Brett Favre’s lawyer sounds ready for a fight with Pat McAfee. Eric Herschmann was a guest this week on The Blaze TV’s Fearless with Jason Whitlock. He told Whitlock that he is ready to see the former NFL punter in court.
Herschmann and Favre filed three defamation suits last week. McAfee, FS1’s Shannon Sharpe, and Mississippi State Auditor Shad White are the defendants.
“It’s obvious when you listen to Pat McAfee, he never read any of the complaints,” Hershmann told Whitlock. “He didn’t read the motion to dismiss. He just decided to get on his show and get as much attention as he could.”
According to Herschmann, McAfee accused Brett Favre of “stealing from poor people”. The funds he advocated go towards a new volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi came from the state’s welfare fund.
Favre has claimed that he had no way of knowing that was the case. Adam Ganucheau of the nonprofit media outlet Mississippi Today published text messages in September that shows Favre was concerned about the media finding out where the money from the project had come from, although he never specifically mentions that the money was initially intended for welfare recipients.
Herschmann said that he was taken aback by Pat McAfee essentially challenging Favre on his show after the lawsuits were filed. On Friday, McAfee said “see you in court, pal” while discussing the upcoming legal battle.
“He — contrary to what Shannon Sharpe was probably told, that it is a good time to keep your mouth shut — decided to go on and speak again and make a joke that he doesn’t have a lawyer and that his wife says he is really terrible about apologizing,” Herschmann said. “Well, I can guarantee to you the jury in Mississippi will make certain he learns how to apologize.”
Herschmann made a bold prediction about the outcome of the case. He said that this will cost Pat McAfee “millions of dollars” and that “if it bankrupts him, then he will learn his lesson about you don’t try to promote yourself by inappropriately and improperly attacking somebody else.”
Joe Rose has been an integral part of WQAM for more than 30 years, and it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon. However, Rose reportedly flirted with leaving the station to join FOX Sports 940.
A report from the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson claims Rose was in discussions with FOX Sports 940 to join its daily lineup. Joe Rose currently serves as the color analyst for the Miami Dolphins Radio Network. The Dolphins have moved their broadcasts from Audacy-owned WQAM to iHeartMedia’s FOX Sports 940 and Big 105.9.
Rose’s partner for Dolphins broadcast is Jimmy Cefalo, who previously hosted the morning show at iHeartMedia’s Miami news/talk station WIOD.
FOX Sports 940 currently carries the entire syndicated lineup from FOX Sports Radio.
Additionally, the report from Jackson claims iHeartMedia Miami is paying the Dolphins “in the neighborhood” of $3 million per season for the radio broadcast rights to the franchise. WQAM reportedly offered “well below that” price.
The days on WGR are numbered for Howard Simon. He announced on Wednesday morning that he will be on the station for the last time on March 3.
Simon has been in Buffalo since 1980 when he came to the city for college. He has been working in sports media in Western New York for more than 33 years.
“I’ve been around some amazing stories over the years like the Bills four straight Super Bowl seasons, a Sabres Stanley Cup Final appearance, NCAA Tournament berths for each of the Big 4 schools, Bandits championships, and a Bisons championship,” he wrote in an essay announcing his plans on WGR’s website.
Howard Simon began reassessing his professional life last year. In August, he tweeted that he would only be on air three days per week going forward. He made a point to be on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays during the football season.
Last month, Simon spoke with BSM’s Peter Schwartz. He told Schwartz that he did not think he could make it through the entire football season if he were to work five days per week.
He also told Schwartz that he wasn’t looking to make half weeks his new normal. At that time, three days was all he could give. When he knew he couldn’t do that anymore, he would be totally done with sports radio. He didn’t see himself reducing his workload even further and still maintaining a presence in the sports media.
“Whenever I decide to be done, I’m done. That’s it. I just want to be a fan again. I don’t want to have to worry about taking notes and having opinions and living on Twitter and what’s going on and booking guests,” he said.
Jeremy White has been Simon’s partner for the last 18 years. Howard Simon had nothing but kind words for White in his announcement.
“Jeremy is super talented, extremely creative, and has a great feel for what topics will be of most interest to our listening audience. Now he did throw a shoe at me during a show one time, but I don’t think he was trying to hit me on purpose. I can’t thank Jeremy enough for what he has done over the years for the morning show. Quite honestly the poor guy has had to carry me the last couple of years.”
Simon isn’t leaving Western New York. He concluded his announcement by saying that he looks forward to celebrating the city’s first major sports championship with his former listeners as a fellow fan.
The majority of the time spent at our annual BSM Summit is on ways to grow business, learn new ideas, build new connections, and address key industry issues. But one thing I specifically spend a lot of time on is making sure we use our platform to elevate people who have made a significant contribution to the industry.
We previously announced Julie Talbott will join us next month to receive the Jeff Smulyan Award for the outstanding work she’s done guiding Premiere Radio Networks, including working in tandem with Colin Cowherd to grow The Volume. We also shared that this year’s Mark Chernoff Award will be presented to Jimmy Powers for the tremendous work he’s done turning 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit into a consistent winner and one of sports radio’s elite brands.
Which brings us to our next announcement, this year’s Champions Award.
I created this honor a few years ago because I wanted to highlight people who use their influence and platform to do good for others. Covering sports, dishing out opinions, and connecting with audiences and advertisers is part of what we do each day, and most of it is fun. But tackling difficult real life issues can be hard especially when it involves challenges that affect us personally or those we know and root for across the business.
Last year we recognized Adam Schefter of ESPN for the way he stepped up to support Jeff Dickerson’s family after the former ESPN Chicago reporter and host lost his battle with cancer. The prior Summit we celebrated Keith Murphy and Andy Fales of KXNO in Des Moines, Iowa after six of their colleagues lost jobs and their station cut most local shows, and they took a stand, refusing to be part of the station’s future unless change took place. Their stance led to the reinstatement of the six terminated employees, a move of KxNo to the FM dial, and local advertisers and listeners rallying around them.
This year, we are honored to recognize a man who has shared his own mental health struggles to increase conversation and awareness of a very real, and serious issue impacting millions of people. He has embraced being uncomfortable and talking about personal challenges he’s gone through on television, social media, through a podcast in partnership with FOX Sports Radio and iHeartmedia, and as an author with the release of his book “Unbreakable: How I Turned My Depression and Anxiety Into Motivation and You Can Too.” It is my pleasure to recognize Jay Glazer as our 2023 Champions Award recipient.
Jay will join us at USC on Tuesday March 21st to receive the honor as part of the BSM Summit Awards ceremony presented by Premiere Networks. BSM will also make a $1,000 donation to MVP (Merging Vets and Players) to show our support for the outstanding work Jay is doing to help people who are battling mental health issues. If you too would like to offer support by making a donation, click here.
“I’m using my pain to help others through theirs,” Jay Glazer explained. “We all say “mental health” these days but who gives it words, what it’s like to suffer from depression and anxiety? I’m trying to give it words so people can lean into their “teammates” — husbands, wives, friends, kids, parents, co-workers — so we can all not have to go at it alone and walk this walk together.”
Whether you work on the air, behind the scenes, in management, on the field, court, ice or squared circle, or you’re involved in a different line of work outside of sports and media, depression is a serious issue affecting millions of people. Working in sports media comes with many advantages, among them, great access, recognition, and compensation. However, we also deal with a lot of pressure and are exposed to tons of noise and vitriol on a daily basis. What may seem to some as ‘part of the job’ can take a mental toll regardless of one’s fame, fortune or track record of success. The strongest of men and women can become vulnerable at any moment, and it’s ok to acknowledge that we aren’t bulletproof and experience these issues.
I know I speak for the industry when I say we’re thankful for the work Jay’s doing to elevate awareness of this issue, and look forward to recognizing him in Los Angeles at the BSM Summit. To learn more about Jay’s work with MVP, go here. For additional details on hotel rooms and tickets for the Summit, visit BSMSummit.com.
The conversations began last year to organize a reunion of Mike Francesa and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo to take place on ESPN’s top-ranked morning debate show, First Take. The iconic sports talk duo hosted Mike and the Mad Dog on WFAN for 19 years, but since had had sparse public reunions, some of which included at a Garden of Dreams benefit event, on MLB Network’s High Heat and at an appearance at the 2022 Barrett Sports Media (BSM) Summit in New York, N.Y.
Yet there is no animosity between Francesa and Russo, as they frequently discuss their families and lives primarily through text, maintaining an amicable relationship despite various disagreements over the years. Since the end of the program in 2008, fans have clamored for them to return to the New York City airwaves where they consistently finished at the top of the ratings. Today though, each remains invested in viable solo careers post-WFAN and remain prominent figures in sports media.
Stephen A. Smith, executive producer and featured commentator on First Take, listened to Francesa and Russo in his youth and helped facilitate the reunion, which was originally set for last spring. Initially, ESPN wanted Francesa to come on the show unannounced, surprising Smith, Russo and host Molly Qerim; however, Francesa thought it would not be right for him to intrude on the program, preferring it to be approved in advance.
“I had a cold so we canceled once and then we never got back to it,” Francesa said. “Then [ESPN] came back after me this year – I said, ‘Yes,’ and recently went on the show. That was basically it, but it was in the works for a long, long time.”
First Take, led by Smith, Qerim and a rotation of guest commentators, recently enjoyed its most-watched January in show history, averaging 561,000 total viewers and marking six consecutive months of year-over-year (YOY) growth in the persons 18-49 demographic. Francesa’s Feb. 1 appearance on the show drew approximately 524,000 total viewers, with persons 25-54 accounting for nearly half of the audience.
The show also happened to coincide with seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady announcing his retirement from the NFL, sparking conversation regarding his career, legacy and potential next steps in sports media. Francesa, with his vast insights and sweeping sports knowledge, was able to quickly adapt and provide valuable contributions to the conversation. It led some viewers to implore First Take to consider bringing him on as a routine contributor.
“I don’t see me doing that on a regular basis,” Francesa said. “They haven’t asked me to do that on a regular basis. I know they were very happy with the show. I know the show did very well in the ratings [and] did very well where they wanted it to do well. They were very pleased with the show, but there’s been no talk about me doing it…. and I don’t see me doing it on any regular basis.”
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On July 1, 1987, the sports talk format made its debut from the sub-basement of the Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City on WFAN. Francesa was intrigued by the station, which was formerly known as WHN and played country music.
Jeff Smulyan and the management team at Emmis Communications brought in a lineup including Greg Gumbel in mornings, Jim Lampley in middays, Pete Franklin in afternoon drive (although his debut was delayed) and Howie Rose at nights. Francesa applied as a producer and landed an interview where he learned more about the direction of the new broadcast entity.
“They told me they were bringing in all these big talk show hosts from around the country [and] that I was too qualified as a producer because of my job at CBS,” he said. “They didn’t want me on the air because they were bringing people in from all over the country and they were going to bring the biggest and the best in. I asked them to give me a chance – they wouldn’t.”
After one year on the air, WFAN was struggling, reporting losses and meager listenership, insinuating that changes needed to be made – one of which was moving frequencies (1050 AM to 660 AM). Francesa was still working at CBS Sports and eventually was given a chance to fill in for Pete Franklin on WFAN since his colleague, Jim Nantz, knew one of the producers.
Another talk show host, Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, had also joined the station in late-1988 as a fill-in host and sports reporter on Imus in the Morning, returning to New York City after he had broadcast on WKIS in Orlando and WMCA in New York.
“I learned a lot from Don Imus in radio; I spent a lot of time talking to [him],” Francesa said. “I learned how to pace a show; I learned about timing from him – certain things I picked up from him being in the studio with him seeing how he did [them].”
Francesa and Russo, dissonant and seemingly-polar opposites, both wanted the opportunity to take over for Franklin once he departed afternoon drive in 1989. Mark Mason, the program director of WFAN, famously devised a concept where Francesa and Russo would host afternoons together, an idea few at the station espoused. Instead of forming the new duo, most WFAN colleagues wanted Francesa and Russo each to host a solo program, one in middays and one in the afternoon, as was the norm at the time.
Instead, Mason, dogged in his pursuit to improve ratings and revenue, was insistent on his idea and delivered an ultimatum to Francesa. It was host afternoon drive with Russo or, if he decided to go solo, be deprived of the pending opportunity to enter the coveted daypart. He chose the former, marking the inception of sports talk radio’s greatest success story and WFAN’s hallmark program for the next 19 years.
“The show had a rough transition – we didn’t get along very well in the beginning,” Francesa said. “After a couple of months when the ratings came out, the ratings were so good that there was no issue anymore. We both had to just realize that was our future because within six months, they had ripped up our contract and given us five times the money and we were already a smash.”
Over the weekday program, which first broadcast from 3 to 7 p.m., Francesa and Russo debated sports topics, interviewed eminent figures in New York sports and took calls from fans who wanted to get in on the conversation. Conducting a two-man sports talk show rather than what Francesa calls “guy talk shows,” Mike and the Mad Dog effectively redefined the format. When Mark Chernoff joined the station as its new program director in 1993, he separated himself from the program but always offered his support and expertise if they deemed it necessary.
“He just did whatever he could to accentuate the show [and] add anything that he wanted to add,” Francesa said of Chernoff. “He was very strong [and] he had a great sense of the ratings. I learned a lot of different tricks about the ratings from him.”
When Russo departed WFAN to join SiriusXM and launch “Mad Dog Sports Radio,” Francesa remained on WFAN as a solo host and continued to draw a large audience, even leading dedicated fans to launch an annual “FrancesaCon” event in New York City.
The ironic part of the situation was that it was Mike and the Mad Dog that had normalized two hosts being on the air together; Francesa seemingly went backwards in terms of sports talk radio’s evolution, yet sustained the success of the previous program. Whether fans were listening on WFAN or watching a simulcast on YES Network or Fox Sports 1, Mike’s On: Francesa on the FAN kept sports fans engaged and entertained on a daily basis until his retirement in 2017. That retirement was more of a caesura though, as he returned to the station just one year later to host a three-hour solo program and later launched a subscription-based mobile app.
“When I left the first time, everything was perfect, but they really came after me very hard to go back, so I did,” Francesa expressed. “It was very different the second time; I wasn’t working the same hours [and] I wasn’t working a full show…. From that standpoint, I look at it as when I left the first time, that was really the end because I was never really doing the same show.”
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Coinciding with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 decision to give states regulatory power over sports betting, Francesa was recruited by several different gambling companies, especially those looking to launch in the New York-metropolitan area.
At this stage of his career, Francesa knows that he is more than just a solo broadcaster opining about the latest sports news; he is a brand, and those in the space duly recognize that. Since it is perhaps more facile than ever to promulgate one’s voice, it can easily be lost in the shuffle; therefore, standing out and doing something different is critical in launching a career.
“If you’re a brand, then you’re halfway home,” Francesa explained. “If I want to do something, the money’s going to be there; the production’s going to be there; the advertising’s going to be there; the audience is going to be built-in because I’m already a brand – I’m established. It’s very hard for a newcomer to be able to accomplish that, and now if you don’t accomplish that, you don’t keep the product that long so it’s a tough thing.”
As first reported by Barrett Sports Media, Francesa reached a multi-year deal with Rush Street Interactive to become a brand ambassador for BetRivers Sportsbook last March, through which he hosts The Mike Francesa Podcast.
Since its launch last year, the podcast has released over 150 episodes and Francesa has discretion to record and post an episode whenever he desires, which is produced and edited by one of his former producers at WFAN, Brian Monzo.
“It was a lucrative offer, so I agreed to do it and I’ve had a terrific time with it,” Francesa said. “I’ve done a football Friday podcast every week that’s usually up by noon on Fridays that’s done really well. I’ve done some other podcasts including some postgame stuff on Sundays.”
When Francesa was on terrestrial sports talk radio, a distinguished part of his program involved taking callers and listening to their opinions. Although there was a share of listeners who interacted for the sole purpose of asking trivial questions and infamously hanging up to listen, there were plenty who engendered interesting content and erudite analysis.
Even though Francesa no longer hosts a live program, he still interacts with podcast listeners through email, dedicating select episodes to answering their questions. He says the show receives several-hundred emails per week and responds to them similarly to how he took calls in the past.
“It gives me a chance to keep my hand in and it’s been very well-received,” Francesa said. “We take a lot of emails from the audience where what they’ll do is send me a whole bunch of emails, and what I do is I read them spontaneously – I don’t look at them beforehand – and then I do them on a live-to-tape show.”
Much of Francesa’s sports talk still centers around New York sports, praising, commiserating and criticizing teams and players as he sees fit with the credibility, facts and proficiency to back it up. He offers the New York Yankees as an example, a storied franchise that has consistently achieved success in the regular season, but has failed to qualify for the World Series since 2009 – largely at the hands of the rival Houston Astros.
“I think what we do is easier to deal with teams when they lose than if they win,” Francesa siad. “What we do by our very nature – it’s more passionate; it’s just more compelling when the teams lose, especially if there’s a tough loss. As far as when teams win, yes – they get attention when they win, but it depends how they do when the big games arrive.”
Over his broadcast career spanning parts of six decades, Francesa, known as the “Sports Pope,” has always been motivated to procure success and explore new avenues to bring fans sports talk content. While there is nothing more he feels he needs to do in broadcasting, nor is he actively looking for new opportunities, he would be interested in exploring a Mike and the Mad Dog alternate-style broadcast.
According to Francesa, no broadcast networks have approached him about the idea just yet, but it has been brought up on a few occasions by others. With the recent rise in alternate broadcasts, including ESPN’s Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli; Turner Sports’ Inside the All-Star Game; and MSG Networks’ BetCast during select New York Knicks games, it is entirely feasible the duo could one day consider reaching fans through this new means of dissemination.
“I think that is one thing that would do very well,” Francesa said. “I just don’t know when or where it would get done. That is one of the things – something like that would do very well. I just don’t know what would be the perfect time and place and sport to do it.”
Beginning last year, Mike Francesa and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo are honored annually with the presentation of the Mike and the Mad Dog Award at the BSM Summit, given to the best local sports talk show.
Last year’s award was given to Felger & Mazz of 98.5 The Sports Hub, and was preceded by a retrospective where Francesa and Russo reminisced about their time working together. Despite Francesa receiving a deluge of awards and honors in his career, including Hall of Fame inductions, Marconi Award wins and No. 1 sports talk host distinctions, he remains thankful to be held in high regard by his peers.
“Any time you’re recognized for your body of work, you’re going to very humbly and graciously accept it because that’s what you do,” he said. “When somebody recognizes it as being outstanding, you’re going to be very happy about that because that’s what we do. We’re performers, so when somebody recognizes your performance, you’re going to be very grateful about it.”
With many consumers possessing a device that can reach an audience of billions in their pocket, differentiation between talent is indispensable and the means to cultivate prosperity.
Out of the number of aspiring sports media professionals, very few attain the success Francesa has in his career, and he did it simply by being genuine with the audience and acting as himself. The medium notwithstanding, Francesa is a trusted and respected voice among sports fans in the New York-metropolitan area and the United States at large, and he continues to amplify his takes through his podcast in this new phase of his career.
“There’s a lot of noise out there; there’s a lot of sound out there,” Francesa said. “….Whatever it may be, you have to find a way to cut through to get noticed because if you don’t, there’s just too many podcasts and too many programs out there.”
A previous host at MSNBC alleged that she was required to have her commentary approved by the network president if it contained any criticism of Hillary Clinton prior to her presidential campaign in 2016.
Krystal Ball, a former congressional candidate from Virginia and co-host of “The Cycle” from 2012 to 2015 on the left-leaning cable news channel owned by Comcast, recalled her monologue in 2014 where she urged Clinton not to seek the Democratic Party nomination.
She made comments to Joe Rogan in a recent podcast that were transcribed and reported by the New York Post.
“I did this whole thing that was like, ‘She sold out to Wall Street. People are gonna hate this lady. She’s like the terrible candidate for the moment. Please don’t run,’” Ball said.
Despite being permitted to express her opinion at the time, Krystal Ball claimed that Phil Griffin, who was the president of MSNBC at the time, informed her that any future commentary regarding Clinton would need approval from him.
“Afterwards, I get pulled into an office and you know [I was told], ‘Great monologue, everything’s fine. But next time you do any commentary on Hillary Clinton, it has to get approved by the president of the network.”
Ball acknowledged that this may have influenced her subsequent commentary on Clinton, as she wanted to avoid getting into trouble with her boss. Ball also expressed her belief that cable news networks have boundaries that employees are aware of, which can result in self-censorship.
Krystal Ball started her career as a certified public accountant (CPA) and worked as a financial analyst before entering the world of politics. She is known for her progressive political views and has been a vocal supporter of left-leaning politicians like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She is also the author of the book The Populist’s Guide to 2020: A New Right and New Left are Rising.
The city of Memphis was in full focus by our nation throughout the month of January, and several of the nation’s top broadcast networks, like ABC News and Fox News, watched the city closely.
On the celebrity front, Lisa Marie Presley — the lone child of Elvis Presley — passed away at the age of 54 from cardiac arrest on Jan. 12, just four days after attending the Golden Globe Awards where the film “Elvis” was honored. She was laid to rest at the Presley estate of Graceland on Jan. 22. Memphis was also where another incident of police brutality took place.
On Jan. 7, 29-year old Tyre Nichols was pulled over by police for alleged reckless driving. After Nichols exited his vehicle, he was pepper-sprayed and tasered by those officers. He attempted to escape the area to run towards his mother’s house nearby, but was caught and restrained by those same officers. Nichols was then the recipient of multiple punches, kicks and baton hits. Three days later. Nichols passed away. The five officers involved were dismissed from their jobs on Jan. 20 and on Jan. 26, all of them arrested on multiple charges including murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and misconduct.
On the following night (Friday Jan. 27), the incident’s bodycam footage was released to the public. Upon release, the three major cable news outlets as well as ABC and NBC (which broke into local programming: CBS was instead airing golf) aired it uncensored.
ABC, the usual network leader in the early evening with World News Tonight and most of its affiliates carrying Wheel of Fortune and/or Jeopardy!, led in coverage. Its 7-minute breaking news report, from 7:30-7:37 p.m. ET, drew 6.43 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Fox News Channel, the regular weeknight cable news leader within the 7-8 p.m. hour with Jesse Watters Primetime, was again on top of cable with 3.35 million. NBC’s 9-minute special report (7:51-8:00 p.m. ET) posted 3.195 million. From 7-8 p.m. ET, CNN delivered 2.165 million while MSNBC had 1.32 million; as for CNN, the hour also drew 546,000 within the key 25-54 demographic, which was tops on all of cable news for the entire week ending Jan. 29.
Friday is normally the least-watched weeknight of television viewing overall, but on this specialized evening, the cable news networks were the exceptions as most of its regular slates received boosts upon their analyses of the Memphis police footage. The following are those prime time programs’ figures and their percentage changes from the prior Friday:
Mark Levin, also known as “The Great One,” is renowned for providing his millions of daily national radio show listeners with insightful analysis. During Monday’s show, he shared his thoughts on the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. One of his statements was the claim that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had four Super Bowl wins, which is incorrect. Mahomes hasn’t even been to four Super Bowls. He has been to three and won two.
Levin’s show is broadcasted in most major US markets, such as KCMO Talk Radio 103.7 FM in Kansas City, where on Tuesday, the station’s program director and morning show host, Pete Mundo, comically relayed some of Levin’s perspectives, while also emphasizing the significance of providing reliable and honest information.
“If you’re going to do your opening monologue on the Super Bowl, it might behoove you, to know how many Super Bowls the best player in the sport has won,” Mundo said. “You weren’t off by one on either side, you doubled the number of Super Bowl victories that Patrick Mahomes has.”
Mundo emphasized that for talk show hosts, regardless of the nature of their analysis, it is crucial to furnish accurate information to safeguard their credibility.
“We talked about credibility a lot and the lack thereof of credibility when it comes to the media,” said Mundo. “I love Mark Levin, I listen to him every night when he comes on this radio station at five o’clock, not just because I’m the program director, but because I think the guy is smart and really talented. But in the words of Travis Kelce, don’t be a jabroni, for crying out loud Mark, know what you’re talking about with this stuff.”
Mundo expressed his disagreement with Mark Levin’s stance on a crucial play that resulted in a holding penalty. Levin, a native of Philadelphia, had informed his audience that the referee made an incorrect call on the defensive holding foul. Nevertheless, later, the team’s cornerback confessed to holding the opposing team’s receiver, Juju Smith-Schuster.
“Mark, I don’t know what to tell you, stay in your lane man!” Mundo added jokingly.
You have to give Charles Barkley credit. He is so good on Inside the NBA that he has convinced TV executives that he can do anything.
Frankly, I get why the LIV Golf Tour courted Barkley last year. It is a turd of a product that’s run by people who do not know what they are doing. They have no plan for their television presentation. Anything that can grab headlines and attract some interest is worth a shot.
I also get why no deal came to fruition. Outside of a bargaining chip to use against TNT, what on Earth was in it for Charles Barkley to join LIV Golf?
The latest broadcasting executive convinced that he can make money off of Charles Barkley is new CNN boss Chris Licht. Last week, Puck News reported that the network and Barkley are in talks to launch a primetime show that would see the Hall of Famer talking to newsmakers from the worlds of sports, entertainment and politics.
When Discovery bought Warner Media, plenty of executives with CNN, TNT and other Turner networks exited. At this point, most of the people that greenlit the ill-fated mini-series The Race Card are probably gone from the company. That is the only logical explanation for why Licht feels like this is a good idea.
Listen, I like Charles Barkley a lot. Just like everyone else, I think he is the greatest studio analyst we have ever seen in any sport. He is brash and funny. He regularly demonstrates an understanding of basketball and isn’t afraid to offer an opinion that may turn Inside the NBA into a three-on-one handicap match.
The guy is entertaining. He isn’t a miracle worker.
CNN is getting clobbered in primetime by both FOX News and MSNBC. An overhaul is necessary, and frankly, I applaud the network for thinking outside of the box. Straight news doesn’t draw ratings like opinion and entertainment do and both of its competitors do partisanship way better. Taking a more traditional approach to this makeover wouldn’t yield meaningful results for CNN.
The network wants Barkley’s star power. But is that enough?
Think about it this way. If you have never watched CNN before, is Charles Barkley going to be what changes your mind? Probably not.
We all acknowledge that the guy is really good at what he does, but he isn’t Dave Portnoy or Joe Rogan. He doesn’t have the kind of fans that will tune into anything just because he is involved.
Plus, his skill set isn’t particularly diverse. If The Race Card proved anything, it is that. The show was billed as a superstar talent using his charm to facilitate tough conversations about race in America. What we got was just kind of Charles Barkley being Charles Barkley while people yell at him.
That is what Charles Barkley is best at. That is what we want to see. The guest lineup for this CNN show can be second to none. Jesus Christ himself could be a regular visitor and it still wouldn’t work.
Viewers love seeing Chuck react to nonsense. We love seeing him call someone he disagrees with a dummy. Honestly, interviews are the weakest part of his game. It’s not that they are bad. It is that they are not his position of strength. Why would you build a show around him that is interview-centric?
Barkley is rightfully held in high regard by Turner Sports. Both Pedro Martinez and Paul Bissonnette have acknowledged that he has had a major influence on the way the company covers baseball and hockey, showing that his value to the sports media extends well-beyond basketball.
Charles Barkley is perfect for TNT. His work on Inside the NBA is worth every penny Warner Bros. Discovery is paying him. Had the company let him get away, it might have still been able to keep the NBA on TNT in the league’s upcoming media rights negotiations, but it would have been a significantly harder sell. He may stand second only to LeBron James for being considered “the face of the NBA.”
To drop him into a whole new environment and expect him to be the same kind of star is just plain dumb.
Outkick founder and syndicated talk show host Clay Travis accused the Brookings Institute and the New York Times of teaming up to smear “The Clay & Buck Show” by labeling it a purveyor of misinformation. Travis resoundingly pushed back, claiming that the accusations were baseless and a deliberate attempt to silence their conservative viewpoints.
The claims were made in an analysis conducted by Brookings using data gathered from 79 popular political podcasters, comprising 36,603 episodes and 17,061 evaluations. The findings were then published in the New York Times. Researchers focused on several conservative podcasts, such as Clay & Buck, Dan Bongino, and Sean Hannity among others.
The Brookings Institute and The New York Times are independent organizations, but Brookings experts have written op-eds and articles for the paper on a wide variety of topics.
“They put this list on the front page of the New York Times business,” said Travis on Tuesday. “Buck and I endeavor every single day to be as honest and transparent with you as we can. Opinions are obviously only as good as the facts upon which they are based. So, if you get a fact wrong it only undercuts your own opinion because it’s built on a foundation of inaccuracy, that’s a basic explanation for what we try to do.”
Travis commented on the story, observing that it not only referred to the “Clay and Buck” show but also mentioned the “Rush Limbaugh Show.” He raised some concerns about the study’s credibility, given that Limbaugh had been deceased for two years, and Premiere Networks had been employing guest hosts until Rush’s time slot was permanently filled.
“My first thought is why are they tying Rush’s show into our show,” he said. “My second thought was, what in the world are they classifying as misinformation? This is the very definition of not only fake news but old news.”
Travis pointed out that Brookings Institute had only sampled his radio show for a period of six months. Travis mentioned that he had invited researchers to the show with the purpose of explaining how Clay and Buck were conveying misinformation to their audience.
“Brookings Institute finally got back to us last night and said they are not available for an interview,” he said. “We offered them any day this week and said we will make time for them and your lead researcher who is familiar with the findings.”
“This article was designed to attack this program and keep us from being widely distributed,” Travis added.
Prior to co-hosting “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show,” Clay hosted FOX Sports Radio’s weekday morning-drive program, Outkick the Coverage
