The Larry Kudlow Show will air on the Cumulus-owned station on Sundays from 8:00-9:00 PM beginning on Sunday, February 5th.
“We are delighted to welcome back to 890 WLS-AM, a listener favorite, Larry Kudlow,” 890 WLS-AM Program Director Stephanie Tichenor said. “Larry’s financial expertise will be a perfect addition to our weekend lineup.”
A press release states Kudlow will share “his perspective on the state of the markets, the economy, and politics” during his newly launched one-hour show.
Kudlow currently hosts a show, simply titled Kudlow, from 4:00-5:00 PM on Fox Business. He began the show in 2021 after spending nearly two decades at CNBC. The program ended 2022 as the most-watched business television program. He also hosts a version of The Larry Kudlow Show on 77 WABC in New York on Saturday evenings from 10:00 PM-1:00 AM.
The 75-year-old Kudlow served as the Director of the National Economic Council of the United States from 2018-2021 under former President Trump.
DirecTV’s decision to drop Newsmax from its channel lineup rather than pay a carriage fee to the conservative outlet has proven to be a contentious one. Newsmax host Eric Bolling is pondering why Fox News isn’t standing up for the network.
Bolling welcomed Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) to his Newsmax show, The Balance, after the Congressman floated the possibility of public hearings after the satellite provider’s decision. After the discussion — which included Van Drew committing to following through with public hearings on the topic — Bolling pointed out that his current channel backed One American News after DirecTV removed it as well.
“We stood up for OAN. When OAN got de-platformed, we stood up for them. So it’s not about that. It’s not about just us,” Bolling said.
DirecTV removed OAN in March of 2022, even after its parent company, AT&T, reportedly spent millions bankrolling the channel. Bolling questioned why Fox News wasn’t aiding another conservative outlet the way Newsmax aided OAN.
“By the way, where are you, Fox? How about you, Fox?” The Balance host asked. “How about you stand up for us? We did it for OAN.”
The 59-year-old Bolling worked at Fox from 2008 to September 2017 before departing after being accused of sending unsolicited sexual pictures and text messages to female colleagues. Bolling has denied the accusations and the statement from the network at the time of his exit claimed the decision was a mutual one.
Making your name in network television — like Michele Tafoya did — was once considered the apex of success in the media. But now, the digital age has revealed new names and faces with huge followings that nobody has heard of.
Former sports reporter Michele Tafoya joined the Chris Stigall Podcast to discuss this phenomenon of evolution and whether the media landscape is better or worse for this new trend.
“I think we are better off for it,” said Tafoya. “I am a free speech absolutist; I believe more is better. There are things I disapprove of personally and so I don’t follow those people. I also think there is some speech that is very harmful like when you encourage somebody to commit suicide and other things like that.”
Last May, Salem Media announced a partnership with Tafoya to publish a podcast called Sideline Sanity. The podcast concentrates on life, politics, and world news. Tafoya hosts four episodes a week.
“On the whole, I think more speech is better,” she said. “I think there are so many viewpoints out there. Fortunately, the mainstream media or legacy media, adheres to a certain mainstream narrative. We’ve discovered that not everybody is on board with that.”
Tafoya spent 11 years as a sideline reporter for NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Tafoya said it was her decision to leave sports and step into politics.
“Just because the networks say it is thus, doesn’t make it so,” she said. “I found it really enjoyable to meet other people and understand that there are perspectives like mine, perspectives that differ from mine, perspectives that affect my own, and I think we are better for that.”
The NHL is approaching a break leading up to the festivities at the All-Star Weekend taking place from FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida: the home of the Florida Panthers. Saturday’s 2023 NHL All-Star Game will be broadcast on ABC and simulcast on ESPN+ for the second consecutive year under the seven-year media rights deal which brought live game broadcasts back to The Walt Disney Company’s platforms for the first time since 2005.
On hand to call the action and provide fans with exclusive access will be the NHL on ESPNlineup of experienced commentators, versatile journalists, and knowledgeable analysts, including the studio team of Steve Levy, Mark Messier, Chris Chelios, and P.K. Subban. The group is looking forward to making the trip to South Florida to catch up with former teammates and colleagues, as well as finding reprieve from the colder temperatures outside their regular Bristol studios.
“You just look at the graphics of the commercials out there with the surfboards and the beach and the warm weather and [see that] hockey can thrive anywhere,” Messier expressed. “…It’s a great time to pause and break and celebrate what’s happened in the first 40 games of the season until everybody starts to buckle down for the stretch drive.”
Messier signed on with the NHL on ESPN team before the 2021-2022 season as a studio analyst, utilizing his vast experience and championship pedigree to intuitively decipher the game of hockey and provide cogent reasoning about the action. He is a six-time Stanley Cup champion – five with the Edmonton Oilers and one with the New York Rangers – and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Furthermore, Messier is third all-time in points and ninth in goals, and he was the captain of both of his championship teams – making him the only player in league history to garner that accolade. His presence on its hockey coverage gives ESPN added ethos and someone who remains a student of the game, closely following the league to craft informed opinions.
“Seeing the amount of talent in the game now and the emergence of these players is just incredible,” Messier said. “Of course, it’s what it’s all about – just trying to get yourself. Once you’ve established yourself as an NHL player, the next step is to figure out how to win.”
Chris Chelios joined Messier on the studio panel from the launch of the NHL on ESPN last season and is also a Hockey Hall of Fame member who played professionally for 26 years, retiring at the age of 48. He recognizes the changes in the game of hockey, especially since his 1983-84 rookie campaign, and tries to accentuate them while promulgating classic aspects of the sport demonstrated through its young talent.
“Just when you think you’ve seen everything, they come up with something else; some new move,” Chelios said. “….There have been some unbelievable highlights and every night, especially working with ESPN, [we have been] able to see all that. We’re in an entertainment business and these guys aren’t letting anybody down. It’s great; it’s a great product.”
Steve Levy has worked with ESPN since 1993 where he has broadcast countless different sports and hosted various types of studio programming. Whether it is calling football games, sitting behind the desk on SportsCenter, or making movie cameos, he is an anomaly within the industry in that he has had a long and storied career primarily with one company. Through his versatility, he can continue seamlessly assimilating into a wide foray of roles and, in the process, enhance the broadcast skills of his colleagues.
Last season, Levy, Messier, and Chelios broadcast coverage of NHL All-Star Weekend from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The trio was situated in a suite at “The Fortress”. It contrasts the regular-season mindset of gathering two points per night; contrarily, this weekend is, in essence, a celebration of the game and its people.
“It’s an opportunity to showcase besides their skills, I think their personalities,” Levy said. “I really look forward to that.”
Levy has worked with Messier and Chelios for the last year on ESPN’s studio coverage and is now joined by P.K. Subban, who played in the NHL as recently as this past April as a member of the New Jersey Devils. A three-time All-Star selection and 2014 Olympic gold medalist, Subban inked a multi-year contract with ESPN this past November to regularly serve as a studio analyst and also work as a live game broadcast analyst for select regular season matchups.
Implementing a player who is closely removed from playing professional hockey brings fresh perspectives to the show, offering different perspectives, and appealing to a wider segment of viewers.
“We were sitting next to him on the set the other night and he’s talking about Jack Hughes and it’s like, ‘Who’s going to have a more educated opinion than a guy who was lockering next to him the last three seasons?,’” Levy said of Subban. “It’s easy to forget he was in the league in April; he’s fresh out of it.”
Subban grew up watching Messier and Chelios in the NHL and now works alongside them, holding them in high regard. Aside from their play on the ice, Subban remembers Messier in Lay’s commercials in the late-1990s and early-2000s advertising its products. Although he brings more contemporary perspectives by being removed from the league for less than a year, Subban embraces the traditional style of the game and delivers analysis based on multiple eras.
“I think keeping it fresh is also being able to educate some of these young players and the audience about guys like Mess and Chelios,” Subban said. “I think that’s also very important because we have a luxury [in] having these two on the broadcast…. It’s just really cool for me this year. I’m super excited to do this for the first time; to sit next to these guys.”
All three NHL on ESPN studio analysts participated in at least one aspect of the skills competition during their playing careers, with Messier winning the shooting accuracy challenge in both 1991 and 1996 and Subban winning the breakaway challenge in 2016. Watching the players compete from a new vantage point and evincing their ethereal abilities on the ice underscores what the weekend is genuinely about.
According to Levy, the 2023 All-Star Skills would be the event he would attend if he had to choose between it and the game. This sentiment has permeated itself in the linear television ratings, as the 2022 All-Star Game was the least-watched (1.15 million viewers; 0.6 share) since 2009, while the corresponding skills competition was the most-watched (1.09 million viewers; 0.6 share) since 2012.
It is important to note, however, that last year’s all-star game aired just before the first night of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, broadcast in the United States by NBC, USA, and CNBC. Despite last year’s Olympic Games drawing the lowest U.S. ratings in the history of the international sporting event and cultural phenomenon, the first night still drew 13.2 million total viewers across the three networks, accounting for a 6.8 share.
The format of the NHL All-Star Game was changed starting in 2016 to contain four teams (one per division) playing three-on-three games split into 10-minute halves in a single-elimination tournament. The winning of the tournament’s championship game splits a prize pool of $1 million, ostensibly incentivizing more realistic play as the allure of the windfall profit is aggrandized.
Nonetheless, the weekend is all about appealing to the fans and demonstrating the star power of the league through the depiction of vivid imagery, as well as chronicling stories to engross viewers in the product.
“You highlight fun and entertainment through the skills, and the three-on-three was a great concept because it’s exciting to the fans,” Messier said. “….I think the NHL, the NHLPA and ESPN and everybody involved has worked diligently to make this weekend really fun and to highlight the great talent we have on the ice and the great people we have off the ice.”
“What ESPN does [better] than anyone else is tell stories, and there will be hundreds of small stories told over those few days, and I think that’s what it’s all about,” Subban added. “For these players, a lot of times, they’re buttoned into the game and focused on the ice. This is an opportunity for [the] fans to get to know the players in a fun way; get to know them through their skill set and what they’re able to do on the ice.”
The All-Star Skills will feature the return of events including the Breakaway Challenge, Fastest Skater, Accuracy Shooting, and Hardest Shot. In addition to these classics, there will be the debut of the Tendy Tandem where goalies will face off in a shootout, along with two new geo-focused events – the Splash Shot (pre-taped from Fort Lauderdale Beach Park); and the Pitch ‘n Puck (from a par-4 golf hole).
“I know each market tries to do something specific to the local area,” Levy said. “I do know ESPN has worked really hard with the NHL to try to enhance the best events and make them even better… and better for television.”
The league continues to adapt and find new ways to engage fans with the launch of the 2023 NHL Fan Skills at Home, a social media-based competition urging fans to submit videos performing their hockey abilities focused in different areas. Various hockey content creators, including Pavel Barber and Kane Van Gate, will make the trip to Sunrise, Fla. to promote the contest and implore fans to participate.
Additionally, the NHL will host the All-Star Beach Festival at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park, a free fan fest-style event featuring appearances from NHL all-stars and alumni, a photo opportunity with the Stanley Cup, and interactive games for the whole family.
Surrounding it all on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+ will be a concentrated effort to emphasize the dispositions of regular all-star selections – such as Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid; Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin; and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar – while contextualizing what is going on through experience and astute foresight.
At the same time, the broadcast will aim to espouse awareness towards younger stars, many of whom are first-time selections such as 20-year-old Seattle Kraken forward Matty Beniers; 24-year-old New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox; and 25-year-old Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson.
“Our job is to really highlight these players and make it a fun telecast,” Messier said, “and really talk about the players as people and what great, incredible talent they possess.”
“You have to be able to tell stories about the players,” Subban said. “They’re the product on the ice and there’s no better way to tell stories about players than getting ESPN. They are the best at it, so it should make for a fun couple of days.”
The NHL on ESPN studio team thoroughly enjoyed their time at last year’s All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, as it led them to become accustomed to working together and set them up to put on quality broadcasts through the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, the Stanley Cup Finals are set to be broadcast by Turner Sports this year (as part of its seven-year media rights agreement) with its regular studio crew of Liam McHugh, Paul Bissonnette, Anson Carter, and Wayne Gretzky.
Messier and Gretzky, each serving as studio analysts on ESPN and TNT, respectively, starred in an NHL on FOX commercial together back when they were teammates on the New York Rangers in 1996.
This season, the NHL on ESPN studio crew has not worked together regularly because of the network’s obligations to the NFL and NBA. The group will soon be on the air regularly though to break down the top plays, interview stars before they hit the ice and foster a congenial atmosphere for sports fans everywhere.
“I look forward to working with these three guys together,” Levy said. “We haven’t had a lot of run together [because] it’s just the way the schedule works [during] the first half of the season.”
“I’m looking forward to kicking this off,” Chelios added. “It’s like a playoff run [for us] now; this All-Star Game is the start of working and grinding and doing a couple of games a week and getting into a rhythm here.”
The 2023 NHL All-Star Skills will be broadcast on Friday, Feb. 3 on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. EST and is available to stream live on ESPN+. Then on Saturday, Feb. 4, the 2023 NHL All-Star Game, featuring teams representing the Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific divisions, commences at 3 p.m. EST on ABC and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
The official Twitter account of the Associated Press Stylebook was mocked last week after it suggested to stop using the word “the” when referring to “the French.” The AP suggested the label ‘the’ may have dehumanizing implications. Syndicated talk radio host Joe Pags said Friday that the Associated Press is trying to change the English language.
“I’m gonna tell the AP to shut up,” said Pags mockingly. “If somebody tells you what language you can use, keep using the language and they’ll go away. If somebody tells you that you did this, that, or the other thing wrong, don’t agree with them if you didn’t.”
The Embassy of France responded to the AP’s tweet, “I guess this is us now…” with a screenshot of the Twitter account changing its name to “Embassy of Frenchness in the US.”
After the original tweet went viral, the Associated Press retracted it’s original phrasing, and apologized for singling out the French.
We deleted an earlier tweet because of an inappropriate reference to French people. We did not intend to offend.
Writing French people, French citizens, etc., is good. But "the" terms for any people can sound dehumanizing and imply a monolith rather than diverse individuals.
“If you believe in what you said or what it is that you did, do not apologize, do not change,” Pags said. “The only way we give them power is if we apologize or if we change.”
The Stylebook offers a basic reference to American English grammar, punctuation, and principles of reporting, including many definitions and rules for usage.
Pags shared with his audience that he’s often criticized by some of his listeners who he believes just want to tear him down. He urged people to spend more time being original in the wake of criticism.
“The AP can line up, pucker up, and pick a cheek and kiss my ass,” Pags added. “In fact, they can kiss both ass cheeks.”
Growing up in Canton, Ohio, Garrett Bush was a huge fan of the Cleveland sports teams so it seemed like it was destined for him to talk about the Browns, Cavaliers, and Indians/Guardians with an audience paying attention. That first opportunity came when he was 12 or 13 years old at a barbershop that two of his uncles owned.
It was a typical Saturday at the barbershop, filled with people who would just love to start conversations about sports, politics, and music.
“You knew you were special or you knew what you were saying was correct when they used to let you talk,” said Bush, a co-host of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show on YouTube weekdays from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
“I just got up the nerve or gumption to say something one time about the Browns. They let me say something and I just remember no one stopped me. I just turned around and it hit me that nobody was talking and I had the floor.”
And now, Bush has the floor on several platforms including the YouTube show that has been very successful. He co-hosts the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show with Adam “The Bull” Gerstenhaber and Jay Crawford along with several rotating panelists and things couldn’t be going any better for a project that the sports fans in town have really taken to.
“It’s been a blast,” said Bush. “I’m a big fan of independent media and I kind of consider what we’re trying to do as groundbreaking. We’re the first show in Cleveland that’s really taken strictly to YouTube so it’s a different format.”
The format of hosting a sports talk show on YouTube is something that had to be explained to potential advertisers because it’s on a non-traditional platform. But each day, there have been great conversations with varying voices and that has helped create a niche in Cleveland.
It’s not your typical sports talk show in that you’d be hard-pressed to find a subject matter that won’t be discussed.
“I’ve been really appreciative of it because it gives us more liberty to tackle some of the topics that we want to talk about,” said Bush. “We’re able to talk about things that you wouldn’t necessarily hear on other platforms or on regular radio or television. It’s been a joy to be on there and be able to talk about some of the things we talk about. I have so much fun.”
While the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show occupies a lot of Bush’s time during the week, he is still able to handle his other gigs like being the a co-host on the Cleveland Browns Radio Network and host of the Locked On Browns podcast. Bush also continues to host The Barbershop, his weekend show on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland on Saturdays from 8:00 AM to Noon.
His weekly radio show — voted one of the best five Cleveland sports talk radio shows by Cleveland City Magazine — means the world to him.
“A lot of people take a look at me being a weekend host and I laugh and joke that I made being a weekend host feel cool,” said Bush. “Even if I got big enough to go and do other things and do big national stuff, I would always feel like The Barbershop is for me and the people. I really take pride in being able to do that show and bring that energy on the weekends.”
The radio show also carries an extra meaning for Bush and you don’t have to look any further than the name of the show as to why.
Bush’s two eldest uncles on his father’s side owned competing barbershops in Canton. One day, they decided to join forces and they built a barbershop together from the ground up.
“As they got older, they said ‘Hey why don’t we bring our stuff together and really take over the city and do top-notch stuff’,” said Bush. “So, they came together and built a barbershop called Priority Hair Care in Canton and it’s still standing to this day. What was really special about it is that it was probably one of the first black-owned businesses that we had in the city. It thrived. That was the place to be. That was the place to go to get your haircut.”
Bush played football, basketball, and baseball for McKinley High School and helped the Bulldogs to a pair of state football titles. After graduation in 2000, he was off to Ohio University where he earned a degree in Marketing and Communications. Bush would go on to study at Ohio Media School before embarking on his professional career.
A kid growing up in Canton has made a career of talking about the Cleveland teams that he has loved all his life.
“Man, it’s a blessing,” said Bush. “It’s a whirlwind. I can’t really believe that I’m doing it. It feels natural and it feels like something that I was always supposed to do.”
Garrett Bush has achieved a lot during his broadcasting career and he’s certainly proven, just like his uncles, to be a cut-above when it comes to being a media personality in Ohio.
The broadcast career of Tony Romo burst onto the scene in 2017 with almost the same fanfare as The Beatles, almost instantaneously being viewed as the top NFL television analyst.
The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback won near-universal praise in his debut, and that acclaim only grew as his first two seasons working alongside Jim Nantz continued. You simply couldn’t watch a late afternoon AFC game on CBS in 2017, 2018, and well into 2019 without looking at Twitter and watching fans heap praise upon the color analyst.
However, fans have soured on Romo. Heck, Dick Ebersol — who claimed the CBS Sports analyst ‘is like a son to me’ — soured on Romo before walking back those comments.
Fans fell in love with Romo’s ability to call out plays before they took place, utilizing formations, situations, and personnel to accurately predict what viewers were about to see. Those Romostradomus revelations began to be more scarce. Now if you watch any of his work, a Sasquatch sighting is more likely than a play prediction.
While pondering the question of what happened to Romo, I can’t help but wonder if fans viewing habits changed. Similarly to ESPN changing the way it covered the NFL Draft by not “tipping their pitches”, I wonder if fans grew tired of the event being spoiled before it happened as reason for the turn against Romo.
I don’t think that’s the case.
So, why has Tony Romo gone from the virtually undisputed top NFL analyst to now being viewed as run-of-the-mill or even second-rate?
In my estimation, it’s a pretty simple reason: He’s no longer recently departed from the game.
Romo’s final season really playing in the NFL is working on a decade ago. I’m not here to say the game has passed Romo by because I don’t think that’s remotely the case, but I do believe the game has shifted enough that Romo can’t simply look out at the field, see the offensive personnel, assess the situation, and have a reasonable enough assumption of what’s about to happen. And that’s not an indictment on him as much as it’s a shift by NFL coaches.
Do you have any idea how many times you used to see a team run a play-action pass on 3rd and 7? Entirely too often, because who in the hell do you think you’re fooling by pretending you’re going to run on 3rd and 7. But offensive coordinators have removed their heads from their orifices and have made being unpredictable a priority.
Many analysts, the longer they get away from their competition days, experience the same issues. As a NASCAR fan, I can’t tell you how many Sundays I sat and watched the recently retired Jeff Gordon correct Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip because Gordon simply had a more recent and relevant experience in what he was seeing.
During my work as a local radio host, we used to have an analyst come on our show and give his opinion on Ohio State. He was a starter on the offensive line of the 1968 National Championship team, and he was knowledgeable on many things…but the way offensive football was played in the late 2010s wasn’t one of them.
And — not to that extent — I think that’s the case with Romo. During his final year as the starter in Dallas, it would have been preposterous for an NFL offense to mimic that of a college spread offense. Now? Jalen Hurts rushed for 15 touchdowns this season and Kyler Murray spent more time in 10 personnel than any other quarterback in NFL history. Romo — who was known as one of the more mobile QBs in his era — had 238 career rushes. In less than three full seasons as a starter, Hurts has 367 carries. It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, but it truly does showcase just how drastically offensive football in the NFL has changed since Romo hung it up.
Last week, 92.3 The Fan’s Ken Carman posited that Romo is only showing up on the day of the game and discussing what he sees. I have no idea if that’s true, but the way others — like Ebersol — have talked, it seems like that could be the truth. And if you’re facing charges of not being prepared, that’s a tough pill to swallow both from Romo’s perspective and also as a viewer. However, it’s also one of the easiest ailments to remedy.
What happened to Tony Romo? Our viewing habits changed, as well as the popularity of criticizing announcers grew, but the game has changed ever so slightly, and it’s a big enough change that he hasn’t been able to adjust. But like a player who showed flashes of greatness, that ability is still there, he just apparently needs it drawn out of him once more.
There is a line that can be drawn directly from the recently deceased Billy Packer to Greg Olsen. It has nothing to do with both of them spending the most productive years of their professional lives in North Carolina.
Some of you reading may be too young to remember just how much of an impact Packer’s voice had on CBS’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament. There is a reason then-St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli wanted to go after Packer in 2004 when he suggested that despite their undefeated record, the Hawks were undeserving of a number one seed because of their weak schedule.
Packer had influence, particularly over casual fans. It wasn’t because he was a superstar or because he was the centerpiece of one of college basketball’s most dominant programs during his playing or coaching careers. Billy Packer was an All-ACC guard at Wake Forest in the 1960s and then never rose past being an assistant at his alma mater.
Billy Packer had influence because Billy Packer was a damn good broadcaster. Sure, Greg Olsen has more accolades as a player in the NFL than Packer did on the court, but he got to FOX’s top NFL booth for the same reason Packer got to the top of CBS’s college basketball pecking order. They were both really good at the job they were hired to do.
Tom Brady looms large over Olsen and the top NFL booth at FOX. Neither Olsen nor the fans know when Brady will hang up his helmet and be done on the field, but when he does, he has $375 million and the seat currently occupied by Greg Olsen waiting for him.
It’s not because Tom Brady has a dynamic personality. FOX didn’t make an offer after multiple screen tests. FOX hired Tom Brady because he is Tom Brady just like CBS hired Tony Romo because he’s Tony Romo and ESPN hired Alex Rodriguez because he is Alex Rodriguez.
Star power has always held sway in the entertainment business, but it feels like the opportunities to ascend to stardom are fading.
Billy Packer called 34 Final Fours. Before he got the chance to do that though, he was working on regionally syndicated ACC basketball broadcasts. The Final Four wasn’t really what it is now the first time Packer served as an analyst. His profile grew with that of the tournament.
Greg Olsen found time to work in a few audition broadcasts while he was still a member of the Carolina Panthers and the Seattle Seahawks. Last year, he and Kevin Burkhardt made up the network’s number 2 NFL broadcast team. The team in front of them left and FOX brass trusted Olsen, so he got his promotion alongside Burkhardt. His ascension may have gone faster than Packer’s but in both cases, they got actual reps in before being thrown into the fire.
They aren’t the only ones of course. ESPN has a long list of analysts that cover college sports (Kirk Herbstriet and Dick Vitale chief among them) that did not get the job because they were already stars. They came to the network, got better, got on the biggest games and shows and became stars. Joel Klatt followed a similar trajectory for FOX’s college football coverage. Cris Collinsworth did the same for the network’s coverage of the NFL before eventually leaving for NBC. All of those men are better analysts for the struggle. Mistakes lead to education and that education leads to improvement.
Although I invoked his name, this column really doesn’t have anything specifically to do with Tom Brady. He is just the latest example of a growing trend. Ability, or even potential, is being passed over in favor of celebrity. In fact, Brady’s deal with FOX is very similar (although considerably more lucrative) than the one Drew Brees signed with NBC a few years ago, and how did that turn out for the network?
Not every star player turned broadcaster will be bad at the job, but the practice is eliminating the opportunities for networks to build their own stars.
I am firmly on the record when it comes to Greg Olsen. I think that at the very least, he should be in the top FOX both along with Burkhardt and Brady. He has clearly earned the position.
Billy Packer was a weirdo in the very best way. He hired a psychic in an effort to solve the murders of Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman. He was the top broadcaster for Putt Putt competitions. He didn’t schedule interviews. He would just give you his home phone number and if you caught him, awesome, he was always happy to talk. If not, well, tough shit. Call back later.
We wouldn’t know any of that if he wasn’t given the chance to grow in this business. By the time he was on the call of his sport’s single biggest event, Packer had the reps and education to become an institution. Fans and our business were better off for it. Why abandon that model now in favor of very famous people that have never proven that they have even had an interesting thought?
Last week, conservative pundits — including Glenn Beck — pounced on revelations that CNN’s primetime ratings slumped to a mere 444,000 viewers. The network has undergone several changes since President and CEO Chris Licht took over last May.
According to Breitbart, CNN attracted just 417,000 total day viewers with competing Fox News more than tripling that output.
On Friday, Glenn Beck said the latest numbers signal a change in the way people are getting their news. He said the latest ratings also prove that nobody trusts cable news networks.
“We look to find our news and find our information — no longer from the media — because it’s not trusted,” said Beck. “We just saw the ratings for Fox News. They are now in the demo worse than when we had at CNN Headline News.”
In 2006, Beck hosted a nightly, news commentary show on the network called simply “Glenn Beck“. It aired on the network’s primetime block.
Last year, a Gallup Poll indicated just 7% of Americans had a great deal of trust in the media. Meanwhile, 28% of U.S. adults say they do not have very much confidence and 38% have none in newspapers, TV, and radio.
“(Fox News) are still way ahead of everyone else, but no one is watching cable news except the elderly. I’m out of the demo now. At 54 years old, you’re out of the prime demo that is the money demo.”
Beck reiterated that trust is a huge factor in the decline of interest and viewership in cable news networks.
“We trust people who have gained our trust as individuals. They post on social media or on their own platforms,” he added.
According to a report from CNN’s Oliver Darcy, Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes are negotiating their exits from GMA3.
The anchors of Good Morning America’s third hour have been embroiled in a monthslong controversy after a reported romantic relationship between the anchors was revealed. The pair — who are each separately married — have remained off the air since the relationship was uncovered by The Daily Mail.
ABC News has reportedly been negotiating with the anchors this week about an amicable exit, with talks advancing “to the final stages”.
One source told Darcy that blame lies at the feet of both the anchors and ABC.
“There is a lot of frustration on all sides that it could have been handled better,” the source claimed.
A December report from The Confider claimed that ABC News staffers had grown tired of the coverage and the actions of the anchors, with one source saying “It’s an f—ed-up situation and there’s probably going to have to be some sacrificial lambs.”
