On this episode of ‘Managing The Crisis’ VSiN founder and chairman Brian Musburger, and Skyview Networks’ President and COO Steve Jones and VP of Business Development Matt Stys join BSM President Jason Barrett for a conversation about their new partnership, the current advertising climate, the future growth for sports betting, and much more.
As the Senior VP of Sports at SiriusXM Steve Cohen is tasked with overseeing sports radio programming on all of the company’s sports channels. In this episode, Steve shares how the outbreak of Covid-19 has forced communication and creative adjustments, which new programs his team has developed to maximize listening, how he advises hosts to approach content without a ton of activity in the sports world, and what he remembers from September 11th and how it relates to the current climate.
BSM President Jason Barrett also opens the show by sharing a few words on Entercom Charlotte Operations Manager Darrin Arriens who recently passed away due to Covid-19.
Few programmers in sports radio have managed brands thru as many national disasters and talent controversies as Mark Chernoff has. On this episode, Mark shares his advice on how to handle things internally and externally when going thru chaotic situations, how WFAN and CBS Sports Radio have adjusted their day to day operations and sales processes as a result of the outbreak of the coronavirus in New York City, how working on 9/11 in NYC compares to what we’re presently dealing with, why he has no issue with Mike Francesa’s increased interest in commenting on political issues and much more.
Phone and email activity has increased for sports media agents due to radio and television companies suffering financial losses due to the coronavirus. On this episode, Steve Herz of The Montag Group shares how he’s advised clients to handle short-term setbacks, which specific leadership qualities make a difference in guiding people thru difficult times, how day to day operations at The Montag Group’s New York City offices have been altered, and much more.
Steve has a brand new book coming out in June titled ‘Don’t Take Yes For An Answer’. You can pre-order it on Amazon by clicking here.
Our 6th episode of the ‘Managing The Crisis’ podcast turns the attention towards imaging, writing and managing staffs in NY, California and Germany. With offices in each of those locations, Benztown president Dave ‘Chachi’ Denes has had to have his team adjust to continue providing production to industry partners. Dave weighs in on the current media climate, modifying messaging, sharing ideas, using the airwaves for advertising purposes, and much more.
Hosting a sports radio show with sports on pause and the nation focused on real life issues has put many in an awkward and difficult position. Having hosted shows in Boston during 9/11, the Boston Marathon Bombing, and having dealt with challenges surrounding activism and content mandates, Gerry offers his thoughts on the importance of being able to discuss real world issues on sports radio, what a talent needs from a boss, how prior national events were handled on sports radio, and what advice he’d give to talent who find themselves in uncomfortable content situations.
Programming a sports radio station while the sports world is dark, staff are working remotely, and advertising and listening patterns drastically shift is not fun. On this episode, 95.7 The Game program director Matt Nahigian explains how he’s managing an unfamiliar situation and what it’s forced him to do to make sure his station remains alive and successful.
It’s not just quarterbacks scrambling right now in College Football circles. Athletic Directors across the country are trying to figure out just when the season will start. There have been many ideas thrown around and whichever one becomes the “way to go” there’s likely to be some dissention in the ranks.
One of those possibilities is to have the FBS season start in January or February with the potential of a championship game being played sometime in May. It may be the best way to go for the schools. They have to focus on when their athletes can get back to campus and then think about when they could possibly play games with fans in the stands.
A season after the first of the year can create some issues in the broadcasting department. For the play-by-play announcers, many of which do both basketball and football this can create a pretty busy time. You’ve heard of March Madness? This situation could cause a January Jam or a February Frenzy unless these folks can think of a way to be in two places at one time.
I reached out to one of the busiest guys I know, Dave Eanet. He is not only the Sports Director of WGN Radio, he is also the play-by-play voice of both Northwestern football and basketball. His January and February could be more crazy than normal, but he welcomes that.
“I actually wouldn’t mind an overlap. At least it means both sports are playing and that’s a good thing.”
Eanet is really concerned about the two seasons overlapping. “They already do. Football goes later and basketball starts earlier than when I started,” he says. “Now it seems like the month of November is a blur with basketball squeezing in non-conference games, including those season-opening tournaments.”
While Eanet hasn’t perfected the being in two places at the same time thing, he came close a few years ago.
“In 2018, I went back and forth Chicago to LA twice the same week, coming home Friday to do football and flying back out Saturday night for a Sunday tournament game.”, said Eanet. “I would imagine the games would be slightly more spread out to accommodate the broadcast partners and the athletic department staffs. The key, I’ve found, is just working ahead, getting as much prep done ahead of time, as possible.”
The truth is that if the NCAA starts both football and basketball seasons in January, it’s going to create some opportunity for broadcasters. There is little chance that a school’s play-by-play announcer can be with the football team on the road and get back in time to do a home basketball game the same day. Think also about the people that do college football, the NBA, and the NFL. They could have “worlds colliding” in this scenario too.
Universities are going to have to come up with contingency plans on how to cover those situations. It’s low on their list right now but eventually they will have to make those decisions. It could be a great chance for a broadcaster to help out.
So what do you need to do if you want to be that broadcaster?
Let’s focus on the key words here. “Help out” means you would be looking to simply fill in. Chances are pretty good that the main play-by-play person has been in the position for a number of years. That person has great rapport with the fans and likely the staffs of the two sports and the Athletic Director.
You can’t go into this seeking to take a job away from someone. Your goal should be coming through in the clutch for the school willing to give you an opportunity and making a great impression by doing the best job possible and being professional.
That impression can go a long way. The sports community is tightly knit and if there was to be a full-time opportunity down the road, a recommendation from an AD is not a bad thing to have.
Update your resume and your demos. Make that resume sleek and simple highlighting the things you’ve done in your career to this point. Keep it fairly recent as far as your experience goes. Same thing with the demo. Schools aren’t going to want to hear what you sounded like 5 years ago, they want the “now” version of you and your abilities.
If you don’t have current materials for basketball or football, there is a simple fix. Even with no live sporting events taking place, there are plenty of rebroadcasts of classic games on television. Call one of those into your recorder. Advantage being, you probably already know the players, the situations and of course the outcome. With your DVR you can always record it and call it again if you didn’t like it the first time around. Use the down time to your advantage in that respect.
If you house your demo materials on your own personal website, make sure that is updated as well. Simple usually works best when you design a website. Clearly mark where someone can listen to your work and find your resume. It’s imperative that there be a place for someone to email you directly. Don’t make them fill out a contact form. Let them get to you with a simple click.
Hopefully you’ve been networking with people in the athletic departments of your local colleges and universities. They are likely to look for the help they need in a local talent pool. A quick email to the school’s Sports Information Director or Marketing Director isn’t a bad idea. Just “check in” to let them know you’re available if needed as a back-up. Get your name in front of them so when the time comes to make a decision, they already know who you are.
When you send out a resume and demo to a school, it’s probably not a bad idea to get as familiar with the team as you possibly can. The internet is your friend in these situations. Head to the school’s website or figure out who the beat reporter is for that school. They’ll be helpful tools in case you’re called upon in a pinch. The more ready you are, the more comfortable a school will feel about you when they need someone.
2021 might be an ideal time for you to think about your next move. Networking among your fellow broadcasters to find out about openings is a great way to start. The suspension of sports is leaving a lot of people with nothing to do, so reach out. It’s the best way to find out information about vacancies.
It’s such a crazy time, schools and teams may look to move in another direction once the season starts back up or starts anew. Resources like the job postings and the new member directory here at Barrett Sports Media are invaluable to those looking for a new job or a first job. Pay attention to the things you read here as well. The information from our columnists take you inside the situation and can make it clear whether or not you may be qualified to take the step you have in mind or what next step might be right for you.
These are uncharted times we’re living in right now. The situation with sports in general is evolving weekly, daily and even in some cases by the minute. We don’t know when things will get back to normal. That’s something for someone a lot smarter than me to figure out.
Do yourself a favor. Be ready. Be prepared. Be confident. The last thing you want is to not be ready to go when someone calls with an opportunity.
The advertising business has been reeling lately due to the coronavirus’ impact on the American economy. On the third episode of the Managing The Crisis podcast, Ad Results Media Partner and Chief Revenue Officer Steve Shanks stops by to discuss how he’s advised clients to approach marketing during these uncertain times, which categories should be active and what their messaging focus should be, why podcast advertising has greater appeal than radio, when he expects the business world to return to normal, how the current situation has forced day to day adjustments for his company, and much more.
The second episode of the Managing The Crisis podcast features a discussion with Chief Content Officer of The Action Network Chad Millman. With sports on pause and fans unable to frequent casinos to place bets, how is that lack of activity impacting the sports betting business? Chad lends his thoughts on that issue as well as how he’s approaching content in the short term, why not being reliant on an ad model has been a blessing for Action Network, which sports he expects to generate a surge in activity if they run events soon as expected, whether it’s wise to invest in a casino company, how New York’s refusal to embrace mobile sports betting could hurt the future of the sports betting space, plus much more!
