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Scripps Sports Strikes First National Play-by-Play Deal With WNBA

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Scripps Sports Strikes First National Play-by-Play Deal With WNBA

Scripps Sports launched late last year with an eye on landing sports rights for the 61 local television stations it currently owns. On Thursday, the company announced its first deal.

Scripps Sports has struck a multi-year agreement with the WNBA for a Friday night package dubbed WNBA Friday Night Spotlight in two separate windows from May 26th through September 8th.

The WNBA broadcasts will air on ION, which marks the first sports property to air on the network.

“Scripps is fully committed to serving and growing the number of American women’s basketball fans who value the athleticism, professionalism, and excitement the WNBA brings into their living rooms,” said Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson.

Both national and regional broadcasts will be available in the two windows airing the broadcasts according to Scripps Sports President Brian Lawlor.

“We will have every game. We’ll be able to distribute it on a national basis. But also localize every game. Sort of like CBS and Fox do on Sunday afternoons (with the NFL).”

Scripps Sports has been viewed as a potential savior for MLB clubs who could see their local television rights reclaimed after the downfall of the Bally Sports and AT&T SportsNet regional sports networks. ION was also reported to be in negotiations with the Pac-12 for its upcoming television rights deal, according to The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy. However, that report was refuted by other college football reporters.

According to a report from Variety, ION was the 11th most-watched television network in 2022, behind HGTV and the Hallmark Channel, but above outlets like TNT, TBS, CNN, and The CW.

“Access to watch WNBA games is in high demand, and Scripps’ dedicated Friday night lineup of WNBA games on ION will become much-desired appointment viewing for WNBA fans,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

Jeff Van Gundy: Ryan Ruocco’s Vocal Warmups Made Me Want to Choke Him

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ESPN NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy is one of the more experienced basketball announcers in the game. However, nothing could have prepared him for the vocal exercises of Ryan Ruocco.

During an appearance on The Michael Kay Show Wednesday, Van Gundy was asked about Ruocco’s warmup routine. He said he was dumbfounded the first time he experienced it.

“I gotta say, the first time I worked with Ryan — it might have been an exhibition game, because I don’t think it was an NBA city — and for some reason, I had a rental car. I was driving us to the airport to try to catch our flight out,” Van Gundy began. “He goes ‘Do you mind if I do my vocal exercises?’, I had no idea what he’s talking about. We might be in the same business, but he’s young, I’m old. I have no idea what he’s talking about. I say ‘Sure’.

“And he starts…I go ‘What the hell is this guy doing?’ and this was going on for four or five minutes. He’s drinking hot tea, and gargling, and giving himself a throat massage. I wanted to choke him by the end of that car ride,” the former Knicks and Rockets coach admitted. “I was going to go at him. When he starts to warm up now, I leave the room. I’ve learned that.”

Earlier this week, the show discussed Ruocco’s warmup routine. Kay played a clip from a movie starring Jack Lemon, mimicking what Ruocco does. “It’s worse than that,” Kay said. “What Ryan does is worse than that.” Peter Rosenberg said “I love Ryan, but he’s an odd guy.”

James Andrew Miller: ‘Warner Bros. Interested in WWE’

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James Andrew Miller is the guest on the most recent episode of Jimmy Traina’s SI Media podcast. The pair discussed the future of the WWE on television and Traina suggested that the company may not actually be willing to give its current TV partners first right of refusal on new deals for Raw and SmackDown.

Monday Night Raw currently airs on the USA Network. SmackDown airs Friday nights on FOX. Miller says he thinks one company is ready to pounce if a WWE TV product hits the open market.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Warner Bros. Discovery would like a slice of that WWE pie,” he said.

He noted that Raw has been on Mondays since it first debuted, but there is no reason it has to stay there. Future bidders may be unwilling to meet WWE’s asking price for a product that will always finish second to Monday Night Football.

“I have not heard Nick [Khan, WWE CEO] advocate that, but I think my point is that if a player comes in and doesn’t want Monday night, that Monday night package is mobile. I mean, there’s no reason why it has to be Monday night.”

Warner Bros. Discovery is an interesting name to bring up. The company clearly believes in professional wrestling. It is already in business with AEW on TNT and TBS. So what would become of those shows if WWE rights are on the table?

Miller says he does not know if the company would abandon AEW or if it would find a way to air both promotions. He said that all he can say for sure is “that there are people at Warner Bros. who are interested” in WWE.

Negotiations are expected to begin this summer on new TV deals for the NBA. The league is at the center of the Turner Sports brand on TNT. It seems unlikely that Warner Bros. Discovery would let the NBA get away, but the company’s CEO David Zaslav is publicly posturing that he is not willing to meet any price that the NBA demands. Miller says if TNT loses the NBA, the WWE represents a very good replacement option.

“If they were to lose the NBA, I would imagine they would become a pretty big advocate for buying something,” he said. “That would create quite the auction unless it’s taken off. If either FOX or NBC comes in with a preemptive offer that the WWE likes, they won’t even get a chance.”

Howard Eskin Makes $500 Bet For Eagles Autism Challenge on NFL Draft

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The NFL Draft always brings plenty of speculation and alleged inside information in the days leading up to the event. Reporters report what they hear and sometimes reports on the same prospect or same team do not match up. That is the case with Peter Skoronski and the Philadelphia Eagles, and Howard Eskin is confident his information is what is correct.

Earlier this week on 94 WIP, Ray Didinger told Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie that the Eagles had their eyes on the offensive lineman out of Northwestern. He said that he expects Skoronski to be the Eagles’ selection if he is available when they make the 10th pick of the draft.

Thursday morning, Howard Eskin refuted that.

“I don’t think he’s valued that high. He’s good, but he’s not valued that high,” he told DeCamara and Ritchie.

Eskin knows that the report has gained steam, but he said that says more about WIP than about the team’s interest in Skoronski.

“It’s the flavor of the minute. Once we at WIP lean on something, there’s no stopping it. The freight train just rolls through every stop sign.”

The three men discussed what the Eagles may be looking for in the draft. All three agreed that addressing the offensive line makes sense, given that it is an aging unit.

Both DeCamara and Ritchie think Peter Skoronski makes sense. Ritchie pointed out that the prospect’s versatility means he is likely to be useful to the team much faster. That set Eskin off.

“I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do for all you geniuses there,” he said. “If they draft Peter Skoronski, I will donate $500 to the Eagles Autism Challenge in anybody’s name that you want, but if he’s not drafted at number 10, one of you brilliant minds donate $500 to my page to the Eagles Autism Challenge.”

Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie were hesitant. They said the odds were very much in Eskin’s favor.

“What’s the matter? You don’t like charity?” Eskin fired back.

Dan Bongino Departs Fox News

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Fox News weekend host Dan Bongino has departed Fox News after contract negotiations for his programs fell apart.

In a report from Forbes, a network spokesperson said “We thank Dan for his contributions and wish him success in his future endeavors.”

“Regretfully, last week was my last show on Fox News,” Bongino said on the latest episode of his podcast. “It’s tough. It’s tough to say that. I’ve been there doing hits and working there for ten years. I want you to know it’s not some big conspiracy. I promise you. There’s no acrimony. This wasn’t some WWE brawl that happened. We just couldn’t come to terms on an extension.”

Bongino’s Saturday night show Unfiltered with Dan Bongino on Fox News and his Canceled in the USA program for Fox’s streaming service Fox Nation will both end.

“I really enjoyed myself there. They were good for me for ten years, Bongino said. “It’s a sad day. They did give me the opportunity to do one last show, I don’t want you to think they showed me the door. That’s on me, not on them, but I thought it was best to go this way for now.”

In the first quarter of 2023, Bongino’s Fox News show was the highest-rated primetime Saturday program on the network, averaging 1.3 million viewers.

A former Secret Service agent, Bongino has also announced he will depart his nationally syndicated radio show with Westwood One once his contract ends.

Ryan Clark, Brady Quinn Clash on Twitter Over C.J. Stroud Analysis

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The days and weeks leading up to the NFL Draft routinely lead to analysis that can be construed as an attack on a prospect’s character. Recent remarks made by Brady Quinn about Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud led to criticism from ESPN’s Ryan Clark.

During an appearance on his Pick Six podcast, Quinn revealed he was told Stroud no-showed a previous commitment to the prestigious Manning Passing Academy.

“I’ve been told that he committed to it the night before, then just kind of ghosted them, didn’t show up,” Quinn said. “That’s football royalty, and when you do that, that’s gonna kind of set off some alarms for people, like, ‘Hey man, that’s not how you conduct yourself—especially around the Manning family, or just in general—if you’re gonna be a franchise quarterback.’”

Clark pushed back against the assertation from Quinn, saying the FOX Sports Radio host was “telling stories with 0 value to diminish a man’s character while validating his own. That comment led to a back-and-forth between the former NFL players.

“This is also an example of an analyst not doing his homework,” Quinn shot back. “There was no shot taken at his character & clearly you don’t know me, my work ethic or integrity.”

Quinn then offered Clark an opportunity to appear on the podcast to discuss the situation. Clark declined by saying “I have 0 need to join a podcast to refute this claim. As you suggested I did do my research. I wanted to know what happen before tweeting about it.”

Stroud was a previous guest on The Pivot podcast — hosted by former NFL stars Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor, and Clark — which was recorded before the comments by Quinn were made public.

“You can be doing good, you could be bad… cute, ugly. People are gonna talk about you regardless,” Stroud said during the episode. Clark shared the clip after the comments from Quinn went viral.

Man Charged In Murder of WWJ Anchor Jim Matthews Pleads No Contest

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Man Charged In Murder of WWJ Anchor Jim Matthews Pleads No Contest

The man accused of murdering Newsradio WWJ 950 overnight anchor Jim Matthews last September pled no contest to a bevy of charges Thursday morning.

55-year-old Arthur Williamson pleaded no contest to first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to commit murder, and three counts of unlawful imprisonment in a Macomb County, Michigan court.

According to authorities, Williamson hit Matthews over the head with a hammer more than two dozen times before slitting his throat inside the anchor’s home on September 23rd.

Nicole Guertin, the girlfriend of Matthews, claims Williamson was her “best friend” at the time of the attack. She testified that Williamson came over in the middle of the night to smoke crack cocaine and do heroin before he began attacking her and her children before saying “When Jim gets home, I’m gonna kill him”.

Williamson was subsequently arrested a few days later, and charged with seven felonies related to the attack.

According to Newsradio WWJ 950 reporter Ryan Marshall, Williamson pled no contest on Thursday morning. The plea carries a life sentence with no possibility of parole.

Marshall reported that Williamson decided to plead no contest because he had no recollection of the attack.

Sean Hannity: Media Operates Inside Echo Chamber

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Many critics of Fox News settling its defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems lamented that the cable network wouldn’t be outed for its lack of journalism. Fox News host Sean Hannity argued that those same people who believe they are journalists aren’t.

During his nationally syndicated radio show, The Sean Hannity Show host told Bill O’Reilly that media members operate inside an echo chamber, and believed his role as a quasi-media ombudsman was imperative.

“What we do, I believe, is important because the media really is a mob. I call them the media mob because they have a mob mindset, a mob mentality, and they follow each other,” Hannity said.

“They got this blue checkmark quote journalist cult, which is anything but journalism, and they all talk to each other in a bubble,” continued Hannity. “They all think that they’re journalists, and they’re not, Bill. They’re not.”

The statements from Hannity echo statements O’Reilly has previously made about the way news organizations now operate. O’Reilly quoted a study from Arizona State University that showed the majority of news executives believe journalists should put objectivity aside in favor of personal perspectives and experiences based on race.

He argued news executives don’t understand the purpose of journalism.

“We’re all the same, supposed to be establishing the truth by establishing facts…and then reporting that fact to you,” O’Reilly previously argued. “Not looking at it through a prism of color. That’s insane. But that’s what these people want, the big people who control corporate media.”

Charlie Kirk: Fox News Settlement With Dominion Sets ‘Very Dangerous Precedent’

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Earlier this week, Fox News settled its defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million, and conservative radio host Charlie Kirk fears the precedent that has been set by the cable news channel.

During The Charlie Kirk Show, the Turning Point USA founder claimed that the trial was not about correcting false statements as much as it was about harming conservative media outlets.

“This sets a very, very dangerous precedent for conservative and heterodox media,” Kirk argued. “This is not about whether or not you agree or disagree with Fox News, this is not about whether or not you hate Fox News or love Fox News, the reason this case goes as far as it did — and reached the ludicrous damage amounts it did — is because the aggressive lawyers and the accommodating court.”

Kirk then appeared to claim that Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis was influenced by the media coverage centered on the trial, saying that Fox needed to settle after Davis had already ruled that the network was guilty of knowingly airing false statements.

“Remember, judges read newspapers, too. The media was cheerleading for this non-stop. Every move of this trail was covered by The New York Times, covered by The Washington Post, so there was a media cover job,” continued Kirk. “This is not about Fox News. This is about whether or not we should change our legal standards just to get Fox and get conservative media companies. This is not about justice. This is about vengeance.”

He added that America needs an outlet like Fox News, and appreciated that the network was available in 100 million homes around the nation.

Megyn Kelly: Chris Cuomo ‘Full of Hubris and Dishonesty’

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Megyn Kelly: Chris Cuomo ‘Full of Hubris and Dishonesty’

It feels safe to assume that Megyn Kelly is not a fan of NewsNation host Chris Cuomo.

During The Megyn Kelly Show, the former Fox News host blasted Cuomo for “self-help” videos he has posted to his social media platforms.

“Is he getting into self-help now? Is that gonna be his new lane? He’s gonna go the Gwyneth Paltrow route? We’re gonna get vagina candles from him next?” Kelly sarcastically said.

Kelly also took issue with a tweet Cuomo sent that said the person next to him at a stoplight was listening to his podcast, saying “There is no chance that happened. No one is listening to that”.

“It’s the same he’s always been: full of hubris and dishonesty, and this false, self-deprecating ‘funny. It’s funny how people love me. It’s so amusing’.

“We keep an eye on news podcasts, just to see, and he is never in the top 200 of news podcasts. Doesn’t even touch the top 200. By the way, ours is consistently in the top five, and those who proceed us are the behemoths, like The New York Times and The Daily that has like 10 million a day. So, our show is doing well, but to just suggest that randos in New York City and you just happen to pull up to them and they’re listening? Ok,” Kelly said dismissively.

It isn’t the first time Kelly has ripped Cuomo. After his show launched on NewsNation, Kelly took exception to Cuomo saying he had been “humbled” by his departure from CNN after admitting to helping his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D), after he became embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal.

“Bullshit. I don’t believe that for one second,” Kelly said. “He has not been humbled at all.”

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