Joy Taylor appeared this morning with Jonathan Zaslow and Brett Romberg on 790 The Ticket to address her future. She confirmed that she will be accepting a television opportunity in Los Angeles with Fox Sports.
“Joy & Zaslow” have been a very entertaining morning show in Miami for a little more than two years. Her departure leaves a vacancy in mornings, one the radio station is actively looking to fill. If interested in applying, visit our Jobs section for details.
We’ve reached Day #4 of our awards series “The 2015 Best In Sports Radio” and today we’re going to depart from the local scene to find out which National Sports Talk shows cracked our Top 20 list. These shows broadcast on hundreds of stations per day, reaching thousands of people across the country, and many in the radio business view these personalities as the best the industry has to offer.
A reminder, the results have been created by 35 radio executives from 23 U.S cities, and 15 broadcast companies. I did not cast a vote but will share my opinions on the entire process in a column later next week.
Each of our voters was given 35 shows to choose from and asked to pick their Top 20 in exact order. The criteria laid out below is a little different than what was used to measure local programs. That’s because the ratings are different from market to market and some shows changed networks and timeslots during the past year.
Although these selections are subjective and likely to stir debate, I remind you that the goal was to highlight those in the industry who delivered outstanding national programming in 2015. In doing so, you’re provided with a look behind the curtain to how the sports format’s brightest minds view the best national talk shows.
I want to extend my appreciation to the executive committee who voted to help us create these results. And now, Barrett Sports Media proudly presents “America’s Top 20 National Sports Talk Shows” as part of “The 2015 Best in Sports Radio Awards“!
Additional Notes:
We’ve reached the halfway point of our “2015 Best In Sports Radio” series. So far we’ve featured America’s Top 20 Local Sports Morning and Midday shows, and today we’re turning our attention to the Top 20 Local Sports Afternoon shows. If you’re late to the party and unaware of how this process works, here’s a quick briefing.
35 radio executives took part in the voting process. Each member was provided with 35 shows to choose from and asked to select their Top 20 in exact order. This was the criteria they used in making their choices:
If a show didn’t spend the majority of the year on the air and make an impact in their local market, they didn’t make the final 35. In some cases, a show may have done both, but didn’t perform as high as the other 35 ahead of them. The objective is to recognize the best shows of 2015, not the longest tenured show or the ones we’d draft if all were free agents.
As an example, “Dery and Sharp” from Detroit Sports 105.1 and “Fletcher and Chop” of 750 The Game in Portland didn’t qualify for the list of 35 due to not being together as a full show in afternoons for two third’s of the year. If they stay together and perform strongly in 2016, and we elect to do this project again next year, they’d be up for consideration.
The 35 executives who voted represent 23 U.S cities and 15 different broadcast companies. I sought out smart and experienced industry people from a number of organizations across the country because I wanted the results to be balanced and without company bias or geographical influence affecting the totals.
There will be debate over some of the selections but I remind you that the goal is to highlight those in our business who produced strongly in 2015, and to give you an idea of how the top leaders in the sports talk format view the country’s best afternoon drive programs. I myself did not vote on the results, but will have a column coming out next week sharing my own observations and opinions on what I learned while overseeing this project.
I want to thank everyone who was a part of our executive committee and took the time to share their input. Now without further delay, Barrett Sports Media presents “America’s Top 20 Local Sports Afternoon Shows” as part of “The 2015 Best in Sports Radio Awards“!
Additional Notes:
It’s Day #2 of our 6 part series honoring the best in sports radio. Yesterday we revealed America’s Top 20 Local Sports Morning Shows for 2015, and today we turn our attention to the nation’s best midday programs. Once again I’d like to remind you that this is an inexact science and the results are subjective. However, 35 radio executives took part in this voting process, and each individual was given 35 shows to choose from and asked to select their Top 20 in exact order using the following criteria below:
If a show didn’t perform or spend the majority of the year on the air, they didn’t make the final 35. In some cases, a show may have done both, but wasn’t as strong as the 35 others ahead of them. Our goal was to feature the best shows for 2015, not the longest tenured show or the ones we’d draft if all were free agents.
As an example, two excellent programs (Ordway, Merloni and Fauria of WEEI in Boston and David Kaplan of ESPN 1000) didn’t make the list of 35 because they only spent 1/3 of the year in middays at their respective stations. If they remain intact and perform well, and we do this project again next year, they’ll likely be strong contenders.
The executives who took part in the voting represent 23 U.S cities, and 15 different broadcast companies, and many of them have been key players in the format’s growth for over a decade. In many cases, they’ve led brands in multiple markets to large levels of success. It should be noted that I did not cast a vote towards these results myself but I will be writing a column next week offering my personal opinions on what I discovered while running point on this process.
I’m sure there will be some debate over the selections, but I remind you that this list was created to highlight those in our industry who produced excellent results in 2015, and to give you an idea of how sports radio’s top leaders view the format’s best midday programs. I appreciate those who were part of the committee and took the time to contribute, and I’m thrilled now to bring to you “America’s Top 20 Local Sports Midday Shows” as part of “The 2015 Best in Sports Radio Awards“!
Additional Notes:
A coveted package of the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” will be split between CBS and NBC, a maneuver that will introduce new complexity into the next fall TV season and attests to the leverage the sports league has in the current media-industry landscape, where mass audiences are harder to draw to scripted programming and reality shows.
For the past two seasons, CBS held sole rights to an eight-game package, which was simulcast on cable’s NFL Network. Now, each network will show five games each season over the course of a two-year deal: CBS will broadcast the first half of the schedule and NBC will televise the second half. while The NFL said all broadcast games will continue to be simulcast on NFL Network, which will exclusively televise an eight-game schedule of regular season games comprised of “Thursday Night Football,” late-season games on Saturday, and additional games to be determined.
The value of the pact was said to be $225 million per network, a big jump from the $300 million CBS was said to pay for eight games that were broadcast last year. The Wall Street Journal previously reported the news.
And the league has more to do with its mid-week franchise. The NFL said in a statement Monday that it’s “in active discussions with prospective digital partners” for streaming rights that would allow the games to be distributed by a digital player. “A deal announcement is expected in the near future.”
To read more visit Variety where this article was originally published
With a new format designed to serve sports fans as they go about their early morning routine, SportsCenter:AM will launch Monday, Feb. 8, at 7 a.m. ET on ESPN.
Starting earlier than a live SportsCenter ever has on a regular basis, SportsCenter:AM will display a new vision for ESPN’s signature news and information program, with a greater emphasis on highlights and video, and a faster pace and more personality, while understanding the demands and time restrictions of morning viewers.
“We know that from 7-10 a.m., sports fans are on the go,” said Rob King, ESPN senior vice president, SportsCenter and News. “So this show will be especially attuned to the needs of this audience: delivering a smart, fast-paced, highlights-driven report that’s mindful of the time fans have to consume news as they start their days.”
The three-hour SportsCenter:AM will feature four ESPN personalities, with Jay Harris, Kevin Negandhi and Jaymee Sire anchoring the program joined by contributor Sarina Morales. Morales will be active on social media platforms such as Periscope and Snapchat during the show.
The program will contain three distinct hours, with the first hour focusing on taking a fresh look at highlights from the previous night in sports. The second hour will showcase top plays and moments from the previous night and the third hour will begin the transition to the upcoming day in sports while still featuring highlights. SportsCenter:AM will have a unique look and feel with its own graphics, lighting and colors.
All of ESPN’s daytime SportsCenter editions will have a different appearance beginning Feb. 8. From 7 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., each of the four shows will have a distinct format and identity:
10-11 a.m. – Hannah Storm will host an hour program focused on interviews, high-profile guests and news topics. Storm’s “Face to Face” interviews with athletes and newsmakers will be part of the program on a regular basis. Storm and her guests will elevate the conversation, with an evolved look at the previous night’s events and the day’s biggest storylines. Toni Collins will join Storm in the studio for news updates.
11 a.m. – noon – Chris McKendry and Jay Crawford will continue as hosts of the now one-hour 11 a.m. program, which will provide viewers SportsCenter’s deepest look at the day’s biggest stories. The program will leverage ESPN’s vast analyst, insider and reporter roster to explore major daily storylines, with analysts joining the anchors on the set and reporters adding information from the field. As with the 10 a.m. program, Collins will provide news updates.
Noon – 1:30 p.m. – Cari Champion and David Lloyd will host the midday show that will feature a conversational format, reflecting a time of day that demands an evolved discussion of the most compelling events and storylines. The show also will have contributions fromSportsCenter fan correspondent Reese Waters and will include features. The noon show will run 90 minutes.
Also on Feb. 8, Mike & Mike will debut an enhanced studio set. Mike & Mike airs weekdays, 6 – 10 a.m. on ESPN Radio and is simulcast on ESPN2. SportsCenter:AM and Mike & Mike will work closely to share resources.
Credit to ESPN Media Zone who originally published this article
It’s time to reveal America’s Top 20 local sports morning shows for 2015. Before you race ahead though to see who made the list, let me first explain how the results were produced. Although this is an inexact science and the results are subjective, I tried to create a formula that made sense. Whether it worked or not is in the eye of the beholder, but I’m comfortable with the way it turned out.
In total, 35 radio executives took part in determining these results. I did not cast a vote myself. I will though write a full column next week analyzing the results of this process and share my thoughts on the biggest takeaways.
Each member of the executive committee was given 35 shows to choose from, and asked to select their Top 20 in exact order. They were asked to use the following criteria when making their decisions:
The point system worked great because it made it easy to capture a show’s total impact among 35 different executives. That was important in determining where a show finished in the final rankings.
One thing to keep in mind, if a show didn’t generate ratings or spend the majority of the year on the air, they didn’t make the final 35. In some cases, a show may have done both, but didn’t perform as high as the 35 others. The goal was to feature the best shows for 2015, not the longest tenured show or the ones we’d draft if all were free agents.
For example, Bernie Miklasz in St. Louis, and John Fricke and Hugh Douglas in Atlanta didn’t make the list of 35 because they spent less than half of the year hosting morning drive for their respective stations. However, if we do this project again in 2017, and they remain in their current positions and perform strongly, they’d be up for consideration.
To make things fair and balanced, I sought out people for the executive committee who have worked in the format for a long period of time. Some have worked for a number of companies, and influenced brands in multiple markets. Others have remained with one group in top markets and delivered strong results for over a decade. I wanted to avoid company bias and geographical influence playing a key role in the determination of the final results, and by involving 35 members from 23 U.S cities, and 15 different broadcast companies, I think that goal was accomplished.
Some will ask for the identity of the voters to be made public, but as I mentioned previously, I promised anonymity to those who participated. That is something I will not compromise. To do so would affect future participation, and damage my relationships in the industry.
There will be plenty of debate over these selections, but I hope that you remember that the purpose of this project is to highlight those in our format who perform at a high level, and to give you an idea of who the industry’s brightest minds viewed as the format’s best in 2015.
Now without further adieu, Barrett Sports Media proudly presents “America’s Top 20 Local Sports Morning Shows” as part of “The 2015 Best in Sports Radio Awards“!
Additional Notes:
Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch is reporting that Keyshawn Johnson will not be returning to ESPN following the conclusion of his contract, which ends after this NFL season. Johnson has been a member of ESPN since 2007, working as an NFL analyst. He’s contributed to most of the network’s programs, and has been a featured member of the network’s highest profile football show “Sunday NFL Countdown“.
Johnson’s departure may not be the last to impact Countdown either. The agreements for Chris Berman and Mike Ditka are expected to expire following the 2016 NFL season.
For more media news, read Richard Deistch on Sports Illustrated
We’re a bit behind in catching up on recent Houston radio ratings from Nielsen Audio. So we’ll summarize two months in one entry.
This list covers the December book from Nov. 5 to Dec. 2 and the Holiday book from Dec. 3-30, which includes the stretch drive of the NFL regular season and the final days before some lineup changes that took effect with the new year on KBME (790 AM) and KILT (610 AM).
First, however, the results for men 25-54, the key demo for sports radio, indicate that Texans flagship station KILT (610 AM) led but did not dominate at the height of football season.
Also, KFNC (97.5 FM) has solidified its move past KBME (790 AM) for second place among the four sports stations. It should be interesting to see if those numbers hold with KBME’s January lineup changes.
As always, we start with 6 a.m. to midnight (Monday through Sunday) among men 25-54. KILT still leads and saw an uptick in the Holiday book, but KFNC is holding fast in second.
Station Holiday December Holiday 2014
KILT (610 AM) 2.9 (18th) 2.6 (T17th) 3.4 (13th)
KFNC (97.5 FM) 2.3 (20th) 2.3 (T20th) 1.5 (23rd)
KBME (790 AM) 1.2 (25th) 1.2 (25th) 2.2 (20th)
KGOW (1560 AM) 0.1 (T37th) 0.1 (T39th) 0.4 (T30th)
ESPN Radio plus an hour of local programming has enabled KFNC to top KILT in morning drive for two books in a row, which is fairly astonishing in the middle of football season.
Station Holiday December Holiday 2014
KFNC (97.5 FM) 3.3 (13th) 2.6 (15th) 1.6 (22nd)
KILT (610 AM) 2.4 (T18th) 2.3 (18th) 2.9 (14th)
KBME (790 AM) 2.4 (T18th) 1.9 (21st) 4.6 (7th)
KGOW (1560 AM) 0.2 (T34th) 0.1 (T39th) 0.6 (31st)
KILT is up in middays (10 a.m.-3 p.m.), and KFNC is the clear runner-up. This will be a time slot to watch in the next book with the new team of Sean Jones and Adam Clanton on KBME.
Station Holiday December Holiday 2014
KILT (610 AM) 2.9 (15th) 2.4 (17th) 4.2 (5th)
KFNC (97.5 FM) 2.0 (21st) 2.2 (19th) 1.6 (22nd)
KBME (790 AM) 0.9 (27th) 1.2 (25th) 2.6 (16th)
KGOW (1560 AM) 0.1 (T35th) 0.0 (T38th) 0.7 (26th)
KILT still leads in afternoon drive time (3-7 p.m.), but KFNC is making a good run despite having to give up one hour to ESPN Radio.
Station Holiday December Holiday 2014
KILT (610 AM) 3.0 (15th) 2.7 (18th) 3.3 (13th)
KFNC (97.5 FM) 2.8 (17th) 2.4 (20th) 1.8 (22nd)
KBME (790 AM) 1.2 (25th) 1.4 (25th) 1.6 (23rd)
KGOW (1560 AM) 0.1 (T37th) 0.1 (T37th) 0.4 (T30th)
Texans programming continued to boost KILT from 7 p.m. until midnight, and KBME doesn’t appear to be getting much out of its Rockets broadcasts.
Station Holiday December Holiday 2014
KILT (610 AM) 2.3 (16th) 3.0 (15th) 2.9 (16th)
KFNC (97.5 FM) 1.4 (24th) 1.3 (T24th) 1.3(T22nd)
KBME (790 AM) 1.0 (25th) 0.5 (T28th) 1.3 (T22nd)
KGOW (1560 AM) 0.0 (T38th) 0.0 (T39th) 0.0 (T40th)
To see how the individual shows performed visit the Houston Chronicle where this information was originally posted
