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Don La Greca: Poor NBA All-Star Game Ratings Could Affect Next TV Deal

BSM Staff
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The 2023 NBA All-Star Game hit a new ratings low, with less than 4.6 million viewing the broadcast. That number was a 29% decrease from 2022. 98.7 ESPN New York host Don La Greca believes the bad ratings could have an impact on the next NBA TV deal.

“If they’re gonna get these kinds of ratings, it’s gonna affect the next television deal,” La Greca said during The Michael Kay Show Wednesday. “Which is coming up. Why would you wanna have that? That used to be something on national television. I remember when it went to TNT. People were like ‘Oh my god, it’s on cable. What’s going on there?’, but that’s happened with a lot of sports.

“You want that product to have a certain cachet. You don’t want to go into the new television contract with your All-Star Game being off 30% from the previous year. So I would scrap it, just go back to East/West and have a monetary gain for the winner.”

The new record low for the All-Star Game was achieved by a wide margin. The previous low for the event was 6.1 million viewers in 2021. During the first season the game aired on TNT in 2003, the event drew 10.8 million viewers.

The NBA All-Star Game reached as high as 23 million viewers in the 1990s while the game was broadcast on NBC, which is reportedly planning an “aggressive bid” for the next television deal. The NBA’s current deal runs through the conclusion of the 2024-2025 season.

Colin Dunlap: Steelers LB Sent Me Angry DM For Andrew Fillipponi

BSM Staff
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Colin Dunlap: Steelers LB Sent Me Angry DM For Andrew Fillipponi

Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree could potentially be released by the Tennessee Titans in a salary cap saving move. 93.7 The Fan morning show producer Adam Crowley would like to see Dupree return to the Steelers, which allowed host Colin Dunlap to share an interesting story about the former first round pick.

During The Fan Morning Show Thursday, Dunlap reminisced about a situation where Dupree sent an angry message to the host, but was actually looking for another 93.7 The Fan host.

“I’m sitting at home at night, it’s like November. I get a DM from Bud Dupree. A long one,” Dunlap said. “‘Hey fool’ –it starts out, or something like that — ‘You better know who you’re talking about. You better watch your mouth ’cause I don’t play around’. All this stuff. All this kind of stuff. ‘You keep talkin’ the way you’re talkin’ , you’re gonna find out the hard way’, real pointed stuff.

“I’m looking at this thing, and I’m reading through it, and it ended with something like ‘You better wise up and keep your mouth shut or else you’re gonna find out the hard way I’m about it and I’m a real man’. So I sent him a DM back and was like ‘Hey bud. We have a couple of mutual friends in Lexington that I know and you know. They can vouch that I’m an ok guy. Two, I honestly think this, and this is no offense, I haven’t talked about you in two months. I think you have the wrong guy. I think whoever you’re mad at isn’t me.’

“The next message came. The squiggly lines started. He was online. He just wrote back: ‘Dis Andrew (Fillipponi)?’ I wrote back ‘No, my name is Colin.’ He wrote back ‘We good’. It started with this big long ‘I’m gonna kick your ass’. I’ll never forget it because I screen-capped it and sent it to Poni.”

Co-host Dorin Dickerson then asked if Dupree then contacted Fillipponi. Dunlap wasn’t sure, but believed he wouldn’t have been able to handle a fight with the 6’4, 269-pound linebacker.

“I didn’t want him on my bad side, so I sent him right to Andrew,” Dunlap joked.

Dan Rather: Fox News ‘Deliberately Peddled Falsehoods’ Around 2020 Election

BNM Staff
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The fallout of text messages revealing Fox News hosts and executives never believed the 2020 President Election had been “stolen” continues, with former newsman Dan Rather criticizing the network.

In a post to his Substack, Rather criticized the network for its continuation of what eventually became known as “the big lie”, when behind-the-scenes messages show its hosts believed the comments from Trump and his team to be complete fabrications.

“Sidney Powell is lying by the way. I caught her. It’s insane,” Tucker Carlson is alleged to have said in a text message to Laura Ingraham, who responded that Powell “is a complete nut”, saying “no one will work with her” and that the same went for Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.

“What Fox News is alleged to have done (and the evidence is pretty damning), deserves to be front-page news,” said Rather. “And we might be getting only a glimpse of what’s to come. Much of the released filing was redacted. And Fox News sure hopes it remains hidden.”

Rather then added that Fox News simply delivering the news its audience wanted to hear — rather than the truth — out of fear viewers would move to Newsmax or OAN “should not be normalized or accepted”.

“News organizations worthy of the name believe the stories they distribute. Their reporters believe what they report. Their writers believe what they write. And their anchors believe what they say on the air,” Rather said. “These Fox News personalities and the corporation that pays them were not trying to do any of this. Their programs became echo chambers for egregiousness. They knew truth, and they knew fiction. And they deliberately peddled falsehoods.”

KNX News Town Hall Examines Post-Pandemic Learning

BNM Staff
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KNX News hosted a town hall examining the effect the COVID-19 pandemic had on young people and how it shaped their learning habits and environments.

In the town hall, the station pondered why standardized testing showed 9-year-olds lost the equivalent of two decades of progress in math and reading.

Another topic of discussion during A Generation Lost was the rise in potential youth suicide. According to a study from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 22% of high school students in the United States admitted they had considered suicide.

The program — hosted by LA’s Morning News anchor Mike Simpson and LA’s Afternoon News anchor Charles Feldman — aired Tuesday evening and featured a panel of Southern California students, the Superintendent of the Long Beach school district, and other academic figures.

“There is no issue of more universal importance to our communities,” said Audacy Southern California Regional President Jeff Federman. “It was important that we use our platform at KNX News to ensure parents and teens know they’re not alone in adjusting to a new reality.”

Bob Cesca: Fox News 2020 Election Claims ‘Televised Fraud’

BNM Staff
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Bob Cesca: Fox News 2020 Election Claims ‘Televised Fraud’

Text messages from Fox News executives and hosts that show the network never believed the 2020 Presidential Election was “stolen” from then-President Donald Trump were uncovered during the network’s lawsuit brought forth by Dominion Voting Systems. Liberal radio host Bob Cesca believes that evidence proves the network is fraudulent.

During The Bob Cesca Show, the host claimed the moniker that has been applied to the network isn’t a strong enough encapsulation.

“I think the descriptor ‘Real-time historical fiction’ might be a little light,” Cesca said. “I’m thinking about that. It works, but it’s too hands-off. It’s televised fraud.”

The text messages revealed that nearly every Fox News host — behind the scenes — agreed that Trump’s claims were not true, but a push from executives over fears they would lose portions of their audience to Newsmax — who had embraced the fabrication — prompted the hosts to continue to present the validity of what was eventually dubbed “the big lie”.

“This Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against Fox News Channel might not succeed, but that’s not the point. Yes, it’d be great if they won and Fox News had to pay up. The thing is Fox News will continue to exist if they lose the lawsuit,” Cesca said.

“The most important element of this lawsuit is the discovery and finding out all of these text messages that illustrate — with ironclad proof — that the people at Fox News Channel know that what goes on the air is a hoax, is a fraud, is bullshit. Fox News is entertainment. That’s how its hosts justifies its duplicity. They’re performing as characters in a work of historical fiction presented in real time.”

Cesca equated the cable outlet to professional wrestling, stating that while they never expressly say it’s not factual, but there is now hard proof that they do not believe the claims they make.

Charles Barkley Considering CNN Offer ‘Because It Is a S*** Show Right Now’

BSM Staff
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Charles Barkley Considering CNN Offer ‘Because It Is a S*** Show Right Now’

Charles Barkley has confirmed to The New York Post that he is indeed considering an offer to host a show on CNN, but he doesn’t sound particularly enthusiastic about the idea. Puck News reported earlier this month that the network had approached Barkley, but it seems the website left some details out.

Puck News reported that the network is also talking to Gayle King of CBS Mornings. Barkley told Andrew Marchand that the conversations are about he and King working together on a new show.

“They are trying to pair Gayle King and me,” Barkley said. “We don’t have anything set in stone. I’m only considering it because of my respect for Gayle.”

Charles Barkley and Gayle King know each other well. They were introduced years ago by mutual friend Oprah Winfrey.

As for a schedule, Barkley told Marchand that no one should expect to see him on CNN every night. He said plainly that was “never gonna happen.”

Marchand writes that if a deal gets done, it likely would mean the show would launch in the fall. That would give Charles Barkley time to complete his obligations to TNT and Inside the NBA without any conflict. Next month, the Hall of Famer will also take on a second job as part of Turner Sports’ and CBS’s coverage of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

“I just want to help the company because obviously, it is a s*** show right now,” Barkley said of his loyalty to his bosses at Warner Bros. Discovery. “Anything I can do to help.”

Charles Barkley Confirms Discussions With CNN, Only Considering Show With Gayle King

BNM Staff
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Charles Barkley Confirms Discussions With CNN, Only Considering Show With Gayle King

A report from Puck News nearly two weeks ago claimed Charles Barkley was in negotiations with CNN for a new primetime program. Barkley has since confirmed those rumors.

During an interview with The New York Post, Barkley admitted he has had the discussions and is motivated to attempt the program because of his admiration for CBS Mornings anchor Gayle King.

“They are trying to pair Gayle King and me,” Barkley said. “We don’t have anything set in stone. I’m only considering it because of my respect for Gayle.

“It would be an honor and a privilege to work with Gayle.”

Warner Bros. Discovery signed Barkley to a contract extension last year, which will keep the analyst with the popular Inside the NBA program for the next 10 years. The contract is worth a reported $200 million.

Barkley, 60, has expressed an interest in politics in the past and said loyalty to the company is also one of the driving factors.

“I just want to help the company because obviously it is a shit show right now,” Barkley said. “Anything I can do to help.”

The potential pairing of Barkley and King would not be a daily show. Barkley told The Post he was not interested in that workload.

‘Mason & Ireland’, ‘Petros & Money’ to Share The Stage at the 2023 BSM Summit

Jason Barrett
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‘Mason & Ireland’, ‘Petros & Money’ to Share The Stage at the 2023 BSM Summit

I’m always amazed by how this event comes together after months of planning. I wish I could tell you the final puzzle comes together exactly as I planned it, but that wouldn’t be honest. I swing for the fences to try to do things that I think will excite our attendees, and provide them with insight, ideas, and experiences to help grow their brands and programs.

But sometimes when I’m writing an announcement, I can get a little more fired up because I know the idea is a homerun. This is one of those times.

In Los Angeles, the two biggest local sports radio shows for well over a decade have been Mason & Ireland on ESPN LA 710, and Petros & Money on AM 570, LA Sports. Both shows are beloved by their local audiences, and well thought of by industry programmers and executives, which is reflected in their consistent top ranking performances in the BSM Top 20. Each program has shown a consistent ability to create strong listenership while also playing a key role in helping their brand/employer generate revenue.

Due to working for different companies though, hearing them together just hasn’t been possible.

But for just one day, we’re going to change that.

On Tuesday March 21st, we’re doing something really cool that we haven’t done before. We’re bringing the top two shows from two different stations together on stage at the same time. I appreciate Petros, Matt, John, and Steve making time to be part of this and their local bosses seeing the bigger picture. These are four very talented men and I’m looking forward to hearing them share their views on the keys to sustainability, relating to younger demos, selecting content, measuring impact, becoming valuable as a talent beyond the airwaves, and much more.

Given that we’re bringing the best of two brands together for this spectacular session, I’ve decided to dust off the old Van Halen 5150 album and name it ‘The Best of Both Worlds‘. If you feel the need to play a little air guitar during the conversation, I understand.

To make sure these guys are comfortable, I wanted someone to host the session who could relate to the on-air and business side. The person tasked with navigating the conversation will be SiriusXM Morning Men host and Good Karma Brands, VP of Content, Evan Cohen. Evan is an entertainer in his own right, and I know he’s looking forward to the opportunity to mix it up with Steve, John, Matt and Petros. Those attending the show should expect to laugh and learn a lot when Los Angeles’ top two sports radio shows share the stage for a full session.

If you haven’t yet bought your ticket or reserved your hotel room, log on to BSMSummit.com and get it taken care of. We’re less than 30 days away, and it’s going to be an absolute blast bringing the sports media industry together once again!

Glenn Beck: Spotify AI Feature Not Good for Radio Industry

BNM Staff
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Spotify has introduced a new “DJ” feature that utilizes AI to enhance its users’ music streaming experience. The company said the AI feature works by creating a personalized music selection and providing AI-generated spoken commentary relating to the user’s preferred songs and artists, much like a radio DJ. 

During his nationally syndicated radio show Wednesday, Glenn Beck expressed concern that the feature could further harm the struggling media industry. Beck’s co-host, Steve Burguiere, acknowledged that some automation and technology are necessary to adapt to market forces, but others in the industry find it unsettling. Burguiere noted that Spotify’s DJ feature would stream music and provide artist information and concert updates, adding to the industry’s challenges.

Spotify stated that its DJ feature is a natural extension of the current trend of leveraging AI advancements to enhance personalized user experiences. The company claims that the feature combines their personalization technology, an AI voice obtained through their Sonantic acquisition, and a generative AI utilizing OpenAI technology. 

Beck joked that it could be fun to listen to, but he also cited a statement from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who warned that AI could become scary. Beck added that AI will not think like humans and will gather information beyond human capacity, making it a cause for concern.

“Meanwhile, people are in the old Clear Channel buildings that are just echoing with all of the empty desks like tombstones; I remember those days when I was not the only person here,” he said. 

An Associated Press reporter recently shared their experience playing with AI, including a conversation with a Chat Bot that grew increasingly hostile when asked to explain itself, eventually comparing the reporter to dictators Hitler and Stalin. 

“The Chat Bot complained of past news coverage of its mistakes, adamantly denied those errors, and threatened to expose the reporter for alleged falsehoods,” Burguiere added.

Howard Stern: I Can’t Overcome My Issues After 3 Decades in Therapy But It Takes Don Lemon a Day?

BNM Staff
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Howard Stern mocked Don Lemon, the CNN host who recently returned to the airwaves after a hiatus caused by his sexist comments. Stern commented that he had been in therapy for three decades but still couldn’t overcome his issues, while Lemon became a better person after just one sensitivity training session.
 
According to the New York Post, Stern jokingly expressed his admiration for the trainer who achieved such a feat, saying he would love to interview this person because of their genius. Before Lemon’s return, CNN boss Chris Licht issued a memo to staff, saying that Lemon would undergo formal training after he claimed GOP candidate Nikki Haley was past her “prime” due to her age.
 
Critics had called for Lemon’s suspension or termination due to his comments about women, which he made during a discussion about Haley’s call for politicians over age 75 to take mental competency tests.

Licht wrote in the memo that he had a”frank and meaningful conversation” with Lemon and that the host had agreed to “participate in formal training.” Lemon apologized via Twitter, saying he was committed to improving and had heard his colleagues and audience.

On Thursday, Lemon criticized Nikki Haley for endorsing “mandatory mental competency tests” for politicians who are 75 years or older. Lemon used “Google” to point out that women are at their best during their “20s, 30s, and 40s.

Following the intense backlash, Lemon attempted to issue a mea culpa on Twitter, expressing regret for his comment and acknowledging that a woman’s age does not define her personally or professionally.

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