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Jamie Erdahl, Jason McCourty Make Official Good Morning Football Debut

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Jamie Erdahl, Jason McCourty Make Official Good Morning Football Debut

A new era of Good Morning Football on NFL Network began Monday morning as Jamie Erdahl and Jason McCourty made their debut as co-hosts, alongside holdovers Kyle Brandt and Peter Schrager. 

Schrager told Sports Illustrated Media Podcast host Jimmy Traina that Good Morning Football would be “funny as hell” with the addition of Erdahl and McCourty, and he and Brandt welcomed the new duo in a way only they could.

Erdahl joins the program after working with CBS Sports since 2014, most notably as a sideline reporter for the network’s NFL and SEC football coverage. Erdahl takes over for Kay Adams, who left the show in May. Adams is reportedly a leading candidate to join a rebranded FanDuelTV as a morning show host.

McCourty, who announced his retirement from the  NFL on Friday, July 15th, played in the league for 13 seasons with Tennessee, Cleveland, New England, and Miami. The 34-year-old replaces former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson.

Good Morning Football airs live weekdays on NFL Network at 7 AM.

Charles Barkley Sets Thursday Deadline For LIV Golf Offer

BSM Staff
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More light has been shined on Charles Barkley and what could possibly be the biggest sports media story of the month.

On Monday’s episode of The Dan Patrick Show, Barkley shared his thoughts on a potential deal to join the controversial LIV Golf organization. Put together with money from the Public Investment Fund from the Saudi Arabian government, LIV Golf has been the home to several prominent PGA Tour golfers who defected for more money and fewer events.

When asked how the past week has been for the former NBA All-Star, Barkley said it’s been “very stressful. It’s been tough. It’s been hard.”

Barkley met with LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman to discuss joining the upstart league as a television broadcaster. When Norman asked if Barkley was interested, he replied “of course I’m interested. I wouldn’t have had dinner with you if I wasn’t interested.”

Currently, Barkley works as an analyst on TNT’s wildly popular Inside The NBA and said it would be a difficult job to leave.

“I love TNT. I love Ernie (Johnson), Kenny (Smith), and Shaq (O’Neal) but if they (LIV Golf) do something crazy, I have to listen. I can’t get on here and say it’s not about the money. Of course it’s about the money. Everyone is working for money. Guys are getting between $150-$200 million, I’d be stupid not to listen to those offers.”

When Patrick asked what a “crazy” offer would be, Barkley wasn’t definitive on what that specific number would be but knew several factors would have to be considered.

“They know how much money I make. I have 3 more years left on my TNT deal. I’m probably gonna lose all my commercials. If I lose my TNT gig, that would hurt me a lot” Barkley said.

TNT has yet to comment publicly on the courtship, and Barkley says he hasn’t heard from them, either.

“We have not had any conversations (Barkley and TNT). To be honest with you, Dan, they’ve been very quiet. Everything is really speculation right now. Unless they come to me with something crazy, I’m not leaving TNT. I love TNT.”

“What’s crazy?”, Patrick asked again.

“Considering how much I make now, it’s gonna take something crazy for me to give up my life…I don’t like talking about how much money I make,” Barkley sheepishly said.

“Let’s say you make $20 million between endorsements and TNT. Maybe that’s high,” Patrick replied.

“I’ll tell you right now that it’s not,” Barkley bragged.

“Let’s come back and say they’ll triple it?”, Patrick asked.

“If they triple it…the next time I come on your show the first question should be ‘hey Charles where’s the party tonight? Where are we celebrating?”, Barkley said.

Barkley told Patrick he has put an internal deadline of Thursday when he’ll play in the LIV Golf Pro-Am at Trump National Golf Club in Somerset County, New Jersey.

“When I leave the golf course Thursday night, I better have an offer in hand,” Barkley said.

NFL Plus Streaming Service Launches With Multiple Price Points

BSM Staff
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NFL Plus Streaming Service Launches With Multiple Price Points

The NFL’s proprietary streaming service, NFL Plus, is here. The platform debuted today and has received a fairly tepid response.

The service comes with two different price tags. For $4.99 per month, a subscriber will get every out-of-market preseason game as well as live game audio and video of locally and nationally available regular season and playoff games.

Content from the NFL library and the radio call of every game is also available at that price.

The other package costs $9.99 per month. In addition to everything at the $4.99 price tag, the high end subscribers also get full game replays and coaches’ film of every game.

Games streamed on NFL Plus can only be watched on a phone or tablet. The platform cannot be used on smart TVs.

“Not exactly groundbreaking, but you can’t be a modern business with customers online and not have a streaming app with a ‘plus’ on the end of your name,” Stephen Douglas wrote for The Big Lead.

Both packages come with an annual rate. The $4.99 per month plan will cost $29.99 annually. The $9.99 per month plan’s annual price tag is $79.99. NFL Plus is currently offering a seven-day free trial. It will be interesting to see if that offer is available once preseason games begin in earnest.

The NFL is currently in negotiations for the future home of Sunday Ticket. The product, which will allow fans to watch any game they want for a significantly higher price than NFL Plus, seems destined for a digital home with Apple and Amazon previously seen as frontrunners. Google recently entered the fray as well.

MSNBC Leads Latest Jan. 6th Hearings Coverage

BNM Staff
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The Jan. 6th committee hearings investigating the insurrection at the Capitol rolled on for another week. Its sixth daytime edition (and seventh overall), which took place on July 12, focused on former President Donald Trump’s connections with the extremist groups that formed the mobs that stormed the Capital.

Aside from the June 28th appearance from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson (rising to 13.2 million on that day), daytime hearings have averaged within the range of 10.5-11.0 million viewers combined across multiple networks; July 12th was no exception.

On the cable side, three patterns remained consistent:

  1. MSNBC is the Top Cable News Outlet in Hearings Coverage Among Total Audience

With its audience primarily left-leaning, it’s no surprise the committee hearings uncovering plots and instances from the former President is of high interest on the network. Yet, it continues to outpace its competition among total viewers. Only once has MSNBC attracted less than 3 million for any hearing; that occurred for its morning slot on June 13 (2.49 million), the committee’s first daytime portion.

On July 12 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern, MSNBC averaged 3.26 million total viewers and 439,000 within the key 25-54 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research. Those respective figures were able to top CNN and Fox News within the same time slot; only FNC’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (535,000) managed to top it for the entire day of July 12 in adults 25-54.

  1. Hearings Coverage Has Steadily Grown in CNN Daytime

As a solid runner-up to MSNBC, CNN’s coverage of the hearings on July 12 drew 2.61 million among total viewers and came just 7,000 shy of MSNBC in adults 25-54 (432,000).

CNN’s overall viewing for the daytime hearings have generally trended upward in recent weeks. Its first week (June 13 and June 16) hovered around the 1.35 million viewer mark; by June 21, it rose to 2.07 million; and, by June 23, it grew again to 2.43 million, with the caveat being that afternoon hearing began at the later time of 3 p.m. Eastern.

CNN’s telecast of the hearing featuring Hutchinson on June 28 and the aforementioned July 12th each delivered over 2.6 million viewers.

For five of the seven hearings that have taken place thru July 12, CNN has been the clear 25-54 demo leader in news.

  1. Fox News Continues Lagging Behind with Committee Hearings

If the data is any indication, the Fox News audience would rather watch their network’s hosts opine about the hearings than watch the actual hearings themselves.

While CNN’s viewership has grown for these hearings, Fox News has experienced the opposite trajectory within the same daytime windows. Its live hearings coverage has only drawn over one million viewers once, back on the morning of June 13. Even the highlighted Hutchinson appearance from June 28 had mustered just 900,000 viewers on the outlet.

For July 12, FNC averaged 847,000 total viewers and 127,000 adults 25-54 for the entire three hours; viewership declined at each passing hour — a stark occurrence for the usually potent outlet: from 1-2 p.m. ET, 968,000 total viewers including 158,000 aged 25-54; from 2-3 p.m. ET, 849,000 total viewers including  120,000 aged 25-54; and, from 3-4 p.m. ET, 723,000 total viewers including 103,000 aged 25-54.

Nonetheless, as the following network averages detail, the committee hearings have been a mere blip in Fox News Channel’s weekly dominance on cable (and TV overall).

Cable news averages for July 11-17, 2022:

Total Day (July 11-17 @ 6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 1.366 million viewers; 202,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 0.824 million viewers; 89,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 0.564 million viewers; 113,000 adults 25-54
  • HLN: 0.170 million viewers; 51,000 adults 25-54
  • Fox Business Network: 0.126 million viewers; 14,000 adults 25-54
  • CNBC: 0.125 million viewers; 30,000 adults 25-54
  • The Weather Channel: 0.099 million viewers; 17,000 adults 25-54
  • Newsmax: 0.099 million viewers; 13,000 adults 25-54

Prime Time (July 11-16 @ 8-11 p.m.; July 17 @ 7-11 p.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 2.176 million viewers; 311,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 1.309 million viewers; 132,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 0.660 million viewers; 146,000 adults 25-54
  • CNBC: 0.205 million viewers; 66,000 adults 25-54
  • HLN: 0.196 million viewers; 52,000 adults 25-54
  • Newsmax: 0.146 million viewers; 17,000 adults 25-54
  • The Weather Channel: 0.132 million viewers; 25,000 adults 25-54
  • Fox Business Network: 0.065 million viewers; 11,000 adults 25-54
  • NewsNation: 0.044 million viewers; 4,000 adults 25-54

Top 10 most-watched cable news programs (and the top programs of other outlets with their respective associated ranks) in total viewers:

1. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 7/11/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.312 million viewers

2. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 7/13/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.282 million viewers

3. January 6th Hearings “Day 6” (MSNBC, Tue. 7/12/2022 1:00 PM, 180 min.) 3.260 million viewers

4. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 7/11/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.220 million viewers

5. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 7/13/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.181 million viewers

6. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 7/14/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.171 million viewers

7. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 7/14/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.148 million viewers

8. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 7/12/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.142 million viewers

9. The Five (FOXNC, Fri. 7/15/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.009 million viewers

10. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 7/12/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.001 million viewers

18. Jan. 6th Hearings “Day 6” (CNN, Tue. 7/12/2022 1:00 PM, 180 min.) 2.607 million viewers

 • Spicer & Co. (Newsmax, Tue. 7/12/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.299 million viewers

Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research

Boomer Esiason: FOX Signed Tom Brady For Wall Street

BSM Staff
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Everyone has an opinion on FOX signing Tom Brady to join its top NFL broadcast booth when his playing days are over. Many of those opinions are about what Brady can and will do for the quality of the broadcast. Boomer Esiason says that isn’t what the network is worried about.

On Monday’s edition of Boomer & Gio, the CBS NFL analyst made the argument that FOX accomplished its goal for the move long before Brady will ever step into the broadcast booth. What FOX wanted was proof that it would be okay after Troy Aikman and Joe Buck left America’s Game of the Week for ESPN.

“All these guys have got to go on earnings calls to Wall Street investors,” Esiason said. “So right after they lose Aikman and Buck and right before the earnings call, Lachlan Murdoch basically signed Tom Brady to this ridiculous deal. So when he got on the earnings call a couple of days later he could say ‘we’re not losers. We’re not weak. We’re as big as we always are. As a matter of fact, we’re bigger now because we have the greatest player in NFL history signing a contract to come and join us when he’s done. That’s how big we are.’”

He used an example closer to home to illustrate his point. Esiason’s CBS colleague Tony Romo set a new market for top NFL broadcasters when he got a new contract that paid him $17 million annually. Esiason said that was the result of ESPN showing interest in Romo right around the time CBS was getting ready for its own earnings call in 2020.

“When you keep your stars in-house, it’s a good sign that you’re a strong company and you are building. It makes waves within the Wall Street community, which is very, very important.”

Meadowlark Media boss John Skipper is among the many that have made the point that FOX is giving a lot of money to someone that has not proven to be very interesting on television. Boomer Esiason said that is the wrong measure of whether or not it was a smart move. The right measure is in the financial implications.

“Fox Corp’s stock price sat at $32.42 per share on Tuesday, May 10th, the day news of the Brady contract was announced. When the markets closed for the week on Friday, May 13th, the stock had risen to $33.80 per share.”

Sports Media Colleagues Celebrate Tim Kurkjian Hall of Fame Induction

BSM Staff
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ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian is one of the best-known baseball reporters in America. His passion for Major League Baseball is unmatched and won him plenty of fans. Those elements of his personality, along with his exceptional reporting, earned him enshrinement in Cooperstown over the weekend.

The Baseball Writers Association of America awarded its Career Excellence Award to Kurkjian earlier this year. That made him part of the most recent induction class for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The enshrinement ceremony happened this weekend. Plenty of Kurkjian’s colleagues from ESPN and other sports media outlets took to Twitter to celebrate his achievement.

A good sign of a media member’s influence is what the players have to say about them. Tim Kurkjian said in his induction speech that one former player reached out upon hearing the news to confirm that the ESPN reporter belongs in the Hall of Fame.

“The day I won this award I got a text from Jim Kaat saying, ‘Tim we are connected now,’” he said. “Connected forever to a player as great and a man as great as Jim Kaat is the thrill of a lifetime for me.”

Kurkjian concluded his remarks by praising the sport and noting that it has meant more to him than just a means to making a living. It has truly been an important part of his life.

“Baseball was the primary language spoken in my house growing up. My dad was a really good player. And he taught us three boys how to play the game, how to love the game, and he gave us a great feel for the game. It was a privilege to cover the game 40 years ago, and now 40 years later, it is still a privilege. Baseball is the greatest game. It’s the best game of all time. It’s the hardest game in the world to play. It is a beautiful game.”

Ken Matthews Apologizes for Remarks Leading to Firing

BNM Staff
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Former national radio host Ken Matthews shared exactly why he was fired by Talk Media Networks last week.

In an audio post shared via YouTube, Matthews said he was caught on an open mic swearing while reading some profane emails to his engineer that were written by Hunter Biden.

Matthews has done thousands of shows over the last three decades, he said this is the first that he can remember in which he was caught on an open microphone after his producer said that he was off the air.

“I want to apologize for some things heard on my July 12, 2022, radio show,” Matthews said. “I was unaware that most of everything I was discussing with my engineer off the air was being broadcast on the air yesterday.”

Matthews broadcast the final “Rush Limbaugh Show” right before Clay Travis and Buck Sexton took over permanently.  

“Again, I apologize to you and will always remain grateful to you for taking the time to listen to my show(s). Be well. Be safe. God Bless America,” added Matthews.

“The Ken Matthews Show” is still listed on Harrisburg, Pennsylvania news/talk station WHP. Matthews has been in Harrisburg since 2013.  Matthews’ show will run in the “best of” mode nationally until next month. 

Ben Shapiro Tops Podcast Downloads For News Media

BNM Staff
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“The Ben Shapiro Show” was the most downloaded podcast in the United States last month. According to Triton, Shapiro’s show edged out NPR’s “NPR News Now” for the top spot.

Several nationally syndicated hosts also made the list, including Dan Bongino (8); Charlie Kirk (14); and Mark Levin (18).

Cable news podcasts were also represented in the top 100 list published initially by Talkers. That list includes MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow (22), HBO’s Bill Maher (100); MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough (67); and CNN’s “5 Things” (23).

According to Brandastic, podcast listeners consume an average of seven shows per week, and around 24% of the U.S. population (68 million) listen to multiple podcasts weekly.

Today’s most popular podcast network is a close competition between iHeartRadio and NPR, with over 22 million monthly listeners.

The report of the 100 top podcasts is based on average weekly downloads in June. You can view the entire list by clicking here. 

Fox Nation Airing Special on Alec Baldwin

BNM Staff
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FOX Nation will debut a special program examining the life of Emmy award-winning actor Alec Baldwin and the tragic shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins who died on the set of the movie “Rust.”

“Who is Alec Baldwin?” will debut Monday, it will be hosted by Fox News Channel’s Brian Kilmeade.

According to a news release, the program will include interviews with celebrity life coach Vivace Maxvictor, Wall Street Journal film critic Kyle Smith and movie critic Christian Toto.

According to the New York Times, Baldwin denies any responsibility for shooting Hutchins because he was told that the gun that was used to kill her contained blank rounds. Baldwin is now facing several lawsuits related to the incident.  

FOX Nation is a direct-to-consumer on-demand streaming service designed to complement the FOX News Channel experience with a members-only destination for its most passionate and loyal super fans.

Learn more about FOX Nation at foxnation.com

Chris Russo, Suzyn Waldman and Jeff Smulyan to Be Inducted into Radio Hall of Fame

BSM Staff
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The Museum of Broadcast Communications has announced the selection of three new inductees from sports radio into the Radio Hall of Fame for 2022.

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo from Sirius XM, Suzyn Waldman from the New York Yankees Radio Network/WFAN and Jeff Smulyan, President and CEO of Emmis Communications will each be honored with an in-person ceremony on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 in Chicago.

“Congratulations to each member of the 2022 Class of Inductees,” said Kraig T. Kitchin, Co-Chair of the Radio Hall of Fame. “Our forthcoming inductees have made a wonderful impact on the lives of their listeners and our industry. We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate their respective careers and honor them with an induction to the Radio Hall of Fame”.

The trio will be part of a nine-member class that will be honored. Six of the inductees were determined by a voting participant panel comprised of more than 800 industry professionals and three inductees were voted on by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.

“It is an honor to induct nine worthy individuals to the Radio Hall of Fame,” Dennis Green, Co-Chair of the Radio Hall of Fame, remarked. “This year was our highest voter participation ever and the radio industry picked an amazing, diverse class of broadcasters and executives that we are proud to call Hall of Famers. These individuals have made a lasting impact on this amazing industry, cementing their place as part of the legacy that makes radio special.”

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