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WFAN ‘Sports Edge’ Host Rick Wolff Dies

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WFAN ‘Sports Edge’ Host Rick Wolff Dies

Rick Wolff, the host of the Sunday morning show The Sports Edge on WFAN, has died after a brief battle with brain cancer.

In a story published on his website, Wolff’s family shared that the 71-year-old died Monday morning.

“As his friends, family, and fans can attest, hosting this show was the source of much joy in Rick’s life since it began in 1998,” Wolff’s family wrote of his work with WFAN.

A prominent figure in the sports psychology community, Wolff authored or co-authored 18 books after working as a sports psychologist from 1989-1994 with the then-Cleveland Indians.

He is survived by his wife of more than 40 years, Trish, as well as son John, daughters Alyssa and Samantha, and three grandchildren.

The son of legendary sports broadcaster Bob Wolff, Rick Wolff played minor league baseball for two seasons before beginning his own broadcasting career. He debuted as a color commentator for college baseball games on ESPN, including the College World Series in 1986, while also serving in the same capacity for MSG Networks before joining the Indians.

“He was wise, thoughtful, sharp, funny, incredibly smart, and truly just a wonderful person. In his honor, please remember to never give up on your dreams,” the family continued. “He never did, even after so many of them had come true.”

Evan Roberts: ‘I Couldn’t Stop Reading’ Benjamin Allbright’s Twitter Thread

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Late last week, NFL reporter and Broncos Country Tonight host Benjamin Allbright shared a long Twitter thread that admitted to infidelity with his partner. WFAN hosts Evan Roberts and Craig Carton noticed that thread, before it was ultimately deleted, and were shocked by what they saw.

Through his series of tweets, Allbright shared that he had shared inappropriate messages with a former partner while in a relationship with his current girlfriend. He said he had the inability to open up to his current partner which damaged their relationship. Allbright then added a message for readers to appreciate their relationships and not make the same mistakes he did.

“If you find your person, don’t lie to them, don’t cheat on them, open up while you can,” Carton said as he quoted the final tweet from Allbright.

“That’s a great kind of piece of advice, and thank you, Ben, but what the hell was that?” Roberts questioned after Carton read the entire Twitter thread from Allbright before noting that the KOA radio host had deleted the messages.

“I think the girl’s like ‘Yo, leave my personal business off the internet!’. I think she was upset about it,” Carton said.

“Well, yeah!”, replied Roberts. “When I saw this, I not only was stunned by it, I couldn’t stop reading. So then I started Googling him and reading more about him. He also did this interview in Mother Jones, admitting that while he served — he served our country, so I thank him for that — that he was concerned he was torturing prisoners. So he’s been very open about a lot of things that have happened in his life. But this was a weird one. Why would you do it publicly?”

“Very, very weird,” concluded Carton.

The Masters Final Round Sees 5-Year Ratings High

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The Masters Final Round Sees 5-Year Ratings High

The final round of The Masters almost always scores a high television rating, but the 2023 event saw numbers unseen in the past five years.

Sunday’s viewership on CBS Sports averaged 12.058 million viewers. That number represents a 19% increase compared to 2022, making it the most-watched golf telecast on any network since 2018. The final round of The Masters in 2018 averaged 13.045 million viewers. That final round saw the lowest average score in Masters history.

The Sunday audience peaked with more than 15 million viewers in the closing stages of Jon Rahm’s victory.

The inclusion of players from the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf league conceivably helped the television rating. LIV Golfers Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka finished tied for second place, while the golfers tied for fourth finished five strokes behind Rahm.

CBS Sports also shared that Paramount+ saw the most-streamed round of golf in its history Sunday. The streaming service saw double-digit growth compared to 2022 numbers.

CNN Considering Replacing John King on ‘Inside Politics’ With Dana Bash

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The daily lineup at CNN has been in a somewhat constant state of flux recently, and a report from The Daily Beast’s Confider says that instability could continue.

Inside Politics host John King is reportedly on the way out, with the network planning to replace him with Dana Bash. Bash and King were married from 2008 to 2012.

Bash is the current co-host of CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper on Sunday mornings.

Inside Politics — which airs in the Noon ET timeslot — is consistently CNN’s highest-rated midday program. The network recently completed a revamp of its midday programming with the launch of CNN News Central.

The three-hour blocks of news programming are aired from 9:00 AM-Noon and 1:00-4:00 PM with King’s program separating the two versions of the show.

John Berman, Kate Bolduan, and Sara Sidner anchor the program’s New York edition every weekday morning, while the afternoon block with Brianna Keilar, Boris Sanchez, and Jim Sciutto debuts from Washington D.C. on Monday, April 17th.

According to the report from Confider, CNN declined to comment on any potential changes to the show.

Brian Stelter Joining Vanity Fair to Cover Fox News/Dominion Lawsuit

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Former CNN host Brian Stelter is joining Vanity Fair to cover the upcoming defamation lawsuit between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems.

A report from CNN’s Oliver Darcy claims Stelter will write a weekly column about the defamation case for the publication. Additionally, he will host a special version of the popular Inside the Hive podcast centered on the case. Episodes of the Fox on Trial series will publish each Thursday throughout the case.

Stelter was removed from CNN after the hiring of new CEO Chris Licht. The Reliable Sources host was one of the first firings by Licht as he worked to “change the course” of CNN to its more traditional roots as a strictly newsgathering organization.

After his firing, Stelter worked joined Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy as a fellow. 

The former CNN host has followed the case with a close eye, and during a recent appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, said Dominion is looking “to make this painful” for the cable network.

“Many people believe that Fox has tried to settle, but Dominion doesn’t want to settle,” he said. “They want to go to court because they believe they have a strong case. If I had to guess right now, there would be some settlement because Fox does not want its biggest stars to testify in an open courtroom about all of this.” 

Stelter’s work with Vanity Fair will begin this week.

YouTube TV Unveils NFL Sunday Ticket Pricing

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YouTube TV Unveils NFL Sunday Ticket Pricing

As it prepares for its debut season as the home of the NFL Sunday Ticket package, YouTube TV has announced pricing for the service.

Those who are already subscribed to the streaming video platform will be able to purchase NFL Sunday Ticket for as low as $249 if purchased before June 6th. If Sunday Ticket is bundled with NFL RedZone, the price rises to $289 before June 6th.

Any purchase of the service after June 6th will cost $349 for the season and $389 if bundled with RedZone.

For non-YouTube TV subscribers, there is a slight price increase. The early offer for the service is $349, which rises to $449 per season after June 6th.

For the NFL RedZone bundle, the service will cost $489 for the season, but the introductory price is $389 before the June 6th deadline.

The pricing of NFL Sunday Ticket for non-YouTube TV subscribers is more expensive than the package was with DirecTV. For the 2022 season, the service cost $293.94 for new subscribers.

However, YouTube TV is expected to provide additional features that DirecTV was unable to provide with its linear television distribution.

As expected, the package still does not include the option to purchase a single game or a subscription to watch the games of only one franchise.

Former Chairman: DAZN Better Served Focusing on Asia and Europe Instead Of US

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Former Chairman: DAZN Better Served Focusing on Asia and Europe Instead Of US

DAZN isn’t really designed for global success. At least, that is what the company’s former chairman says. 

Kevin Mayer says he thinks DAZN could be a successful company by just focusing on two territories.

“The center of gravity of DAZN is better served by being in Europe and in some parts of Asia – Japan’s a pretty big market for them,” he said at last month’s SportsPro OTT Summit in New York.

He said that when he was hired, the company’s goal was to find success across the globe. He said that wouldn’t be easy for any company to pull off because not every sports property is created equal.

“There aren’t that many global sports,” he said according to SportsPro Media. “I think the NBA is a global sport, I think [Premier League] football is a truly global sport. DAZN just did an NFL deal to take the NFL Sunday Ticket package outside the US. It’s not really a global sport.”

In the United States, the digital platform is focused on combat sports. Mayer said that he knew making the company successful would be an uphill climb without any of the country’s major leagues involved.

“Trying to come to the US and compete against ESPN and TNT, and Apple and Amazon, and all those guys, that seemed like a very difficult thing to do.”

Kevin Mayer stepped down from his role at DAZN last month. Prior to that, he spent 25 years with Disney, where he oversaw the launch of ESPN+. He also briefly served as CEO of TikTok.

He is not the first former chairman of DAZN boss to be so candid about the company’s struggles to find a foothold in the American sports market.

In 2021, John Skipper told the Sports Innovators Conference that DAZN relied too much on “passion sports” to be top of mind for American audiences.

“Until you can get the NFL, or the SEC, or the NBA on a streaming service, it’s going to be marginal in this country,” Skipper said.

Mark Levin: Automakers Removing AM Band to ‘Attack Conservative Radio’

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Much has been made about car manufacturers removing AM radios from upcoming electric vehicle models. Some automakers are even removing AM radios from gasoline-powered cars, and conservative radio host Mark Levin believes the decisions are a way to attack conservative voices.

During The Mark Levin Show, the radio host claimed that “The automobile is essential to liberty”. He also added that cars are “crucial to freedom” and that “control of the automobile is about the control of your freedom”.

“They finally figured out how to attack conservative talk radio,” Levin said as he argued that automakers are the latest in a long line of industries looking to eliminate conservative voices. He specifically pointed to decisions made by Ford and BMW to remove the AM band from vehicles.

“Let me be the first one to say it right at the manufacturer level, rather than going after us through the FCC, rather than going after us through legislation, rather than going after us through boycotting advertisers and all the rest – just don’t make AM stations available in automobiles anymore, because not all, but most conservative talk shows are on the AM band.”

Levin continued by saying there will be skeptics of his viewpoint, but he claimed he is ahead of the game.

“‘Oh, no, no, Mark. You can’t prove that.’ I don’t have to prove anything,” Levin said. “I’ve been around long enough. I figured things out. We’re way ahead of the curb here. That’s exactly what they’ve done. That’s exactly what they’re doing.”

99.1 The Sports Animal Shuffles Daily Lineup After Retirement of Jimmy Hyams

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99.1 The Sports Animal Shuffles Daily Lineup After Retirement of Jimmy Hyams

After the retirement of longtime afternoon host Jimmy Hyams, 99.1 The Sports Animal has made changes to its daily lineup.

John Wilkerson — who was paired with Hyams in afternoon drive for 25 years — has moved to mornings. He is now joined by Vince Ferrara. Their new program — SportsTalk with John and Vince — will air from 6:00-9:00 AM.

With the departure of Hyams and Wilkerson from the afternoon timeslot, the Knoxville sports radio station has paired Tyler Ivens and Will West to take over. Tyler & Will will be heard from 3:00-7:00 PM.

West had departed the station in a full-time capacity in September but now returns to partner with Ivens, who was previously a member of the station’s morning show The Starting Lineup.

Midday offerings from 99.1 The Sports Animal — The Erik Ainge Show with Brian Rice and Josh & Swain — remain unchanged.

ABC News President Kim Godwin Accused Of ‘Score-Settling’ With Layoffs

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Kim Godwin, the president of ABC News, has allegedly terminated several long-standing employees to prevent leaks about her alleged mismanagement at the Disney-owned network, as The New York Post reported. This has resulted in an environment where staff members are afraid to speak out.

Sources claim that Godwin and a select group of executives, including Stacia Philips Deshishku, Derek Medina, and Jose Andino, were responsible for laying off the workers as part of a phased rollout of 50 job cuts last month.

Some insiders have labeled the layoffs a “score-settling” and said they were severely handled. The firing of people who had been with the company for over two decades without explanation has been called the “Red Wedding.”

“The process was fair, and there wasn’t retaliation,” the source said. “Kim is not that type of person,” one source said.

Insiders also criticize Godwin’s leadership style. One source says that her leadership group has created a “culture of fear” at ABC News, which goes against the organization’s culture of questioning and inquisitiveness.

Another source claims that Godwin has made many mistakes during her two-year tenure, particularly in her head-in-the-sand approach to the salacious affair between “GMA3” hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach. Godwin reportedly permitted the pair to remain on the air despite widespread criticism, causing a spectacle that led to even more news stories.

“I think the feeling is she’s safe until the next mistake. They’ve allowed her to gut the place and establish her team. As long as the ratings remain number 1 at the network’s two big shows, ‘Good Morning America’ and ‘World News Tonight with David Muir,’ she’s fine,” said a source. 

The layoffs, which included award-winning investigative journalist Chris Vlasto, newsgathering senior vice president Wendy Fisher, talent vice president Mary Noonan, talent and strategy senior vice president Galen Gordon, executive editorial producer Heather Riley, and communications vice president Alison Rudnick, were part of a broader shakeup ordered by parent company Disney CEO Bob Iger to slash 7,000 jobs across the company. Sources with knowledge claim that severance was only offered to a select few, and no buyouts were offered.

ABC News declined to comment on the situation, and some employees have reportedly investigated suing ABC News. As more cuts are expected, insiders fear they may be on Godwin’s “enemies list.”

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