For over 25 years, Traug Keller has been a steady force in the radio industry. 10 of his years were spent as the President of ABC Radio Networks where he led all aspects of network programming, affiliate relations, engineering, finance, research, IT, international programming, and marketing. The last 16 have been dedicated to ESPN where he’s served as Senior Vice President of ESPN Audio, managing all of the network’s business matters including talent, staffing, national programming content, scheduling, and event production. He added oversight of the ESPN Talent Office in 2016.
With Keller in charge, ESPN Radio has been the country’s largest sports radio network with programming carried by more than 500 stations, including 375 who operate as full time affiliates. Content is also delivered thru ESPN apps, SiriusXM, Apple Music, TuneIn, Slacker Radio, and ESPNRadio.com, which has been the most listened to live stream of any terrestrial broadcaster in the world, reaching more than 700,000 unique listeners per month. Altogether, ESPN’s audio division produces over 9,000 hours of talk and event content annually, reaching nearly 24 million listeners per week.
But on February 6th, Traug Keller will wake up without a commute to ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, CT. That will be the first day when he no longer bears the responsibility of managing ESPN’s audio business.
“It will take some getting used to, but I always earmarked 60 as the end of a corporate run,” Keller told Barrett Sports Media. “My favorite team growing up was the NY Knicks, especially the 1972-1973 team with Willis Reed, Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier, Bill Bradley and Dave DeBusschere. When Bradley and DeBusschere retired, I remember my dad saying to me ‘That’s great. They’re leaving while they still have something left.’ That always stuck with me. I wanted to be able to leave while I still had game.”
The decision to leave one of the most important positions in sports audio didn’t happen overnight. Keller started thinking about it within the past year, and when he initially told his bosses what he was considering, they had the reaction many industry folks did when we broke the news two weeks ago that Keller would be signing off.
“Are you nuts? That’s what they asked me,” said Keller. “When you’ve logged the corporate miles that I have, you start to realize there’s an end date. I loved ESPN. I couldn’t have worked for a better company with better people. The relationships I’ve made both internally and externally have been special and I’ll carry those with me forever. But there are still things I want to do in my life without being involved in the corporate world on a daily basis. It just felt like the right time to step away.”
But after twenty five years of working for a company, and having a large role in the growth of one of America’s most well known brands, it’d be understandable if one were to step away, miss the challenge, and seek to return. For Keller though, that’s not even a consideration.
“Oh god no,” Keller passionately voiced when asked if he’d consider reversing course. “I’m not Mike Francesa. This is it. As I told Jeff Smulyan, this is kind of like being alive at your own wake. Everyone has reached out and offered kind words, and they’re greatly appreciated, but I’m looking forward to watching the business grow from afar.”
Leaving a key position of this magnitude without a lot of lead time appeared curious at first. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to it. Anyone who knows Traug, appreciates how much he loves the audio business, how loyal he’s been to the company, and how talented of an executive he is. Keller though said it really was cut and dry. There was no internal pressure to move on nor was he looking for a different challenge inside the company. It was simply a matter of feeling like the time had arrived to move on.
The one wrinkle thrown into the situation was America Media. Having recently agreed to become the company’s COO, Keller said he initially planned to take a break from working, but the situation was one that he felt a personal connection to.
“It’s a calling. This came along and appealed to me. It was a chance to join a great team in the noble cause of expanding dialogue around faith and culture, returning to my Jesuit roots. I’ve been a longtime reader of America Magazine, and I’m excited about working with them.”
Though he’ll soon turn in his ESPN badge, and take on a new professional challenge, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to pick his brain on a few industry items before he heads out the door. I was particularly interested in hearing his final assessment of ESPN Audio.
In the sports radio business, it’s common for industry people to have mixed opinions about talent. Everyone wants a station or network programmed to their personal tastes, which isn’t realistic. Knowing though that opinions are divided on ESPN Radio’s shows, I wanted to get Traug’s thoughts on the current lineup. As expected, he was steadfast in his belief that the network features great personalities and programs, and expects that they’ll continue to be an asset to local stations moving forward.
“One of the best things we did was give the morning show time to bake,” said Keller. “Golic and Wingo were just up 5% in the ratings, which is a reminder that sometimes you have to nurture things. We have a rising star in Will Cain. Le Batard has his audience which is extremely loyal, especially younger fans who stream his content on demand. Jason Fitz is another talent who I believe has a high ceiling.”
But where might the network need to improve to remain viable and important to local stations as it has over the past few decades? Keller offered a few interesting takeaways.
“It’ll be other people’s decisions, but having multiple offerings in the same dayparts to suit different affiliates is one way to go,” Keller shared. “I think a robust push will need to continue being made to push digital. In that space, it’s all about content. We’ve been fortunate to have some of the best talent in the business under one roof. It’s not rocket science, you build it, promote it, have patience, and consistently execute. If you do those things, it’ll work out most of the time.”
Having had the opportunity recently to hear from people following the news of his forthcoming retirement from ESPN, and reflect on his professional journey, summing up his proudest accomplishments in one or two sentences isn’t easy. When you’ve operated a national network for as long as Keller has, it’s hard to single out one or two decisions, but a few important choices and relationships stand out.
“At the top of the list was moving the company from radio to audio,” Keller proudly acknowledges. “It was important for us to make sure our audio content was available everywhere and anywhere, and to get our people to buy into that mindset. We formed a great partnership with Sirius, started streaming and working with Apple and Spotify, and have been fortunate to have great support from local radio stations. Those are just some of the things that I’m proud to have been a part of.”
Great executives win more than they lose, and Keller has done a whole lot of winning, but in every business, even the best have one or two decisions that they wish they could reverse. I asked Traug, ‘if there was one move over the years that he wished he could do over, which would it be?’ He didn’t hesitate to answer.
“Losing Colin Cowherd. I’ve got no problem saying that,” said Keller. “He’s a great talent, and special person, and we should’ve done whatever we had to do to keep him. That’s the one decision I wish I could change.”
With his giant presence on the verge of fading away from ESPN’s offices, the challenge of moving the network forward will now belong to Dave Roberts, Tim McCarthy, Scott McCarthy, Amanda Gifford, and Justin Craig. All five are no stranger to audio. Dave and Amanda have important roles in TV but have previously programmed the radio network. Justin’s spent most of the past fifteen years either programming at the network or in Chicago and New York. Tim has managed 98.7 ESPN NY along with the network’s play by play operations, and Scott recently ran ESPN LA 710 (Tim will now assume oversight of the station) and has been an integral part of running the network business with Keller for the past twenty years.
The leadership team that’s been assembled to move the company forward is a big part of why Keller has confidence stepping away. He says they’re not only ready for greater responsibilities, but they’re all audio people at heart who affiliates have formed relationships with over the years. By having qualified leaders ready to drive the company’s growth, Keller is thankful that he didn’t have to delay his exit.
As he prepares for a world with much less fanfare and chaos, it’d be understandable if Keller has days in the future where he wakes up missing the daily grind. Radio has been a large part of his professional life, and once the business enters your bloodstream, even a transfusion can’t get rid of it.
But with so much uncertainty facing the industry, how does he feel about its future? Will radio remain vital? Does podcasting become the phenomenon that many expect it to? Is sports radio permanently branded as a niche format with little chance of escaping that perception?
“Podcasting is going to continue to grow, that I do believe,” stated Keller. “But nothing replaces live listening, especially when it relates to sports talk. This format has a special connection. Just look at the combined share between Mike Francesa and Michael Kay this fall. You couldn’t find a sports fan in New York that didn’t know those two shows. I’m bullish on this business, but we do have to keep preaching to advertisers how the connection between listener and host in this medium is superior to anything that can be offered elsewhere. Collectively in the radio business we need to explain and demonstrate that in a powerful way.”
There is one item though that bugs Keller. It’s the way the radio industry is presented by other forms of media. Having seen firsthand how fruitful the radio business can be for a major company like ESPN, Traug points out that others should get a better read first on what’s really going on.
“This industry is not as sick as the media makes it out to be,” Keller reminded me. “The largest radio companies are suffering from debt, not cash flow. If you compare this business to print, radio’s actually pretty good. It’s held it’s own despite the onslaught of digital media. So much of the headlines revolve around some of the troubles that the big 3 have run into, but there are a lot of other radio companies that are growing. Good Karma for example has done a great job and continues to invest in audio. We’ve even turned over some of our digital selling to them because they understand it and have success with it. These type of stories aren’t always told, but they should be.”
As we wrapped up our call, I couldn’t help but put Keller on the spot one final time. He’s always been positive, supportive, and quick to give credit to everyone but himself, and he kept that streak in tact when I asked “so when the hall of fame comes calling, who introduces you?” In typical Traug fashion he replied “it’d be presumptuous of me to assume they will, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Traug Keller will exit ESPN Audio on February 5th with plenty of game left, leaving the network in position to remain successful for years to come. What he won’t have moving forward is the ability to put our annual lunch on ESPN’s dime. I guess that just means it’s time for Barrett Sports Media to pick up the next tab. Given what he’s done for this business, it’s the least we can do.
