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Joe Pags: ‘Very Coincidental’ That Twitter Goes Out During Congressional Hearings

BNM Staff
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Twitter and other websites reportedly experienced technical difficulties which caused outages Wednesday. According to CNBC, the cause of the issue is not clear. Some users were able to post tweets by scheduling them using the calendar icon at the bottom of the message box. Nationally syndicated media personality Joe Pags shared with listeners Wednesday some of the difficulties he was having accessing the internet which fueled speculation that reported outages may have affected other websites. 

“You had the people that were all launched out of their jobs at Twitter and squelching, who were censoring, who were dropping people and they were lying about what they were saying in front of Congress today” said Pags. “It just seems to be very coincidental that on the day that Twitter is in front of Congress, suddenly, all of the algorithms, all of the machinery, all of the servers, have an issue on Twitter.” 

Last year, Twitter CEO Elon Musk eliminated about 3,700 jobs to drive down the costs from the $44 billion purchase of the company. 

“If there weren’t an issue with every other site, like I’m seeing with this Downdector site, then maybe I would think it’s a conspiracy,” said Pags. “But the fact that there is an issue on all these other sites, is probably not Twitter specific. Although you have to think that there’s still people working at Twitter that Musk hasn’t gotten rid of yet and probably sympathetic to some of those people that were fired. 

DownDetector is a website that tracks and reports outages and problems for various websites, services, and applications. It allows users to report issues they’re experiencing, view status updates from the company, and see the latest reports from other users. 

Stephen A. Smith: My Issues With Kyrie Irving Are Personal & He Knows Why

BSM Staff
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Stephen A. Smith doesn’t hide the fact that he and Kyrie Irving don’t see eye to eye.

On First Take this week live from Phoenix, Stephen A. went on a rant about Irving saying he was selfish during his time in Brooklyn. Irving was traded to Dallas earlier this week. Stephen A. asked if Irving was on drugs for suggesting that he did his job while as a member of the Nets.

Appearing with Pat McAfee on Media Row on Thursday, Smith said he’s always been a straight shooter when talking about Irving.

“It doesn’t matter how I feel about you, I’m always gonna be fair, and I’m always gonna be objective,” Smith said. “You ain’t worth my paper. So my attitude is even if I don’t like your ass, I’m still gonna be fair.”

Stephen A. went on to add that apparently there are some irreconcilable issues between the himself and the NBA star, but it doesn’t keep him from separating his feelings towards Irving as a person and his analysis of Kyrie as a player.

“Me and Kyrie have our differences – differences I don’t think will ever be settled,” he said. “He knows why. It’s personal – I’m not gonna say why. That doesn’t stop me from looking at him and saying he’s a phenomenal player.”

Stephen A. Smith said there is a difference between superstars and superstar players. He said Tim Duncan was an example of a superstar player, and Kyrie is a superstar.

“You walk through turnstiles to watch him play. That’s who he is,” Smith said. “So in that regard, Kyrie Irving pays for himself.”

Stephen A. Smith also said the fact is that despite being such a talented player, an NBA team can’t offer Irving a long-term contract this offseason not knowing whether or not Kyrie will play in a meaningful number of games.

Buck Martinez Returns to Blue Jays Broadcast Booth

BSM Staff
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Longtime Toronto Blue Jays announcer Buck Martinez will be returning to the broadcast booth in 2023.

He sat out the vast majority of last season undergoing cancer treatment. He did make limited appearances on TV last summer.

Buck Martinez has called Jays’ games on Sportsnet since 2010.

Dan Shulman will call the play-by-play on Sportsnet alongside Martinez. Joe Siddall will fill in for Martinez for select series.

According to the Toronto Sun, the Jays’ radio broadcast will once again not travel to call road games in 2023.

Want Big Revenue in 2023? Think Small

Jeff Caves
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Want Big Revenue in 2023? Think Small

Did you take Gordon Borrell’s advice to BSM last year on how sports radio salespeople can increase business with the tools they already have? No? Well, here is another chance. 

Do you know who the best targets to go after for new business are in 2023? Think SMALL! 

Recently, Corey Elliot, the Executive Vice President of Local Market Intelligence for Borrell and Associates, posted a video about who was looking to increase radio budgets in 2023. Borrell does an annual Fall advertiser survey with thousands of businesses and releases the results. One of the 2022 survey questions was about whether radio budgets will increase, decrease, stay at the same level, or be killed in 2023. Here are the response percentages:

  • 67% level
  • 18% trim 
  • 4% KILL 
  • 11% increase

Borrell also determined what percentage of the radio budget increasers/trimmers were independent businesses, not franchises or corporate owners. Seventy-nine percent of those who wanted a budget cut were independents, and eighty-five percent of those who wanted to increase their budgets were also Indy. 73% of those who wish to increase radio advertising have fewer than 50 employees, while 63% of cut backers are also under 50 workers. 

Here is the bottom line. Small independent businesses under fifty employees are the best targets to find a radio budget on the increase. That is good news for local radio ad sales. 

Elliot points out that many small business start-ups have launched over the last few years since the pandemic. I would add that this has happened specifically in medium to larger cities where corporations have big footprints. Once they were sent home, some workers realized they were ready for change and started their own businesses. 

It’s important to remember these types of clients will need both the basics of how radio can help them today and the rest of what we have to offer can continue helping them tomorrow. They are likely turning to the radio because they listen and are probably over 35 years old, maybe even closer to 45. 

Get them talking about their listening habits and pin down their target market. Of course, a digital companion makes all the sense in the world for these advertisers but don’t forget what brought them to you. They believe in radio and understand its reach. Show them how frequency can ring their register and get appointments for them. 

Remember the Borrell Miami Local Advertising Conference March 5-7 at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay. For more Borrell strategies on boosting local radio ad sales watch this. Sometimes it pays to think SMALL when it comes to new radio clients. 

Play the percentages and happy hunting. 

Amazon Prime Video Adds SportsGrid Programming

BSM Staff
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Amazon Prime Video Adds SportsGrid Programming

As Amazon continues to ponder adding more live sports offerings on Prime Video, the company has already decided to add more to its lineup of free sports TV offerings.

According to Front Office Sports, SportsGrid is now going to be available on Prime Video and on FreeVee.

SportsGrid, which features former CBS Sports Radio host Scott Ferrall as one of its key presenters, works with FanDuel, BetMGM and WynnBet on sports betting content.

SportsGrid is also available on YouTube TV, Roku and FuboTV.

Bill Simmons Wants Mina Kimes At The Ringer

BSM Staff
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No one that follows the NFL will be surprised to learn that Mina Kimes will have options when her contract at ESPN expires. Her deal is set to expire soon and one sports media mogul has made it clear that if she wants to leave Bristol, he wants to have a conversation.

“She’s been my number one draft pick for a while,” Bill Simmons told Ben Strauss of The Washington Post.

Some in the media have criticized Kimes with typical “never played the game” comments. Those that have worked with her though sing her praises, calling her a trailblazer and saying that she deserves an even bigger platform than the one she already has at ESPN.

Mina Kimes began her writing career covering the business world. Simmons notes that The Ringer can offer her a platform to dive back into that world or any other, in addition to still covering football. Certainly, The Ringer would offer an ideal platform for writing and podcasting. Strauss speculates that Kimes could create a deal that would allow her to pursue TV opportunities with a different company.

While Kimes has done work for the Los Angeles Rams on preseason TV broadcasts, she has said that calling games full-time isn’t her future. She values her role on NFL Live, which casts her as the most relatable to the average viewer.

The current deal between Mina Kimes and ESPN is set to expire this year.

Westwood One Unveils Super Bowl LVII Coverage

BSM Staff
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Westwood One Unveils Super Bowl LVII Coverage

Westwood One has officially unveiled its coverage plans for Super Bowl LVII, its 36th consecutive broadcast of the event and 50th overall.

Kevin Harlan will handle play-by-play duties for the game broadcast for the 13th consecutive year. He will be joined by Super Bowl-winning quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore, sideline reporter Laura Okmin, and sideline analyst Mike Golic.

Coverage of the event begins at 2:00 PM ET and will last through the conclusion of the postgame ceremonies.

The schedule includes:
2:00 PM ET – Super Bowl Preview with Scott Graham, Mike Golic, and Kurt Warner
3:00 PM ET – Super Bowl Insider with Graham, McCourty, and Ian Rapoport
4:00 PM ET – Super Sunday with Graham
5:00 PM – Super Bowl LVII with Kevin Harlan, Kurt Warner, Gene Steratore, Laura Okmin, and Mike Golic

Graham and Super Bowl 50 champion Ryan Harris will also provide pregame, halftime, and postgame analysis for the broadcast.

Listeners can hear Westwood One’s Super Bowl coverage on nearly 600 local radio stations, SiriusXM, NFL+, and on the NFL app. The game will also be broadcast on the American Forces Radio Network, which provides programming to the United States military.

Howie Carr: ‘Something is Up With Don Lemon’

BNM Staff
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Howie Carr: ‘Something is Up With Don Lemon’

Embattled CNN This Morning host Don Lemon continues to take shots from conservative media members for his alleged behind-the-scenes conduct towards co-host Kaitlan Collins, with radio host Howie Carr being the latest to question the anchor.

“Something is up with Don Lemon. The man is in hysterics,” Carr said. “Last week (sic), Don Lemon lashed out at co-host Kaitlan Collins. Allegedly, he screamed at Collins in such a way that Collins ran away from him down the studio hall. He was instructed to take a day off to cool down. He went to Beverly Hills with his boyfriend.

“This week, Lemon halted the whole show. ‘Stop the talking, stop the music’. His point was much too important to proceed with the commercial break. His point? The ‘right-wing fascists’ denying reality. ‘How dare they read publications like The New York Post?’ Funny. The Post is the one who has reported on some of his previous outbursts and embarrassments.”

Carr then played Lemon’s comments from earlier in the week, when the CNN This Morning host lamented that “facts are sort of flexible and you just throw things out there ­– citing uncredible sources, like citing The New York Post as a credible source and saying that facts are – it’s just, I can’t believe that we’re here.”

“Can you say primadonna?” questioned Carr.

Jimmy Pitaro Earns New Title After Disney Restructuring

BSM Staff
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Yesterday, CEO Bob Iger announced a restructuring for The Walt Disney Company that will see ESPN serve as its own entity. With the changes, ESPN’s Jimmy Pitaro has earned a new title.

Pitaro will serve as the Chairman of ESPN. He will be responsible for the network’s advertising sales, affiliate sales, and international groups.

Pitaro will oversee all “sports content, products, and experiences across all of Disney’s platforms worldwide, including its international sports channels”. That encompasses the entire ESPN brand, including television, radio/podcasts, digital, social media, and fantasy sports.

Disney will now be three separate divisions, with Disney Entertainment led by Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products operated by Josh D’Amaro, and ESPN will continue under the tutelage of Pitaro.

The news of a new title for Pitaro comes on the heels of discussion from Iger that in no uncertain terms reveals ESPN is not currently for sale or at risk of being spun off shortly.

“We are not engaged in any discussions right now, or considering a spinoff of ESPN,” Iger said. “That had been done — by the way, in my absence — and I’m told … after exploring it very thoroughly, that it wasn’t something the company wanted to do.”

Curt Menefee: Super Bowl Sunday All About Pacing as Studio Host

BSM Staff
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The Super Bowl has a notoriously long pregame show. FOX NFL Sunday host Curt Menefee believes he has to pace himself for this year’s broadcast.

While speaking with The Musers on The Ticket in Dallas, Menefee shared just how long of a day it is for the studio crew.

“People keep asking how you do a Super Bowl pregame show. It’s about pacing,” Menefee said. “It goes fast when you’re doing it, but it’s a long day. We are on the air five-and-a-half hours before kickoff. We arrive at the stadium three-and-a-half hours before we’re on the air. So by the time the game kicks off, we will have been going nine hours already. Now look, we’re not digging or saving lives, but you gotta pace yourself.”

The longtime FOX NFL Sunday host then pointed out that the job only grows the longer the day continues.

“The viewership gets bigger because you have halftime, then you’ve got postgame, and that’s the point when you’ve got 105, 110 million people, which is the most important part, but that’s at the end of a 14, 15 hour day,” said Menefee.

“So you can’t be exhausted, especially when you look to my left and there’s Terry (Bradshaw) and Jimmy (Johnson). Jimmy’s really good for about the first three hours, and then you gotta get him a sugar-free Red Bull and a nap,” Menefee joked.

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