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What Can Radio Do To Save Sales Jobs?

Jeff Caves
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What Can Radio Do To Save Sales Jobs?

Are you to be trusted? Do you offer to help your clients or do you just sell them the latest packages right off the shelf? Do you take the time to learn enough about how somebody does their job so you can present solutions tailor-made for them? Are you emailing clients the latest “radio reaches everybody!” research that makes you look good and the rest of the media bad? 

Then we are part of the problem. And this problem may lead to the elimination of a good number of salespeople.

Radio Matters
Courtesy: RAB

When was the last time you met with an advertising agency executive beyond the buyers’ desk? They don’t want to see us and never have in general. Why? All we want to do is sell them.

We have lost trust, and without a radical turnaround, we will continue to do so. The 21-34-year-old buyers now have more information on how to buy your station without your input. Forrester Research predicted 1 million B2B salespeople would be out of work by 2020. They indicated that in 2017 BEFORE the pandemic. Plenty of buyers get by without face-to-face meetings with salespeople now.  It’s no wonder. We continue to show up with one-sided research, and radio management continues to push salespeople to ‘direct’ clients because they don’t use research and want personal relationships with us.

That day is coming to an end soon. Direct buyers read, watch, learn and listen to information on how to buy radio advertising from sources THEY consider neutral and honest. And then they get rates from you, and whatever bonus stuff they can get…maybe a free concert ticket. How long until they don’t need us for current rates? 

What is the solution for this decay in the relationship? Well, it may be too late as we are a tiny cog in the wheel of Business to Business sales reps. But, instead of paying salespeople to cold call and use pitch decks to show up and throw up, management needs to invest more long-term in salespeople. Re-train them on social media selling, using business development reps, and providing marketing support for the sales process. It would be better for broadcasters to lower their margins from 30% to 20% and have a future. Turn sales assistants into marketing reps. Use marketing that can answer why BUY, why buy NOW, and why buy from YOU. 

No One Else is Going to Do it All for You
Courtesy: Shutterstock

Eliminate office help for business development reps who do the cold calling and produce quality appointments. Hire salespeople who can sell but don’t have to cold call constantly, write copy, fill out orders, collect money, handle promotion details, and fill out pipeline reports. Get others to do that.

Radio needs to stop thinking about what and start partnering more with who. Salespeople cant do it all and they need more support. I would think even the top earners would be willing to part with 10% of their income for better support staff. The time is now, or radio will continue to see some of their brightest and best sales talent move to better-supported industries. 

Sports Radio Gears Up For The 2021 NFL Season

Derek Futterman
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Sports Radio Gears Up For The 2021 NFL Season

The 2021 NFL. season is set to kick off tonight when the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by quarterback Tom Brady, host “America’s Team,” the Dallas Cowboys, in the Sunshine State. Around the country, sports radio stations with and without team play-by-play rights are preparing for what is sure to be an unparalleled season, including the addition of a 17th game, and the threat COVID-19 imposes on teams, potentially subjecting them to forfeiting and/or canceling games if there is an outbreak of the deadly disease.

As teams return to the gridiron, they will have to judge their opponents, making adjustments during the game in order to put themselves in the best position to win. Similarly, sports radio, in a new digital age, will have to continue evolving so it fits consumption trends and technological innovations, all while remaining committed to best serving its listening audience.

“There’s a lot more information being distributed more quickly, and because of that, it creates a greater sense of immediacy in talking football on the radio,” said Raj Sharan, program director of 104.3 The Fan and ESPN Denver 1600. “Sports talk radio is live [and] local… [it] is really well-equipped to be in the moment. [We] can really help create that immediacy and intimacy with the listener.”

According to a recent Gallup poll, football is America’s most popular sport, with 37% of respondents choosing football when asked what was their favorite sport to watch. Keeping fans engaged with new content is something radio stations will strive to do as they set to embark upon a season full of uncertainty and ambivalence amid the global pandemic. Some of the ways stations intend to do this include introducing new programming and/or making existing programming accessible across a wider variety of platforms.

“We have a [Minnesota] Vikings-related show every day of the week,” said Chad Abbott, program director of KFAN Minneapolis, which holds the broadcast rights to the Minnesota Vikings. “This year, we have a podcast made for radio as opposed to a radio show made for podcasts [, and] it will feature a handful of different Vikings players throughout the season.”

In the District of Columbia, Washington Football Team Head Coach Ron Rivera is set to join The Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan as a weekly guest throughout the 2021 season. This valuable addition to the guest list should give fans unrivaled insight pertaining to the Washington Football Team, along with offering them perspective from a current NFL. head coach who is around the players for practices and during each game.

With football’s substantial popularity comes the ability to augment revenue, ratings and listener engagement ahead of the release of the fall ratings book. Program directors, such as Sharan, are cognizant of the book’s importance on determining the success of their radio stations, and value its numbers, along with growth across digital platforms.

“Every ratings book is important; that goes without saying,” expressed Sharhan. “Obviously the fall one is very special because football is very popular and it’s America’s number one sport. We count on this time of year financially because of how popular the sport is.”

Chris Kinard, operations manager at Audacy D.C. and the brand manager of the aforementioned 106.7 The Fan, in addition to 94.7 The Drive and The Team 980, the latter of which holds the broadcast rights to the Washington Football Team, carries a similar sentiment regarding the emphasis those across the industry put on fall ratings. He looks at a variety of numbers, both traditionally- and digitally-based, to get a broad sense of how the stations he manages are doing.

“In terms of measuring the audience, I think that’s a challenging thing right now,” said Kinard. “We do have more tools at our fingertips than we have ever had in terms of supplementing Nielsen data with streaming data, podcast downloads and website traffic. That helps give a better picture of how big of an impact the football season has on audience growth.”

While there are a handful of diehard football fans who will watch the games and engage with the teams on media platforms no matter how the season is going, some fans rapidly lose interest in football, even if their team is contending for that coveted Lombardi Trophy. While the NFL generally garners most of the sports headlines during this time of year, the NBA and NHL both begin in just a few weeks, and that, combined with the ongoing college football season and the imminent start of the MLB playoffs, sometimes cause the effects of this oversaturation of sports and ancillary content to be felt by sports radio stations.

“I think the NFL is the best sport for when teams are struggling because there is always a storyline that can be talked about during the week,” said Abbott. “My hope every year is that the team is as close to making the playoffs as they can by the end of the [fall ratings] book. Sometimes, it’s nicer to have a 9-7 team than a 14-1 team because you [then] don’t have the ability to live and die by each game.”

Unfortunately for Sharan, he’s had “about five years of practice” in covering a struggling football team. Ever since winning the Super Bowl in 2015, the Denver Broncos have failed to qualify for the NFL playoffs, finishing last or in second-to-last place in four of those five seasons. The key question for sports talk radio stations relates to keeping the audience intact throughout the entire season, even if the local team has a losing record and is quickly eliminated from playoff contention.

When radio stations hold the broadcast rights for a team, though, freely expressing critical opinions towards the team’s personnel and ownership is often seen as damaging to the partnership. The Denver Broncos currently broadcast their games on KOA NewsRadio, and for Sharan, he sees the prospect of obtaining the broadcast rights to the team, if it were hypothetically possible, as eschewing his station’s ability to be an extension of the fanbase.

“We’ve built our brand around personalities free to give their opinion without endangering any type of partnership,” said Sharan. “We view being a completely independent brand to where people can come to get unimpeded opinions as a positive. If we want to dig in on Broncos ownership and how that’s affected the issues going on, we can do that. If we want to hold a front office executive or coach accountable in a major way, we can do that. We don’t have the obligation that tends to come with those rights. I absolutely never want the broadcast rights [to] the Denver Broncos.”

For radio stations holding the broadcast rights to NFL teams, such as those managed by Kinard and Abbott though, they enter this season vulnerable to experience two scenarios; one of which will be a definitive occurrence, and the other which will be sought to be avoided entirely. The first is the addition of a 17th game to the NFL schedule, something that was officially added to the league schedule after the NFL and its player association inked a new collective bargaining agreement in March 2020.

As the first major change to the NFL schedule since the 1978 season, fans and broadcast affiliates alike are enthusiastic about the addition of another week of regular season football and content. From a program director’s perspective, though, there is more to be excited about than just the local team taking the field one extra time.

“Selfishly, it’s good for programmers,” Abbott elucidated. “It extends into the winter [ratings] book of the next calendar year, so this season will extend into the 2022 winter book. The idea of an extra game in January, which will obviously stretch the playoffs more, gives you a shot in the arm to stretch out the book.”

Concurrent with the seventeenth game, though, is the reality that all stakeholders — whether they be fans, broadcast partners, radio stations, or teams — would like to avoid: The threat of some scheduled games having to be canceled or forfeited because of the spread of the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) of SARS-CoV-2, the direct cause of the fast-spreading, more severe form of COVID-19. If cancelation or forfeiture of matchups occurs, sports radio stations will treat it like breaking news, adjusting on the fly to continue to produce relevant football-related content.

“We haven’t discussed in detail any type of contingency plan because, just like any other storyline, that becomes the thing we talk about,” said Kinard. “We’d approach that the same way we did last year when there were changes to the schedule; we talk about the effect of that, whether it is right or wrong, who is to blame [, etc.] This is a storyline.”

Entering the 102nd season of the National Football League, where, in many marketplaces, fans will be allowed to attend the games en masse for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, sports radio stations are committed to bringing their audiences extensive coverage of all the action on and off the field. In the process, they seek to improve and/or maintain ratings, generate more revenue and increase listener engagement.

“We know that during the football season we gain new listeners and clients, and we want to find ways to maintain them throughout the rest of the year,” expressed Abbott. “It’s a marketing tool for many radio stations; the challenge is maintaining listeners throughout the season.”

It is nearly time for kickoff, and sports radio stations will attempt to put themselves in the best position to score a touchdown this football season in a dynamic media landscape. The extra point, though, will surely come from fans being able to safely enjoy the games together again under diminished restrictions.

“We all had a very difficult last year-and-a-half and have looked towards September as a time where kids are going back to school, people are returning to the office, etc.,” said Kinard. “Football is back, and [with] all of those things combined, it should make for a great fall.”

Anatomy Of A Broadcaster: Rick Allen

Andy Masur
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Anatomy Of A Broadcaster: Rick Allen

In my “Anatomy of a Broadcaster” series, I’ve basically stuck to the Big 4 (Baseball, Basketball, Football and Hockey). I figured it was time to branch out a bit and tackle one of the more popular sports in America, NASCAR.

I have to admit, I’m not a huge racing fan, but many of you that read this column are, so let’s start our engines on this “Anatomy” by focusing on Rick Allen of NBC Sports. 

Allen fulfilling lifelong dream to call Verizon IndyCar Series race
Courtesy: NASCAR Illustrated

Allen grew up in Grand Island, Nebraska, and was an athlete in college. He was a walk-on for the University of Nebraska Track and Field team and was one of those great success stories. He wound up as a letter winner all four seasons, was a three-time All-American in the sport, winning two Big Eight Conference decathlon titles (1991–92). Not too shabby for a non-scholarship athlete. 

He received his bachelor’s degree of communications from the university. After graduation, he worked as a public address announcer for the University of Nebraska athletic department. He was heard on the PA system at Memorial Stadium, where the Cornhuskers football team played. This was a time where Nebraska dominated the football landscape and a 24-year-old Allen was in the spotlight, heard by hundreds of thousands of fans in the early to mid ’90s. His work at the school led him to racing. He was asked by a Nebraska Alum and donor to do the PA at a racetrack just purchased by the donor. Eagle Raceway is where it all started for Allen. 

ROAD TO NBC/NASCAR

Rick’s path to the booth was pretty unique. He never really intended to announce races when he was a student. But the opportunity afforded to him by the owner of the Eagle Raceway, set the tire rolling down the track for him. 

Allen recalled last year to a Nebraska TV station WOWT, “A NASCAR official came to me during my second year of announcing out there, and said send my demo tape in because FOX Sports and NBC Sports were taking over the broadcasts for NASCAR, and I didn’t know anything about NASCAR, so I didn’t send a tape in and about two weeks later they said hey you really need to send a tape in, they are interested,” said Allen.

From 2003 to mid-2014, Allen worked for Fox Sports, where his main duty was calling the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Racing Series on SPEED-TV and later Fox Sports 1. He occasionally covered Nationwide Series events as well.  

In December of 2013, it was announced that Allen would become the lead announcer for NASCAR on NBC starting in 2015. He actually started some work with NBC in 2014, hosting their daily studio show, NASCAR America while he was still at Fox. His last Truck Series race for Fox was in July of 2014. 

As part of the NBC family, Allen has been able to show his versatility as a broadcaster. He’s been called upon as a play-by-play announcer for the network’s coverage of USA Track and Field Indoor and Outdoor Championships. He also calls the Millrose Games, the Boston Marathon, and the World Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships on NBC Sports. Makes sense since he was a three-time All-America in the sport, right? 

In the racing off-season, Allen calls Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball games on the NBC family of networks.

WHY IS HE SO GOOD?

I had to do a little research to find out why Allen is so good at what he does. Viewing several of his races and learning about his path, it wasn’t hard to figure out why. Allen first and foremost is a student of the racing game. Never intending to be in the position he is now, he had to work to familiarize himself with the sport and learn along the way. Not just about NASCAR but how to broadcast it. 

During the same interview I referenced earlier with the Nebraska TV Station WOWT, he recalled a race in 2003. It was a NASCAR Truck Series race and it was a three-wide photo finish. Exciting right? I should point out that this race was held at the Daytona Motor Speedway. Allen, feeling all of the excitement in the air and of the finish he just saw, almost made a big gaffe. He told the station that he almost proclaimed Rick Crawford the winner of the Daytona 500. Nope. Wouldn’t have been true. So, when you listen back to the call of the actual result of the race, Allen says, “Rick Crawford wins the Daytona”, and after a pause of 5 seconds or so, “250”.  All good. 

The other thing that struck me by watching some races over the years is his very confident and upbeat style. He’s taken some criticism for what some perceive as him “yelling” all the time. I felt it was appropriate in almost every situation. See, he’s working with Dale Earnhardt Junior and Junior is always upbeat in the booth. Earnhardt the former driver himself, knows a lot about the sport and is one of the most hyped-up analysts around. As a play-by-play announcer, you have to try and match that energy. Matching it without sounding completely phony is a tough chore. Allen pulls it off. 

Not only is he high-energy, he’s accurate, smooth and has a very confident and commanding style. He’s in control of his broadcast and while that amped-up style may not be for everyone, to me the sport almost demands it. These are cars traveling around a track, bunched up, going over 200 miles an hour. It’s exciting just to watch what is happening and the sounds of the track are loud and the announcer has to be able to relay the excitement in his voice. The broadcast team also seems to really enjoy each other’s company. That’s important. 

The educational style of the broadcast is interesting as well. Not having grown up myself as a racing fan, I was drawn to how Allen explains things. Even the novice gains some education and I don’t think the rabid fans get offended by the simplistic nature of some of the commentary. 

In an interview with “i80 Sportsblog” Allen explained that’s all part of NBC’s approach to their NASCAR coverage. “If you didn’t grow up in racing and get introduced to the sport via your family, how would you ever get introduced? Our goal is to explain it in an easy, conversational way.”

NASCAR on NBC crew wants to point out all that is at stake in the Monster Energy playoffs
Courtesy: Hendrick Motorsports

Mission accomplished. 

5 Goals: Taylor Rooks

Ryan Glasspiegel
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5 Goals: Taylor Rooks

Taylor Rooks is a personality for Turner Sports and Bleacher Report. Here, in her own words, are her five goals:

1. I want to be an all-around interviewer.

What I mean by that is I want to reach a point where people don’t just know me as a sports interviewer, where people don’t say oh she interviews athletes and coaches and executives … I want people to see me as someone who has conversations with people who have something to say.

If that’s an athlete, great. If that’s a politician, great. If it’s an entertainer, great. If that’s just somebody who has an everyday job but they have something to say to the world, I want to be able to interview that person too. I want to speak to all people, not just a specific category of people.

A lot of that is on me reaching out to those people, and having a content vehicle that allows me to do that, but when I think of my favorite interviewers — Howard Stern, Oprah — their thing is they can talk to anyone. I want to do that.

Some people I want to interview: I got to interview Barack Obama, and that’s who I would’ve said. But, that was quick. I would love to have a long-form interview with him. Obviously, I’d have to throw in Michelle Obama as well. 

Mariah Carey, I know that’s a random one, but she’s just lived such an interesting, lavish life. I read her book, and there were some things she didn’t really touch. Obviously, in your book, you don’t touch on the things that you don’t want to talk about. I would love to interview her. 

Serena Williams, I know she’s obviously an athlete, but I’d love to interview her. Howard Stern is my favorite interviewer so I’d love to interview him. She’s unfortunately passed, but if I could interview anyone who is no longer with us I’d love to interview Princess Diana. And, Pam Oliver, who is a legend. Hopefully I can meet and later interview her. 

2. Create a foundation or initiative for women in sports.

At first, I wanted it to be just for Black and Brown women, and I might have a branch of it that’s for that, but then I wanted it to be for all women. Right now there’s this idea that women in sports don’t get along, or that it’s incredibly catty, or everyone is out to get the other. In some ways, that’s probably true, but I think the majority of women want to see other women in this field win. We understand that a win for one of us is a win for all of us.

I don’t think there’s enough focus on the culture that’s created this idea that women are catty or whatever the case may be, because I don’t believe that to be true. I think the more that we can get women in sports together, and there’s more of a sisterhood and deeper innate understanding of each other — the more we can do what we can to improve that culture and hopefully the people who have created that culture do what they can to improve it too.

Everybody is trying to work hard and get what’s owed to them. You always hear Well, women in sports, but you never say Men in sports. You never say This man is a power hungry person [or it’s at least not said in a negative way]. That’s a very unfair burden on the women to carry. I don’t like it. I think women that are entering into the space are conditioned to think that’s true, because they hear it so much. I would like to have something that dispels the one-sidedness of the rumor.

3. I want to travel more and fluently learn a second language.

Throughout the pandemic, I started doing Duolingo to learn Spanish. Americans are one of the few countries that only know one language. Almost every other country it’s almost a necessity that they know another language, even if that language is English. 

Ryan Shirts

I would just like to expand my horizons in terms of culture and language and understanding that America is only a small section of the world, but so many times we feel like we’re the center of everything. That just isn’t true. I want to learn a new language, travel more, get more in-tune with other places and cultures and get into things like soccer. I want to stop thinking of things from such an American point of view.

4. This is a lifelong goal, but I really want to be a mom.

I’ve really wanted to be a mom my entire life, and there’s something so beautiful about raising a life and having this human being that is born out of love that you have this number one job — the biggest job you’ll have in the world, which is to nurture and protect and love this human. I definitely want to be a mom.

I want to have like five kids. I probably should’ve started by now if that’s the case (laughing). I want to be a mom. That’s my number one goal above everything. 

5. I want to do more football.

Just being from Georgia, in the South, I grew up loving football. My dad played football. It was a football house. I love basketball — I love them both, but I just love football a little bit more. 

I’ve gotten kind of sucked into doing mainly NBA, which is great and has led to so many amazing experiences, but I just wish I had more of a hand in football. I would love to be able to do more of that. 

6. Bonus Goal: I would love to be a professor.

I want to teach journalism interviewing at the college level, just because I don’t love the way it is taught at universities. It’s taught in the way that the professors went through media, and media is so different now that I just think students would really benefit from having someone who came up in this new wave of journalism and social media and content creation. That’s the way it’s going.

It’s still obviously great to have these classes where everyone works as the producer one day, and the director, and the teleprompter. You go through all those things, and learn about investigative reporting. All that is so important. But that isn’t what a lot of young journalists want to do now, so being like a visiting professor at a school is something I would love to do one day.

Anatomy Of A Broadcaster: Michael Kay

Andy Masur
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Anatomy Of A Broadcaster: Michael Kay

Dreams do come true, just ask Yankees TV announcer Michael Kay. He grew up ten minutes from Yankee Stadium. He was a huge Yankees fan, so much so, that in Little League he’d wear number 1 for his favorite player, Bobby Murcer. Once he realized that a career as the Yankees’ first baseman wasn’t going to materialize, the dream turned to becoming a broadcaster for the team. To get there, Kay did all the school reports he could about the Yankees, so he could know all about them. Now many years later it’s his job to know all he can about the team. 

Sportsmedia column: Michael Kay braces for new world of MLB broadcasting
Courtesy: YES Network

Kay attended Fordham University and worked for the radio station WFUV, thinking it was the best place for him to pursue the dream. He was there with another guy that dreamed of a play-by-play career, Mike Breen, the voice of the NBA on ABC/ESPN. 

In 1992, the lifelong ambition became a reality as he joined John Sterling in the Yankees radio booth. He would spend a decade on radio, then transition to television with the advent of the YES Network. He became the main play-by-play guy for the network in 2002. So now, Kay is in his 30th year with the team as a broadcaster.  

ROAD TO YANKEES BOOTH

Kay started his professional career with the New York Post in 1982 as a general assignment writer. He had sports assignments from college basketball and the NBA, covering the New Jersey Nets. Kay worked himself up at the paper and received the Yankees’ beat writing assignment in 1987. 

In 1989, Kay left the Post for the Daily News, still covering the Yankees as his primary beat. Kay also served as the Madison Square Garden Network Yankee reporter starting in 1989. 

Kay left the Daily News to host a sports talk show on WABC in 1992, briefly returning to write “Kay’s Korner” for the Daily News in 1993, before taking the microphone job for radio broadcasts of New York Yankee games beside John Sterling. 

BUSY GUY

Kay manages to find time to do many things, aside from calling Yankees games. He hosts The Michael Kay Show weekdays from 2-6:30pm on ESPN Radio 98.7 FM and simulcast on the YES Network. The show started in 2002, the same year he started as the voice of the Yankees on TV. 

The show is now co-hosted by Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg. Kay and La Greca have been paired on ESPN New York since 2002, with the duo working to build a successful sports radio show in a tough market over the course of two decades. Rosenberg, the show’s third voice, joined in 2015.

In March TMKS moved up an hour to give Kay more time with the New York audience. But that means an extra hour away from preparing for that night’s Yankees game. Kay will look through his Yankees notes and other things to get ready for the game, during long commercial blocks on his radio show. If there is a game to call, Kay will leave the radio show anywhere from 5:45 to 6pm, with co-hosts La Greca and Rosenberg left to close out the show. 

He’s also the host of CenterStage on the YES Network. He interviews some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment and politics for the last two decades. Kay has even collected some of his favorite moments from on and off camera into a book “CenterStage: My Most Fascinating Interviews – From A-Rod to Jay-Z.”

CenterStage | Book by Michael Kay | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster

I’m not entirely sure how Kay manages this schedule. I know that the first time I was asked to host an hour-long pregame show before a game broadcast, the feeling in my stomach was not good. How could I do this show and get ready for a game that night? It meant getting to the ballpark earlier, using time between segments wisely and then getting some good exercise. I’d have to maneuver through the crowd from the home studio down the left field line, to the broadcast booth behind home plate. Stressful. 

My point is, for Kay to be able to call a Yankees game, after having been on the air already for 3-4 hours is something to marvel at. I’m sure he would tell you that a lot of the prep work comes from some of the topics on his show. He’s likely already up on the latest information regarding the Yankees and he’s pretty versed by then about what is happening elsewhere in the world of sports. Still, I admire his ability to be as busy as he is and still be sharp on his play-by-play. 

WHAT MAKES HIM SO GOOD

There is a conversational style by Kay that sets him apart from others. He doesn’t have that “typical” broadcasting voice, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. He seems to speak to Yankees fans as a Yankees fan. Make sense? I mean he’s rooting for the team and he’s not pleased when they aren’t doing well. You can tune into a Yankees telecast and before you even see the score, you can tell by his tone, who’s winning and who’s not. Kay is a true hometown broadcaster and people in New York crave that. He’s happy when the viewer is obviously happy, and not when they aren’t. 

Having a highly rated sports talk show helps with that delivery. Hosts are supposed to have that conversational, passionate and easy to listen to style. You talk with your audience as opposed to talking “at” them. Sports talk hosts want to build that relationship with an audience, making them feel like the host is one of them so to speak. This holds true with a baseball announcer trying to develop that same relationship. Kay truly is one of them and while his style may not work for others, it definitely works for him. 

Kay is a throwback of sorts as well. There aren’t too many true “homers” left in booths across the country. Yes, broadcasters of local teams, scream and yell more when their team is doing well, but if their local 9 isn’t playing well, choosing the right words can be challenging. Not too many announcers have free reign to criticize their own club. Gone are the days of Harry Caray and Marty Brennaman who would frequently call out their own team and its players for a variety of things. Both had built up so much equity with the teams and fan base they were free to do and say what they wanted.  

Kay isn’t afraid to call it like he sees it, even if that means blasting the Yankees, an individual player or the opposing team. He sees it as being honest with the viewer/listener. As he told the “Sports Media with Richard Deitsch” podcast, Kay doesn’t think there is anybody more critical of the team they broadcast than he is and he credits the Yankees for allowing him to do that.

“The reason I can do it is that the Yankees never say a word because they realize the value of honesty. If you are going to tell people the food stinks, then they are going to believe you when they tell you the food is great. There are so many people around the country that are blowing smoke constantly and I guess that’s what the fanbase wants. I don’t think that would play in New York. I think honesty plays in New York.” 

CRITICIZING AND BEING CRITICIZED 

In his 30-year career, Kay has done his share of criticizing. In April he went off on the Yankees for using an “opener”, Nick Nelson, in a critical game against the Rays. 

“You’re the best-looking guy at the party. Don’t try to be the smartest. Why couldn’t they start Michael King? Why were they getting cute by starting Nick Nelson, who gave up two runs and they never looked back? Why? Why were you doing that? In your organization, you don’t have another starter? It’s almost the same thing as what you did in the Division Series. You started Deivi Garcia and brought in J.A. Happ. Don’t try to outsmart the Rays!”

So, when you criticize you open yourself up for it to come back to you. He’s had back-and-forth run-ins with players on his own team, like Clint Frazier. Most recently as a result of commentary on his talk show, he’s gone toe-to-toe with Mets’ pitcher Marcus Stroman.

The funny thing is Kay claims he has thin skin. Again, speaking on the “Sports Media with Richard Deitsch” podcast he admitted to such. His inclination is to fight back, but sometimes it’s not the best way to go about it. 

Courtesy: ESPN Images

“People that criticize people do not like to be criticized. My skin is so thin, it is translucent. If I mess up a call and you say wow, Michael messed up a call. Bring it, I deserve it. When you say stuff just the way I do stuff or something that rubs you the wrong way, it bothers me. I don’t understand the meanness of it.” Kay told the podcast.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS/CALLS

Working for an organization like the Yankees lends itself to a broadcaster having some memorable calls. This is true in the case of Kay, who got to watch Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, Tino Martinez, Mark Teixeira, Jason Giambi, Jorge Posada, Aaron Judge and even Alex Rodriguez play many baseball games. One of Kay’s most memorable came in 2011. 

Derek Jeter’s 3000th hit came on a home run, July 9, 2011:

“The 3-2, that one’s drilled to deep left field, going back Joyce, looking up, See ya! 3000! History with an exclamation point! Oh, what a way to join the 3000-hit club! Derek Jeter has done it, in grand style!” 

If you’ve ever wondered, where his home run call, “see ya!” came from, well in 2018 he joined the Dan Patrick Show and explained the origin:

“I got this job 27 years ago, and at the time I was dating a young lady who, when she would get out of the car at the end of a date, she would say ‘see ya, wouldn’t want to be ya!’ And I said, ‘you know, I’m going to hijack that as my home-run call. So, I’ve been doing it since the very beginning of when I got the job in 1992.”

File:Michael Kay.jpg - Wikipedia

CONCLUSION

Kay is a multimedia superstar in New York and just keeps on going. His uniqueness is in his ability to juggle a top-rated talk show and call games for one of the iconic franchises in sports history is amazing to me. To actually be able to do BOTH jobs at such a high level sets him apart. Kay has carved out his own style and it works for both him and Yankees fans alike. 

Traug Keller Named 2022 Recipient of the Jeff Smulyan Award

Jason Barrett
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Sometimes decisions are difficult. Other times they’re not. This was one of the easiest ones I’ve made since launching the BSM Summit in 2018.

If you haven’t attended the Summit before, one of the cool parts of the conference each year is that we take time to honor people who have left a permanent mark on the industry we love. Awards ceremonies are held both days to recognize difference makers who have made positive contributions to the sports radio business. At our 2022 BSM Summit, I am pleased to share that a great man will be celebrated for his life’s work.

It is my honor to announce that former SVP of ESPN Audio and President of ABC Networks Traug Keller has been chosen as our 2022 recipient of the Jeff Smulyan Award. Keller becomes the third industry executive to earn the honor. Kraig Kitchin and Dan Mason were the first two to be recognized at the 2019 and 2020 BSM Summit’s.

Upon learning that Traug had been selected as the next Jeff Smulyan Award winner, Emmis Communications CEO Jeff Smulyan said, “Traug Keller has left an indelible imprint on not only sports radio, but on all of broadcasting through his remarkable career. I’m proud to call him my friend, but I’m just one of the legions of people who have loved every minute of their time with him. He’s a broadcaster’s broadcaster, but more than that he’s one of the best people I’ve ever known.”

“I am humbled for sure but thrilled to be receiving an award with the name of my good friend on it, Jeff Smulyan,” added Traug Keller, now the EVP and COO of American Media. “Jeff did what all too few leaders in business do, he took risk and action against all kinds of headwinds and the rest of us in the great business of Sports Audio were the beneficiaries of it. Thanks to BSM for this great honor and I look forward to seeing a bunch of old friends in March!”

Anyone who has crossed paths with Traug over the past three decades knows how important he was to the success of ESPN Radio. He’s been a friend to many, a great partner to hundreds of radio affiliates, and a champion for talent. His support for BSM has also meant a lot.

Perhaps even more impressive was Traug’s ability to connect with his affiliates, clients and colleagues, offering steady leadership and on-air stability for ESPN Radio. No executive leaves with a perfect record, but Keller had a knack for landing on the right side of many decisions. None as impressive though as retiring from sports radio in February 2020, one month before the sports world came to a screeching halt and a global pandemic rocked the entire advertising industry. Talk about timing Traug, haha.

In all seriousness, having Traug and Jeff together on the same stage in front of the industry to give folks an opportunity to show their appreciation for their accomplishments is a real treat. So many enjoy professional success today due to bold and smart decisions made by each of these men, and I couldn’t be happier to spend time with both in New York City this March.

For tickets, hotel and additional details regarding the 2022 BSM Summit visit BSMSummit.com.

Mitch Rosen Named Director of Operations of BetQL Network

BSM Staff
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Mitch Rosen Named Director of Operations of BetQL Network

Mitch Rosen certainly likes to stay busy. The longtime programmer has led 670 The Score in Chicago to countless successes since joining the brand in 2005. In 2019, he added programming duties for 1250 The Fan in Milwaukee. Now, he’s taking on another role.

Audacy has named Rosen it’s Director of Operations for the BetQL Network. The move was actually announced two weeks ago in an internal memo sent out by Audacy VP of Sports Matthew Volk. In the note, Rosen was recognized for his help in planning, operating and executing the network. BetQL is presently carried in twelve markets, but much more is expected in the near future.

Rosen’s steady hand and interest in the sports betting space makes him a natural fit to guide the company’s growing sports betting audio product. If anyone can manage three quality brands successfully it’s Rosen. Having a trusted and talented on-air and behind the scenes team in both Chicago and Milwaukee certainly makes the task much easier.

Rachel Maddow Wins Big with MSNBC Contract Extension

BNM Staff
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Rachel Maddow was on the verge of being on the outside looking in, and it would have been her decision that put her there.

That was all before a pile of money was thrown her way last week. And perhaps more importantly, some flexibility and runway for growth that came with it.

The Daily Beast reported two weeks ago that Maddow was considering her options as she heads into the final year of her current contract with MSNBC. The Beast’s Lachlan Cartwright joined CNN’s Reliable Sources at that time to share his reporting on the possible breakup.

“This isn’t about the money for her, this is about a change in lifestyle,” Cartwright said about the motives of the whip-smart Maddow. “This is about a more balanced lifestyle. She’s had talks about starting her own thing that would involve podcasts and streaming and potentially newsletters.”

Cartwright currently reports that Maddow’s new deal is for $30 million per year, and includes a large downsizing of her workload. He says her nightly show will end in 2022, with her transitioning to weekly contributions through the 2024 election. The plan is for her weekly show to air for roughly 30 weeks out of the year.

A staunch liberal, Maddow studied at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, and then began her media career at a small Massachusetts radio station before joining Air America, and later MSNBC.

Some believed that the public negotiations of recent weeks were simply a tactic to ramp up pressure on NBC to keep her. Even before the deal was struck, Cartwright’s knowledge of the situation told him otherwise.

“This is deadly serious. This wasn’t a plant from her representatives. In fact, I think they would have preferred if we didn’t write about it,” he told Brian Stelter a couple of weeks ago. “This isn’t a bargaining chip or a negotiating tactic. She is deadly serious about potentially leaving and that has NBC Universal scrambling. Their talks have become very heated, I’m told. And they’re going to have to throw a bucket load of cash at her and make some concessions on her workload if they want to keep her.” 

In Cartwright’s accurate estimation, NBC was between a rock and a hard place. How could they possibly thrive in the years to come without their number one host?

“They have to keep her, Brian, because they have no succession planning, and without her it will be diabolical for MSNBC,” he said at the time.

Before the deal, TV Insider also added that Endeavor Co. president Mark Shapiro, who represents Maddow, felt “Rachel has an excellent relationship with them (NBC).”

Maddow began her MSNBC primetime program in 2008 and has since been the network’s premier personality. Just last month, her show averaged a robust 2.29 million viewers, and the news of a possible breakup has the television news industry abuzz. 

“I was chasing this story, and my sense is the same as yours” Stelter concluded two weeks ago. “This was not an intentional leak by her side to try to get more money. This is something she’s really thinking about, and we’ll see if she does it.”

Some media insiders have said that no television personality represents a network’s brand more than Maddow does for MSNBC. That includes anyone on CNN or Fox News.  NBC Universal apparently felt the same and backed up the truck to keep their number one star on the team.  

It seems that Maddow and NBC have planned a thoughtful pullback in workload, with a boatload of cash to go with it. A deal that works well for everyone involved.

Sell Smarter, Go Vertical

Jeff Caves
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Sell Smarter, Go Vertical

Look at your current client list. Who do you have on the air? Why are they on the air? Which industry do they represent, and are you heavy in car dealers, legal, healthcare, or home improvement? It would be best to get more of those types of clients, but you could always look for what you don’t have. Wouldn’t it be easier, though, to go vertical into a customer profile you have had success with and tell that story?

Breaking into a new category that isn’t advertising on the air with you is much more difficult for me.  There is safety in numbers, and I believe clients follow other clients. We need to carve out a unique idea or place on the station they can own. Sell vertical, young person. And that’s not just me speaking but Bernie Weiss, the iHeartMedia President for New York.

Profile photo of Bernie Weiss

Weiss has written a new book, “Ace it-How sales champions win new business.” The book is written for sales veterans going into a new quarter or year and wanting new motivation. According to Weiss, it’s also suitable for college grads or managers training new sales reps and is available Sept 7. You can pre-order it now right here.  

Weiss has an exciting story and uses straightforward, real-life stories from the streets of New York. Follow along as Weiss works with a fictional prospect throughout the whole book and leaves you with stories, scripts, and analogies to use for prospecting, proposals, creativity, and presenting.

Once you are in the door of a vertical prospect, the rest is easy. You are a valuable resource who speaks their language and has case studies of success in their field. You sell with more confidence, and you are doing somebody a service. One of the most complex parts of your job is knowing so much about so many different industries. Everybody is a specialist at something. Find out what you are good at and multiply that!

Weiss reminds us that we should speak the language of that industry, read the same trade journals, and ideally have a passion for it. Weiss also reminds us that when we sell, we should behave like an orchestra conductor. Until we are up to speed on all the different platforms we can sell, bring in the experts. Like I did here with selling digital. Most of us have live events, digital, social, and creative employees. Just make sure you don’t bring too many at one time and overwhelm a client; as Weiss said, iHeartMedia learned a few years ago and turned six on one in-person selling situation to zoom calls. 

Ace It!: How Sales Champions Win New Business: Weiss, Bernie: 9781953295538: Amazon.com: Books

Be smart and focus on what you know and where you have had success. Sell vertical! 

Anatomy of An Analyst: Louis Riddick

Andy Masur
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Anatomy of An Analyst: Louis Riddick

From the field to the front office to your television, Louis Riddick is all about one thing: Football. Riddick along with his boothmates, Steve Levy and Brian Griese, will be back for a second season of ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Riddick got solid reviews and they were well deserved. He and Griese seamlessly worked together as co-analysts, which is not an easy thing to do. 

Breaking down ESPN's new 'Monday Night Football' booth, Fox and CBS NFL announcers in 2020 | Sporting News
Courtesy: ESPN Images

Riddick is a native of Quakertown, Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a four-year letterman and a two-time Academic All-America. Riddick was a ninth-round draft choice of the San Francisco 49ers in 1991, and played seven NFL seasons at safety. His career included stints with the Falcons, Browns and Raiders. When his playing career came to an end, Riddick moved into the front office. His experience spanned more than a decade with the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles. He started as a pro scout in Washington before being promoted to director of pro personnel, a position he held for three years. Riddick then joined the Eagles in 2008 as a scout. He was named assistant director of pro personnel in 2009, and, a year later, he was promoted to director of pro personnel.

ROAD TO MONDAY NIGHT BOOTH

Riddick started at ESPN in May of 2013 as an NFL Front Office Insider. His role has expanded seemingly every year since. In 2015, he made his debut on the network’s NFL Draft coverage in Chicago. He was supposed to cover the draft for ESPN Radio, but when riots broke out in Baltimore, Ray Lewis went back to the city and the network needed a replacement. Since Riddick was going to be in Chicago anyway, he was going to be the guy. The network informed him the night before the draft was set to begin. 

“When we started the draft that night, within the first 20 minutes, I looked down at my phone and I probably had about 75 to 90 text messages from co-workers, friends, family and former coaches”, Riddick recalled to the Philly Voice. “I thought I was either doing really bad, or I was doing really well. It turned out really positive. I remember going back to my hotel room in Chicago that night thinking, ‘Here we go.’ That’s when it took off in my mind that I can do this.”

Riddick has been a fixture of ESPN’s draft coverage on the main set ever since. He opened up a new world for himself in Bristol. Riddick began contributing to many of their signature NFL Shows. Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, and NFL Live, as well as SportsCenter and ESPN Radio. 

Riddick also worked Friday Night College Football game broadcasts, which showcased his ability to analyze a live game. Even before settling into the current MNF booth, Riddick worked with his booth mates, on September 9, 2019, when they helped kick off MNF’s 50th season and called the Denver Broncos-Oakland Raiders game for ESPN.

The following year, after a shakeup, Riddick, Griese and Levy were called to take over the iconic franchise. They will return for a second season this year. 

WHY IS HE SO GOOD?

He’s got the credentials and the chops to be very good at what he does. The experiences Riddick has had over the length of his career are irreplaceable when it comes to his analysis of the sport. It’s almost a situation of when Riddick talks, people listen, just like that old investment company’s commercial. It’s not just the information he disseminates, it’s the timing and conviction in which he speaks. 

Riddick also plays well off of both Levy and Griese. The latter of course played the game but also has a little more experience in the booth and a different comfort level. That’s probably why you don’t see Riddick breaking down plays with a telestrator, it’s more “I’ve seen this”, “I used to run this”, or “when I was in Philadelphia, we stressed this.” The words stand alone and have power based upon having been there and done that. 

The other thing that’s striking about Riddick in this booth, is the way he and Griese converse throughout a game. It’s great football talk at a “human” level. Riddick presents the complex breakdowns of coverages, schemes and plays in a manner that is technical, yet not overly so. That’s not an easy thing to do when you are a former football player first and broadcaster second. Terminology within a locker room or front office is geared to those in the know and pretty much only those folks. A broadcast has to be treated differently and Riddick gets it. He talks to his audience, not above them or below them. He has a way of explaining things so the casual fan can follow along. He can also get it done in a concise manner, since time is critical, especially in a three-man booth. Not a skill everyone can pull off. 

There is confidence in his commentary. The delivery is clear and authoritative, commanding respect, but yet it’s not overly cocky or arrogant. He works well with his ‘teammates’ in the booth and you can feel the healthy respect each has for the other. 

BACK TO FRONT OFFICE WORK?

Off of those points, there is a question that needs to be asked and answered. Just how long will Riddick remain in the booth? The answer is not entirely clear, but based on how many teams interviewed him for front office positions this offseason, it may not be long. Riddick has made no secret of his desire to return to the NFL, this time he’d like to be a general manager. 

Louis Riddick - ESPN Press Room U.S.
Courtesy: ESPN Images

The Lions, Texans, Jaguars and Falcons talked to him about vacant GM positions, but nothing materialized. Riddick wouldn’t be the first guy to leave the MNF booth for a spot in the NFL. Jon Gruden returned to the sidelines with the Raiders in part because of his commentary and analysis from that booth. But like Gruden, Riddick has to feel like the opportunity is a good fit and the right situation for him. He has a great gig now, so something would probably have to blow him away to lure him away from MNF. 

DID YOU KNOW?

I’ll bet you didn’t know, Riddick won use of Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder’s Aston Martin.  Riddick worked in the scouting and pro personnel departments for the WFT and had the occasion to play Snyder in racquetball. He appeared on “the ESPN Daily podcast’ earlier this year to recall the story. 

“I used to whup him pretty good,” Riddick remembered. “And I used to talk to [Snyder], like ‘Are you gonna challenge me today or what? Is this gonna be a game? I’m getting bored with you.’

“He goes, ‘If you can shut me out’ — he had just bought the new V12 Vanquish Aston Martin, brand-new — ‘If you can shut me out, I’ll let you take that home.’ I was like, ‘Deal!’ I went down there to the racquetball courts and was like, “Bam, bam, bam bam!’ 11-nothing. Boom. Just like that. And he was pissed. PISSED.”

Riddick wasn’t sure that Snyder would honor the bet after a few weeks without acknowledgment of the events. But the Football Team owner finally paid up and gave him the keys to the Aston Martin.

“If you scratch it,” said Snyder, “I’ll be commandeering your salary forever.”

Aston Martin Vanquish & Vanquish S (2001 - 2007) | Aston Martin | Aston Martin
Courtesy: Aston Martin

Riddick didn’t get to keep the car. He got to use it for three days, enough time to drive it home, impress his neighbors and his wife. Riddick was a sight to behold at the team’s headquarters when he would roll up, driving the owner’s car and parking in his personal space.

CONCLUSION

Riddick is a football guy; he knows what he’s talking about. I really enjoy his commentary from the booth and when he appears on ESPN’s draft coverage. He’s such a credible voice and is in many cases the voice of reality. That’s his schtick, it’s not to be noticed for extremely high energy or random ‘hot takes’, he’s based with his feet firmly planted on the ground. He works in facts and opinions based on factual information. A refreshing breath of fresh air. Give me that any day of the week.

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