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Major Shakeup Coming to WEEI, Lou Merloni Set To Exit

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Major Shakeup Coming to WEEI, Lou Merloni Set To Exit

Lou Merloni is on his way out, and that is just the beginning of the changes that are reportedly afoot for WEEI. Chad Finn of the Boston Globe reports that several hosts are being moved around to create a new lineup for the iconic sports talk brand.

Merloni tweeted about his status on Sunday night. He said that he would explain his upcoming exit this week on the air. He was reportedly told that his contract would not be renewed at the end of the year.

It is possible that Merloni could contribute to WEEI’s coverage of the Boston Red Sox.

Boston sports fans have heard Merloni on WEEI for nearly a decade and a half. His past partners have included Mike Mutnansky, Tim Benz and Glenn Ordway. Merloni has worked with Christian Fauria in a variety of dayparts since 2014.

Fauria is also expected to be part of the upcoming changes. Finn says he will move to middays to form a new pairing alongside Andy Gresh. Meg Ottolini, who joined the afternoon show earlier this year, is expected to remain on the program. Christian Arcand joined the show as a producer last month after being let go by crosstown rival 98.5 The Sports Hub. No word on what his future with the afternoon show is.

Rich Keefe, who has been working with Gresh in middays, is expected to be reassigned according to Finn’s report. A move to evenings is reportedly a consideration.

Sports Media Reacts to Prominent Soccer Journalist Grant Wahl’s Death in Qatar

BSM Staff
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On Friday night, Grant Wahl’s brother Eric took to social media to announce that the beloved soccer journalist had died while in Qatar. Eric expressed doubts about the official story, which was that Wahl collapsed at Lusail Iconic Stadium and later died at a nearby hospital.

Since the news of Grant’s death, more facts continue to be learned. CBS News reported that Wahl suffered a heart attack at the World Cup. However, those who were near him when he collapsed have expressed shock over a defibrillator not being available in the area. It’s known that Wahl had complained recently of feeling ill and took time to rest to try and get his body back on track. Whether or not those symptoms contributed to his passing are still unclear.

The facts surrounding Wahl’s death still leave many with a lot of questions. The American soccer journalist recently wrote a story the day before his passing where he called out Qatar’s government over their treatment of migrant workers. He also made headlines at the start of the tournament drawing attention to World Cup security asking him to delete photos he had taken and detaining him before the USMNT’s match with Wales for wearing a shirt with the rainbow pride flag on it.

Eric Wahl noted in his since deleted Instagram video that Grant wore the shirt in support of him and his husband.

Wahl’s wife Celine confirmed her husband’s passing on Friday night when many were confused over Grant’s brother’s social media post. The news sent shockwaves across the world and created a flurry of activity online from members of the sports media industry.

The only accusation of foul play at this point is coming from Grant’s brother. But given Wahl’s recent reporting, his clean bill of health prior to leaving for Qatar, and his prior run-in with World Cup security, it’s understandable why many want additional information. If by chance Grant’s brother Eric is right, and Wahl’s death was not an accident, it could force the American government to get involved, and create a huge mess for US soccer and its media partners.

Greg Olsen, Vince Vaughn Seek Investment To Grow Podcast Network

BSM Staff
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Greg Olsen, Vince Vaughn Seek Investment To Grow Podcast Network

Audiorama, a podcast network owned by FOX Sports NFL analyst Greg Olsen and actor Vince Vaughn launched less than a year ago. The duo is already thinking about growth and approaching venture capital firms about an investment.

The company was launched with funding from Powerhouse Capital, who has a history of investing in upstart media companies. Past investments have included Wondery and The Athletic.

“When we go to market, there’s been a lot of interest in joining what we’re building,” Olsen told Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. No numbers were discussed in McCarthy’s piece.

Right now, Audiorama is home to two shows. Olsen hosts Youth, Inc., which focuses on the changing nature of youth sports in America. His former Panthers teammate Ryan Kalil hosts a show called Block Forever, in which he discusses the lessons he learned on the football field and how they now apply to life. Kalil is also an investor in Audiorama.

Vaughn is working with fellow actor Peter Billingsly on a show that is yet to be released. It will focus on the enduring fandom of cult classic holiday films.

Sam Mayes Exits Tulsa’s 97.1 The Sports Animal

BSM Staff
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Sam Mayes is done with radio. He announced on Friday that he has accepted a new job that will take him away from the broadcasting industry.

“Thank you to every station that has given me a platform to showcase my talent and passions,” he wrote in a later post. “To my listeners, thank you for allowing me to become part of your lives, listening to my outbursts, loving and hating my opinions, and cheering me on when I was down. It has been an absolute honor and privilege to connect with you over these last fifteen years.”

Sam Mayes was an All-American offensive lineman while playing at Oklahoma State. He had a short stint in the NFL before beginning his broadcasting career in Oklahoma City.

In 2012, Mayes debuted on 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma City. It was a job he held for over nine years. In November of 2021, he was let go after audio of a private conversation he had with a co-worker was leaked. Mayes and Cara Rice, who was a DJ on The Franchise’s sister station Magic 104.1, can be heard making racist jokes about Native Americans. At the time, Mayes says he was heartbroken that he did not get to address the audio on air before being let go.

He resurfaced at Stephens Media Group in Tulsa, where he spent a little over a year.

According to his LinkedIn page, Mayes has joined Epcon Partners, a construction firm that specializes in energy and infrastructure projects.

C-SPAN VP of Programming Terry Murphy Retiring After 42 Years

BNM Staff
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C-SPAN VP of Programming Terry Murphy Retiring After 42 Years

After 42 years with the network, C-SPAN Vice President of Programming Terry Murphy has announced he is retiring.

Murphy will depart C-SPAN on January 6th, 2023. He was originally hired as a field technician in 1981 before moving into a management role. He has guided the editorial decisions for the network for decades.

“It’s impossible to overstate the impact Terry has had on our network,” said C-SPAN co-CEO Susan Swain. “Terry should also be recognized for his outsized editorial impact as an advocate for the public’s right to access their government. When Congress or other public officials said, ‘Event’s closed,’ Terry always asked why.”

C-SPAN Vice President of Digital Media Richard Weinstein will replace Murphy, himself a longtime employee of the network. He started with the channel in 1986 and has overseen the network’s mobile app and website. Under his direction, C-SPAN is expected to merge television and digital content across both platforms.

Mike Greenberg Absent Due to ‘Setback’

BSM Staff
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Mike Greenberg has been absent from Get Up and his ESPN Radio show since Wednesday, and explained that he has suffered “a little setback” as the reason.

The longtime ESPN personality tweeted that he would miss the rest of the week from his duties and thanked those “carrying the ball” for him while he was out.

Greenberg did not specify what ailment he suffered a setback from, but said he hoped to “get back as fast” as he could.

ESPN Radio afternoon duo Chris Canty and Chris Carlin filled in for Greenberg on Greeny, while on Get Up, Dan Graziano filled in on Wednesday and Brian Custer handled the hosting duties on Thursday and Friday.

Angelo Cataldi: ‘Nothing More Entertaining’ Than Jon Jastremski, Craig Carton Feud

BSM Staff
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The spat between The Ringer’s Jon Jastremski and WFAN’s Craig Carton spilled into a new market Friday, as longtime 94WIP morning host Angelo Cataldi discussed the dispute, calling it a “blood feud”.

“There is nothing in life I find more entertaining than a blood feud,” Cataldi admitted. “And I’m gonna tell you, I’ve had my share. It’s a fact.”

Cataldi then welcomed Jastremski to his show, and made a declaration before bringing him on.

“I’d like to make a statement before I put this man on: I hereby declare I’m on Team Jastremski,” Cataldi joked. “I’m on Team Jastremski in this feud.”

“I’d love to not be in The New York Post for the second straight week,” responded Jastremski.

After Cataldi noted Carton started at WIP and the host knew him well, Jastremski said he did as well.

“I had no issues with Craig Carton until I had an issue last week,” the New York, New York podcast host said.

Later in the interview, after Jastremski said if he would vote for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes as the NFL MVP instead of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, Cataldi jokingly said he was back on Team Carton in the feud.

Pat McAfee Added To ABC Booth For Las Vegas Bowl

BSM Staff
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While all of the talk about college football on TV centered on the Big Ten and its new deals with FOX, CBS, and NBC in the off-season, it was ESPN that made a deal to steal the spotlight during the season. The network added Pat McAfee to the College GameDay crew ahead of the show’s week 2 visit to Austin, TX. Now, the flamboyant analyst is ready to go from pregame to in-game.

McAfee’s College GameDay co-host Kirk Herbstreit was a guest on McAfee’s show Friday. He revealed that he and McAfee will serve as co-hosts for ABC’s broadcast of the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday, December 17.

“It’s gonna be a blast,” Herbstreit told McAfee. “It’s your game. I’m just kinda there to hang out with you.”

Pat McAfee joked that can’t be true because he will still be identifying a lot of players by numbers while Herbstreit will be able to give the guys’ entire career history. He added that the idea that he gets to share a booth with Herbstreit is “hilarious.”

The Las Vegas Bowl will feature the Florida Gators and the Oregon State Beavers. Dave Pasch will call the game. Laura Rutledge will be on the sidelines.

In his first deal with ESPN, Pat McAfee worked with Adam Amin and Matt Hasselbeck. The trio called Thursday night college football games during the 2019 season.

CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr Departing

BNM Staff
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CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has told fellow employee she will depart the network when her contract ends.

CNN Media reporter Oliver Darcy tweeted that Starr told colleagues she would be leaving in the coming days. “I have made the decision to move on,” Darcy quoted Starr.

She has worked at the network for 21 years, after previously working at ABC News and Jane’s Defence Weekly magazine and Business Week.

Her exit coincides with CNN trimming it’s staff, both on-air and behind the scenes, under the direction of new CNN CEO Chris Licht.

Starr has made headlines in recent years for clashes with Pentagon officials. She also was reportedly the subject of the Department of Justice under former President Trump secretly obtaining her email and phone records in 2020.

Boomer Esiason: Tony Romo Simply Has Different Style From Other NFL Analysts

BSM Staff
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CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo has proven to be a somewhat divisive presence with NFL fans, with many believing he’s the best analyst in the business while others don’t prefer to listen to the former Cowboy. WFAN morning co-host Boomer Esiason believes Romo just has a different style from everyone else.

A caller into Boomer & Gio asked Esiason and Gregg Giannotti their thoughts on the differences between Romo and another former Cowboys quarterback, Troy Aikman, wondering if Romo was able to correctly predict plays because he’s more recently retired than Aikman or if it was simply a style preference.

“That’s a style issue,” Esiason said. “100% a style issue. Troy’s been doing it for a very long time. He’s got the same partner, they have a certain way about doing games. He’s not about doing what Tony’s doing — and Tony does predict plays — but it’s just a different style. Tony’s been doing it for what, five years now? Troy’s been doing it for 20. Troy and Joe have a really good relationship and it’s a very matter-of-fact broadcast. Cris (Collinsworth) has to break in a new guy in Mike Tirico and then you have Jim (Nantz) and Tony. Tony tends to be exuberant, especially when the game is big.”

“Yeah, the AFC Championship Game or when he has the opportunity to call a Super Bowl,” Giannotti agreed. “You love that enthusiasm, despite what Dick Ebersol says.”

The quip about Ebersol by Giannotti is a reference to an October interview the former NBC Sports chairman gave where he said Romo “doesn’t seem into” broadcasts any longer. He later walked back the comments, saying the reason he was critical of the CBS NFL analyst was he tired from doing too many interviews and should not have made the comments he did about Romo.

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