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Peacock Will Stream July 3rd Royals-Tigers Game Without Announcers

BSM Staff
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On July 3rd, the Detroit Tigers will play host to the Kansas City Royals. That division battle will air on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock. That game will also air without any announcers.

Instead of traditional play-by-play and color analysis, the broadcast will feature something “completely different,” as Sam Flood, NBC Sports executive producer puts it. The broadcast will show reporters that will take fans around the ballpark and view the game from different vantage points.

“The whole idea of this is treating a game completely different. We’re going to take you out to the ballpark,” said Flood. “We just want to be the ultimate fan’s experience and spend it like anyone else. It’s an American holiday celebration weekend. We’re going to lean in and treat baseball like fans do.”

Ahmed Fareed, MLB Sunday Leadoff host and in-game reporter will be part of the game. He will be joined by Bally Sports Detroit analyst Craig Monroe and NBC Sports’ Britney Eurton.

It’s not the first time that networks have attempted to do a game telecast without traditional announcers. TNT attempted “players-only” broadcasts a few years ago, but stopped doing them shortly after due to the lack of interest in the format, to be kind.

“One of our goals for the Peacock game has been to celebrate the game and the players and everything that makes the sport special. So for this game that kind of gives us an opportunity to celebrate everything that makes baseball special off the field,” Fareed said.

Stephen Watson Announced as New Host On Bally Sports Wisconsin

BSM Staff
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Bally Sports Wisconsin, the television home of the Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks, has announced a new host of it’s pre and postgame offerings. Stephen Watson was announced as a new host for Brewers Live and Bucks Live.

Watson comes to Bally Sports Wisconsin from WISN-TV (Channel 12). There he had spent the last seven years as a sports anchor/reporter/host and covered all of Wisconsin’s major teams. In those seven years, Watson won three Emmy Awards.

“This is a dream opportunity to continue to cover two of the most successful franchises in sports right now while working alongside some of the most talented people in this industry,” Watson said. “Wisconsin sports fans are among the most passionate and dedicated in the country, and I look forward to matching their enthusiasm in my Brewers and Bucks coverage as a host and storyteller.”

Watson will share duties of hosting Brewers Live with Craig Coshun airing before and after each Brewers telecast. He will have similar responsibilities when hosting Bucks Live.

“We’re thrilled to add Stephen to our Bally Sports Wisconsin team. He is a proven content creator; his local knowledge and relationships will greatly benefit our telecasts,” said Tony Tortorici, executive producer, Bally Sports Wisconsin.

Watson is also a collegiate graduate of the area, graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 2011.

BetMGM Agrees to Become Exclusive Sportsbook of the The BetQL Network

BSM Staff
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On Monday, a partnership between BetMGM and The BetQL Network was made official. It was announced that BetMGM will become the exclusive sportsbook of the network, owned by Audacy.

The partnership is an exclusive multi-year agreement that significantly expands the current relationship between BetMGM and Audacy. The BetQL Network launched in June of 2021 and has expanded from two markets to 31 markets.

“We are delighted to expand our strategic partnership with BetMGM, highlighted by their new exclusive position with the BetQL Network,” said David Field, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Audacy. “Barely a year old, the BetQL Network has a bright future ahead of it as legalized sports betting continues to expand over the next decade.”

BetMGM will have category exclusivity of the network’s full slate of programming, including flagship program You Better You Bet, commencing in September.

BetQL Network’s weekly lineup will distribute approximately 100 hours of original content per week on the Audacy and BetQL digital platforms. Audacy will also produce content for live audiences at various MGM Resorts across the country who will host the network inside of BetMGM sportsbooks.

“We’re excited to further our strategic partnership with Audacy and to bring our market-leading sports betting and gaming entertainment content to millions of listeners nationwide across the entire BetQL Network platform,” said Matt Prevost, Chief Revenue Officer, BetMGM.

BetMGM hasn’t been shy in attempting to increase their market share. They announced earlier this month that they have partnered with Carnival to offer sports betting on select cruises ships.

Aqib Talib, Andrew Whitworth Expected To Join Amazon’s Thursday Night Football

BSM Staff
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The roster is continuing to load up for Amazon’s Thursday Night Football broadcasts. Two more recent retirees are expected to be a part of the games’ coverage. Aqib Talib and Andrew Whitworth are the two former players expected to sign on soon.

Talib and Whitworth are expected to be a part of the studio team but will not be analysts as the desk. They will contribute in other portions of the Amazon studio and produce other NFL content.

An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.

Talib retired in 2019 after his last season with the Los Angeles Rams. Whitworth retired after this past season after winning the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams.

So far, the reported crew is Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit in the booth, Charissa Thompson (reported, not confirmed) to host the “studio” desk, Tony Gonzalez will be on the desk as well as will Richard Sherman and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Luke Kuechly Joins the Carolina Panthers Radio Broadcast 

BSM Staff
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The Carolina Panthers radio booth just added another piece to their crew for the 2022 season. Luke Kuechly, the retired linebacker who spent his entire eight-year career with the Panthers, will be an analyst this season.

“I just love the Panthers; I love being around it,” Kuechly told Panthers.com. “I love the people. I think I want to be attached to the team, and the game, and the organization somehow. I think it could be a lot of fun. I think that’s the biggest reason, to do something around the game on game day that’s fun. You still get the atmosphere, and all the good memories I have here in Carolina.”

Kuechly will join the three-man Panthers radio broadcast with play-by-play announcer Anish Shroff and two other former Panthers who call some but not all of their games, Jordan Gross and Jake Delhomme. Kuechly will be a part of the broadcast team for seven of the team’s games. Jim Szoke is the third man in the booth for the games Kuechly doesn’t call.

The Panthers have already announced which games Kuechly will broadcast. He will call Week 1 at home vs. Cleveland, Week 4 vs. Arizona, Week 5 vs. San Francisco, Week 7 vs. Tampa Bay, Week 9 on the road at Cincinnati, Week 12 vs. Denver and Week 15 vs. Pittsburgh.

The Panthers have made several broadcast changes this offseason. It includes a new flagship television partner and a new flagship radio partner as well.

NBA Draft Ratings Rise 32% For ESPN and ABC

BSM Staff
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NBA Draft Ratings Rise 32% For ESPN and ABC

The 2022 NBA Draft may have lacked the high profile prospect that prior drafts have had, but the intrigue surrounding the top three picks led to strong audience interest.

With all eyes on the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Houston Rockets viewership for the draft rose 32% year over year for ESPN. The first round on ABC and ESPN averaged close to four million viewers (3,988,000).

Paolo Banchero wound up going #1 to the Magic, Chet Holmgren to #2 to the Thunder, and Jabari Smith Jr. #3 to the Rockets. The full two rounds of the draft averaged just over three million viewers (3,047,000). Round 2 aired exclusively on ESPN.

The first round on ESPN and ABC was the most-watched program for June 23rd across all of television in all key demos. The event peaked at 8:15pm ET when four and a half million viewers (4,500,000) tuned in.

The Brother of Fox News’ Gianno Caldwell Is Killed in Chicago

BNM Staff
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Fox News political correspondent Gianno Caldwell shared some devastating news on social media as his little brother was murdered in Chicago on Friday. According to The Hill, Caldwell took to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to announce the news.

“Yesterday was the worst day of my existence,” Caldwell posted. “Never could I have imagined my baby brother’s life would be stolen from him. Please keep my family in your prayers.”

Christian Caldwell, 18, was the youngest of nine siblings. He was reportedly living on the South Side of Chicago. The website reports that Gianno stepped in as a father for his younger brothers. The children were placed in the care of their grandmother when their mother was sent away to drug treatment.

“I was like his dad because he never knew his father,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell was hired by Fox News in 2017. The political analyst also runs a bipartisan public affairs consulting firm and hosts the podcast “Outloud with Gianno Caldwell.”

Colleagues and friends reacted with tremendous sorrow. Radio host Joe Pags expressed well wishes for the Caldwell family.

Dan Bongino tweeted, “so incredibly sorry.”

If Howard Stern Really Doesn’t Know Who Al Dukes Is, He Should 

Peter Schwartz
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Al Dukes wasn’t quite sure why WFAN afternoon drive co-host Evan Roberts had sent him an email last week with audio from The Howard Stern Show on Sirius XM, but he was certainly all smiles when he took a listen.

In response to Carton and Roberts talking-up longtime Howard Stern producer Gary Dell’Abate for the Radio Hall of Fame the week before, the “King Of All Media” suggested last Monday that Dukes, the Executive Producer of the Boomer and Gio morning show on WFAN, should be in the Hall of Fame before Dell’Abate.

“It was a big thrill for me just because I loved Howard Stern in the late 80s up through 2010s and a little bit further,” said Dukes. “I’ve kind of lost touch with him lately but he was the reason I got into radio.”  

Dukes also had a chuckle when Stern followed up the nomination by saying…

“I don’t know Mr. Dukes. Who is Al Dukes?”

“I know he has no idea who I am,” said Dukes. “He was listening to Carton and Roberts and was busting Gary’s balls. That was just cool to hear him say my name like that. It was very funny. It was just fun to hear on the radio.”

Even though it may only have been a joke, it certainly meant a lot to Dukes to hear Stern mention his name because of the impact that the broadcasting giant had on his life and career.

When Dukes was a student at Kean University in New Jersey from 1988 to 1992, he would always listen to Howard Stern during his commute to and from home. But when Dukes moved on to graduate school at Indiana State, there was a problem…Howard Stern was not on in that market. Since that was before being able to listen to radio shows online or before the advent of satellite radio, Dukes was not going to be able to listen.

That was until his mother Carole came up with an idea to send her son cassette tapes of the Howard Stern Show.

“My mother just started recording on a cassette deck when she would get ready to go to work,” said Dukes. “When he went to commercial, she would hit pause. She would do the same thing the next day and when she had a full tape, she would send it off.”

Dukes’ mom did this throughout his time in Indiana and continued to record the tapes when her son took his first radio job in Tampa in 1994.

She had to because Stern wasn’t on in that market either.

“It was a really neat bonding experience for me and my mom because she got to really like Howard Stern and she thought it was great,” said Dukes. “She would do self-editing and when they had strippers or porn stars, she would not record that and say oh that’s so boring.”

Even without the explicit material, those Stern tapes played a vital role as Dukes ascended to have the storied career he has enjoyed. From being a sports radio producer and reporter in Tampa to where he is now at WFAN, Dukes has had a very successful career.

Thanks, of course, in part from those Howard Stern tapes that his mom sent him.

“It definitely shaped who I was and who I am,” said Dukes. “I did all of my (graduate school) projects centered around something to do with talk radio and Howard Stern.”

Not lost on Dukes’ mind is the reason why Stern ultimately mentioned his name last week and that was Craig Carton and Evan Roberts talking about Dell’Abate during their WFAN show. So, the question had to be posed to Dukes…

Is “Bababooey” a hall of famer?    

“Absolutely,” said Dukes. “The guy was with Howard Stern for all of these years, been fired on the air many times…he’s really had his life exposed.  He’s evolved over the years to booking A-level guests and getting people to come in and that is not an easy thing to do. So, absolutely first-ballot hall of famer.”

For as much as Stern served as inspiration for him, Dukes also learned a lot about producing from Dell’Abate. Dukes appreciated to type of radio that Stern was doing and the fact that Dell’Abate had the ability to get on the air a lot. That was certainly something that resonated with Dukes as his career progressed.

“(Dell’Abate) didn’t have the responsibility of being the lead guy but did a lot of things behind the scenes,” said Dukes. “Then he was a great foil for Howard, Robin (Quivers) and Fred (Norris). I always looked at Gary early on and said I’m sure I can’t do what Howard does but I think I can do what Gary does.”

A big part of Dukes’ success is the fact that he doesn’t take himself too seriously, just like some broadcasting giants like Stern and David Letterman. Dukes has always recognized that the hosts are the cool guys, but over time he has certainly let his unique personality come through during those moments when he gets some air time. 

“I’ll be not the cool guy,” said Dukes. “I’ll be that foil because it works. It lets the hosts be this alpha male type guy and then you get to be the everyday guy.”  

And Dukes, that everyday guy, has built up a resume full of hall of fame credentials.

Dukes has produced some iconic radio shows in his career including Ron and Fez at WNEW Radio in New York before taking on the Executive Producer role for Boomer and Carton on WFAN in 2007. He continued in that role when the show became Boomer and Gio and has also co-hosted The Warm Up Show and The Postgame Podcast with Jerry Recco.

Dukes has been blessed to be around some amazing radio talent during his career including Ron Bennington, Fez Whatley, Boomer Esiason, Craig Carton and Gregg Giannotti.

“I’ve been fortunate to be put in those positions,” said Dukes. “Judging a producer’s success is kind of judging a head coach or a manager. If you give them a terrible team all of sudden, they’re a terrible manager but if you give them a good team, they’re a good manager.”    

Now, let’s circle back to Howard Stern’s assertion that Dukes should be in the Radio Hall of Fame…

Wouldn’t “Hall of Famer” Al Dukes would have a nice ring to it? 

“Yeah,” said Dukes.  “But to quote Mike (Francesa) and Chris (Russo), I’m a compiler at this point. You can’t be a one-man band in this business.  You do have to be surrounded with the right people and right chemistry.”

And that group of “right people” includes his mother for sending him those Howard Stern tapes!

Radio Can’t Sit Back And Wait On Marijuana Money

Demetri Ravanos
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I had a great conversation last week with Mark Glynn of iHeartMedia Seattle. He was the focus of the latest column in our Meet the Market Managers partnership with Point-to-Point Marketing.

One of the subjects Mark and I discussed was advertising marijuana in markets like Seattle, where the drug can be purchased legally.

No broadcasting company is ready to take money for advertising legal weed yet. Despite state and local laws decriminalizing it in some places, a federal ban on marijuana still remains in place.

But Glynn knows there is money in it. iHeartMedia isn’t just sitting back and waiting for the green light.

“I know that the company itself is working with legislators to figure out how to make that work,” he told me. “It’s obviously a federal situation right now. The Washington State Broadcasters Association I know is very heavily involved with lobbying for that because it is an opportunity, just like gambling is in other states across the country.”

This got me thinking about a column I wrote late last year about the political force sports radio can be in states where sports gambling is not yet legal. The same can and should be true for marijuana.

Think of all of the categories we are allowed to advertise. Ever heard of passive investment firms? The entire business model is built on convincing customers to bet on people’s homes being foreclosed on. That is ghoulish and yet, there is nothing stopping those firms from buying time on air. 

How about gambling? It is considerably more addictive. That is why so many states require any ads for sportsbooks to include information about a gambling helpline. Also, we have clients, in states where sports gambling is not legal, who take money from offshore books. No one says boo.

So why is weed different and what can we do about it?

Well, as Mark Glynn points out, the Washington State Association of Broadcasters is making sure lawmakers are aware of what is at stake financially for the broadcast industry. That is a very good start.

Second, hosts can be casual when discussing marijuana. Eliminating the stigma our older, more socially conservative listeners have around cannabis is really important. The last thing radio needs is a segment of its most dedicated listeners pushing back on this effort.

There is no reason to force marijuana into your programming, but when it comes up, you should be treating it as casually as you do alcohol. After all, it is well-documented how absurd it is that marijuana use was ever a crime.

Go look at the comment section on any ESPN social media post about Brittney Griner. You will see literally dozens of people insinuating that the WNBA star got what she deserved by bringing marijuana into Russia. That sort of reaction to Griner’s story, and ones like it, are the last things we need if we are trying to turn marijuana into the next hot advertising category.

Finally, I think it is important for individual stations to engage lawmakers. Local business leaders, particularly market managers and CEOs of locally-owned stations and clusters need to be out front on this effort. They are the job creators that politicians are always praising. Their voices are the ones that politicians need to hear saying that it is time to eliminate legal restrictions on advertising marijuana.

Invite them into the building. Give them tours. Talk to them about what is at stake. 

The most important thing we can do is remind them that local broadcasting’s goal is to reflect and serve its community. If the community has no problem with the weed business, why should there be a problem with the broadcasters taking advertising money?

Attitudes toward marijuana have changed tremendously in the last 15 years. It went from an illicit substance we had to ask around to score to something we put in candy. That means who is using marijuana has changed too. 

Listen to any sports talk station over the course of an hour and just count how many ads there are for various Viagra alternatives. The same guys getting those medications through online pharmacies are buying weed gummies for exhaustion and stress relief. Getting high isn’t the exclusive use for marijuana anymore. 

Our industry could benefit so much from dispensaries being allowed to advertise. Many of those businesses have the money too and need to find ways to reinvest it. We have to be vocal and we have to make sure the right people hear us. The best way to create a new revenue stream is a united front telling the people in charge why it has to happen.

16.9% of All Sports Radio Listeners Are Streaming

BSM Staff
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According to Nielsen, sports radio stations are the third-most streamed spoken word format, just behind Talk/Personality and News/Talk/Info. The trend is continuing to show that streaming is on the uptick.

The survey found that in May 2022, 16.9% of sports talk radio’s audience tunes in via the station’s online stream. That news comes as Nielson reported that 11.3% of all radio listenership comes thru a stream, up from 6.9% in May of 2020.

Nielsen notes that in the 45 PPM markets they are grabbing data from and the 4,800+ stations that stream in those markets, just 30% of them are encoded. That encoding allows for Nielsen to accurately measure the streams. They used the listener data from 1,500 stations across the U.S., in their latest report, AM/FM Radio Streaming Growth in PPM Markets. 

The survey also showed that streaming levels differ widely by radio format. Spoken word formats display strong streaming listenership (Talk/Personality: 31.2%, News/Talk/Info: 19.1%, All Sports: 16.9%). In fact, Nielsen found that 1/3 of all AM/FM streaming in PPM markets is to spoken word formats.

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