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Members of Congress Tell ESPN To End TikTok College Football Relationship

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Members of Congress Tell ESPN To End TikTok College Football Relationship

TikTok served as the sponsor of halftime shows for several bowl games on ESPN this season. At least two members of Congress are not happy about it. Representatives Mike Gallagher (Wisconsin) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (Illinois) co-signed a letter to the network that says the social video site poses a threat to the country’s national security and that a business relationship raises “serious questions about ESPN corporate decision-making.”

This isn’t the first time the bipartisan duo has had TikTok in its crosshairs. Last year, Gallagher, a Republican, and Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, co-sponsored a bill to ban the app entirely in the United States.

Semafor’s Morgan Chalfant reached out to both ESPN and TikTok for comment. ESPN did not respond. A representative for TikTok says the two congresspeople ignored requests from the company to explain how it addresses national security concerns.

“We would welcome the opportunity to share how we are addressing their concerns and familiarize them with the basics of our corporate structure and our policies,” TikTok’s Brooke Oberwetter said in a statement to Chalfant.

Reps. Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi have demanded answers from ESPN about the future of the network’s relationship with the social media app by the end of the month.

ESPN is far from the only entity in the sports world that takes money from TikTok. The popular app also has sponsorship deals with  MLS, NHL, NFL and UFC. The company has also made serious ad buys with FOX for the last three World Series.

Al Michaels: What Kirk Herbstreit Did This Year is Unparalleled

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All year long, we struggled to find appropriate things to compare Kirk Herbstreit’s 2022 football season to. The reason it was a struggle, according to his Thursday Night Football partner Al Michaels, is that Herbstreit was doing something no one had ever done before.

Michaels told Richard Deitsch of The Athletic that Herbstreit’s travel schedule “was astonishing to me.” He marveled at the ability Herbstreit showed in front of a camera when any normal person would be running on fumes.

“I mean, he would do a game on Thursday night. Then he would fly out after the game,” Michaels said. “He would go from, say, Green Bay to Bozeman, Montana, to have meetings on Friday morning at 9 local time. Then he’d get up on Saturday and do a three-hour show for ESPN and then … fly to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, or Austin or wherever he was going and do a game that night. It was astonishing. This was something that to me is unparalleled in the history of our business, to be able to do it and do it well.”

Al Michaels says he was never concerned about Herbstreit’s ability to adjust to life in the NFL. He trusted that his new partner would know pro and college football are different games that require different styles.

If there were any problems, Michaels pointed to pacing, but insinuated that was only an issue early in the season.

“It was never an issue to the point where it was a problem. But he’s a perfectionist. I’m a perfectionist. We wanted this thing to be as perfect as it could be.”

The College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday night was the final job this season for Kirk Herbstreit. On Tuesday, Front Office Sports tweeted out a graphic that showed his crazy work and travel schedule, which included 33 games (college and pro) and 16 weeks of College GameDay.

Alex Jones: ‘I’m Not Influencing Tucker Carlson’

BNM Staff
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An exposé from HuffPost about the relationship between Fox News host Tucker Carlson and disgraced Infowars host Alex Jones revealed several interesting tidbits found in text conversations between the two pundits.

Text message exchanges by the two — verified by HuffPost — between September 2019 and May of 2020 showed a relationship of Jones approaching Carlson with Infowars content, with Carlson sometimes using items Jones sent him to lead his Fox News show later that evening.

Jones, who was interviewed by HuffPost for the story, denied having any influence over cable news’ most-watched host.

“I’m not influencing Tucker Carlson,” Jones said. “The world is understanding that my worldview is closer to reality than mainstream media, so I don’t need to radicalize Tucker Carlson. He sees what’s going on in the world.”

Podcast host Dan Friesen argued that it is clear through the text messages released to HuffPost that Jones did have influence over Carlson.

“The clear indication is that there is at least some sort of editorial influence that Alex has ― whether direct, indirect, even if it’s minimal ― and it matters because Tucker is probably the most influential cable show host in the world, and Alex is a raving lunatic.”

At one point in the text exchange, Carlson tells Jones “you are the beta test” in a thread that appears to have been partially deleted by Jones.

Carlson has long been an ally of Jones’. He wrote a review of “The Great Reset and The War for The World“, a book written by Jones. The Fox News host said “maybe Alex Jones is onto something” in his review, justifying that people wanting to silence the conspiracy theorist were doing so out of fear.

A report from The Daily Beast in August claimed Carlson was “shitting himself” at the prospect of his text messages with Jones being made public during the lawsuit that saw the Infowars founder be found liable for billions in damages to the families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre. A source told The Daily Beast Carlson and Jones text daily and the content of their messages would be “highly embarrassing”.

Tomi Lahren: Facebook, White House Violated My First Amendment Rights

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Documents purporting to show the Digital Director of the White House asking Facebook to limit the reach of posts about the COVID-19 vaccine from conservative media members like Tucker Carlson and Tomi Lahren were unveiled after a lawsuit was filed by several state Attorneys General.

During her Fox News Commentary Wednesday, Lahren was angry with the email from the White House Digital Director Rob Flaherty. He had asked Facebook to limit the reach of posts that argued against the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine, saying “the top post about vaccines today is Tucker Carlson saying they don’t work, yesterday was Tomi Lahren saying she won’t take one. This is exactly why I want to know what ‘reduction’ actually looks like.”

“The Biden team wanted us ‘reduced’ and they were very angry when big tech didn’t immediately or completely fulfill that demand,” Lahren said. “You won’t be surprised to see that Facebook was apologetic that their ‘reduction’ wasn’t sufficient and of course, they made it right.

“Well, you may have censored me — which appears to be a blatant violation of the First Amendment — but you did not silence me and you never will.”

Lahren concluded by saying the situation was “beyond concerning”, calling it “criminal”.

The unveiling of the documents was heralded by Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry as proof “big government” and “big tech” colluded with one another to limit the reach of conservative viewpoints surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Today’s reveal is yet another example of the ongoing coercive efforts by the White House to pressure social media companies into censoring American citizens,” said Landry.

Westwood One Announces Super Wild Card Weekend Broadcast Crews

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Westwood One Announces Super Wild Card Weekend Broadcast Crews

Westwood One will once again provide live audio coverage of the NFL Playoffs, and has announced its broadcast crews for the upcoming Super Wild Card Weekend.

On Saturday, Bill Rosinski and James Lofton will work the network’s coverage of the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. Amber Theoharis will work as the game’s sideline reporter.

In the nightcap, Ian Eagle will team with Jason McCourty for the Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars broadcast with former NFL offensive lineman Max Starks on the sidelines.

Sunday will see the Miami Dolphins face the Buffalo Bills. Tom McCarthy will provide the play-by-play alongside analyst Ross Tucker and Aditi Kinkhabwala on the sidelines.

Kevin Harlan will be joined by Mike Mayock in the booth for the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings. Scott Kaplan will serve as sideline reporter.

Finally, Ryan Radtke will call the Baltimore Ravens against the Cincinnati Bengals alongside Mike Golic, with Ryan Harris working the sidelines.

On the Monday Night Football broadcast, Kevin Kugler will team with Kurt Warner and Laura Okmin for all the action.

Listeners can hear every NFL Playoff game on Westwood One on nearly 500 terrestrial radio stations, as well as the network’s website, SiriusXM, NFL+, and the NFL app.

Bernie Kosar: ‘I’m Sorry I Put Browns On The Spot’

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Bernie Kosar was relieved of his duties on the Cleveland Browns Radio Network on Sunday. He placed the first legal sports bet in Ohio. That violated the NFL’s gambling policy, which prohibits team employees from betting on any game. Kosar said he was a private contractor and did not think it would be an issue. None the less, he said that he apologized on his Tipico podcast.

“In no way do you want to put them on the spot. And in no way was this done in the interest of benefiting us. It was 100% was going to help people and ex-players that really need it,” the former Browns quarterback said.

Kosar placed a $19,000 bet on Tipico. He picked Cleveland to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season finale for the two teams. He planned to donate the money he won to charity.

Tipico has not commented on their role in the bet. Legal Sports Report reached out to both the sportsbook and the Ohio Casino Control Commission. Tipico did not respond. The OCCC issued a statement that read “The Commission is aware of the situation involving Mr. Kosar, however, this is a violation of NFL policy.”

“I’m sorry I had to put them in this position,” Bernie Kosar said of the Browns. “I didn’t want to put them in this position. But because I’m not an employee, I didn’t think this was going to be an issue.”

Amazon Prime Video Giving Thursday Night Football Advertisers Make Goods

BSM Staff
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Amazon Prime Video has notified advertisers it will be giving them make goods for failing to meet viewership projections during its first season broadcasting Thursday Night Football.

A report from Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports details the compensatory ads being given to those who were told by the streaming platform it expected an average audience of 12.5 million viewers. That number was down from the 13.4 million viewers averaged by FOX in 2021.

According to Amazon’s internal reporting, Thursday Night Football viewership averaged 11.3 million in 2022. Nielsen’s numbers indicated an average of 9.6 million viewers.

“We are very pleased with the viewership and customer feedback for the first season of Thursday Night Football on Prime Video and first-ever full package of NFL games exclusively provided by a streaming service,” an Amazon spokesperson told Front Office Sports. 

“Through the 2022 season, TNF averaged 11.3M viewers according to Amazon’s first-party measurement and the median age was the youngest in a decade for a full-season NFL package. We worked closely with our advertising partners throughout the season to deliver on our commitments, and we look forward to creating even more opportunities and innovations next season.”

A report from Insider claims the streaming platform has been “scrambling” to appease advertisers for its ratings miss. However, it did add that advertisers “are likely to give Amazon a pass overall, given this was the first season for a streaming-only TNF”.

Amazon reportedly touted its “younger viewership as a key benefit” of advertising on the platform. According to Amazon, the median age of its Thursday Night Football audience was 47. That is seven years younger than the average audience of NFL games on linear television.

Gregg Giannotti: Michael Kay Showed ‘Embarrassing, Ridiculous Abuse’

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Gregg Giannotti: Michael Kay Showed ‘Embarrassing, Ridiculous Abuse’

98.7 ESPN New York host Michael Kay created headlines earlier this week by threatening the job of a producer with the station’s morning show — DiPietro & Rothenberg — for his comments that Kay’s ratings were “on the decline”. Kay backtracked those comments by saying it was “performance art”, and it’s safe to say WFAN morning host Gregg Giannotti didn’t buy that excuse.

During Thursday’s episode of Boomer & Gio, the show closed with a discussion about Kay’s comments, and Giannotti ranted about Kay and his co-hosts Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg.

“Gimme a break,” Giannotti said after mentioning La Greca and Rosenberg backed Kay. “You don’t have to sit there and bootlick him any longer. He’s gonna retire. It doesn’t matter whether you kiss his ass or not, it’s not gonna be the difference in you getting that job when he leaves. Just stop it. Just stop kissing his ass. He was wrong. Call him out for it. He was absolutely wrong. It’s not performance art. You were pissed off.”

Giannotti continued by saying it was an easy position for Kay to apologize.

“So how about coming on the air and being like ‘You know what? I stepped over the line, I was really mad in the moment, I shouldn’t have threatened that guy’s job, I talked to him off the air, I’m sorry for doing that.’ But instead I gotta believe it’s performance art?,” said Giannotti as his volume grew.

“Are you freaking kidding me?! If it is performance art, why are you pulling back the curtain?! Does the magician show you where he keeps the rabbit before he pulls it out of the hat?! If you’re such a great performer, then continue your bit! But then you pulled back the curtain to tell everybody about it ’cause you weren’t man enough to step up and say you were wrong!”

The WFAN host then took umbrage with Kay potentially abusing his power and standing at the New York radio station.

“And for someone to be in the business as long as he has and to pull that kinda bullcrap was embarrassing. Absolutely embarrassing. I sit here and I bust everybody’s balls, I’ll point out mistakes, but if I ever — EVER — go out on the air or go back to Spike Eskin and say ‘This guy needs to be fired’, you have permission to punch me right in the face. Because that is a ridiculous — ridiculous — abuse of power.

“And that’s a guy who I think had no way out and couldn’t admit he was wrong, and painted this bullcrap picture that he’s some sort of a performer. Jesus Christ, performance art from Michael Kay?! Performance art?! What, are you a part of the Blue Man Group?! What do you mean performance art?! He’s about the least performance art person I can think about — EVER — that I know.”

Co-host Boomer Esiason agreed that Kay was legitimately angry and was understanding that Kay would be angry that someone at his own station would have that opinion, but said Kay was trying to “big time a low level employee at that station”.

Giannotti then continued by saying it’s the first time he’s listened to The Michael Kay Show and it’s been compelling, before adding “the two stooges in the sidecar (Rosenberg and La Greca) tongue-bathing him, that was even more embarrassing,” followed by noises of tongue bathing. He concluded the segment by sarcastically saying his entire rant about Kay was performance art, so none of it was true or really mattered.

KDKA Wins World Radio Day Award

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The Academy of Radio Arts and Sciences of America announced that KDKA News Radio is the recipient of the 2023 World Radio Day Award.

The award honors the station that “exemplifies the best attributes of the radio industry”. The legendary Pittsburgh station is the fourth US winner of the award. Previous winners include WTOP, 1010 WINS, and WRHU at Hofstra University.

“This distinguished honor underscores not only KDKA’s unwavering commitment to delivering premier news coverage to the Pittsburgh communities, but the individuals who work tirelessly each and every day to make it happen,” said Audacy Pittsburgh Senior Vice President and Market Manager Michael Spacciapolli. “We’re proud to join the list of iconic heritage brands that represent the very best the radio industry has to offer.”

The World Radio Day Award was established in 2011 during the UNESCO General Conference, and was full adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012. World Radio Day is celebrated annually on February 13th.

Al Morganti Signs New Deal With 94WIP

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Al Morganti Signs New Deal With 94WIP

94WIP is experiencing several changes to its lineup, with the upcoming retirement of Angelo Cataldi being the catalyst for the shuffling that will see Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie move to mornings. That move changes things for the station’s Al Morganti, but he announced Thursday morning he has a new deal with the station.

Morganti will not remain with the station’s morning show. With his new deal, the longtime host will shift to a weekend timeslot. He’ll also host a Philadelphia Flyers podcast for the station.

“I agreed to a lifetime deal. It’s five years,” Morganti joked. “I’m excited about this. I get to do a lot of Flyers stuff on the podcast, so it’s really cool,” Morganti said. “I don’t have to get up early.”

Morganti, 69, was the recipient of the 2022 Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, which is awarded annual to a hockey writer or broadcaster that showcases excellence in hockey journalism. The 94WIP co-host has worked as an analyst for Flyers coverage on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

“Al told me he was working on a five-year deal, and I said to him, ‘My god, that’s optimistic,’” Cataldi chuckled. “I mean, the guy’s like 70. That’s good, but it shows the company really loves him.”

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