille O’Neal. Being in the media full-time was not something Crawford saw coming, but he enjoys talking about the game with others.

Crawford was a guest on The Old Man and the Three podcast with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter and he said being in the media did not become the full plan for him until he started going on podcasts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I didn’t think this was the plan. When the pandemic hit, I started doing so many different podcasts and I didn’t realize I loved talking the game this much. It’s so cool that there are people out there that want to talk the game like I do….I love it and I got bit by the bug. The crazy thing is when I started going on TV, I started getting text messages like I would when I scored 20 on TV like when I was playing.”

During his first full year at Turner, Crawford mentioned that Turner Sports was the perfect place to start because the atmosphere was always fun.

“It was great. I’m not sure if I could have walked into a better place to start to be honest with you because there was no pressure. It was all fun. We’re always just like clowning around. The stuff behind the scenes is even better. Me and Shaq had a versus every single week. We’d pick a topic and we would ask people in the room what they wanted to hear and we’d go back and forth picking songs. Some of that stuff I’ll never forget, but working on that crew, it definitely made it a lot smoother for sure.”

As for his critiques on current players, Crawford told Redick and Alter that the goal for him is to be authentic in anything that does and that if the relationship was strong beforehand, then the player will understand where he’s coming from.

“I just try to be honest. I’ve always prided myself on being authentic, so I’m always trying to be honest. There’s a way you can get your point across without tearing somebody down. They understand someone missed a big shot or it was a different read they could have taken. You can say it without the shock value of screaming it or trying to belittle someone.

“At the end of the day, if the relationship is solid and it’s really there, they will understand and respect where you are coming from…My best friend said that would be the hardest challenge for me being in full-time media. There’s going to come a point where you have to say the truth or you’re going to have to kind of protect the friendship. My mindset is if I keep the game the main thing, I’ll always be guided in the right direction.”

Sports Radio Listeners More Likely to Download Station App

BSM Staff
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Sports Radio Listeners More Likely to Download Station App

Fred Jacobs is giving a preview of the information he will share as part of the All Access Audio Summit next week. He has good news for the sports radio format – as more listeners switch their consumption of live audio to digital methods, our format is well ahead of the curve.

Jacobs Media conducted a survey at the beginning of the year titled “Radio in the Post-Pandemic Era.” It is this year’s edition of the company’s TechSurvey series.

Respondents were asked about their familiarity with and use of their favorite stations’ mobile apps. Sports radio listeners came back overwhelmingly more likely to have downloaded and use those apps.

“Nearly four in ten smartphone/tablet owners say their favorite stations has an app and they’ve downloaded it,” Fred Jacobs said. “Sports radio fans are well out in front of this mobile competition.”

In what is surely a good sign for stations on the AM band, 54% of sports radio listeners have and use their goto station’s app, well above the overall average. Rock, Hot AC, and Classic Rock were the only other formats to achieve over 40% app usage.

The new TechSurvey also looks at new technology stations are using and how receptive listeners are. Fred Jacobs will present the full results on Wednesday as part of the All Access Audio Summit.

Doug Gottlieb: Twitter’s Blue Checkmark is Now Worthless

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Twitter has officially taken the verified blue checkmark away from almost every user that hasn’t subscribed to its premium Twitter Blue service. FOX Sports Radio host Doug Gottlieb believes the verified stamp is now completely worthless.

“As of now, I’m not going to buy one unless my boss tells me to do it, or somebody who says business-wise ‘This is what you need to do’,” Gottlieb said Thursday. “Nobody’s really giving me any guidance. I like Twitter. I think there’s some downside to it. I’ll be totally honest with you. There have been moments in my life where I’ve been too engaged in it and missed part of the rest of my life, my real life. And I’ve tried to do a better job.”

Gottlieb then said he received backlash from his bosses while working for CBS Sports for his Twitter interactions.

“CBS got mad at me because I would reply to people. And they’re like ‘Don’t reply to people. They don’t matter’. I was like ‘Well, I don’t know. That’s kind of the platform. It’s like an open discussion’. Their take was it just doesn’t matter,” continued Gottlieb. “Like, you’re just welcoming somebody’s comments into a conversation that don’t belong. Don’t give them the time of day and they’ll just go away. I’ll readily admit, readily admit, that some people in the media should lose the right to comment on certain things. You don’t have to comment on everything, but I do think that evening the playing field is exactly what’s happened. And I don’t think that’s what should happen. I do think some people’s word should mean more.”

Gottlieb concluded by saying that some people will discuss topics they know nothing about. He pointed to recent comments made by CBS Sports NFL analyst Phil Simms who said Tom Brady would work better as a studio analyst than a game analyst as an example.

“You can dislike it all you want, but you actually don’t know anything about our business. And this allows people in the business, when you have people with verified check marks commenting, and randoms get caught up and it just kind of gets lost in the wash.”

Gottlieb added that his favorite part about Twitter is the “sports bar” type atmosphere it can provide during large events, but said “Once you start making people pay for things, it completely changed the dynamic”.

ABC News Names Mary Bruce Chief White House Correspondent

BNM Staff
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ABC News Names Mary Bruce Chief White House Correspondent

ABC News has tabbed Mary Bruce as the network’s Chief White House correspondent, according to a report from Deadline.

Bruce steps into the role vacated by Cecilia Vega after she departed the network for a new role with CBS News and 60 Minutes.

After starting at ABC News in 2006, Bruce joined This Week with George Stephanopoulos as a segment producer. She then transitioned to a role as a White House producer, before becoming a reporter with the organization. She was elevated to a lead campaign correspondent in 2020.

“For more than 15 years, Mary has been an integral part of our Washington team. As senior White House correspondent, she covered every step of the 2020 Biden campaign and election, which included the primaries, presidential and vice presidential debates, conventions, and five straight days of reporting as the winner was determined in the historic election,” ABC News President Kim Godwin wrote in an internal memo obtained by Deadline.

“She has traveled with President Biden to report on many of his domestic and foreign trips, including his recent visit to Ireland. Mary has also brought her reporting and insight to our coverage of the 2022 midterm election, State of the Union addresses, and President Biden’s historic trip to Ukraine.”

The elevation of Bruce comes as President Joe Biden is expected to officially announce his re-election bid in the coming days.

CNN Moving ‘Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?’ to Fridays

BNM Staff
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As the third season of Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? prepares to debut, it will have a new timeslot on CNN.

After previously airing on Sunday evenings, the network has moved the show to Friday nights at 10:00 PM ET.

CNN has previously tried to bolster its Friday evening programming by adding the Overtime segment from Real Talk with Bill Maher in the 11:30 PM ET timeslot.

“Our viewers have come to expect real, authentic conversations with a rich variety of guests,” said Wallace. “We’ve really hit our stride this season and I’m excited to continue to bring these timely conversations to both HBO Max and CNN.”

Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? will also continue to stream on the reimagined Max streaming service when it launches on Tuesday, May 23rd.

In the show’s third season, which debuts on Friday, April 28th, guests will include Jay Leno, Carol Burnett, Bill Hader, and Miranda Lambert, among others.

95.5 WSB Names Chris Chandler Morning Host, Alters Daily Lineup

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95.5 WSB Names Chris Chandler Morning Host, Alters Daily Lineup

95.5 WSB has announced changes to its daily lineup, with Chris Chandler being named the new host of Atlanta’s Morning News.

Chandler has worked as the station’s afternoon drive news anchor and will now transition to the 5:00-9:00 AM timeslot. Chandler will replace Scott Slade, who stepped away from the station in January for what, at the time, was called a “temporary” shift away from the early morning window. Slade had hosted the show since 1991.

“It is the honor of a career to step into one of the great heritage radio news programs in the country,” Chandler said. “Scott Slade can’t be replaced, but I’m committed to maintaining the integrity, consistency, and fairness he brought Atlanta’s Morning News over his legendary run.”

“95.5 WSB has such a deep roster of talent. I am excited to promote Chris to this new role. As part of the process, we took the time to examine the entire station lineup,” said Ken Charles, Director of Branding and Programming for 95.5 WSB. “Additionally, we asked our audience what they expected from WSB. These changes reflect those expectations and leverage our local stars to position the station for the future.”

The station is also flip-flopping two other programs in its daily lineup.

Mark Arum will move from his current afternoon timeslot to host the 9:00 AM-Noon show. He had previously hosted Atlanta’s News & Talk from 4:00-7:00 PM. However, Eric Von Haessler will move his The Von Haessler Doctrine to the afternoon timeslot.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this dynamic change to the weekday lineup,” said Arum. “I’m honored to be handed the keys to what truly is a legacy time slot on 95.5 WSB.”

“After being on in the mornings since 2017, I’m looking forward to the challenge of capturing another audience in afternoons, and I have no doubt listeners will enjoy Mark in the mornings,” Von Haessler said. “I used to come in at 6 a.m., not because I’m a good employee, but because I hate traffic, and not having to deal with that might be what I am most looking forward to.”

Those changes will take effect on Monday, May 1st.

Ben Smith: Downfall of BuzzFeed News Shows ‘Relationship Over’ Between Publishers and Social Media

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Ben Smith: Downfall of BuzzFeed News Shows ‘Relationship Over’ Between Publishers and Social Media

It was announced yesterday that BuzzFeed News was shuttering after taking the digital media landscape by storm in the early 2010s.

The company made the decision to close the outlet to put more focus on HuffPost. CEO Jonah Peretti told employees the company made a mistake.

“I made the decision to overinvest in BuzzFeed News because I love their work and mission so much,” Peretti acknowledged. “This made me slow to accept that the big platforms wouldn’t provide the distribution or financial support required to support premium, free journalism purpose-built for social media.

“I regret that I didn’t hold the company to higher standards for profitability, to give us the buffer needed to manage through economic and industry downturns.”

Ben Smith was the first Editor-in-Chief of the digital outlet. He claims he worked diligently to bolster its investigative journalism division during his tenure. He added that the downfall of the organization is the final nail in the coffin between journalistic endeavors and social media platforms.

“I do think it makes really clear the relationship between news publishers and social media is pretty much over,” Smith told CNN’s Oliver Darcy.

“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about when the tide turned. I have a book coming out in a couple of weeks, called “Traffic”, that tries to tell the story of the era — the rise of a new kind of digital media in the early 2000s in lower Manhattan,” Smith wrote on Semafor. “Much of it is about that turn, between 2015 and 2017, to a darker societal view of social media, to the platforms’ flight from increasingly toxic global politics, and away from the internet BuzzFeed shaped and thrived on.”

Smith departed the digital outlet in 2020 for a position with The New York Times. He ultimately departed the Grey Lady to co-found news startup Semafor with Justin B. Smith.

BuzzFeed News grew to prominence during a time in Facebook’s history when it amplified links to outside sources. As the social media giant grew, changes in its algorithm continually limited the reach of organizations like BuzzFeed News to the point of closure.

After the announcement of BuzzFeed News’ demise, the company’s stock price dropped by 20%.

Pete Buttigieg: Department of Transportation Will Be Involved in AM Radio Conversation

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Pete Buttigieg, the US Secretary of Transportation, has recently addressed the issue of safeguarding AM radio in electric vehicles (EVs). During an interview on Washington Watch, he was questioned about the Department of Transportation’s approach towards automakers who are eliminating this radio frequency band.

According to Radio INK, Seven ex-FEMA administrators wrote to Congress members and Secretary Buttigieg in February, highlighting the significance of AM radio in the infrastructure of the National Public Warning System. This system, operated by FEMA, conveys emergency alerts and warning messages to the public during natural disasters and severe weather conditions.

“We certainly recognize the importance and the important role that AM radio has played and continues to play about people getting information that they need for safety, notably but not only when it comes to weather emergencies, and one thing we know about these times is that weather emergencies are becoming more frequent and more severe,” said Buttigieg.  

Recently, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) unveiled a new initiative emphasizing the significance of AM radio in automobiles for news updates, community involvement, entertainment, and crucial public safety information. 

“While I don’t know of a formal legal role that we have about that, it’s certainly something that will be on our mind as we remain in dialogue with the auto industry and related industries regarding transportation,” added Buttigieg. 

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