Melissa Stark is joining HBO’s The Fight Game with Jim Lampley this March. She will become the new interviewer and correspondent for Lampley’s boxing studio program. She will also continue her broadcasting duties for the NFL Network.
The Fight Game launched in 2012 with ESPN’s Michelle Beadle previously serving in the reporting and interviewing role. The season premiere of The Fight Game is set for Wednesday, March 16 at 11pm EST on HBO.
Selection Sunday is getting bigger. The NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show, featuring the exclusive, live first-time announcement of the pairings for the 2016 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, is expanding to two hours. Turner Sports and CBS Sports will begin the road to the 2016 Final Four with the newly expanded show, airing Sunday, March 13, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
The bigger Selection Show will feature more analysis, more discussion, more interviews and more reactions from teams as they learn their seed, region and opponent. Ernie Johnson will join Greg Gumbel to host the show from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. Clark Kellogg, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Seth Davis and Doug Gottlieb will provide analysis breaking down the bracket. Previously, the one-hour Selection Show aired from 6-7 p.m.
Joseph R. Castiglione, Chairman of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, will join in-studio to discuss the selection process.
Having spent his career analyzing the game from his position in center field, eight-time Gold Glove winner Jim Edmonds is now poised to offer his insight from a new perch, as a member of the FOX Sports Midwest broadcast team.
After three seasons of working as an analyst for the FOX Sports Midwest pregame and postgame shows, Edmonds is moving to the broadcast booth, where he’ll work alongside play-by-play announcer Dan McLaughlin for 30 regular-season games.
The addition of Edmonds is part of a shuffle designed to help the Cardinals’ Radio Network fill its analyst spot on the road now that Mike Shannon will be broadcasting only home games. Rick Horton will take Shannon’s place alongside radio play-by-play man John Rooney on the road, leaving him with a smaller slate of TV games overall.
Al Hrabosky and Tim McCarver will also rotate in as analysts alongside McLaughlin throughout the season. Edmonds will maintain his in-studio presence as well, as FOX Sports Midwest has him lined up to serve as the pregame and postgame analyst for approximately 20 other games.
To continue reading this article visit Cardinals.com where it was originally published
When ESPN turned out the lights on Grantland last fall, one of the big questions was how long it would be until FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver’s data journalism outfit, followed Grantland out the door. After all, the metrics-focused site was just as much of an odd fit within the sports media empire.
But, two years after its launch, FiveThirtyEight is growing both its traffic and headcount — and says that ESPN has every interest in keeping it around. Its editorial staff is now at 43, and it’s pushing out 10 stories a day, with plans to double that number this year.
Managing editor David Firestone pointed to FiveThirtyEight’s headcount, which increased by 17 people in the past year. Three of those additions were to the site’s video team, which is helping FiveThirtyEight with short-form clips, such as “The Dean Scream,” a 10-minute exploration of Howard Dean’s campaign-ending yawp in 2004.
On that front, FiveThirtyEight seems to realize it can’t live off politics coverage alone, especially after the presidential election. So in addition to politics and sports, it’s also applied its formula to cover The Oscars, Fandango’s Rotten Tomatoes deal and Harper Lee. It’s also building out its science and health coverage (it hired The New York Times Magazine science columnist Maggie Koerth-Baker this week). FiveThirtyEight even plans to venture into eSports coverage later this year.
The bigger nagging question, though, is how long ESPN’s support for FiveThirtyEight will last. While the company said that it was “totally committed” to FiveThirtyEight, ESPN itself is in a bit of a rough patch. In Disney’s last quarter, ESPN’s unit, which also includes the Disney Channels and ABC, posted a 5.6 percent decline in operating income, thanks to subscriber declines and higher programming costs. It’s going to be hard for ESPN to justify keeping something like FiveThirtyEight around if it’s not generating revenue.
“They have to support themselves, because ESPN is not going to he happy about losing money anywhere,” said Seth Alpert, managing director at advisory firm AdMedia Partners, adding that FiveThirtyEight already seems to be further along, monetization-wise, than Grantland was when ESPN pulled the plug.
“Grantland had some issues after [founder Bill] Simmons left. There was some tension there, but that’s not the situation here,” said Firestone, who said that the site has a “great” relationship with ESPN. “I know people looked at Grantland and said something similar would happen to us, but I don’t think there’s any sign of that. Everyone’s committed to this for the long haul.”
To read the rest of the article visit Digiday where it was originally published
Earlier this week I posted two stories highlighting the positive gains made in Nashville by 104.5 The Zone, and in Houston by ESPN 97.5. Both brands produced great January ratings which has many inside both organizations feeling good.
It’s what took place after I wrote those stories that really caught my attention. I couldn’t help but think back to an earlier column I wrote last year about the importance of telling your own story, and not following the advice of Nielsen who recommend keeping your data private.
That’s one thing I’ve never understood about the radio business. We give millions of dollars each year to Nielsen to measure the performance of radio stations in each market, only to receive information that many consider flawed due to small sample sizes. Then, whether we have a strong story to share or not, we’re encouraged to keep the results to ourselves.
Oh and by the way, if you don’t tell your story and the information gets into the hands of a local newspaper or your competitor creates a narrative to strengthen their image and devalue yours, you’re left to defend yourself, and your performance, when in fact you should’ve never had to in the first place.
Does that make any sense?
If a radio company is spending their money for a service to capture the way their brands are received by the local audience, shouldn’t they expect an accurate performance and have the right to use the information the way they see fit?
Can you imagine going into Men’s Wearhouse, spending money for a new suit, only to be told that they’re not sure if they can offer you the right size and you can only wear the outfit on select days?
That seems pretty ridiculous doesn’t it?
When I raise the issue about the importance of sharing your story, it’s these reasons above why I’m so passionate and committed to it. Putting together the various ratings reports that I do on this website takes a lot of time, and research but I believe it can provide a lot more good than bad. Judging by the way the articles are consumed, shared and responded to, it’s obvious that it matters to people.
Before I display some examples to show you the positives that can come from it, let me remind you that a strong ratings performance doesn’t mean that a brand is successful. There are plenty of radio stations that generate high revenues and connect with large audiences yet don’t necessarily see the credit in their monthly numbers.
However, it is the system we operate in and it is the report card we’re dealt each month. A fair share of advertisers still decide where to place their dollars based on what they see on your scorecard, so if it’s important enough to influence future spending with your company, then it should matter enough to you and your organization to deliver a healthy number.
So when you do produce that positive number, and you’re feeling good inside the hallways of your operation, how do you make sure that others beyond your own walls know about it? Are you telling the industry trades? Your clients? Your listeners? Or are you keeping it internal, and letting the opportunity to highlight your brand, your people, and more importantly, your audience, pass you by?
Sometimes industry professionals make the mistake of thinking that by acknowledging a job well done that it means they’re boasting or downgrading the others they compete against. There’s a difference between saying “I’m proud of what we’ve done, and we’re grateful for your support” and “We’re #1 because we’re great and nobody else belongs in the conversation”. If that’s what you decide to say, then yes you’re bragging and likely going to have everyone rooting for you to fail rather than wanting to be part of your success.
Let me share with you a few samples from this past week. You’ll see how much people appreciate hearing that their listenership matters, and how they respond when they feel involved in a brand’s success.
First, let me show you what Fred Faour of ESPN 97.5 posted on Facebook after I posted the story about his radio station’s success in the January ratings book. His afternoon program “The Blitz” which he hosts with AJ Hoffman, was the top rated show in the Houston market for the month, and that’s something that both men should be extremely proud of. But it’s the way that Fred addressed the news, that captured why the show is connecting in strong fashion with Houston sports radio listeners.
By giving the credit to the audience, and thanking them for being part of the journey, especially with the twist of “Blitz Appreciation Day” (they took a good story and made it great), the fans felt included in the success of the show, which led to a lot of positive response.
And it wasn’t just on Facebook either. The same engagement took place on Twitter.
We often hear about social media bringing out the worst in people, and I’m not here to dispute that, because there are plenty of issues that exist in the social space. What we don’t hear much though are the ways it can provide a positive experience. As you can see above, when you share a good story, and include people in the process, they’re proud to express their appreciation and that type of marketing doesn’t cost a dime and can be very powerful.
If you’re wondering if it’s a matter of Houston fans operating differently than other cities, guess again. I saw the same result in Nashville.
A couple of the crew at 104.5 The Zone shared the good news with their listeners on social media, and wouldn’t you know it, people were happy to learn about it. I pulled Mickey Ryan’s post on Facebook, and audience reactions to Jonathan Hutton and Chad Withrow. I also threw in some tweets which poured in after I shared the Nashville ratings story on Twitter.
Altogether there were hundreds of comments, likes, and retweets on social media, and the reaction from the audience was positive. They felt important, empowered, and part of the brand’s success. When listeners feel like they’re receiving special access and information, it makes them feel valued, and they begin to tell the story of your brand better than any television commercial or print ad ever could.
These are two great success stories and there are others out there just like them. I can’t force this industry to promote itself, and I can’t make programmers, talent, and executives want to share their story. I can only offer to help and remind them of why it matters.
If there’s one thing I’ve been frustrated by throughout the years, it’s how this format gets beaten up in print by writers who don’t understand the ratings game or the numerous ways sports radio stations measures their success.
Some columnists have an axe to grind with certain local personalities or they don’t respect the medium because they believe any person can get behind a microphone, offer a strong opinion and generate a response. They see sports radio as a threat to their platform, and can’t understand how some could consider what we do to be art. When an opportunity arises to ignore a station’s success or poke holes in their performance, they take full advantage of it.
While we can sit here and complain each time a column is written that paints a negative picture of our brands and format, I believe it’s the responsibility of each radio station to get out in front of their own story.
Remember this, no columnist owes you a positive article. They decide what content they want to feature on their platform, and although you may believe you deserve recognition in their publication for what you’ve accomplished, if they disagree, you lose.
So then how do you change that?
Social media today is yesterday’s newspaper. Many of us used to wake up, open up the sports section, read the articles, check the box scores and latest stats, and then talk about it with our friends and family. Now though, social media is where we begin, continue, and end our day, and many of the things we discover, appear right in front of our eyes on our own timelines.
If your brand has put the time and resources into building its audience on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or Periscope, then you’re in the right locations. The people who follow your brand are doing so because they enjoy your personalities and content. When you treat them to inside stories such as a new hire, a private contest, an internal debate, or a successful month in the ratings, they often share the information and engage in discussion about it. They become a verbal marketing machine for your organization.
Many operators lose sight of the fact that their own CEO’s are sharing their company story once per quarter with investors. Sales reps and Market Managers are doing the same in person, by phone, and through email with advertisers and local partners. So if those things are taking place, then what are you worried about? Even if your brand has a bad month, it’s forgotten thirty days later.
I’m only one man with an opinion, and you’re more than welcome to disagree with my point of view. Lord knows I’ve been wrong before and will be again at some point.
But from where I sit, I see a lot of good stories taking place across the country in this format. Many of them could provide a couple of local sales staffs with some great ammunition to land larger dollars, while also igniting the local audience and making them want to spend more time supporting their favorite local sports radio stations.
The last time I checked, the goal was to increase the amount of time listeners spend with the radio station and generate more revenue. If that’s the case, and sharing your success helps you take a step closer to accomplishing both goals, then why on earth would you not do it?
The examples above from Nashville and Houston are proof of what can happen when you let people share in your success. The only question you should be asking yourself now is, what exactly are you gaining by not letting them know?
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ television network (SportsNet LA) has made another decision which has local fans unhappy. The team announced it was cutting back spring training broadcasts from 31 to 16.
It sounds like a joke, but it’s real. A network that exists solely to telecast Dodgers games will not be telecasting some Dodgers games. A network accessible to only 40% of Southern California homes has decided, what the heck, let’s shut out everyone.
Luckily for local baseball fans, there is always FS West, which will broadcast 31 Angels spring games, including being the sole television provider for the first two Dodgers-Angels Cactus League games March 9 and 11.
This is not about the importance of watching spring exhibitions, which become awfully boring when all the good players hit the golf courses by the fifth inning. SportsNet LA is not alone in taking a spring break, as most teams televise only a smattering of games — and even KLAC radio is broadcasting only 14 games from Arizona. And yes, it makes sense when Time Warner Cable officials say they are cutting back because of lousy midweek afternoon ratings.
But when the Dodgers and Time Warner Cable continue to deny 60% of Southern California households a chance to watch their team because of ego and greed, then each misstep becomes more galling than the previous one, and every stumble becomes emblematic of a legendary fall.
At this point in the three-year debacle, it is worth wondering whether this might be the worst team-TV partnership in modern sports history. If the Dodgers keep Vin Scully from Los Angeles during his final season, that seals it.
To continue reading visit the Los Angeles Times where it was originally published
Earlier this month we released our “2015 Best In Sports Radio” series which highlighted the Top 20 in a number of different categories. If you read my follow up piece, you likely recall how I pointed out that a number of smaller market stations and shows didn’t receive their due when many had a legitimate gripe.
In the case of great brands like 610 Sports in Kansas City, 101 ESPN in St. Louis, and 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh, they did everything they were supposed to do from a performance standpoint. Their only crime in receiving credit was not tripling the size of their population and becoming a top 10 market, and that’s unfair.
Well, one brand that didn’t bellyache over any of the results but had as strong of a reason to as anyone, was 104.5 The Zone in Nashville.
To many on the outside, the Nashville market may be best known for the Titans and Country music but to plenty of industry insiders, The Zone has become a well respected brand in the sports talk format. It has been and continues to be one of the highest rated brands in the nation, but even many who work in the sports radio field aren’t aware of just how dominant their performance is.
I was able to do some digging and gather the ratings data for the January book in the Nashville market, and I’m excited to share it with you because I believe this is a story that deserves to be told. In my opinion, it’s flown under the radar for far too long.
Let’s start by focusing on M-SU 6a-Mid with Men 25-54.
*** The Zone’s closest competitor, 102.5 and 94.9 The Game, finished tied for 16th with a 1.8.
Next up, M-F 6a-7p with Men 25-54.
When you turn the attention towards the radio station’s weekday programs, it’s the same story. Let’s begin by looking at M-F 6a-10a with Men 25-54.
Shifting gears, we move on to middays M-F 10a-3p with Men 25-54.
To wrap things up we shine the spotlight on M-F 3p-7p with Men 25-54.
Even the radio station’s weekends deliver a 9.7 which is also good enough for 1st.
At this point, the real internal story is which show is going to gain bragging rights for being the best on the radio station. The threat of competition is not on the radio station’s radar. For this month, the honor of being recognized as the station’s best belongs to ‘The Wake Up Zone” which features Kevin Ingram, Frank Wycheck and Mark Howard.
What’s scary is that when you look at the money demo (Persons 25-54), the same story exists.
For example, The Zone was tied for 5th M-SU 6a-Mid with a 6.8. They were 4th M-F 6a-7p with a 7.5. In mornings they finished 2nd with an 8.6. Middays came in 5th with a 7.1. And in afternoon drive, they’re 4th with a 6.9.
What this data tells us is that The Zone owns the market with Men 25-54, and the real competitive focus is on beating brands in the Persons 25-54 category. When a sports station is able to do that, it puts a company in position to have huge financial success.
Let me be clear about one thing as it pertains to this story. I don’t work for 104.5 The Zone or Cumulus who owns the radio station. The only thing I gain by sharing this story is some additional web traffic, a few thank you’s from listeners and industry folks who are appreciative of learning the information, and if I play my cards right, maybe a retweet from Mickey Ryan, Brent Dougherty and Blaine Bishop of 3HL.
If The Zone was losing badly, I wouldn’t hesitate to share that story because I believe in being fair, objective, and honest. In this case though there isn’t much to say other than “congrats on a job well done!”
The purpose of this piece is to educate you on what this brand has created in its local market, and acknowledge why they deserve to be in the conversation among elite brands in the sports radio format. Stations such as 98.5 The Sports Hub and WEEI in Boston, WFAN in New York, 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, and KFAN in Minneapolis all deserve to be at the top of the list, but 104.5 The Zone can make an argument for why they belong in the same discussion.
When you’re delivering double digit ratings and 1st place finishes month after month, that’s impossible to ignore. It’s these types of stories that demonstrate the power sports radio has in local markets, and the more we become familiar with them, the more the mainstream media will have to take notice of the way this format and its personalities connect with local audiences, and deliver results for advertisers.
I know this much, if you’re an advertiser looking to reach Men in the Nashville market, and you’re not investing the majority of your budget on The Zone, your strategy is severely flawed. There’s an old saying in sports radio “you fish where the fish are” and in this case, they’re all swimming in The Zone’s waters.
Highlighting ESPN’s coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine this week, NFL Insiders will originate from Indianapolis from Wednesday, Feb. 24, through Monday, Feb. 29, with one-hour shows at 1:30 p.m. ET (no show Saturday or Sunday). Suzy Kolber will host with Adam Schefter, Bill Polian and Louis Riddick and NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay. NFL Insiders Josina Anderson, Adam Caplan, John Clayton, Mark Dominik, Dan Graziano and Field Yates and national correspondent Sal Paolantonio will also contribute to ESPN’s on-site coverage, appearing on NFL Insiders, NFL Live (one-hour shows follow each NFL Insiders) and SportsCenter throughout the Combine.
Additionally, the following NFL Nation reporters will be on site contributing to ESPN’s multi-platform coverage of the Combine: Todd Archer (Dallas Cowboys), Rob Demovsky (Green Bay Packers), Jeff Dickerson (Chicago Bears), Mike DiRocco (Jacksonville Jaguars), Jeremy Fowler (Pittsburgh Steelers), Tania Ganguli (Houston Texans), Coley Harvey (Cincinnati Bengals), Jamison Hensley (Baltimore Ravens), Paul Kuharsky (Tennessee Titans), Jeff Legwold (Denver Broncos), Vaughn McClure (Atlanta Falcons), Pat McManamon (Cleveland Browns), Mike Rothstein (Detroit Lions), Adam Teicher (Kansas City Chiefs), Nick Wagoner (Los Angeles Rams), Josh Weinfuss (Arizona Cardinals) and Mike Wells (Indianapolis Colts).
The First Draft podcast will also include coverage of the Combine. McShay, fellow NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. and ESPN.com senior editor Chris Sprow welcome an NFL prospect to this week’s show.
Credit to ESPN Media Zone who originally published this information
The January ratings are now available for Houston, and this month there were some new developments which are certain to have one brand celebrating, another frustrated, and a third feeling encouraged but far from satisfied.
The ratings report covers December 31st to January 27th, and during that period SportsTalk 790 (KBME-AM) made some noticeable adjustments to their programming. The radio station moved Matt Thomas to mornings opposite Lance Zierlein, and shifted Adam Clanton from mornings to middays where he debuted a new program alongside former NFL player Sean Jones.
Additionally, Sports Radio 610 KILT made a change to their evening programming, giving Paul Gallant an opportunity to host a solo show.
In analyzing the numbers, here is the comparison for M-Su 6a-Mid among Men 25-54.
*** 610 added a half of a point from month to month, and 97.5 and 790 also added three tenths of a point. KGOW remained flat. Overall the format saw a spike from the Holiday book to January, but if you go back to the same period last year, KILT is down nearly a full point. They delivered a 4.3 last January. During that same time, 97.5 has gained a point, climbing from 1.6 to 2.6, and 790 is down seven tenths going from a 2.2 to 1.5. KGOW also has seen a major decline dropping from 0.6 to 0.1.
Next up is morning drive M-F 6a-10a. Here’s the Men 25-54 breakdown.
*** This was the third book in a row where ESPN 97.5 won mornings and they continue to gain share which is very impressive. When you consider that KILT and 790 go with local programming and 97.5 features “Mike and Mike” and 1-hour of the local program “Reality Check” hosted by Dylan Gwynn and Barry Warner, this is a major win for the brand. Making it even more impressive is that one year ago, the station was producing a 1.3 in mornings. This means they’ve gained more than 2 points in morning drive year to year. For KILT the news isn’t bad. They were up month to month and only three tenths away from tying 97.5. They’re also consistent year to year. For 790, they too saw an increase, which is great news given that they recently made a change in mornings. They improved by three tenths of a point from the Holiday book to January. The one concern would be the decline year to year which has seen the brand slip from a 4.1 to 2.7. However, with a new show in place, I’m sure they’re expecting bigger things to come in the future.
When you examine M-F 10a-3p this is what the midday story looks like with Men 25-54:
*** Middays are where KILT regains the lead and holds a comfortable six tenths of a point advantage. However, 790 rew from a 0.9 in December to 1.6 in January which is really strong and indicates that Clanton and Jones may have attracted an extra meter or two. KILT was up a tenth month to month, and 97.5 saw growth as well, picking up four tenths from the Holiday monthly to January. Looking back to the same time last year, KILT has lost 2 points slipping from a 5.0 to 3.0, 790 has dropped eight tenths falling from a 2.4 to 1.6, and 97.5 which has added John Granato to the local mix and also includes Sean Salisbury, has added nine tenths growing from a 1.5 to 2.4. Also, KGOW has fallen hard dropping from 0.9 to 0.1 during the past 12 months.
Rounding out the key prime time matchups is the afternoon drive slot. Here’s how M-F 3p-7p with Men 25-54 stacked up.
*** This was a huge win for 97.5 as KILT has consistently led the afternoon battle. Month to month the radio station grew eight tenths of a point, improving from a 2.8 to 3.6, and during the past twelve months that number has risen from 2.3 to 3.6. Congrats are in order for AJ Hoffman, Fred Faour, and Russillo and Kanell who all contributed to the station’s afternoon growth. For KILT, I’m sure they’re not satisfied finishing behind 97.5 but they are only four tenths away, and one ranking position behind. They did experience slight growth month to month going from a 3.0 to a 3.2 but year to year they’ve suffered some bad luck, falling from a 4.9 to 3.2. For 790, they saw slight improvement climbing from a 1.2 to 1.4, but year to year they too are down, dropping from 1.9 in 2015 to 1.4 in 2016. KGOW had no impact for the month and are down 0.6 to 0.0 year to year.
Taking a look at the evenings, where KILT debuted a new program, here’s what the picture looked like M-F 7p-12a among Men 25-54.
*** It was a good start for KILT’s new evening program, as the show added two tenths month to month. The concern however would be a drop year to year from 3.9 to 2.5. Given though that this is the first month of a new program, we’ll need a longer sample size to see how the changes are received, but so far so good. For 97.5 and 790, this is the area where they’re not as strong. Given that these are the off-peak hours, I’m sure they’re not too concerned about it.
To summarize, it was a big month for ESPN 97.5. Make no mistake about it, when you win mornings and afternoons and unseat the leading brand in the market, it’s going to be a little sweeter entering the workplace. We weren’t privy to the M-F 6a-7p numbers with Men 25-54 but I’m sure the story is a strong one for 97.5, and as this train continues to pick up steam, I’m sure local and national advertisers are taking notice.
For KILT, they’re used to winning so this isn’t familiar territory. That said, they are only a few tenths of a point away from reversing the latest setback. The real test will come next month when the February monthly offers little play-by-play benefit and the market’s best personalities and content stand out. Their decision to run a trade deadline promotion around their personalities was smart, but only time will tell if it made a difference in the numbers.
Last but not least is 790. Where they have to feel really good is when they look month to month and they see their latest changes paying immediate dividends. To grow four tenths in mornings, and seven tenths in middays is excellent. Now the station needs to continue that momentum in order to make up ground from where they were last year and ultimately unseat one of the top two leading brands.
As for KGOW, they’re in a different category and not a factor in the ratings.
Credit to the Houston Chronicle who were first to report this story
