Home Blog Page 2553

Jason Garrett Added to Football Night In America

BSM Staff
-
0

With Drew Brees out, NBC has officially turned to Jason Garrett. The USFL analyst will be seen Sunday nights on the network as part of Football Night in America Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports.

NBC executives have been talking up Garrett’s abilities as an analyst since before the USFL season began. That lead many to believe the network had plans for him beyond the spring football league.

Last season, Brees was part of the main team of analysts alongside Tony Dungy and host Mike Tirico. It has already been reported that Maria Taylor will move into the host’s role. Does that mean she would be partnered with the two coaches or could there be a top-to-bottom reshuffling of the roles on Football Night in America coming?

Whether this is the only area where Jason Garrett replaces Drew Brees is unknown.

There is an opening in NBC’s Notre Dame football booth after Brees’s exit and Mike Tirico’s elevation to Sunday Night Football. Garrett has been mentioned alongside his USFL play-by-play partner Jac Collinsworth as candidates for that job.

At this time, the plans for Notre Dame football are unknown according to Marchand.

Peyton Manning & Omaha Productions Cash-In Content Deal With Caesars

BSM Staff
-
0

Welcome Peyton Manning to the podcast space. The former NFL quarterback is developing an Omaha Audio division as part of a partnership with Caesars Entertainment in an effort to to create digital content for Caesars Entertainment.

Manning’s production company has agreed to a multiyear deal that will see the company produce video and audio content designed for the various Caesars entities. It will also launch a new podcast venture inside a new division call the Omaha Audio Network.

Caesars Entertainment is the parent company of the casino and resort brands, as well as the Caesars Sportsbook digital betting firm.

The Omaha team will kick off it’s efforts with a new series called Mayne on the Street which will be hosted by former ESPN host Kenny Mayne, who joined Caesars last year.

As part of the deal, Manning and Omaha will also be a part of live events at Caesars locations across the U.S.

Peyton Manning and Caesars
Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and JB Smoove in a Caesars Entertainment ad. COURTESY OF CAESARS/OMAHA PRODUCTIONS

Peyton Manning tells The Hollywood Reporter that the Caesars commercials he filmed with his family last year were key to the new deal.

“The shoots were filled with a lot of laughs and the Caesars folks were great teammates,” Manning says. “Earlier this year, we had conversations to see if we could do more together. That’s what led to the partnership with Omaha. We’re creating some fun original series together, and we think what you’re going to see across all of them is entertaining content around the sports we love.”

According to both parties, the content partnership is meant to be collaborative with the intent of leveraging Caesars’ lineup of talent, including Mayne, comedian JB Smoove, host and influencer Rachel DeMita, Cooper Manning and others. DeMita will host a series called Celeb Shots, while Cooper Manning will host a series called One More Round.

“Together we are looking to really concept ideas together,” Caesars Sportsbook Chief Marketing Officer Sharon Otterman says “We truly believe that storytelling is an important part of sports betting, and it is certainly an important part of our brand. We want to be there to educate consumers. It’s a new industry with a lot of jargon, and one that is really known for having conversations around sports. So we wanted to create really good content.”

The Omaha Audio Network is set to launch later this year. Caesars Sportsbook will be the presenting sponsor on all the podcasts.

Shutdown Fullcast Among 4 Additions To Meadowlark Media

BSM Staff
-
0
Shutdown Fullcast Among 4 Additions To Meadowlark Media

Meadowlark Media is expanding its roster with four new podcasts. The headliner is the college football-themed Shutdown Fullcast.

Hosts Spencer Hall, Holly Anderson, Jason Kirk and Ryan Nanni have already been working with Meadowlark. The group created Fullcast After Dark during the 2021 college football season. The show went live at the end of each Saturday and then was distributed as a podcast the next day.

Meadowlark is also adding Too Many Men, a hockey podcast hosted by Alison Lukan, Shayna Goldman and Sara Civian, The Cooligans, a soccer podcast hosted by comedians Alexis Guerreros and Christian Polanco, and DNF, a show focused on Formula 1. That show will be hosted by Dan Le Batard Show producer Jessica Smetana and Shutdown Fullcast host Spencer Hall.

“With DraftKings, we continue to develop a dynamic talent network with the most diverse voices across sports and beyond, – voices that reflect the changing demographics,” said Meadowlark COO Bimal Kapadia said in a press release. “When you combine that with new formats – It’s very exciting.”

VSiN, iHeartMedia to Launch 1230 The Gambler In West Palm Beach

BSM Staff
-
0
VSiN, iHeartMedia to Launch 1230 The Gambler In West Palm Beach

VSiN has a new affiliate! The network will make up the bulk of the content on the new 1230 The Gambler in West Palm Beach.

1230 The Gambler will air 22 hours of live VSiN programming daily. The iHeartMedia station will also carry a local afternoon show called The Greek Zone, which will air from 3p-5p. In addition, the West Palm Beach affiliate will carry both the Miami Marlins and the Florida Gators.

“As VSiN continues to broaden its distribution footprint, we’re thrilled to be working with the innovative content providers at iHeartRadio’s New Sports Radio 1230 The Gambler to bring sports betting programming to West Palm Beach and its passionate sports fans,” Brian Musburger, founder and CEO of VSiN, said in a press release. “As regulated sports betting continues its expansion across the U.S., we’re proud to be The Gambler’s choice to help educate and entertain the incredibly passionate sports fans in this top 50 media market.”

With the addition of West Palm Beach, VSiN content now airs on more than 140 terrestrial radio stations in 31 states nationwide.

“We’re thrilled to bring this informative and entertaining brand of sports talk to local sports fans,” said Brian Mudd, Program Director for New Sports Radio 1230 The Gambler. “Sports betting as a 24/7 format, and specifically the expert analysis from VSiN and our very own Greek, is a perfect choice for The Gambler.”

Boomer & Gio Mock Questions To Golfers At LIV Press Conferences

BSM Staff
-
0
Boomer & Gio Mock Questions To Golfers At LIV Press Conferences

LIV Golf is backed by the Saudi Arabian government. That is no secret. In fact, thanks to Phil Mickelson’s comments earlier this year, it is probably the one thing the general public knows about the tour.

Golfers playing in the first event this weekend have been facing the media this week and have been hit with some tough questions. 

On Wednesday, a British journalist asked Ian Poulter “Is there anywhere in the world you wouldn’t play? If Vladimir Putin had a tournament, would you play in that?”.

The line of questioning caught the attention of WFAN’s Jerry Recco. He brought some of the audio to Boomer & Gio on Thursday morning.

While many of the players said they couldn’t answer hypothetical questions like the one posed to Poulter, Boomer Esiason said the reality is that the people asking the questions don’t understand how easy it is for a lot of these players to justify their decision.

“You can say whatever you want, and I know all the emotions that are attached,” he said. “The money is so big and they play in all these other countries anyway.”

The Saudi Arabian government has backed terrorists and has been tied to atrocities like the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. That is the moral quandary these journalists are asking players to consider. 

Gregg Giannotti mocked the absurdity of the questions themselves. In a British accent he described hypothetical tournaments hosted by Charles Manson and Benito Mussolini and pretended to ask players if they would participate. He also joked that someone is going to ask one of these guys if they would join OJ Simpson for a round of golf.

LIV Golf’s first event starts this week in London. Play will not be available on television here in the US. The event will be available on LIV’s YouTube channel with former NBC soccer broadcaster Arlo White calling the action.

Rich Shirtenleib: ‘Cedric Maxwell Had All Day To Be Pissed Off At Draymond Green’

BSM Staff
-
0

Celtics fans that follow their favorite team on the radio know the voice of Cedric Maxwell, better known to some fans as “Cornbread,” very well. He has been part of the team’s broadcast since 2001. He is also part of the team’s storied history, having had his number retired and being named MVP of the 1981 NBA Finals.

Draymond Green took a shot at him and players in the 80s earlier in the week. The Warriors forward said that no one at that time could shoot and while everyone acts like the league was full of tough guys, the reality was there were just a few enforcers and you could fight because fines were minimal back then.

Rich Shirtenlieb brought up the comments Thursday morning on Toucher & Rich. He also brought up Maxwell’s appearance on NBA TV after the Celtics’ Game 3 victory.

“I think that Cedric was feeling it last night,” Shirtenlieb said. 

He said that he had spent much of the day with Cedric Maxwell on Wednesday. The duo hosted a pep rally ahead of Game 3. Shirtenlieb described dozens of fans coming up to Maxwell. Nearly all of them wanted to talk about Draymond Green’s comments.

“I think last time was the first time he was like ‘you know, it did kinda piss me off a little bit,” he said before playing the audio from NBA TV for Fred Toucher.

“Don’t act like in the 80s he wouldn’t have been knocked out,” Maxwell said on television after Game 3 when he was asked about Green. “Let me tell you the part that insulted me. Draymond said ‘Well, if you got thrown out of a game during that time, you only could $2.’ Well, you know what? That is an insult to anyone that played with me at that particular time, because we stood on the shoulders of giants. The reason he’s making $30 million? He got on my shoulders and somebody else’s shoulders. Don’t be disrespectful.”

Fred Toucher couldn’t help but point out that Maxwell may have misinterpreted what Green was saying. Green was saying there were no consequences to fighting in the 80s because the league did not react as harshly as it does now. Maxwell seemed to think Green was saying the consequences weren’t severe because the paychecks were so low compared to today.

”I don’t think that’s the point Draymond was making, but I see how Cedric took it,” Toucher said before giving Maxwell credit for using the line “There’s only been 32 Finals MVPs. Damn it, I’m one of them,” to punctuate his point.

Jake Crain: ‘People Like Sarah Spain Hurt Sports’

BSM Staff
-
0

Sarah Spain used her victory on an episode of ESPN’s Around the Horn earlier this week to take aim at the Tampa Bay Rays players that refused to wear a rainbow patch during the team’s celebration of pride month citing religious exemption. Spain called the term “BS” and said it is used by bigots to justify their bigotry.

On his Wednesday show, The Daily Wire’s Jake Crain fired back at Spain.

“It never ceases to amaze me how the people that gripe the most about lack of inclusion or people being judgy turn out to be the most judgmental people around,” he said

He specifically cited the language Sarah Spain used. Crain said that it undermined her point about religious exemptions being used to skirt inclusion efforts.

“Anybody who uses the word ‘inclusion’ and then in the same sentence says ‘religious exemption BS’ is absolutely full of it. Anybody can see that.”

Crain made the move from Colin Cowherd’s The Volume to the more political Daily Wire in February. At the time, he said that his show would remain free from politics. He insisted that is still the case to anyone in his comments saying this commentary feels very political.

According to Crain, his rant is not about right and left. Using sports as a platform for those right and left arguments is what deserves to be called out.

“It’s people like Sarah Spain that continue to hurt sports more and more because it’s never about hearing all points of view,” he said. “It’s about ‘you believe our way or you’re the devil.’”

How To Fix The Media’s ‘Breaking News’ Problem

Andy Masur
-
0
How To Fix The Media’s ‘Breaking News’ Problem

BREAKING NEWS: I’m writing a column for Barrett Sports Media on a Thursday.

Really? I write a column for BSM every Thursday. So, the answer is, nope. It just illustrates the point that EVERYTHING is presented to us as “breaking news” these days. The obvious gets the label, and even the mundane gets the “breaking news” treatment. Stations and networks are hoping the ‘shock’ value of the bold graphics and ominous music will reel you in to their story. Frankly, I’ve become desensitized to it all. News and sports. 

I get to this conclusion thanks to the realistic thinking of new CNN boss Chris Licht. He was fed up with the network’s overuse of “breaking news” according to a memo to his staff. It seemingly had become proper practice to shock and awe viewers with the concept. Licht had enough. According to the memo obtained by Axios. “We are truth-tellers, focused on informing, not alarming our viewers,” Licht said. CNN is creating a new stylebook giving guidelines about when to use “breaking news” and when not to use it. 

“You’ve already seen far less of the Breaking News banner across our programming,” Licht wrote, adding that the network is still tweaking the guidelines but will use the term only when “something BIG is happening.”

It’s sometimes used as a gimmick, designed so the listener/viewer would ‘hear it/see it first’ on that station. Ok, so, what if I’m not listening to that station, and I hear it first somewhere else? I don’t get the point. If your sports station has great reporters and great hosts that cultivate excellent relationships with players and teams, you are going to get news that others will not. It speaks to credibility. If I know that a station is constantly breaking news, that’s actually worthy of the descriptor, I’m going to gravitate there. I know that these folks are on top of stuff and not just throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. 

Breaking news is by definition, “newly received information about an event that is currently occurring or developing.” Some networks play loose and fast with that meaning. Many times, “breaking news” is used by a news/sports organization when in fact the story they’re reporting on isn’t BREAKING. The news is old, but perhaps that entity didn’t report it yet. So, I guess it’s breaking to them. But it’s not to everyone else who has already seen/heard that news. It’s all hard to avoid in today’s 24-hour news/sports cycles. Breaking news for some organizations then comes down to ‘which story has the most interest and biggest impact right now’. That’s not the intention. 

ESPN has this habit of using their breaking news graphic for the new AP Top 25 College Football or Basketball Polls being released. Huh? They come out at the same time every week, so why is this breaking? Why is it breaking when Mel Kiper Jr. releases his latest draft “Big Board” several months before the NFL Draft? Why is it breaking when a player that was injured in a game, is still injured and won’t play in the next game? A player that will be a free agent in three-years signs an extension in spring training and that’s breaking? Nope. Never. Uh uh. No way. Stop wasting my time and getting me all excited about some big news that’s about to come my way. 

The judgement shown by producers in these cases is lazy. How out of touch are some entities? Take this Tweet from the Associated Press on New Year’s Day of 2016:

That tweet is real. The basis for it, is unreal. The constant use just cheapens when things are really breaking. Right now, for many it’s a tune-out from the station and from the mind. 

Now, as I write this column, there was actually some breaking news worthy of the title. When Joe Maddon was fired by the Angels amid a 12-game losing streak, that’s big news. The details developed from an early morning report to the actual announcement from the team. This case fits the definition better than most these days. 

When your network gets a scoop that is jumping every other outlet, it is breaking news. It’s not always a bad thing to put the graphic up, just don’t do it when it isn’t worthy. There seems to be a lack of news (or sports) judgement in many cases around the dial these days. I do understand that there are hierarchies at some networks that will insist on the graphic at all times. There are just so many times you can cry wolf before the impact is lost on your viewer/listener. It has to stop. 

I remember growing up in the 80s when the news networks would break into programming for a “Special Report”. That grabbed attention. Whether it was about President Reagan being shot or the Space Shuttle launch and subsequent explosion, that graphic meant, stop what you’re doing, this is important. If it’s not worthy of breaking into regular programming, is it really breaking? I don’t think so. 

There are so many better words or phrases that can be used for news that is coming in, continuing to materialize or being reported by just one entity. How about ‘NEW’? As in ‘new this hour, we’ve learned about a contract extension for player A.’ That works. Or ‘JUST IN’? How about news that still has some sketchy details, maybe, ‘DEVELOPING’? That kind of invites the viewer/listener to stay tuned for further developments. Simple right? In the cases where nobody else has the story, an oldie but a goodie, ‘EXCLUSIVE’ seems to fit the bill. Pretty self-explanatory. 

All I’m saying is more news/sports judgement needs to be practiced here. I don’t think you are helping yourself or your network/station by falling on the crutch of breaking news. It’s too easy. It takes no thought. It’s time for sports to follow CNN’s lead. Examine the news, don’t rush to be first if you don’t have all the facts, and be better. Let others make that mistake. Then you can say, ‘they may break the news, but we fix it’. BREAKING NEWS: that line sounded good to me when I wrote it. 

The Sale of Miami Radio Stations Leading to Plan Mass Exodus

BNM Staff
-
0

The pending sale of several Spanish language radio stations including the iconic Radio Mambí in Miami, Florida has reportedly prompted most of its employees to plan a mass exodus. 

According to the Miami Herald, leaders of the Cuban American community in Miami held a press conference on Wednesday to protest the sale to a group backed by billionaire philanthropist George Soros and the “Latino Media Network.” 

“Latino Media Network is a newly formed business venture led and controlled by social activists who espouse a leftist progressive ‘woke’ political agenda,” Silvia Iriondo, the head of the Mothers Against Repression in Cuba, said during the news conference.

TelevisaUnivisión, which owns Radio Mambí, has reportedly offered disgruntled employees a six-figure retention bonus to stay at Radio Mambi following the sale. 

“We are insulted by this action of selling our media – the media that has been actually taking us by the hand and fed our spirit all of these years – to a leftist organization,” said President of Brigade 2506 – the veterans of the Bay of Pigs operation – Rafael Montalvo. 

 According to Breitbart, the individuals leading the effort have described combatting conservative “misinformation” in Spanish as a goal of the purchase.

Report: CNN’s Plans to Be Less Partisan Could Force Out Talents

BNM Staff
-
0
Report: CNN’s Plans to Be Less Partisan Could Force Out Talents

Could CNN anchors Brian Stelter and Jim Acosta be on their way out? There’s speculation that the pair present an obstacle for their new boss Chris Licht who reportedly wants to return the network to its roots as a straightforward news gathering agency.

According to the New York Post, Licht wants CNN’s on-air personalities to focus on conducting straightforward interviews and for producers to avoid “noise” in their booking decisions.

Six months ago, CNN fired its top-rated anchor Chris Cuomo for using his journalistic influence to persuade the outcome of a sexual misconduct investigation against his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

Two months later, former CNN president Jeff Zucker resigned amid an undisclosed relationship scandal involving former fellow CNN executive Allison Gollust. 

Ted Turner founded CNN in 1980. At the time it was the nation’s only 24/7 news channel. Turner’s invention spurred several other competing networks. According to Nielsen, CNN drew 660,000 total viewers in primetime this past May, while Fox pulled in 2.27 million and MSNBC had 1.02 million. 

The paper reported that Licht sent a memo to staffers declaring that “too many people have lost trust in the news media.” The message noted that CNN will focus on being “advocates for the truth” going forward.

1...2,5522,5532,554...2,768Page 2,553 of 2,768