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Sports Media Vet Len Mead Named GM of VSiN

BSM Staff
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VSiN is adding some muscle to its management team. Len Mead has been named the sports betting network’s new general manager.

Mead brings 27 years of experience to VSiN. He has worked in a variety of roles in the industry, leading efforts for networks on the regional and national level as well as working with leagues and in the sports betting industry.

He will oversee all aspects of VSiN’s operation and be charged with continuing to innovate the network’s presentation and grow its audience.

“This is such an exciting time to join VSiN. Brian Musburger and his team have built something special and established VSiN as a leader in credible, intelligent betting content,” Mead said in a press release.  “I’m looking forward to expanding our audience and serving bettors of all levels everywhere as they connect with sports.”

Len Mead joins VSiN from PointsBet, where he was VP of Content. He oversaw integrations for the sportsbook with NBC Sports, Action Network, and multiple regional sports networks.

His career also includes roles with the XFL, NBC’s RSNs, NESN and ESPN.

“Len has excelled at creating original content and growing audience across all platforms throughout his career, and we’re thrilled to add his expertise to our leadership team,” said Brian Musburger, founder and CEO of VSiN. “Not only does Len bring a wealth of media experience from his prior roles at ESPN, NBC Sports, NESN and others, but he also brings sports betting industry knowledge from his time as head of content for PointsBet. We believe this combination will help VSiN deliver its premium sports betting content to even more bettors, on more platforms, in new ways.”

Gregg Giannotti Explains Why Screening WFAN Callers Is Necessary

BSM Staff
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Gregg Giannotti Explains Why Screening WFAN Callers Is Necessary

You are always welcome to call WFAN. On Thursday morning, Gregg Giannotti said that doesn’t mean you are entitled to get on the air.

The morning show co-host praised producer Al Dukes for his skills as a phone screener. He revealed that there are many reasons that listeners may not get through, but the most sure way to get cutoff is being too eager.

 “Al doesn’t always answer the phone,” Gio said. “If he sees that you have called the radio station 700 times in the last two days, he’s not gonna pick you up.”

Every host and producer knows that callers can enhance a show. Unfortunately, it is easy for a bad or boring call to derail it. 

Gio encouraged people to call, but he also explained that if Al Dukes doesn’t answer, there is a reason. 

“That means he is doing his job. He ends up being more of a screener than anyone else at the radio station.”

He joked that Eddie Scozzare is a terrible phone screener and would often note on a call screen that a caller was old, boring, or didn’t know what he wanted to say. Eddie just didn’t feel like he could say no to anyone.

For Al Dukes, that isn’t a problem though. He told Boomer and Gio that he has his rules that he sticks to for callers, but they are too complicated and there are too many to explain on air.

“There’s a whole thing going on in here,” Dukes said.

Gio again reiterated that the practice was necessary to deliver a quality show, but noted that several listeners don’t understand that, including Hector in Washington Heights. Gio says that is a voice he hears on with Sal Licata overnight multiple times a week complaining about Al.

MASN Deal Could Hurt Sale Of Washington Nationals

BSM Staff
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The Washington Nationals’ television rights were bound to MASN in 2005 in order to placate the Baltimore Orioles. 

That franchise did not want the Montreal Expos moving to DC and encroaching on their regional dominance, so Major League Baseball made it financially beneficial for Orioles owner Peter Angelos to change his mind.

Now, eighteen years later, the Nationals are for sale and MASN could be a huge factor in when the franchise is sold and to who according to Ben Strauss of The Washington Post. 

“If someone is going to spend $2 billion, I would think they would need some certainty on the media rights,” Whitecap Sports Group managing partner Robert Malandro told Strauss.

The Orioles own a controlling stake in MASN. The Nationals would like to settle their current dispute with MASN and the Angelos family before the team officially hits the market. Whether or not the Angeloses will agree to a settlement is unclear.

Leaving MASN could be a windfall for the Nationals’ future owners. The team currently received $60 million annually for its media rights. Meanwhile, division rival Philadelphia is in the middle of a 25-year deal with Comcast that pays the team $2.5 billion over the life of the contract.

MASN is also in a bit of financial dire straits right now after losing more than a third of its subscribers in 2022. The network has responded by cutting back on people and assets dedicated to covering baseball.

A court recently found that the network owes the Washington Nationals $100 million. Perhaps that is an incentive for a buyer, but is it enough? 

The Orioles, currently caught up in the middle of a family drama, could hit the market themselves. Also, the team has long held firm on its stance that Orioles’ and Nationals’ television rights stay linked. 

Those are factors that would certainly affect the value of the Washington Nationals on the open market.

Chuck and Chernoff Confront Sal Licata for Wild Mets Take

BSM Staff
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On May 31, Sal Licata went on Baseball Night in NY on SNY and looked directly into the camera and declared the National League East race to be “over”. Since his declaration, the Atlanta Braves have not lost. They’ve won fourteen straight and 680 The Fan’s Chuck and Chernoff wanted to speak to Licata about his prediction.

Host Matt Chernoff began the interrogation with a simple question: “What the hell were you thinking?”

Licata responded by by doubling-down on his prediction. “Let me just say this loud and clear: the NL East is over…I believe the Mets are winning the division. End of story.”

Chernoff chimed back in. “You practice that in the mirror, alot?… I feel like you’re saying that so you’ll believe it. Is that a fair analysis?”

Licata floated back in with: “that is not accurate”.

Chernoff then wanted to gauge the temperature of the fans and asked Licata how “uncomfortable” were New York Mets fans since the Braves began whittling away at the division lead.

“I think there’s a lot of people that are nervous – and I get it,” Licata began. “I get the history, I lived it, I understand 2007. I understand the Mets haven’t been good in awhile since 2015 or ’16 when they made the playoffs… they have only twice made the postseason in back-to-back seasons. In ’99 & 2000 and 2015 & ’16. But realistically, that doesn’t mean crap today.”

Chuck Oliver then followed up with Licata wondering how Mets fans responded to his comments.

“If you’ll listen to the clip (posted above) I even said, ‘I know you’re not going to want to hear this. I don’t want to hear about the jinx. I don’t care about that stuff.’ I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t believe it. It’s the Mets turn.”

Chernoff interrupted Licata with laughter and quipped, “My nine year-old is like ‘it’s my turn’ and that’s where the Mets are, okay keep going.”

The two continued a back-and-forth including until near the end, Licata asked Chuck and Chernoff why they hate the Mets so much.

Chernoff finished his sentiment, “It’s not hate. It’s sadness. I feel bad for you.”

Keith McPherson Is Just A Fan at WFAN Living His Dream

Derek Futterman
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Keith McPherson Is Just A Fan at WFAN Living His Dream

As a high school junior, Keith McPherson announced Pop Warner football games in New Jersey, and was approached by a spectator who told him that he had a good voice and should consider studying communications in college. Initially, McPherson was confused, as he was unaware that communications was a college major, nor did he know what exactly it encompassed.

As time went on though, he realized that it was the career path he desired, and worked hard to find the avenues to create content and leverage his sports knowledge and digital expertise, learning on the fly and discovering unique opportunities to differentiate himself from others.

Throughout high school, McPherson was not only an avid fan of the New York Yankees and then-New Jersey Nets, but also an athlete himself, playing football at Ocean Township High School. During his college search, he was recruited to play football at Rutgers University, but ultimately departed his home state to attend James Madison University as an undeclared major. For two years, he played Division I college football as a quarterback, and after not taking the field as a sophomore, came to the realization that brought him back home to Monmouth County.

“Something clicked where I was like, ‘Okay, I’m not going to the NFL, and I need to focus on a career; I need to choose a career path. I’m a wild sports fan obsessed with all sports, and talking all sports radio and television, maybe I can do that,’” McPherson recalls thinking. “When I transferred, I literally transferred without football in mind.”

McPherson spent the next four years at Monmouth University as a member of WMCX radio and HawkTV, and graduated at the age of 23 eager to apply to his first job in media. The only problem was that each job he was looking for required three to five years of professional experience.

Unsure of where to turn next, McPherson began making income as a DJ at local clubs and bars, something that he started doing in high school, and eventually began working at his local Guitar Center store selling audio equipment to customers. Looking for an opportunity to work in media, everything changed when he saw a casting application for the MLB Fan Cave in New York City.

“That was the turning point,” said McPherson. “That was when I kind of knew, ‘Okay, everyone wants 3-5 years of experience. This is going to be the first thing I can put on my résumé.”

For the duration of the 2014 Major League Baseball season, McPherson, along with several other “cave dwellers” from around the United States watched all 2,430 regular season games at 692 Broadway for 14 hours a day, while creating digital content in the process. He affirms that while the days were exhausting, the experience taught him about the ways in which other people follow baseball – a lesson in cultural diffusion occurring within the “melting pot” of New York City.

After the baseball season ended, McPherson spent the next five-and-a-half months applying for media jobs, but heard nothing back. Preparing to take a job at The Home Depot, he then received his only call back for an interview from MTV, largely because the network had filmed its show Off the Bat from the MLB Fan Cave every Tuesday during the regular season. After two rounds of interviews, McPherson was hired, and for the next two-and-a-half years, he worked on the company’s social media team. Once he reached the three years of experience necessary to pursue most other media jobs, he took a risk and left his job to look elsewhere.

“I could look for a job and match my passion with my profession,” said McPherson, “and I quit MTV, [and] applied to jobs [while driving for] Lyft and Uber for a month.”

McPherson joined a startup company, for the first time, when he was hired in August 2017 as fuboTV’s first-ever social media manager, helping construct a strategy to help expand the streaming service’s reach and growth potential. Ten months later, he took a role as a digital marketing and strategy manager at Roc Nation, collaborating with athletes to help proliferate the company’s reach. Three months into this role though, McPherson made a broad observation that changed the course of his career.

“I was just noticing people rise in the podcast world and in the social media world, and that’s when people started using the term ‘influencer,’” said McPherson. “I’m looking at people that are using Twitter and Instagram, podcasting and YouTube to build their own brand; build their own name; talk about what they like and what they want to be about.”

One purchase of a new Mac computer and a video camera later, McPherson was liberated from any corporate ties. He began recording sports content that he distributed over multiple platforms in an effort to find his voice among others in the media.

“I was unemployed and I kept building my online brand, but you need to survive, and I wasn’t making money off my online brand,” said McPherson. “I was getting followers and views, so I was driving [for] Lyft and Uber [and] I was working at a restaurant for a little bit. I couldn’t work anywhere full-time because it would have taken time away from me editing or me creating.”

Throughout his journey working as a cave dweller and then in various roles pertaining to social media, McPherson always remained an active member of Twitter, specifically among the cohort of Yankees fans. One of the connections he made on the platform happened to be with Jimmy O’Brien, who was in the process of building a startup multimedia company called “Jomboy Media.” After nearly a year working independently, McPherson catalyzed an opportunity to join the growing company as an intern. It is safe to say he wasted no time making it known that he would be more than just a short-term addition.

“I understood what Jomboy was building, and I crushed it right away,” said McPherson. “Through crushing it right away, one of the more senior advisers was like, ‘Hey, if we want to keep this guy, we’ve got to pay him full-time because he’s already had full-time social media jobs and he’s out in front of the camera now building his own personal brand.’”

Two months after starting as an intern, McPherson became a salaried employee, and worked with those at the company to prepare for the start of baseball season. Then everything stopped as the COVID-19 pandemic became an immediate matter of public concern across the United States, forcing McPherson and those at Jomboy Media to work remotely.

“We had just launched the Bronx office down the street from Yankee Stadium,” said McPherson. “We were all excited about working in the Bronx together and going to the games at night…We were so excited for that season and then the pandemic hit and stopped everything.”

Despite the disappointment that arose from being unable to work in person, McPherson was used to doing things remotely from his time operating independently. Each day while fully remote, he focused on building both Pinstripe Strong and Talkin’ Nets, his Yankees and Nets podcasts, respectively, to the point where they gained massive followings on social media, rising levels of listenership and high-profile guests.

Come 2021, McPherson and New York sports fans were finally able to attend games in-person again, albeit with health and safety protocols in place. While the atmosphere was different, McPherson was finally able to record new content on-site, and distinguish himself from others in sports media by being among the fans.

“I’m the fan in the stadium,” said McPherson. “…I’m the guy that’s turning the camera on when we hit a home run. I’m the guy that’s turning the camera on when [Kevin Durant] shoots a three and the crowd goes wild.”

One day, McPherson noticed that new WFAN Program Director Spike Eskin had begun following both of his podcasts on Twitter, and soon after, members of Jomboy Media filled-in to host a midday show at WFAN. Aside from being verified on Twitter, McPherson had no idea who Eskin was, that he had replaced one of the format’s pioneers in Mark Chernoff, nor that Eskin was considering trying to add him at WFAN. Then about one week later, the new P.D. messaged McPherson to go to lunch for an interview about joining the team at WFAN.

“I literally had a WFAN keychain on my keys since I met Marc Malusis in 2014 at the MLB Fan Cave,” said McPherson. “I feel like I manifested it.”

Less than two weeks later, McPherson was on the air for a tryout, and eagerly planned how his radio show would go. Yet when then-New York Mets manager Luis Rojas made a questionable decision removing starting pitcher Taijuan Walker from the game, McPherson had to be quick on his feet and adapt his plans to fit what his audience wanted to talk about.

“I had this whole plan for what I was going to do, and that went out of the window,” said McPherson. “….[After the show,] I found out from Tom Izzo, the head of digital, that [they] definitely noticed a huge bump in interactions the night [I] was on.”

Encouraged by his first-show on-air, McPherson sought to get back behind the microphone as soon as possible talking sports with New York fans on a nightly basis. From the time he auditioned though, he had heard nothing from WFAN, and he tried to figure out what was going on by checking in with Eskin.

“He really couldn’t tell me much,” said McPherson. “I was kind of like, ‘Damn, I just want another spot. I want another night. I’ll do 2-5; it doesn’t have to be 11-2…,’ but little did I know they were working on stuff.”

When the news came out this past October that longtime WFAN nighttime host Steve Somers was set to retire, sports radio fans across the New York-Metropolitan area pondered who would supply the talk and entertainment they had grown accustomed to for over three decades. For Eskin, replacing Somers represented one of the first major decisions he had to make on the job, and it was essential that the station chose a voice that embodied the passion and fervor that exists among New York sports fans – a voice like Keith McPherson’s.

By the time the calendar turned to October, McPherson learned that he would be replacing Steve Somers in the 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. nighttime slot on WFAN, an outcome he was surprised to learn, but a challenge he was elated to face.

“I was like, ‘Woah, slow down. I’ve never done this before. I only have radio experience from college. I don’t want to be the guy that’s tagged as Steve Somers’ replacement. The Shmooze is iconic; he’s huge; he’s a one-of-a-kind voice and presence on the radio,’” said McPherson. “I didn’t know what to do, but I wasn’t going to turn it down.”

The news was formally announced in November on Carton and Roberts while McPherson and his wife were on their honeymoon in Puerto Rico, leading to him receiving congratulatory texts and messages on social media. Later that month, McPherson made his WFAN debut, becoming the first Black host to be a part of the weekday lineup since Tony Paige left the station in 2019.

“I just wanted people to give me a shot,” said McPherson. “I wanted the chance to learn on the fly. I wanted the chance to fail – and put my energy into WFAN and not be anyone else… I wanted to be Keith McPherson, but through this platform; through this historic radio station.”

Six months working in his new role, McPherson has been able to foster a connection with his audience and is creating engaging multiplatform content that appeals to New York sports fans. His philosophy on how to do that is simple, but seldom found and sometimes frowned upon in the industry.

“My style is just to let people talk,” explained McPherson. “You’re calling into my show; you’re calling into WFAN. If you have a take or a thought that some of you want to get off on air, go for it – we can have a conversation. It doesn’t have to be ‘Alright, I’m going to be short with you – hang up the phone on you.’ I’m no better than you. I’m a fan just like you are. I just happen to be on this side of the mic; this side of the phone. Call me up, and we can talk about any sports topic; any conversation.”

While his hosting style is his own, he has had the opportunity to speak with his predecessor Somers, and gain valuable advice as how to host an entertaining and informative radio program in the number one media market in the world. Before they spoke about the art of taking calls, being able to approach shows differently on slower versus faster sports nights and being able to discuss larger issues outside of sports, McPherson was excited just to meet Somers to gauge how he felt about the transition.

“I didn’t know how he would feel because if you read Facebook or Twitter, which I don’t do as much anymore, people were acting like I pushed him out, and WFAN forced him to leave for me,” McPherson stated. “I was like, ‘Damn, that’s not the case at all.’”

Throughout his time on the air, McPherson has enjoyed connecting with callers from younger demographics in an effort to broaden his listening audience and help grow the games he is talking about. It is one of the reasons why he was recently brought on as a co-host of Off Base, a studio television show on MLB Network geared towards millennials and looking at “America’s Pastime” through a different lens. Yet as radio and other platforms continue to move towards becoming more digital, being available and willing to interact with sports fans outside of the time on-air is essential to cultivating an engaged audience.

“When I’m on air, I tell people, ‘Hey, tweet at me,’” said McPherson. “Not everybody is bold enough to call in, but they’ll send a tweet… I feel like if you’re a radio host in sports, you need to have Twitter open while you’re on air; you need to be paying attention to what’s trending on Twitter – you’re live on air – that can help your show; that can help your broadcast.”

As radio continues moving into the 21st-century, finding the next generation of talent can seem like a daunting task – that is, if program directors fail to adapt their selection processes. McPherson’s being a sports radio host in a major media market with his only radio experience prior to it being in college is something that deviates from the norm in the industry; however, his hiring and early success may be indicative of a change in the way radio finds its talent. After all, stations are always looking to continue to find ways to improve their ratings and earn more revenue in today’s congested media landscape.

“The next great radio host and the next great people to invest in or to put on a mic – they’re already there,” said McPherson. “The biggest thing I tell people is that there’s no gatekeepers. If you’re dope, people will find you. Make videos; make content; write your thoughts out and put them on Twitter. Radio’s got to learn that it’s not always the people who have worked 10 years inside your station [that] become your next guys.”

Long Time Fresno State Bulldogs Voice Bill Woodward Dies

BNM Staff
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KMJ Radio in Fresno, California, announced the passing of the legendary Bill Woodward Tuesday. The longtime voice of the Fresno State Bulldogs died last month in Washington State; he was 81. 

Woodward retired from News Talk 580 and 105.9 KMJ nearly 12 years ago. He did sports at the station for 40 years and was elected to the Fresno State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. 

“A true professional. A legend in the broadcasting industry,” KMJ Program Director Blake Taylor told the station’s website. “There’s a reason he’s forever remembered in the Fresno State Athletics Hall of Fame. I miss him, and his play-by-play of Bulldogs sports will always have a place in my heart.”

Woodward had incredible insight into Fresno State’s sports program, calling more than 2,000 football, basketball, and baseball games on KMJ. He had the pleasure of watching the program make giant strides to become one of the top destinations for blue-chip recruits in the nation. 

KMJ Market Manager Patty Hixson commented on Woodward’s retirement in 2010. She said his voice became “synonymous” with Central Valley sports on KMJ. “His commitment to the local sports community as well as our station family is unparalleled,” she added.  

Woodward experienced many great moments in Bulldogs’ athletics, including the 1983 NIT basketball championship and the ‘83 basketball victory over a No.2 ranked Houston team which featured the iconic Hakeem Olajuwon. 

Anatomy of an Analyst: Ray Ferraro

Andy Masur
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Anatomy of an Analyst: Ray Ferraro

He was given the nickname, ‘The Big Ball of Hate’ by former New York Rangers teammate Glenn Healy, but Ray Ferraro is easy to like if you watch him work. Ferraro retired from the NHL just before the 2002 season after a rather successful 18-year run. Even before retiring he began talking hockey on television while still an active player. Working for ESPN as one of the more respected minds and voices of the game. 

Ferraro returned to ESPN/ABC for the 2021-22 season as the lead color commentator for their NHL coverage.

Ferraro was born in Trail, British Columbia.

HOCKEY CAREER

Ferraro scored 408 career goals and recorded a 898 career points in 1,258 games. His 18-year NHL career included stops in Hartford, New York, for both the Rangers and Islanders, Atlanta, Los Angeles and St. Louis.

He was a 40-goal scorer twice, once scoring 41 in Hartford in 1988-89 and an even-40 for the Islanders in 1991-92. He also tallied a career best in points that season with New York, scoring 80 total. For those efforts, he was named to the NHL All-Star game in 1992.

Ferraro had a memorable Stanley Cup playoff run for the Islanders in 1993. He scored two overtime goals against the Capitals. The Islanders would knock off Washington and defending champion Pittsburgh in that postseason. He assisted on the goal that won the game and series in overtime of Game 7 against the Penguins. That goal advanced the Islanders to the Wales Conference Finals, which they lost to the eventual champion Montreal Canadiens. Ferraro finished that playoff season with team-leading totals in goals (13) and points (20).

ROAD TO ESPN/ABC HOCKEY

When Ferraro officially retired from hockey in 2002, he had already been working on some ESPN hockey broadcasts. He appeared on NHL 2Night with John Buccigross and Barry Melrose, while still an active player.  

He later worked as a studio analyst for the NHL on NBC, was a color commentator on Edmonton Oilers broadcasts on Rogers Sportsnet and some other hockey programs on the network. 

Ferraro has also worked as a color commentator and studio analyst for the NHL on TSN. He provided commentary for CTV during the 2010 Winter Olympics as well. After Pierre McGuire left TSN for NBC, Ferraro became the lead color commentator for their hockey telecasts. When Rogers Media, the parent of TSN’s rival Sportsnet, gained the national NHL rights in 2014-15, Ferraro became a color commentator for the network’s regional NHL telecasts. 

When ESPN regained the rights to air NHL games, Ferraro rejoined the network and is a big part of their broadcasts now. Last year, Ferraro waxed poetic about his first foray with ESPN.

“I didn’t know it was a career at the time, I was still playing. I got to work with John Buccigross and Barry Melrose,” he told The Province in 2021. He was recalling his first foray into broadcasting alongside Buccigross on Melrose on ESPN2’s NHL 2Night, a step he took while he was still an active player. “All these years later, I’m back.”

AS AN ANALYST

Ferraro’s credibility is unquestioned. Ferraro also understands his role, maybe more than a lot of analysts in other sports. Ferraro doesn’t try to force things or try to show off his deep knowledge of the sport. His philosophy on the job is spot on.  

“My role is to provide some ‘why’ as to what’s happening,” Ferraro said to the Hartford Courant back in May of this year. “Everybody’s got a television and they can see what’s happening, my thought is to try to use my experience from playing and from being around the game to explain why it happened. I love the game and I’ve been around it a long time, and I hope that comes across.”

Ferraro doesn’t have any hokey catch phrases, he just delivers the commentary straight without gimmick or flash. Whether or not fans of either team playing want to believe it, he has absolutely no rooting interest in a particular game. The length Ferraro goes to make sure that’s the case is interesting. 

“I make it point to not really get to know many of the managers or the players on a personal level other than those I just do know,” he said to the Hartford Courant. “Because I don’t want it to cloud how I analyze a play. You always hear from people who think you’re biased one way or the other, but honestly, you’d have to go a long way to find somebody who cares less who wins than I do. My job is not to care.”

Hockey is fast-paced and many things can happen between his comments, depending on stoppages in play. He’s not jumping in and interrupting the flow of the game with nonsense. Others in his role have. Ferraro doesn’t spew endless mundane facts, like where a guy played his junior hockey, or how small a player’s town is. Ferraro picks his spots well and compliments the play-by-play announcer. 

“I did get some advice early on, it’s not an accumulation of word count,” Ferraro told the Hartford Courant. “If you don’t have something to say where you can provide some context then there’s no need to say it. If the audience thinks I’m talking too much, then I probably think I’m talking too much.”

That’s a very refreshing take. Too often analysts and even play-by-play announcers, just say something to say it. The result is usually awkward. Ferraro understands the nature of his sport as well. If you make a comment that lasts too long on something that just happened, chances are pretty good that something else, maybe more important will happen next. I enjoy the fact that he understands it. 

Ferraro is such a great breath of fresh air, compared to some that have done it in the past. His commentary is even handed and succinct. It’s bread from the experience of a long and successful NHL career and I think it means something to the viewer. 

DID YOU KNOW?

Ferraro played for British Columbia in the 1976 Little League World Series. They finished with a 1-2 record.

On November 23, 2015, Ferraro became the first hockey broadcaster to call a game where his child also played in the same game. It happened with the Maple Leafs hosting the Bruins. Ferraro’s son Landon was playing for Boston. Ray let it slip at the end of an interview, telling his son ‘Don’t be shy, go get another goal.” 

Ferraro remarried in 2004 to former U.S. women’s ice hockey team captain Cammi Granato, who also worked as a women’s hockey analyst during NBC’s coverage of the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. 

Craig Carton: SNY C-Blocked Kevin Burkhardt From Fox Hiring

BSM Staff
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Kevin Burkhardt will be on a part of the top NFL broadcasting team for FOX this fall. It wasn’t that long ago that Burkhardt wasn’t on the big network stage and was doing updates on WFAN. You know who remembers? Craig Carton does.

Carton was wrapping an interview with Justin Shackil who will be doing this weekend’s slate of Yankees games on WFAN as John Sterling takes some time off this summer. Upon hanging up with Shackil, Carton wondered aloud:

“Who knows what becomes of that? Remember about fifteen years ago a young man did updates on this radio station. He’s now doing play-by-play on Fox for the Super Bowl,” Carton said on Carton and Roberts.

“I remember when Fox first tried to hire him and SNY said no,” Carton recently continued with co-host Evan Roberts. “Because they were very selfish back in the day. They didn’t let him go, they wouldn’t let him out of his contract. He was approached to get a job at the big network and SNY c-blocked him.”

“He wasn’t making a lot of money,” Carton continued with a SNY THE APP bug at the top of the streaming screen. “He had proven himself to be really good on camera and here was the break. You never stop upward movement like that, it’s really douchey to do that. To be fair, he had a year left on his contract, as I know the story, and SNY said, we’re not gonna let you take the network gig. He had to toil for another year doing hot dog and sausage updates from random ballparks in the National League because the Wilpons wouldn’t let him leave.”

“That pissed me off,” said Carton. “I hated that”.

Burkhardt left SNY after the 2014 baseball season, the end of his contract and has been with FOX since.

Jake Heaps Leaving Seattle Sports 710 To Coach Russell Wilson

BSM Staff
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The trade of Russell Wilson from Seattle to Denver meant a lot of change, and local sports radio isn’t immune to that. Jake Heaps, co-host of the Jake & Stacy Show on Seattle Sports 710, announced on their show Tuesday that he’ll be leaving the station to be Wilson’s full-time quarterback coach.

Stacy Rost opened the final segment of their abbreviated show (Mariners baseball) by ceding the floor to Jake to make his big announcement.

“As many of you know before I came to work for 710 I was coming from finishing my pro football career and pursuing my passion of coaching and training quarterbacks at every level,” began the former NFL and CFL quarterback. “It is with mixed emotions that I tell you that I will no longer be able to host on Seattle Sports Station and no longer be able to do the Jake & Stacy Show everyday… I have resigned to pursue a once in a lifetime opportunity to coach Russell Wilson full-time and develop the next generation of quarterbacks.”

Heaps, reading from prepared remarks, found it more difficult to keep his composure as he continued. “This community means everything to me. I have plenty more to say and I look forward to finding a way to continue to connect with all of you. I’ve absolutely loved and feel blessed to help create something special here with the Jake & Stacy Show.”

Rost then took over by addressing the question everyone then wondered and said that listeners would not have to wait long for clarity.

“So I want to be able to tell you guys what’s going on here. Tomorrow we are going to announce a new co-host. We are going to announce that at 1:30pm PST tomorrow.”

Sid Rosenberg Reminisces With Former WFAN Partner Joe Benigno

BSM Staff
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Sid Rosenberg Reminisces With Former WFAN Partner Joe Benigno

It was a reunion on the Oh the Pain Podcast hosted by Joe Benigno. Sid Rosenberg was on with his former WFAN partner Benigno.

Rosenberg recalled the chemistry the two had together and felt they were on their way “to becoming the next Mike and the Mad Dog, there was no doubt.”

“We were like a really cool sports talk duo. Usually sports talk duos are kind of nerdy, that wasn’t you and me. We were like really cool.”

Rosenberg is currently co-hosting Bernie and Sid in the Morning on 77 WABC in New York.

The two were on WFAN for nearly three years despite only being on a show together less than that. Rosenberg remembers his time with Benigno fondly. “Looking back on my whole career, working with you was as about as good as it got.

The two took the time to continue to catch up and Benigno was interested in the process behind Rosenberg morphing his sports talk show in Miami at the time, into one that featured more politics.

“It was 2014 and Mark Chernoff offered me the opportunity to come to New York and basically fill-in the whole summer at WFAN,” began Rosenberg. “I would do my Miami show in the morning and then I would fill-in middays for you and Evan (Roberts). I remember I was yelling back-and-forth is Carmelo Anthony a great player or just a great offensive player? Is Eli Manning a Hall of Famer or just a compiler? Is Lebron James going back to Cleveland?

I remember calling Danielle (wife) and said – there was just a terrorist attack in Paris – and I said ‘what am I doing?’ I got two little kids. I’m yelling with grown men, yelling at the top of my lungs about whether Carmelo Anthony is a great player?”

It was in that discussion with his wife that his new path would begin. “I came to the realization it was time to move on just a little and I started to employ more politics in my daily show in south Florida.”

At one point Benigno interrupted to ask Rosenberg about his history with Craig Carton.

“Twenty-two years ago when I got my first job in New York City at 102.7 WNEW was with a guy named Scott Kaplan. They fired Scott Kaplan. I went into Jeremy Coleman’s office, he works at SiriusXM, and I had worked with Craig Carton in Fort Lauderdale with Scott Kaplan back in 2000. I saw his resume and I said ‘I like this guy’. I know he got into trouble in Philadelphia, but give him a shot.”

“I’m the guy that really hired Craig Carton at WNEW to be my partner,” Rosenberg boasted. “As it turns out, he stabbed me in the back. He went to 101.5, I went to the FAN. We didn’t talk for years. Now we are very good friends but it was a very, very ugly ten years for me and Carton.”

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