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Meet The Sales Staff: Mark Miller

Dave Greene
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Meet The Sales Staff: Mark Miller

Mark Miller is someone I’ve worked with for the past two years at Entercom in Kansas City.  Ours is a large, eight station cluster with a dominant position in the market.  Along with Rock, Alternative, Hot AC, Country, News and Talk (KMBZ A/F which Miller started selling in 1989), we have two sports stations, the Kansas City Royals, the Missouri Tigers and the Kansas State Wildcats. Additionally, we carry several local high school and college football and basketball broadcasts, most of which Mark not only sells, but also does play-by-play for.

There’s a Mark Miller on every good media sales team in the country.  A veteran seller who still has an unmatched enthusiasm for our industry and working with clients.  He has several “regular customers” he has formed great relationships with in his long career.  

When he closes a good sale, everyone knows about it instantly, but he’s also the first person to congratulate someone else when they do the same.  His work area is a shrine to his career, complete with a picture of his face superimposed on to Superman’s body, but he isn’t the least bit ashamed for being proud of what he has accomplished. 

When he isn’t out with a customer, he’s in the office working the phones and he can be heard talking about a great business idea for a client or perhaps a team’s Cover 2 defense when he’s talking to a local coach.  Whatever the topic, his big booming voice comes through loud and clear.  No, really, I mean my office is about 30 feet from his area, and I hear it all loud and clear! 

How did you get started in radio?

I was a television news anchor for two years and I had an opportunity to go to work for some radio stations in Garden City, Kansas and I made the switch around 1981.  I didn’t think I was the next Kronkite. I got in to radio sales at KBUF AM & FM, they were a big country western station and they were splitting the signals and going satellite country music.  To get the job, I had to make a presentation in front of the whole sales team.  I did a flip chart presentation of who I was and what I thought I could bring to the team. I walked out of the meeting and the GM said, “We want you to be on the staff.”

People knew who I was from being on TV, so I was able to hit the ground running and sold several annuals in my first two weeks.  We traded out some boom boxes at Gibson’s Discount Center, we would cut a spec spot and after I would flip chart the radio station, I would play the spot from the boom box.  If they bought an annual, we’d let them keep the boom box and we would trade for more.

I saw the ability to make a ton of money in commission sales by being creative, meeting a lot of people and putting together ideas. I saw money and I’m driven by money.

What do you tell people you do when others ask about your job?

When I’m asked that, I tell them I’m a professional broadcaster.  Not just sales, although that’s 95% of what I do, but I do play-by-play, I write copy, I put in my orders, I do production for some of my clients, I do some endorsement deals and while I don’t send bills, I do collect.  I do everything under the umbrella of broadcasting, so I’m in the broadcast industry and I’m a professional broadcaster. 

When I say that, people perk up.  They don’t know us by the name of our company or what an Account Executive or Senior Account Rep means, but when I say I’m a professional broadcaster with 8 radio stations and I sell and create advertising campaigns and do play-by-play, it sounds professional.  I think everyone who works in our building is a professional broadcaster.  Some think that just means you are on the air, but I think it means you are in the broadcasting industry.

What makes you good at media sales?

I don’t think I’m the Mick Jagger of sales, but I still like the chase and I still have the energy and the drive to make money.  That’s what motivates me.  When I was hiring people as a manager for a couple of years, I would ask them what motivated them.  If the answer wasn’t money, I didn’t hire them. 

I am creative, I can present and I’m good at interaction with clients.  While I’m always prospecting to find new business, I’m really good at increasing the amount my current clientele spends with me.  A lot of my clients started off spending a little bit of money and now they spend thousands and thousands with me.  People buy people they like and if you get in there and you grow the relationship, not only business but personal, they’ll trust you and that’s been my formula.

I wouldn’t sell anything else.  Insurance, appliances, medical supplies, nothing. This is the only thing I ever want to sell, because it changes.  One day you’re talking to a banker, later that afternoon a car dealer and the next day a doctor.  I’m not a master of any of those categories, but I am a master of what I sell, and I can match my products up with each of those categories and create ideas for them.

Why do you think there’s so much churn in media sales departments?

I think it’s work ethic.  My dad was a railroad engineer and he’d take the passenger train out of Newton, Kansas at 5:05 AM, he would be there a day in Dodge City and then came back the next day.  My mom was in politics on a national level, and she had a great work ethic.  When I was young, I was a sponge and I soaked that up and saw what they did, and they always went to work and had careers.  

Times have changed, and I don’t think a lot of people come in with great work ethics.  I also see a lot of rookies who come on board, and they end up teaming with other rookies.  They should connect with veteran account executives and go out on the streets with them.  If they team up with somebody else who doesn’t know what they’re doing, they both usually end up failing.  

You’ve sold a lot of spoken word stations – news, talk and sports.  What is it about spoken word that makes it work so well for your clients?

It’s all about recall.  People that listen to spoken word formats are listening and are actively engaged.  You usually either like it or you don’t and if you do, you’re going to keep listening to hear what the next person has to say on the air.  I’ve got their attention in spoken word so I can go to Mr. or Mrs. Advertiser and know that their message is going to get heard.  Then, I come up with creative copy that people can remember.

With sports, the key is association.  The advertisers love the association whether it’s pro, college or high school, they like being associated with it.  The loyalty of the sports audience is a tremendous asset for our customers. 

You have carved out quite a niche selling and broadcasting local high school and college sports, as well.

This will be our fifteenth year doing it and management and the advertisers know I have tremendous passion for it. Plus, it does well financially, as it has generated over a million dollars in sales.  We may not be doing pro sports teams on our broadcasts, but we deliver a pro caliber broadcast and people like what they hear.

I do a lot of features like player of the game, coach of the game, mom of the week (where we recognize a player’s mom at halftime), scholar athlete, we recognize educators, administrators and school officials.  It’s a lot more than just a high school game broadcast.  The advertisers love the association.  

What They Say…

“Mark thinks big and outside of the box. He’s great at presenting interactive ideas for clients that turn an interesting topic for listeners in to sales opportunities.” – Rich Deutsch, GSM Entercom – Kansas City

KNBR signs Greg Papa to multi-year deal; New lineup to Debut on July 16th

BSM Staff
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Last summer, Greg Papa took to the airwaves on 95.7 The Game to confirm he would no longer be the radio voice of the Oakland Raiders. For the first time in over two decades, the legendary play by play announcer went thru an NFL season not calling Bay Area football games.

But the disappointment Papa experienced in 2018 has quickly been replaced by joy in 2019. The year began with the San Francisco 49ers naming him their new radio play by play voice, and now just two and a half months before the NFL regular season kicks off, Papa is changing radio stations too.

After nearly eight years with 95.7 The Game, Papa is leaving the station to join KNBR. The new voice of the 49ers has inked a multi-year deal with the station which will reunite him with former on-air partner John Lund. The new program, Papa & Lund, will be featured weekddays from 10a-2p PT.

KNBR Program Director Jeremiah Crowe said: “Greg brings unrivaled knowledge and top-notch entertainment value to every broadcast he leads. His connection with the Bay Area sports fan runs deep on many levels through his history in the local market, and we are proud to reunite him with John Lund in mid-days on The Sports Leader.”

“I am thrilled to be returning to the powerful airwaves of The Sports leader,” said Papa. “Being reunited with John Lund on the flagship station of the 49ers is the perfect combination.”

In addition to adding Papa and Lund to middays, KNBR will introduce a powerful new afternoon show. Larry Krueger and Rod Brooks will leave their midday slots to move into drive time, joining Tom Tolbert as part of the newly formed Tolbert, Krueger and Brooks. The three men have been a part of KNBR for a combined total of 67 years. Their new show will air weekdays from 2p-6p PT, giving an extra hour to evening host Mark Willard who will now host weeknights from 6p-10p PT.

As a result of the changes, KNBR and longtime personality Gary Radnich will go their separate ways. Radnich had been with the station since 1992. He tweeted out on Friday that he had planned to retire at the end of the year but with his 70th birthday approaching it made more sense to exit now. Radnich will host his final show on the station this week.

“From the time Gary Radnich started at KNBR he was a pioneer in the sports-talk format” said Doug Harvill, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus San Francisco. “He built a close relationship with listeners through his entertaining and intriguing perspective on sports and life. I cannot express how appreciative all of us at KNBR are for the opportunity to have partnered with him on his KNBR journey.”

Also vacating the station will be longtime midday host Bob Fitzgerald who had been with the station as a host since 1990. The television voice of the Warriors on NBC Sports Bay Area, Fitzgerald said “I’d like to thank everyone that I had the great fortune of working with at KNBR, from my co-hosts, in particular Rod Brooks, to our tremendous producers and staff I have encountered over the great many years. For three decades it has been my great privilege to entertain the incredible sports fans of the Bay Area. KNBR will always have a special place in my heart and I wish everyone at the station all the best moving forward.”

The loss of Papa is a blow to 95.7 The Game. He spent 8 years with the station, delivering strong ratings in middays with Bonta Hill, and previously with Lund before he exited to join KNBR in 2016.

According to a report in The Athletic, The Game is expected to adjust to Papa’s departure by relying on 3 shows in their weekday lineup instead of 4. Joe, Lo and Dibs will remain in mornings, Matt Steinmetz and ‘The Guru’ Daryle Johnson will add Hill to their midday show, expanding to 10a-2p, followed by Damon Bruce in afternoon drive.

BSM’s 2019 Sports TV Draft: The Top 30 Shows of All-Time

Jason Barrett
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BSM’s 2019 Sports TV Draft: The Top 30 Shows of All-Time

Benjamin Franklin once said there are two things certain in life: death and taxes. I’d like to modify that quote by adding a third – a fascination with lists.

Since launching BSM, we’ve written thousands of pieces on personalities, news, strategy, ratings, and career advice. They’ve been well received, but pale in comparison to anything we’ve created involving lists. For four years straight our number one most read piece of content has been the BSM Top 20 in Sports Radio. The annual BSM Sports Radio Draft has also received strong support.

As proud as we are of those sports radio content specials and their ability to fuel discussion among sports media types, the amount of creative projects we’ve built around sports television has left much to be desired. So with an NBA Draft on the horizon, we began tossing ideas at the wall last month, and came up with an outline for a Sports TV Draft.

Since the NBA Draft features 30 picks per round, we thought it made sense to select the Top 30 shows of all-time. We focused on studio/live/produced shows because sitcoms, reality shows, and documentaries are different type of programs. We then created a document with 65 programs to choose from, figuring that some folks would likely want to add to it.

Next we had to decide who to include in the voting process. I thought it’d be fun to involve the nation’s top sports media writers and critics, media researchers, former TV executives, bloggers, and a few popular social media accounts, but wasn’t sure if we’d be able to drum up enough support to pull it off. To my surprise, most of the people I asked jumped in.

And that brings us to the actual draft.

Below you will see an image featuring our list of the Top 30 Sports TV Shows of All-Time as decided on by our voters. Underneath that image you’ll find a detailed explanation from each voter on what they liked about the show they selected. If you want to learn more about the shows, our voters or the companies they work for, we’ve made it easy for you. All you have to do is click the show name, company name or individual’s name and a new page will open up.

I want to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who participated in this project. Although lists are very subjective and determined by the order in which people select, this was fun to assemble, and we hope you enjoy reading it. With that in mind, here are the results of the 2019 BSM Sports TV Draft.

#1 – SportsCenter – Gerry Matalon, Matalon Media

For the sports fan, SportsCenter was the equivalent of the advent of the internet. The fan had access to information and video like never before. It was THE must-watch studio show of generation X, and a sports fan’s dream come true. 

NEVER before were fans able to get all the highlights, significant national news, analysis and discussion in an engaging manner, multiple times a day from hosts who would become icons in their own right. Every on-screen sports program since September of 1979 is a branch on the SportsCenter tree. Though the show might not have the significance it once had, SportsCenter has often been replicated, though never duplicated.

#2 – FOX NFL Sunday – Patrick Crakes, Crakes Media

FOX NFL Sunday showed America that FOX would keep its promise – to present the NFL in a modern, fun, but reverent way. Under David Hill, Ed Goren and Scott Ackerson’s vision and guidance the credibility, chemistry and flow of the show opened a new era in live sports commentary and became the flagship of the FOX Sports Brand.  The show was a paradigm shift operating on the assumption that most viewers were looking for something more than just information as they gathered to watch NFL games on Sunday. 

The amazing collection of unique personalities at the desk added something unique for mainstream NFL fans thirsty for a show that could “sugarcoat the information pill” with a modern sensibility.  JB, Terry, Howie and Jimmy were the “Guys you wanted to have a beer with at the bar and watch a game” and America embraced them. It was the beginning of a new era – one that saw FOX evolve on the back of FOX NFL Sunday into one the most important sports media brands in the world. Impressively, FOX NFL Sunday  remains as relevant, entertaining and fun today as it was in 1994, and it’s endurance, legacy and continued impact make the case for its place as one of the important live studio shows in sports TV history.

#3 – Pardon The Interruption – Tim Scanlan, Octagon Sports

PTI revolutionized the sports studio program with the Topic Sidebar, the running clock, the simple props, and the PA announcer with corrections. The personalities of Tony and Michael were non-traditional and irreverent and the program looked ahead as much as it reacted to stories in sports.

#4 – Inside The NBA – Andrew Marchand, New York Post

The show featuring probably the greatest studio analyst of all-time, Charles Barkley, at 4? Thank you very much. I considered ESPN’s College GameDay and, at its peak, NFL Primetime, with this pick, but Inside The NBA is so enjoyable for the basketball and non-basketball fan.

#5 – College Gameday – Richard Deitsch, The Athletic

I’ve written many times over the years that I consider Inside The NBA the greatest sports studio show in history. If I had the No. 1 overall pick for this draft, it would have been an easy selection. But I am delighted to see that College GameDay remains on the board. This whole exercise is subjective but GameDay slots right behind Inside for me among all-time sports studio shows.

College football is best experienced in person, and GameDay has brought that experience into our homes for decades. As someone who lived for many years in New York City, GameDay allowed me to experience what it was like to be part of LSU football in Baton Rouge, Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and other places that were foreign yet fascinating to me. The on-air talent has always had intellect and chemistry; the show’s feature producers are the best in class. GameDay was also early among mainstream sports shows to highlight sports gambling info and has maintained a journalistic bent. It’s one of the best enterprises ESPN has done and I feel like I just got one of the steals of this draft. 

#6 – NFL Primetime – Chad Finn, Boston Globe

I thought about picking a relic of a wholly different age in sports television here, but choosing This Week In Baseball would have been an overdraft based on nostalgia. So instead I made a sentimental pick with more recent relevance.

From 1987 to 2005, Chris Berman and Tom Jackson made ESPN’s NFL Primetime an entertaining and, in a time before our phones gave us every highlight in real time, a practically essential way to see every meaningful nightlight from the day’s NFL action. Primetime was marginalized when NBC got the Sunday night package in 2006. But it won’t be forgotten. 

#7 – NFL RedZone – Ryan Glasspiegel, The Big Lead

It’s almost unfair to pick this considering it encompasses live events, but the eight greatest words in the English language are when Scott Hanson says, “Seven hours of commercial-free football begin now.” Imagine reverting back to a world without it. If they ever try to put the genie back in that bottle, there will be torches and pitchforks in the streets.

#8 – Speak For Yourself – Michael McCarthy, Front Office Sports

“Speak for Yourself” with Jason Whitlock and Marcellus Wiley is my choice at #8. They’re both ex-football players, and have some of the best, if not the best, NFL debates in the business with a constant stream of current and former players weighing in. Among the show’s most interesting guests in my opinion are James Harrison, Terry Bradshaw and Michael Vick.

#9 – The SportsWriters on TV – Neil Best, Newsday

Long before it was commonplace for sportswriters to kibitz on camera, this groundbreaking syndicated show out of Chicago was a revelation in the mid-1980s, and begat several decades worth of copycats that have filled endless hours of cable TV time. Unlike their polished, better-dressed modern counterparts – who work on polished, better-appointed sets – these guys were rumpled, cigar-smoking throwbacks, offering among the first takes of countless ones to come.

#10 – REAL Sports – Ben Koo, Awful Announcing

I’m very happy with my selection of HBO Real Sports at #10. The standard bearer in sports journalism is closing in on 25 years of distinguished and culturally relevant work. Correspondents have come and gone and the show has undergone a few changes over the years but the quality and significance of their work continues to be must watch television for intellectually curious and thoughtful sports fans.

I haven’t missed an episode in more than a decade as the quality has never wavered nor has my interest in expanding my knowledge as a sports fan. Sure it often veers into serious and uncomfortable topics and controversy, but Real Sports has always had a  rich and eclectic mix of topics, personalities, and stories which has always been appointment viewing for me every month. I’m delighted to use my pick on a show as impactful and unique as Real Sports. 

#11 – Outside The Lines – Austin Karp, Sports Business Daily

Among the smartest sports programming on TV. It doesn’t matter whether Bob Ley or Jeremy Schaap or Kate Fagan hosts. The topics are timely, and the show has stood the test of time.

#12 – Around The Horn – Robert Seidman, SportsTV Ratings

After SportsCenter, Outside the Lines and PTI it’s the longest-running daily show. As PTI’s lead-in it has consistently been one of ESPN’s best-performing studio shows.  It’s also been a great vehicle for ESPN to showcase new talent from Michael Smith & Jemele Hill, Mina Kimes, Sarah Spain, and Ramona Shelburne to Bomani Jones & Pablo Torre. As far as I know it’s also the only sports studio show ever parodied on NBC’s “30 Rock” — I tip my hat to Aaron Solomon, Tony Reali & everyone involved with the show.

#13 – Wide World of Sports – David Barron, Houston Chronicle

I don’t think it’s possible to overestimate the significance of what this show delivered during an era of black and white cathode ray tube TVs, 6 a.m. to midnight telecast schedules and filmed highlights that had to be delivered by airplanes rather than by satellite. It was like having an Olympics every Saturday, and it set the standard and the expectations for generations of broadcasters and viewers.

#14 – Garbage Time – Will Leitch, New York Magazine

My pick was between “Garbage Time” and “The Dan Patrick Show” — either is a steal with the 14th selection. It is EXTREMELY rare in the relentlessly repetitive, failing-up world of sports television to find an actual new, unique voice. Katie Nolan was (and is) different than everyone else working in sports TV, something that was obvious from her very first show. Plus, it’s impossible not to admire any show this good that was essentially filmed in a closet.

#15 – Baseball Tonight – Fred Segal, Freezing Cold Takes

As with NFL Primetime, Baseball Tonight used to be an absolute must watch for me. Much like many other highlight-centric shows it has lost significant value nowadays as highlights and updates are instantly available on social media. However, back when I was growing up in the 90s, it was absolutely an essential watch for any baseball junkie.

Most of the time, watching the show was my first exposure to any of the highlights from the day’s games. The show also holds personal sentimental value for me as I used to watch it every night with my dad as he would track his fantasy baseball players. We used to sing the lead in song together, which in my opinion, is as iconic as the SportsCenter lead in song ???? Da…Da Da Da…Da DA ????.

#16 – TMZ Sports – Robert Littal, Black Sports Online

The fact of the matter in 2019 is that people care more about the drama and viral news than what is going on, on the court or on the field. While many shows try to sprinkle in TMZish type of stuff, only TMZ does it full time.

#17 – The NFL Today – Brooks Melchior, Sports By Brooks

The NFL Today is arguably the most important studio show in sports television history. “In 1975 it introduced Americans to one of the most influential TV sports personalities in history, Brent Musburger. It was the first network studio show in history to include a woman, Phyllis George, an African-American, Irv Cross, and a professional handicapper, Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder, as fulltime on-air contributors.

It also played an early, pivotal role in popularizing the format which all NFL studio shows use today. In lieu of the NFL’s now-ubiquitous presence in the daily lives of Americans, it isn’t too much to say that the debut of The NFL Today with Musburger, George, Cross and Snyder represents a seminal moment in television history.

#18 – High Noon – Paulsen, Sports Media Watch

While it’s too early to call it one of the best sports TV shows of all-time, I’ll still go with High Noon here. Sports talk is dominated by fake debates and overheated opinions, but High Noon is an exception. Nothing seems staged or done for the sake of clicks and pageviews. Plus Jones and Torre have excellent chemistry.

#19 – The George Michael Sports Machine – Arash Markazi, Los Angeles Times

Before every household in America had cable or satellite and you could see every sports highlight within seconds of it happening live on your phone, tablet or computer, there was only one way for someone like me, without cable, to see sports highlights every Sunday and that was on The George Michael Sports Machine. I recorded it every week on our VCR and I’d watch it again and again throughout the week. It was a show ahead of its time and the first sports show I religiously watched as a young sports fan.

#20 – Stump The Schwab – Ben Strauss, Washington Post

The fact that ESPN was, at a certain point in time, willing to build a show around a chubby career researcher is all you need to know about why this show deserves a spot on this list. And even if Schwab never quite carried the show, his array of throwback jerseys and Stuart Scott’s attempts to inject energy and cachet into what today would be considered a live action version of Sporcle is forever endearing.

#21 – E60 – Andrew Bucholtz, Awful Announcing

Since its 2007 launch, E:60 has been one of ESPN’s more impressive commitments to journalism and storytelling. The news-magazine show has had a number of timeslot and network moves, including the 2017 shift to its current Sunday morning slot, but its pieces have always managed to make an impact. The show has won 16 Sports Emmys, including “Outstanding Sports News/Feature Anthology” and “Outstanding Short Sports Documentary” (for “Identity : Deland McCullough’s Journey,” which is a very worthy winner) this year, plus nine Edward R. Murrow Awards, a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and much more.

E:60 has also shown a great ability to tell all sorts of stories, from pieces on kids facing incredible challenges (Josiah Viera, Owen Hawkins) to deep investigations of deaths of migrant workers building World Cup stadiums in Qatar. It continues to be one of the best things ESPN does.

#22 – NFL Matchup – Jason Romano, Sports Spectrum

This was the show where I truly learned something new about the game of football in a way that no other show could provide. The downfall was that ESPN never gave it a great timeslot but man if you watched it, you walked away more knowledgeable about the NFL than you were 30 minutes earlier. The way they broke down film and showed you the intricacies of the game was always unique and special. Ron Jaworski, Merril Hoge and Sal Palantonio were fantastic.

#23 – Mike and the Mad Dog – Douglas Pucci, Programming Insider

“Aaaaaaaaand good afternoon everybody! How are you today!” yelled the Mad Dog. It’s the New York radio show that kicked off the sports talk genre in our country starting in the 90’s. It was the show I grew up listening to on WFAN as they discussed the legendary sports moments of the 90’s and 00’s like the Yankees world championship runs (especially the memorable Freeway of Love 1996 playoff run), the Rangers in ‘94, the Knicks playoff runs in the 90’s and Chris’ hilarious rants against the SF Giants.

Mike and the Mad Dog were also there for the big events of our world like the OJ trial and verdict and 9/11. Each host has succeeded in their own separate ventures – Mike still popular in the afternoon in NY radio, Chris on SiriusXM and MLB Network – but there was special magic when the two joined together to talk sports in front of the YES Network cameras.

#24 – Up Close – Tom Hoffarth, Los Angeles Times

I figured Roy Firestone’s “Up Close” would be long gone before my 24th pick so I was pleasantly surprised to find it still available. My Plan B was to snag the Jim Rome franchise of shows – from “Talk2” in the early 90’s all the way to “The Jim Rome Show” today, spanning ESPN2, ESPN, Fox Sports, ESPN again, CBS Sports Net and a stop in there on Showtime.

Some quick history: “SportsLook” is the original title of the show that started in 1980 on the USA Network, then moved to ESPN as “Up Close,” with Firestone, a former sportscaster at the local CBS affiliate in L.A., as the host for 13 years. It was taped in L.A. so he had access to everyone coming and going. It was a simple premise: Firestone sits on the right, the guest is on the left, and they talk about all sorts of things about their sporting life. It relied on Firestone’s curiosity and research and what buttons to push.

Many tried to replicate the template to other shows with other hosts – there’s maybe no Bob Costas’ “On the Record” or even a version Rome was asked to launch with ESPN2 in the early 90’s. It all connects to the importance of Firestone creating a trustworthy space to show emotions – important especially with strong male athletes – knowing Firestone would calmly talk you through it and expose a side of yourself that wasn’t readily available in pre-social media times.

#25 – This Week in Baseball – Rob Tornoe, Philadelphia Inquirer

Growing up, I kept to a pretty strict schedule on Saturday mornings: eat a bowl of Rice Chex, watch some cartoons and tune into “This Week in Baseball.” Hosted by famed Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen, the mix of storytelling, music and crazy plays fueled my dreams of being the MVP of our neighborhood baseball game. And the show’s iconic theme song played like a soundtrack to summer. As Bill Simmons once put it, “My goosebumps just got goosebumps.”​

#26 – Inside The NFL – Jimmy Traina, Sports Illustrated

In a world without DirecTV, Sunday Ticket and Red Zone, there were two shows every NFL fan had to watch for highlights and cool features: NFL PrimeTime on ESPN and Inside the NFL on HBO. Each week, Len Dawson and Nick Buoniconti (and later Cris Collinsworth) would recap the games from the week before and make picks for the upcoming week. One thing Inside the NFL had that NFL PrimeTime did not, since the show aired during the week and not immediately following games on Sunday, was footage of players and coaches mic’d up. These days, that doesn’t seem like a huge thing, but in the ‘80s, when the show was at its peak, it was must-see TV for football fans.

#27 – The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz – Perry Simon, All Access

I’m taking The Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz, because it a) treats sports with the reverence it deserves, meaning very little, and b) the show has a rhythm and internal logic that’s its own. It’s an acquired taste, it has the feel of a club to which not everyone’s invited, and hard core sports fanatics must hate it because they’ll blow off the obvious big sports story of the day to talk about something Dan finds more interesting (and complaints are met with “You don’t get the show!”), but it’s about as entertaining as a radio show with cameras in the studio can be.

Once you get the running gags (the Hard Network Out, “How ‘bout THAT?,” the Kentucky Fraud Chickens, etc.), you’re hooked whether you want to be or not. And the hot take machine that is Stugotz works as a neat parody of all the other hit takers out there. I think this and Highly Questionable (a sports show that isn’t really about sports at all) should be a tandem since they, in combination, are a sports talk universe separate and apart from the rest of ESPN and sports media in general. Since I can only pick one, I’ll go with the radio show, but it’s a coin flip.

#28 – Highly Questionable – Alex Putterman, Hartford Courant

Obviously HQ isn’t for everyone. If you want serious sports talk, from people whose veins nearly burst every time an NBA player asks for a trade, you’ll be better served elsewhere. But for those who believe sports are inherently fun (and, in a sense, inherently absurd), it’s hard to beat Dan Le Batard, a rotating cast of amusing guest hosts and, most importantly, Papi – in all his rapping, wise-cracking, fake-hand shaking glory.

#29 – The Dan Patrick Show – Bobby Burack, The Big Lead

Dan Patrick has had one of the best sports radio shows in the country for years now. His show not only lands the most intriguing guests, but as the best interviewer in the business, Dan is able to get people to open up and create talking points around the industry. The show is fun and loose but can also get serious when needed.

Unlike most radio shows, the DP Show is actually better on television. The Man Cave leaves little doubt that Dan and the Danette’s are just five sports fans that we all want to hang and have a beer with. 

#30 – NBA Inside Stuff – Demetri Ravanos, Barrett Sports Media

With apologies to SportsCenter and Inside the NBA, if you are a 90’s kid, NBA Inside Stuff is the sports show of record. Honestly, this show should have been everyone’s first sign that they were just thinking differently at the NBA offices in New York. They created an all-access style show with interesting and fun content and rather than offer it in syndication or as part of their Sunday NBC package, they pair it with Saturday morning cartoons and market it to kids. It was a brilliant exercise in how to create lifelong fans!

You Have To Plan For A Successful Pregame Show

Andy Masur
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You Have To Plan For A Successful Pregame Show

It was the TV show “The A-Team” that probably put it best when Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith said often, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Another famous quote says “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” No truer words can be uttered when it comes to your broadcast as well.

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Always have an idea of what you are going to do when you get to the ballpark. This goes for broadcasters, pregame hosts and reporters alike.  

Generally when I’m hosting the pregame show, I already have a pretty good idea of what the storylines are going to be when I arrive. Of course there are the days when that plan can change drastically, which I’ll get into in a bit. I know who is pitching the night before the current game, so I can do my research before getting to work. That information may provide a good story I’ve dug up that I can use in pregame or when I’m doing play-by-play. I’m aware of any connections between players and the opponent, or players and the stadium they’ll be playing in and if someone was hurt the night before. 

For example, while doing play-by-play for the White Sox/Cubs series at Wrigley Field I remembered that when I was with Yonder Alonso in San Diego, he told me the story of his first major league home run. It came at, well you guessed it Wrigley Field against the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano when Alonso was a young player with the Reds. My White Sox audience would probably find that story interesting, since Zambrano was a not exactly a name held in high regard with Sox fans. So I approached Alonso and had him tell the story again and it played well with the broadcast.

Now again, I had the benefit of knowing the story before, but I didn’t the first time I met Yonder. I just assumed that since he was with the Reds, he’d played a few games on the North Side and just innocently asked him if he had any stories about the Ivy Covered ballpark. Sure enough he shared the information.  Common sense led me to the info, but research into the players past set the wheels in motion and gave me a story I’m now sharing with a second audience. 

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It is so important for you to get to know the players and coaches on your team, because with that knowledge comes power, the power to capitalize and create a nugget or chunk of info that will not only fill your show, but be interesting to your audience. Use the fact that you know your first baseman is from Pittsburgh and your team is playing the Pirates. Was he a fan growing up? Memories about trips to the ballpark with family? Favorite players growing up? All excellent ways to get to know the player and provide great stories for your listeners. 

If you know that Player A looked a bit gimpy the night before, that’s an obvious follow up. You find out that he’s not in the lineup after seeing it on Twitter either before you got to the park or when you arrived. Well, get on that!

You have to be paying attention. You must try to notice the little things that most won’t think to look at. Again this goes back to knowing your team. Player A didn’t hustle to first like he normally does, so that’s an immediate red flag to me, at least to keep in my back pocket for the following day when more info is usually available about him. 

Now there are going to be times you will need to be flexible. Sometimes the best laid plans need to be put aside because news breaks. Don’t let it freak you out, although it may the first time you go through this. I can recall a day last year at Guaranteed Rate Field. It was a day or two after a Michael Kopech start. One that was marred by a rain delay and his velocity didn’t look all that great. Nobody thought much of it since he’s a young pitcher and maybe he was pitching into his velo that game. We were told that the GM would be meeting with the media in the dugout. Was it a trade? Did a player get released? Nope. He informed us that Kopech was going to undergo Tommy John surgery and would be lost for the rest of the season.

Image result for michael kopech tommy john

Every other story was deemed backseat material when news like this breaks. Kopech was a face of the rebuild and a fan favorite and the information needed to be presented. I immediately texted the radio station to inform them of the situation and tweeted while I listened into the details. My pregame show and broadcast basically wrote themselves that day, but again, flexibility plays a key role in being able to pull this off under a deadline. 

Now again, when I say have a plan, you should likely have more than just that one. Plan B’s are sometimes needed. If the subject of Plan A isn’t available, you can’t cancel your pregame show because the first option was a dead end. This is where you have to dig deep and be able to carry on with a back up plan. It’s rare that a game that gets played nearly everyday will only net you one storyline worth following. 

Listen, read, pay attention and be aware of what is going on around you at all times. Trust me, the stories are there, you just have to find them. Sometimes they are in the most obvious places, but without that pre-show prep, you may just walk past and miss a great opportunity to tell tale. Be more like Colonel Smith of the “A-Team”, make sure that plan comes together. 

Great Answers To Good Questions

Dave Greene
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Great Answers To Good Questions

I’ve had some good questions thrown my way recently, so I thought I would share the answers with you:

What are good tips to minimize distractions when in the office?

A couple of things come to mind.  First off, I’m a big believer in scheduling as much as possible.  Phone time, paperwork and copy time, servicing time, etc.  If I schedule it, I’m more likely to stay on task and get it done.  

Personally, I couldn’t sit at a cubicle and make calls.  I’d need a quiet room, if at all possible, so that I could stand, walk around, toss a ball against the wall, anything to make me more relaxed.  This would also limit distractions since I would be away from my area and nobody can suck me in to a time-wasting conversation.

Lastly, many years ago a sales manager suggested everyone pick things they wanted, like cars and boats and big houses, and print pictures to put up in the cubes.  The idea was that when there were distractions or when there was time when you just didn’t feel like doing what you’re supposed to be doing, you would see these items and stay on track.  

What advice would you give an older seller who is having trouble grasping digital?

Fair question, as let’s face it, some people in our industry have been doing this for some time, are great at selling radio, but just don’t get the new technology.  Unfortunately, this leaves too much money on the table, so these sellers have to know the basics, so we at least get a swing at it (and we know the TV and newspaper sellers are chomping at the bit to go get it).  

I believe the best thing any seller can do when it comes to digital, at first, is to take it one product at a time and draw a comparison to something that makes more sense.  For example, if it’s targeted display advertising, you can compare it to billboards, except the billboard is only seen by people you want it to be seen by.  You can also look at re-targeting and compare it to someone walking in a store for a short period of time but something in life distracted them away from the store abruptly.  However, before they left, something was attached to their shoulder that popped out every now and then and reminded the person they were recently interested in whatever product they looked at in the store.

What lesson do you think media sellers seem to always learn the hard way?

Easy answer – hold on to clients like they’re gold, because they are. 

I don’t think selling today is any harder than it was twenty years ago, but I do think that retaining clients is significantly harder than it used to be.  There’s a lot more competition today than ever before, which means a lot more people in your client’s ears “picking at the wound.” 

Consider this from a recent Inside Radio article about a webinar hosted by Borrell Associates, “Borrell Webinar: 90% of Advertisers Now Bundle Traditional With Digital”: 

“Meanwhile in the past three years, advertisers have increased buying different types of media, from 5.5 types of media to 8—although with that, they have decreased the number of companies they buy, from 5 to 3.5.”

You may think your relationship with your client is rock solid, however, your clients are basically cutting out two of the companies they currently buy media from.  What are you doing to make sure one of them is not you? 

If the answer is “I don’t know” or “Good question” you really need to think about a plan that allows for you to strengthen the relationship with the decision maker and bind your stations and their business together as much as possible.

BSM Podcast – Season 4 – Episode 6 – Dan Mason & Bill Adee – VSiN

Jason Barrett
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BSM Podcast – Season 4 – Episode 6 – Dan Mason & Bill Adee – VSiN

VSiN’s recent announcement to enter the terrestrial radio space and launch the nation’s first dedicated network to sports betting has had industry folks buzzing. Chairman Dan Mason and COO Bill Adee took thirty minutes to discuss their vision for the network, the growth of the brand, expectations for the sports betting category, and how they plan to assist local stations.

For sports stations interested in learning more about what the company has to offer they’ve put together a deck which you can access by clicking this link. You can also email Bill with any further questions at Bill@VSiN.com.

SUBJECTS COVERED WITH DAN & BILL:

  • The motivation behind entering the terrestrial space
  • How the network/local structure will work
  • Providing audio, video and print content
  • Expectations for sports betting legalization
  • Advertising trends around sports betting
  • Increasing the awareness of the VSiN brand
  • If the company would ever consider taking bets
  • SiriusXM’s reaction to VSiN’s radio expansion
  • Which shows will be available to local affiliates
  • If additional talent and shows are needed
  • What they look for in potential personalities
  • The relationship with Gow Media and what it entails
  • Offering local brands more than just show clearance
  • Future goals for VSiN and how stations can get in touch

FROM THE GUESTS:

Dan’s Twitter handle: @DanMasonSports 

Bill’s Twitter handle: @Bill80

The 2020 BSM Summit is Coming to New York City

Jason Barrett
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The 2020 BSM Summit is Coming to New York City

It feels like just yesterday that I was standing on a stage at the Grammy Museum hosting the 2019 BSM Summit in Los Angeles. It was a blast to see so many radio companies present for the event, and everyone interacting, sharing ideas, and discussing solutions to improve the radio business. From programmers to market managers to advertising agencies, on-air talent, producers, imagers, and voice guys, the mix was excellent. It’s one of my most proud accomplishments since starting BSM four years.

Prior to that event, I had no idea if we’d fill half the room or have every seat accounted for. Many of my industry friends kept telling me it was a lock that the conference would be a success. I wish I could say I shared their optimism but when you invest a ton of your own money to create an educational event for people and have a lot at stake, it’s impossible to feel comfortable. Fortunately everything worked out great, and after 4 months of reflection and a much needed mental break, I’m ready to dive back in.

That brings us to today’s announcement, and I am thrilled to share that the 2020 BSM Summit will take place on February 26th and 27th in New York City at the Ailey Citigroup Theater on W. 55th Street at 9th Avenue. This is the first time we will host the event on the East Coast.

You would think that a guy from Brooklyn, NY who now lives and operates his business 1-hour away from NYC would’ve made the big apple his first stop when starting this event. After all, the commute is much easier. But truth be told, I wanted to test myself in places that I had less connections in first. I also wasn’t sure if my industry friends would travel to the big apple over other destinations especially since the show occurs in February.

But then an interesting thing happened after the L.A. conference. I asked attendees and industry folks for feedback on where our 2020 Summit should take place. Seven cities were under consideration and I expected the majority of people to choose a warm weather climate with gorgeous beaches, bars and casinos. To my surprise, they voted for the concrete jungle.

Throughout the process I kept thinking the results would change but they never did. I saw that as a sign that people were actually interested in being part of a great event and learning and networking with their peers rather than using the conference as an excuse for a 2-3 day mini-vacation.

After processing the feedback and evaluating the pros and cons, I took five different trips into New York City to scout locations. I looked at fifteen different venues in all different parts of the city and narrowed it down to a final three. It became pretty clear that The Ailey Citigroup Theater was the right fit for us. Not only is the theater layout excellent, but we have private rooms for our speakers and off-stage filming, and it’s a little bigger than last year’s location. That will allow us to comfortably fit 235-260 people in the room. That said, the demand to attend this year will also likely be higher.

I also took time to scout the surrounding area, and found a bunch of restaurants within walking distance of the theater. Hotels were also only 2-3 blocks away. On that note, I’m happy to share that we’ve partnered with The Watson Hotel to make sure those traveling in can secure a room at a great price. Details will be made available soon.

When you think about the sports world and the top brands and talent in our industry, many of them operate out of New York. There’s ESPN, FOX Sports 1, WFAN, 98.7 ESPN NY, SiriusXM, Westwood One, NFL Network, NBC Sports, DAZN, CBS Sports Network, Barstool Sports, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, The Athletic, The Player’s Tribune, YES Network, MSG, SNY, the NY Times, NY Post, NY Daily News and more. I haven’t even mentioned yet the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and WWE or the ad agencies, media agents, and social networks who occupy real estate in the big apple.

For attendees seeking adventure after the conference, there’s plenty to see and do. Times Square and Madison Square Garden are a short Uber/Cab or train ride away. So too are Central Park, Radio City Music Hall, NBC Studios/The Jimmy Fallon Show, The Stephen Colbert show, Comedy Central, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, The Museum of Natural History, the 9/11 Memorial, and a host of others.

Given the amount of talent and popular brands in New York City, putting together a star studded cast of speakers shouldn’t be difficult. The challenge though will be creating a schedule that covers a variety of issues even if it means not being able to include a few folks I like. The process to build an action packed show starts immediately.

One thing we will continue is the award ceremonies. I’m looking forward to assembling a list of candidates and determining who will receive the 2nd annual Jeff Smulyan and Tony Bruno awards. We will also introduce two new awards at this year’s show. Details to be announced at a later time.

For those wishing to attend the 2020 BSM Summit, tickets will go on-sale on Monday June 24th. We will have a special introductory price to those who purchase their tickets early. Prices will increase on October 1st and again on February 1st so it pays to take advantage of the early bird special.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention sponsorship opportunities being available too. If you represent a company or business and wish to be part of our two-day event, please email JBarrett@hvy.tcp.mybluehost.me.

For everything else, keep an eye on our social media accounts and stay tuned to BSMSummit.com and BarrettSportsMedia.com. It’s going to be an exciting event and I look forward to seeing you next February in the city that never sleeps!

VSiN To Launch The First Terrestrial Radio Network Dedicated to Sports Betting

Jason Barrett
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The Vegas Stats and Information Network is betting big on terrestrial radio. The company has announced plans to launch the nation’s first terrestrial radio network dedicated exclusively to sports betting news and information. The official launch will take place in August 2019.

The new network will provide radio stations across the country with access to select content from the Vegas Stats & Information Network (VSiN), creating a national sports talk alternative for affiliate stations. Houston-based Gow Media will manage the syndication of programming to radio stations across the country.

“We’re thrilled to provide Gow Media with select sports betting content for terrestrial radio syndication on this exciting new platform. Establishing itself as the leader in the sports gambling information industry, VSiN is differentiated not only by delivering the most credible, actionable sports betting news and insights, but also by adding the entertainment factor with a variety of personalities,” said Dan Mason, Chairman at VSiN and former CEO of CBS Radio. “Over the past ten years sports radio has exploded and now there’s a new, younger audience emerging that will use analytics to inform their wagers within the growing regulated betting markets. This new network fits perfectly in that space, combining great personalities and legendary odds makers with sophisticated analytics.” 

“We think sports betting content is poised for unprecedented growth,” Gow Media Chief Executive Officer David Gow said. “We are excited about the opportunity to help this new network deliver this unique content to an audience hungry for information about the nation’s betting markets.”

The expansion into the terrestrial space doesn’t affect VSiN’s current partnership with SiriusXM. The sports betting brand does though plan to install a new name for the network. That will come at a later date.

For stations interested in information on VSiN’s available shows and how to sign up to carry their programming, click here.

More Bad Habits From The Broadcast Booth

Andy Masur
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More Bad Habits From The Broadcast Booth

They say that sequels are rarely as good as the original, but I’ll do my best to change that thought process. I bring this up because apparently one column on bad habits wasn’t enough. I heard from many of my broadcasting peers to point out a few more of these hard habits to break. My apologies to the band Chicago. 

In past columns, I’ve talked about the use of stats in a radio play-by-play broadcast. Still, some of us, again me included, can’t seem to shake this off. Especially early in a game, bombarding your radio listeners with stats, amounts to them putting on a white noise machine. Batting average, home runs, RBI are important numbers to the players, but are less important to your listener.

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They hear the stats, but since they’re probably concentrating on other things while listening, they don’t comprehend them. I’m trying to concentrate on big, impactful numbers, or ways to present stats in a more listener friendly way.  For example, instead of telling my White Sox audience that the White Sox this year are 31-34 after 65 games, I may go with, “the White Sox are 8 games better to this point than they were last season.”  That seems to resonate more with my audience that is watching a club rebuild. They want signs that things are working. I think that is one way to present this. Make the numbers impactful. 

I’m going to go all Captain Obvious with you now, since we’re talking about numbers. How about the number that matters most to your listener on radio. The score! I love a good story during a broadcast, truly I do, but at the expense of a score update every now and then, I can’t deal with it.

Listening back to a recent broadcast of mine, I timed that I went 2 minutes and 12 seconds without giving the score, during a discussion about one of the Sox minor leaguers (Luis Robert). Unacceptable. I slapped myself on the wrist after hearing this blunder. We as broadcasters on radio have to be more conscience of the listener’s need to know the score! 

I remember my days at Wrigley Field, I could see into the visitors booth to see what some of them would do to remind them to say the score. Hall of Famer Jon Miller actually used an hour glass. It wasn’t an hour timer, but a 90 second timer. Every time the sand ran out, he would say the score (within a reasonable time frame) and then flip the item over and start the sand flowing again.

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Other guys would simply have the word “SCORE” on a 4×6 note card in front of them, just for a friendly reminder. Some over the years told me that every few pitches they’d do a ‘reset’ which included not only the score, but inning and situation. Every once in a while that would also come with a game recap that gave the listener a “how did we get here” update. 

Finally, this time around, let’s talk about the times when there is a guest in the booth. Sometimes you have no choice, the team wants some celebrity fan or special guest on the air with you so, you have that person put on a headset. But as I’ve noticed, the game slips away in some cases. 

The Executive Producer of White Sox Baseball Dave Zaslowsky knows that at times this can be an issue. “While it’s great to have celebrities, former great players from the team, or team executives that may be promoting upcoming events, it’s vital to not lose focus of what is happening on the field. Pitches, plays and the score.”

So true. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in what the guest is saying or promoting and forget that you’re calling a baseball game. 

There is an art form to this and it starts with prepping your guest ahead of time. The conversation can go like this, “hey, we’re happy to have you hear and want to promote this event. Do me a favor, if the ball gets put into play, just pause to let me call the action. I promise we’ll get right back to the plug after the call.” Some guests will pick it up, some won’t.  Sometimes you literally have to interrupt the guest and call the play. It’s your job and responsibility to call the action for your listener. 

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Again, this column isn’t meant to be preachy, considering that I’m guilty of many of these things I’ve talked about as well. We all try to grow as broadcasters every day we turn on the microphones. Sometimes we don’t realize that we’ve fallen into some of these bad habits. Good news, these things are easily correctable! 

The Work Begins Before They Even Know Who You Are

Dave Greene
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I’ve heard a saying in media sales many times over the years: “The work begins when they say yes.”  Translated, this means once you make the sale, the work you put in to enter the order, get copy, plan the promotion and service the account is going to make getting the sale look easy. I think that saying needs to be retired or at least updated to something like: “The work begins way before they even know who I am.”

To me, this draws a comparison to getting ready for the baseball season.  Back in the day, players would spend their offseason working odd jobs to make money and, I would imagine, doing a lot of drinking.  Spring Training was for getting in shape and getting ready to play the season. The idea of spending any time during the offseason training for the year didn’t pop in to many player’s minds.  Looking at you, Mr. Ruth.

Image result for babe ruth drinking

As time went on, players started realizing they needed to train year round, and the salaries they were now being paid would allow them to put the time in and not have to work in the offseason.  Players now come in to Spring Training ready to go from a conditioning standpoint and use the time to get their timing down for the season.  Too much is at stake and too many players are ready to take your job if you are not prepared BEFORE you even begin to think about Spring Training.

In our sports media sales world, this compares to the amount of time we spend prepping for meetings with prospects.  Back in the day, there wasn’t the amount of information we can find today.  We weren’t sure what clients were spending in the market, we didn’t know their annual gross sales or have the ability to look up the name of the Marketing Director on LinkedIn.

One of the great things about technology is all of this information that is out there.  With that, however, now comes the expectation that you will have used the information to know about the company and the people you are talking with at the company.  

I mentioned this recently about those applying for jobs.  I expect that, at the very least, those that are interviewing have looked up information about our stations and company.  

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We are not the experts on someone else’s business and we should never portray to know more than we do about their industry, but a quick Google search or glancing at an RAB.com Instant Background should provide us with a couple of nuggets to ask about that show we did our homework.

Additionally, we have to be looking at the prospects website, find out where they rank in organic search, figure out if they are doing any Pay-Per-Click, see how they position themselves, what their social following is like and more.  If, for example, you have someone in a service industry that doesn’t show up well in organic listings for basic industry terms, you have a great reason to pick up the phone and call for an appointment.

The bottom line is that our work no longer begins after the sale, it begins before you ever pick up the phone to call.  As sellers, we are always taught to use any advantage we can find.  I tell reps all the time, there is nothing that makes this job easy, but there are things that can make it easier. 

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Putting in a little effort prior to talking to a new prospect can make all the difference in the world.  The payoff to this will be a higher closing ratio and that is always worth going the extra mile for.

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