60 Minutes has been in the headlines for several weeks. But that doesn’t mean the FCC is preparing to investigate, says Chairman Brendan Carr.
What We Know: After the firings of Scott Pelley and Cecilia Vega, both have stated that they were pressured by CBS News leaders to inject political biases into their stories. A spokesperson for CBS News has denied those accusations. However, as part of its regulatory approval to purchase the network, Paramount Skydance was required to appoint an ombudsman to ensure there would be no political bias at the network. Despite that, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told CNN’s Jake Tapper that the commission wouldn’t be investigating the allegations.
What They Said: “We’ve not been in touch with the CBS bias ombudsman. I think this is one, though, where thankfully people can judge it with their own eyes. There were transcripts of these communications between the employees and CBS. I think a lot of people, including across the political spectrum, think that they’re reporting on how Scott Pelley behaved was just simply unprofessional. It’s not the type of stuff you get away with as an employee at Taco Bell, let alone at an institution like CBS. I don’t think there’s a lot of people that have concerns that this was about bias. I think it was about unprofessional behavior.” -FCC Chairman Brendan Carr
What Remains Unclear: Whether an investigation will actually occur. Carr was non-committal about an investigation, but also said he was unsure if CBS News would do its own investigation.
What It Means: It appears as if Carr is taking a “hands-off” approach to the situation. The messaging thus far has been that it is a problem for CBS News and 60 Minutes to look at. Not the FCC.
— Jeff Storobinsky (@JeffStorobinsky) June 4, 2026
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Another round of layoffs is reportedly coming to ESPN. The cuts will affect both on-air talent and behind-the-scenes staff, according to a report by Front Office Sports.
What We Know: ESPN is reportedly preparing a new wave of layoffs this summer. Both on-camera talent and non-camera-facing employees will likely be part of the cuts. This follows a spring round that eliminated roughly 30 behind the scenes positions as part of broader Disney company-wide cuts.
What They Said: In an April note to employees, Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro signaled more cuts were coming: “Given the fast-moving pace of our industries, this requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs. As a result, we will be eliminating roles in some parts of the company and have begun notifying impacted employees.”
What Remains Unclear: The exact number of people that will unfortunately feel the effect of the layoffs. It’s also uncertain how deeply the cuts will penetrate ESPN’s current on-air roster. Additionally, ESPN’s acquisition of NFL Network complicates the picture — headcount reductions are common following corporate acquisitions. Deadline previously reported that Disney’s broader layoff initiative may not be finished.
What It Means: This shouldn’t come as any surprise. Unfortunately, with ESPN taking on the amount of NFL Network staff and talent with the network’s acquisition of the brand, decisions are a part of that process. With the summer months being crucial to lining up top talent and staff ahead of the NFL season, names will likely begin to surface soon. ESPN is heading into it’s first year broadcasting the Super Bowl. Ensuring the right talent are in place for the network’s debut is crucial for success.
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Denver radio host Johnny Wilde is expanding beyond the airwaves. Wiilde has launched The Scrollstoppers Show, a new video interview series focused on digital creators.
What We Know: Wilde hosts early afternoons on 106.7 The Bull (KWBL) in Denver and is heard on iHeart country and classic rock stations nationwide. He is a three-time CMA Award winner with more than 30 years in radio. The Scrollstoppers Show explores the stories behind viral content. New episodes are available now on YouTube and across social media platforms.
What They Said: “Radio has always been about connecting with audiences through great stories,” Wilde said. “The Scrollstoppers Show is an opportunity to learn from the creators who are doing exactly that in today’s digital world. Whether they’re reaching hundreds of people or hundreds of millions, I want to understand what makes audiences stop, watch, and engage.”
What Remains Unclear: It is not yet known how frequently new episodes will drop. Additionally, whether The Scrollstoppers Show will expand into a podcast format or pursue distribution beyond YouTube has not been announced. The long-term guest pipeline also remains unconfirmed.
What It Means: The launch reflects a growing trend of traditional radio talent bridging broadcast and digital media. The debut episode features Sebastian Garrett-Davis — Executive Producer of the syndicated Woody Show and the creator behind CartNarcs, which has topped 100 million YouTube views. Wilde’s move signals that radio professionals are actively building platforms beyond the dial. The creator economy is no longer just for influencers.
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A brief conversation with Jodi Koontz of the syndicated Murphy Sam and Jodiradio show makes it clear why the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation selected her for a 2026 Gracie Award. The award recognizes exemplary individual achievement and representation in media. Jodi is also quick to note that while she was the one honored. But, it reflects a team effort shared with her two co-hosts — one of whom is also her husband.
As she shared in her remarks at the award ceremony. And the road to this prestigious accolade began with an important life lesson about being willing to chase your dreams.
It started when Murphy and Sam were hosting a two-person morning show. While they had instant chemistry with each other, Murphy says the show just wasn’t resonating with the audience. “We were having fun, but it really wasn’t moving the needle.”
The decision was made to add a female voice to the mix. They hired a woman named Amy who didn’t work out and left the show two years later. But over that time the guys learned a lot. “I think Sam and I realized (having a female co-host) adds something to the show that he and I couldn’t do. Without it we’re just two dudes clowning around, and to be successful the show needed a different dimension,” explains Murphy. “After two years with Amy we understood our show’s appeal had shifted in a very different way and we embraced it.”
That’s when Jodi, who was already a producer on the show, decided she knew the perfect person to take over for Amy. “I knew from the first day I was in this room with them that we had chemistry. I immediately felt like I had found my people in these two guys.”
Asking for the Seat
She knew they were looking for someone with morning drive experience. She didn’t officially have it — but she didn’t let that stop her. “I decided I’ve got to ask for this. I’m right here and while they don’t see me, I want this.” She talked to Murphy and asked for a chance to sit in as a co-host for a couple of days. Murphy agreed, and the rest is history.
“The reason I think it’s important to tell that story is because that’s the day I learned you have to ask for what you want,” Jodi says. “Do not assume people know what your wishes are, professionally or personally. I learned to ask for what I want and if I hadn’t I might not be here.”
Since that initial audition, Jodi’s role on the show has grown from being the new person joining an established two-person show to being “the anchor of the show,” according to Murphy. That’s a significant change considering that while shows led by women are becoming more common, overall, they are still rare.
To Murphy, it makes perfect sense. The show is built on authenticity, and that is what connects them to the audience. “In my opinion, for every show, the lead needs to be the closest to the target demographic because that’s where you find relatability.” Jodi echoes that sentiment, adding that “women do love to hear men on the radio, but they relate to other women.”
When the Professional Became Personal
Over the years, as Jodi grew into being the leader of the show, something unexpected occurred — Murphy and Jodi fell in love and got married. She says that being in the same room every day led her to quickly realize Murphy had become her best friend.
“I knew he felt the same way when he started inviting me to lunch,” Jodi says. “He’d say, ‘Let’s go to lunch and talk about promotions.'” That also tipped Sam off that something was going on. “Before that, Murphy used to invite me to lunch to discuss promotions,” Sam says. “The difference was, we actually talked about promotions.”
Working together as a married couple presents unique challenges that Jodi feels are easier to navigate because the professional relationship came first. “That level of respect preceding the marriage has helped us get through the toughest moments in the studio. And we’ve had some tough moments,” says Jodi. But, she adds, “they are outnumbered by the great moments a hundred to one.”
What people might not realize about working with your significant other is that the challenges aren’t only when your personal life comes to the office — the reverse is also true, which Jodi thinks is tougher to deal with. “If I’m laying on the sofa watching a documentary and petting the dog I don’t want to talk about some new way to manage something at work. I’m in my bubble.”
Three’s Company — Even in the Studio
For Murphy, that meant learning there is a time to put things down. “I’m a troubleshooter by nature. I want to tackle things in the moment, and I’ve had to learn that not everything needs to be discussed right now.”
Regardless of any difficulties, Jodi firmly sees the marriage as a strength for the show, making them more relatable to listeners. “I think it works in our favor. Our job is to be the listener’s best friend and sharing our marriage with them is so personal it brings it to another level.”
Of course, the happy couple aren’t the only ones facing unique challenges due to the marriage. Sam is in the studio with them every day — good or bad. He says it’s easier now, but the show’s previous studio was small and his seat was trapped between Murphy and Jodi, so if things got rough between them he couldn’t escape. “When it would start I would often be like ‘ok, that’s going to take ten minutes to iron out, what am I going to do now? Hey, let’s check out the internet.'”
All that said, Sam mainly focuses on staying out of the way when it comes to marriage-related issues. “I usually don’t get involved unless I know I can help resolve something or push us forward so we can get done what we need to do that day. Mostly I stay out of it.”
Sam’s Own Story Adds to the Show
Sam also added his own contributions to the show’s relationship-related content, having weathered divorce and co-parenting challenges of his own over the years. “Some of Sam’s changes over the years have added an extra dose of authenticity and reality to the show that we might not have naturally embraced,” Jodi says. “We might have incorrectly thought the audience wasn’t interested.”
And if the dynamics of a three-person morning show and a marriage weren’t enough, after five years together, in 2002, the team took the show into syndication. They partnered with June Colbert, President of Colbert Media Group. “She was our life changer when it comes to syndication and the first person to take a chance and go into business with us,” Murphy says.
Over the years, the show has teamed with several syndicators and at the start of this year joined forces with Premiere Networks. “It’s such an exciting new chapter for us,” Murphy says. “We still own and operate the show but we’re growing into the Premiere Model and it’s so exciting for us.”
Grateful for the Journey
The team behind the show doesn’t stop there. Over the years, the show has benefited from many great coaches, a great agent, and others. “I’m always concerned about leaving somebody out when we start talking about people that have helped along the way,” Murphy says. “I know we can’t name everybody, but we do want to thank everyone who has helped give us the opportunity to be successful.”
And while that is a very humble sentiment, the real story of the show comes back to their chemistry. “It’s a gift and you either have it or you don’t,” says Jodi. “If you are lucky enough to have it, then you have to pair it with hard work and the desire to succeed. You have to keep showing up when other people would quit.”
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Who doesn’t love game shows? I grew up watching a ton of them. Every evening, Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek kept the family company during dinnertime. It didn’t improve my education or keep my brain sharp, but it did bring the family together to play along. Pat McAfee is without question sports media’s ultimate ringmaster. But next week he’ll become sports media’s greatest game show host.
Yesterday, McAfee announced the first-ever ‘Progrum Feud,’ pitting the staff of his weekday program against the crew of NFL Live. During the second hour of the show on June 11, McAfee will become the modern-day sports media version of Richard Dawson. There will be drama, suspense, and wagering. Yes, wagering. McAfee’s show next Thursday will become the first ESPN studio program to create specific programming that viewers can officially wager on.
For years, sports radio and television programs have shared best bets, stone-cold locks, and picks of the day. Of course, those segments have always been accompanied by reminders that the picks are “for entertainment purposes only,” followed by disclaimers promoting responsible gambling and resources for those who may need help.
However, this ‘Progrum Feud’ debut takes programmatic advertising to an entirely different level.
Following McAfee’s announcement earlier this week that he had entered a multi-year partnership with DraftKings, the show wasted little time finding ways to integrate that relationship into its content. Within the first week of the partnership, Pat McAfee and his staff developed programming designed not only to market the product/partner but also to create a new form of audience interaction not seen ever on ESPN.
If you’ve been paying attention this week, you’ve likely noticed a major push from partners and influencers emphasizing that DraftKings’ prediction market is available in all 50 states. What better way to reinforce that message than by creating programming on your own show that viewers can actually wager on through the app?
Talk about an effective way to drive home a marketing message.
Survey Says….
However, the larger question is whether this represents a glimpse of what’s coming next. On its face, there are a lot of questions surrounding the makeup of ‘Progrum Feud’ next Thursday on ESPN.
For starters, consider the participants. NFL Live and the network’s lead NFL insider, Adam Schefter, are among those being promoted for the program. The date matters because June 11 is the final day of mandatory minicamp for 12 NFL teams. Another 15 teams will be conducting OTA workouts that day.
I’m not suggesting ESPN can’t cover 28 NFL teams and the news of the day without Schefter or the NFL Live crew readily available. However, when nearly the entire league is either wrapping up offseason work or generating headlines on the practice field, the timing does create an interesting programming decision.
If significant NFL news breaks during the game show, does the game continue uninterrupted? If it doesn’t, what happens to an event on which viewers can actively wager? I’m sure there are plenty of legal and operational details already worked out behind the scenes, but inquiring minds want to know.
The other question I ponder is whether this is what sports fans want from studio programming on ESPN. If ‘Progrum Feud’ is deemed a success by both ESPN and Pat McAfee, could we see similar concepts spread across other studio shows?
Will Monday Night Countdown feature prediction-market tie-ins tied to analyst picks? Could College GameDay eventually offer viewers the chance to wager on elements of McAfee’s weekly kicking competition? Might First Take or Get Up experiment with similar concepts?
Content Selection….
When I was a programmer, part of my job was poking holes in on-air ideas. It was also my responsibility to ask whether a concept made sense for the audience being served. There’s little doubt that McAfee’s audience includes a high percentage of sports bettors. There’s also little doubt that influencers help drive engagement for the products and brands they endorse.
But what about everyone else? What about viewers who don’t wager? What about fans tuning in for sports discussion, analysis, and breaking news? If the New York Knicks sweep the San Antonio Spurs, is the right choice for programming a trivia contest for the ESPN audience? If there’s breaking NFL news from any of the 28 teams with OTA or mini camp workouts going on, do viewers want more “survey says” and less insight and conversation?
Those are big “what if” questions to consider, because at what point does the balance between content and promotion begin to shift? There’s a reason sports radio stations traditionally save game shows and novelty programming for slower periods on the sports calendar.
Again, I’m simply asking the questions.
The Start of Something More…
The much larger elephant in the room is whether this is a one-off early summer stunt or the beginning of something much bigger.
ESPN already maintains a significant relationship with DraftKings, which serves as the network’s official odds provider and sportsbook. Viewers see betting lines and odds integrated into ESPN programming every day. The ESPN app prominently displays money lines and totals alongside scores and schedules. The corporate explanation is simple: these integrations enhance the viewing experience.
But are we merely at the beginning of opening Pandora’s box?
Maybe that’s the real significance of ‘Progrum Feud.’ It’s not about whether the NFL Live crew beats Pat McAfee’s crew, or vice versa. It’s not even about whether viewers wager a few dollars on the outcome. Moreover, it’s about testing how much farther sports programming can blur the line between content, promotion, wagering, and participation.
For years, gambling companies sponsored segments, purchased ad inventory, and integrated odds into broadcasts. Then came branded content. Then came alternate telecasts, betting-focused shows, and real-time odds appearing alongside highlights.
Now we’re arriving at a place where the studio programming itself becomes the betting market.
If ‘Progrum Feud’ succeeds, it won’t be because of who wins the game. It’ll be because it proves audiences are willing to engage with sports media in an entirely new way. Maybe next Thursday is a harmless one-off summer stunt. Or maybe it’s the first glimpse of where the industry is headed.
The answers won’t be revealed on the survey board. They’ll be revealed in the ratings, the engagement numbers, and whether ESPN decides to do it again.
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A report surfaced Thursday that Joe Rogan was being considered for a role on 60 Minutes, and it’s worth addressing — not because it deserved the traction it got, but because buried inside the absurdity was actually a conversation worth having. The report came from RadarOnline. That alone should’ve been enough for every newsroom to keep scrolling.
60 Minutes is certainly bruised right now. The exits of Anderson Cooper, Scott Pelley, Cecilia Vega, and Sharyn Alfonsi in rapid succession left the show without several of its marquee names. CBS News is navigating choppy waters, and the brand isn’t as untouchable as it once was. But even in a state of flux, the idea of Rogan suiting up as a 60 Minutes correspondent ranks somewhere between unlikely and laughable — about as plausible as me waking up next to Salma Hayek. It didn’t pass the smell test from RadarOnline, and it certainly shouldn’t have passed one at any reputable outlet that picked it up.
That said, let’s not waste the conversation entirely.
The Rooney Question
Here’s where things get at least a little interesting: what if Rogan didn’t fill a correspondent’s role, but something closer to what Andy Rooney once did? Rooney spent years closing out 60 Minutes every Sunday with a few minutes of pointed, opinionated commentary on whatever struck him that week. He was, at his core, an opinionist. And opinion is the thing Rogan does better than almost anyone else alive.
A four-to-five minute weekly segment where Rogan sounds off on a topic? That’s not a heavy lift for him. He’ll talk for four hours on a Tuesday without blinking — trimming it to five minutes is arguably the harder task, but it’s doable. And for CBS News, the production investment would be minimal. You’re not asking Rogan to stake out a conflict zone or wrangle sources. You’re asking him to talk. He’s spent his entire career proving he can do that.
Would the topic always land perfectly for a 60 Minutes crowd? That’s a fair question. Rogan’s wheelhouse skews younger, more male, and more counterculture than the show’s traditional viewership. Not every Rogan tangent plays in that living room. But Rooney didn’t always swing and connect either, and the segment kept its place for decades anyway. The fit wouldn’t be seamless, but it wouldn’t be impossible.
The Case for Both Sides
Think about what a pairing like this would actually do for each party involved. For Rogan, it’s hard to argue he needs much. The Joe Rogan Experience is one of the most consumed pieces of audio and video content on the planet, and he’s not exactly starving for reach. But it’d open a new lane. The overlap between his typical listener and the average 60 Minutes viewer likely isn’t overwhelming — it might not even be significant. That gap cuts both ways. A 60 Minutes appearance would put Rogan in front of an audience that’s probably never sat through an episode of JRE, and for a guy whose brand is built on exposure and conversation, that’s not nothing.
From CBS News’s side, the math is even clearer. The show’s audience skews older, and it’s been skewing older for a while. That trajectory doesn’t reverse itself on its own. New names drive new eyeballs, and there’s no debating that Rogan is a name. He’d create appointment television in a way few media figures still can. He’d drive digital conversation and traffic in a way that network newsmagazines rarely do. And frankly, in a media climate where 60 Minutes is fighting to reassert itself, bold and counterintuitive isn’t the worst place to start.
Is a Rogan-60 Minutes arrangement likely? No. Was it ever realistic in the way RadarOnline implied? Absolutely not. But does some version of it — something Rooney-shaped, something limited and opinionated — make at least a sliver of sense for both sides? Surprisingly, yes. The report was bad. The underlying idea wasn’t entirely crazy.
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Recently, Clay Travis caught my attention when he spoke on his nationally syndicated radio show, Clay & Buck, about how he was unable to secure an interview with Spencer Pratt ahead of Tuesday’s Los Angeles mayoral election. Pratt has been getting enormous attention for his campaign to be mayor through interviews, online ads, and more.
Travis noted on his show, “There are a lot of people that just don’t realize how big this show is. And I think that’s true for a lot of people that maybe are non-traditional in the political universe. I understand it, because it’s challenging. This show has 600 affiliates. Most of the Republican Party side gets it. But I think Spencer Pratt is a political novice. He DM’d me and said he’s gonna come on. We’ve emailed with his team. I think when he becomes a finalist, and the campaign continues, I’m confident we’ll get him.”
Now think about that. If a show with 600 affiliates — with millions of daily listeners across all its platforms — can have a problem booking guests who may not understand the show’s power, what does that mean for you on the local level?
Perception Is Reality
We can complain about it, or we can do something about it. And while I hate to use a cliché, “perception can be reality.” You get the point.
The radio medium certainly has its challenges, like all of traditional media in recent years, but it’s still an enormous driver with a consistent audience. It’s not a medium that relies on the right algorithm hit from YouTube to determine whether a video gets 1,000, 10,000, or 100,000 views. The audience is fiercely loyal to its stations and hosts, and in news/talk land, it drives guaranteed voters.
The next part of this column is about how to combat the perception of being an “old” medium. Of course, the irony is that Clay & Buck are doing all of the right things. They’re streaming on multiple platforms, they have a visual element to the show, their social game is strong — and yet they still struggle to book guests who should be shoe-ins.
Building Your Local Profile
So for local markets, make that perception reality in terms of being widely known as the can’t-miss show in your community. You have to be podcasting in 2026, because if nothing else, it helps you book guests who then know they can share the interview with their immediate circle. You need to promote them on social media channels with pre-promotion, post-production, graphics, and more.
This snowball effect in your community will lead power players in politics, business, sports, and more to see their peers visiting with you, which will raise your credibility in the market. The average guest will care much more about exposure across multiple platforms than they do your latest 25-54 AQH. You can’t afford not to do these things. And while many stations are doing them, they can always be done better and more effectively.
Now, considering Spencer Pratt flew 3,000 miles across the country to do multiple in-studio appearances on Fox News last week, I could make a pretty strong case that a 10-to-15-minute interview with Clay & Buck — from whatever location he’s at in the country — would have been a wise decision. But that gets back to industry perception.
As an industry, we need to realize that a rising tide lifts all boats. Many shows and stations are where they need to be with their digital game, but many are still well behind the curve.
The better we all get, the better the industry gets. Booking guests will then be less of a hurdle for Clay & Buck, and for your local show as well.
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School’s out, so I peeked at Radio‘s grades this semester. As expected, there were some As and Bs, several Cs, and a few Ds and Fs in the mix. Overall, C+.
Before anyone fires up a group chat to get me cancelled — this isn’t a dunk on radio or the people in it. I love the industry. I’ve bled for it. I’ve bled on it.
But if you’ve been in the industry long enough, you’ve heard those from TV, Film, Print, and especially Ad Buyers say:
“Radio is a C student industry.”
Like most stereotypes, there’s some truth to it, and a lot that misses the mark.
Where They’re Wrong
Radio isn’t dumb or lazy. It’s not elementary school. It’s high-level media. Big revenue. Huge audiences. It’s not the kid in the back drawing AC/DC logos on his notebook instead of doing algebra. I may have done that, but I’m certainly not all of radio.
Radio is full of:
Brainiacs, overachievers, people who can build a rocket with Excel
Creators who generate more content than anyone in TV, print, or social
Live on-air talent who can out-riff, out-story, and out-perform half of Hollywood
Brands that build larger audiences than most “MBA-run” companies
Stations that feed the homeless, rescue pets, raise millions, and save lives
The people and the medium aren’t the problems.
Where They’re Right
The system and its tolerance for “just good enough.”
We don’t need live DJs all the time, we’ll be fine
The CHR is doing well, have that PD run all the others
The hits are the hits, we don’t need research
Vinnie sounds great in Boston, have him track 10 more markets — save ten salaries
Marketing? We’re a marketing medium; we don’t need to market ourselves
Long commercial sets and rigid playlists are the model, it’s fine
There’s no ROI in social, stop talking about it so much
The Standard Is Set Elsewhere
Film, TV, and Print require near perfection to survive. Radio’s mindset is often, “eh, it’s good enough to get by.” So while a few A+s are nice, head further down the dial and start adding it all up. That’s how the transcript starts looking like the drummer’s report card.
Today’s system rewards tenure over talent, safeness over boldness, and sameness over creativity. It also rewards savings over investment, and today over tomorrow. In some cases, employees don’t even have to listen to the station they work for — and the system treats that as acceptable.
What Happens When the System Wins
This creates long-term problems. Talent isn’t coached, creativity isn’t mandatory, and risk and innovation die. Recruiting becomes a challenge, listeners get bored and lose interest. Eventually the best people will leave — and so will the audience.
That’s what happens when A students can only play in a C-level system. We know who the A+ standouts are — but even their greatness alone can’t propel the entire industry into an A world. Not unless the “just good enough” system of tolerance changes.
This isn’t a widespread people or talent problem. It’s the system. And it’s like putting Flea on drums or telling the Foos there were cutbacks so their new record will be in mono.
The Path to an A-System
Leaping radio into an A-system can be done quickly. It doesn’t need any “how to” guides, and everyone reading this knows some of the key things that need to happen.
Radio has the talent and it still has AUDIENCE, although neither can be taken for granted. But radio can’t keep downgrading the amp and expect the same volume. Will improving the system cause quarterly earnings to dip some? Probably.
But that’s the cost of having a brighter future — an A+ student’s future.
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June is supposed to belong to somebody else. The Stanley Cup Final opened Tuesday night. The NBA Finals tipped off Wednesday. Baseball is rolling into summer. The NFL is technically in its offseason, with mostly optional OTAs taking place and training camps nearly two months away.
This should be the quietest month on the NFL calendar. Then Myles Garrett got traded to the Los Angeles Rams. Just like that, June belonged to football again.
By lunchtime Tuesday, ESPN was wall-to-wall Garrett coverage. FS1 led with it. Sports radio stations across the country spent hours debating what it meant for Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford. Not just them, but also the Rams, Browns, the NFC playoff race, and Super Bowl picture.
Speculation started immediately about whether Aaron Donald, one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, would come out of retirement and join the party. On Wednesday, Rams GM Les Snead made the media rounds like he was campaigning for office. He appeared on The Rich Eisen Show, ESPN programming, Colin Cowherd’s show, and seemingly every available microphone in America.
Meanwhile, the Stanley Cup Final was being played that night. Good luck with that.
The trade itself deserved attention. Garrett is the league’s premier defensive player. The Browns received young defensive star Jared Verse along with first, second, and third-round picks. It’s the type of blockbuster that creates content for weeks. Winners. Losers. Salary cap implications. Super Bowl odds. Fantasy fallout. Defensive rankings. Every possible angle was waiting to be debated.
The sports content factory had just been handed Christmas morning in June.
Hold My Beer…..
What’s remarkable isn’t that the trade became a story. Of course it did. What’s remarkable is what it overshadowed.
Just 48 hours earlier, the Thunder and Spurs delivered the highest-rated NBA Game 7 since 2016. The contest drawing more than 11 million viewers. It was exactly the kind of event the league needed: young stars, high stakes, and a winner-take-all showdown. It’s the kind of television executives spend years hoping to create.
Then the NFL dropped a massive trade during its slowest month of the year, and everybody pivoted in a flash.
Not because the NBA Finals suddenly became irrelevant. Because the NFL had something shinier and newer.
The NHL can stage a terrific Stanley Cup Final. The NFL can hold a Tuesday press conference and absorb all the oxygen in the room. If you’re a producer, you’re choosing between Golden Knights-Hurricanes analysis and debating whether Garrett makes the Rams the top Super Bowl contender. The decision was made before the morning meeting started.
Viewers have spent years telling media companies exactly what they want. More football.
The NFL Draft draws ratings many playoff games would envy. The schedule release has somehow become a television event. Free agency dominates March. Training camp dominates July. The regular season owns the fall. The playoffs consume January, and the Super Bowl owns February. The combine is must-watch television just weeks after the season ends.
At this point, if Roger Goodell announced a new shade of paint for the league office lobby, Stephen A. Smith and Chris Russo would spend an hour debating red versus blue. No other league has built a 12-month content machine like this.
America’s Football Obsession
Part of it is structural. Football lends itself to debate better than any other sport. Every roster move feels significant. Every coaching decision feels consequential. One player can dramatically alter a franchise’s trajectory. Part of it is scarcity.
There are only 17 regular-season games. Every piece of information feels important because there are relatively few opportunities to gather new information.
Sports media has spent decades chasing NFL stories because NFL stories work. They generate ratings, clicks, engagement, debate, and social media reaction. The results keep reinforcing the behavior.
That’s why Tuesday unfolded exactly the way it did.
Not because ESPN dislikes basketball. or because FS1 forgot the Stanley Cup Final existed. Not because producers woke up looking to ignore two championship events.
They followed the audience, and the audience followed the NFL.
That fact must be maddening for the NBA and NHL. Both leagues are literally playing for championships. This is supposed to be their stage, spotlight, and moment. Instead, they found themselves competing with a trade completed during organized team activities, with the actual NFL season not starting for another three months.
Which brings us back to the biggest lesson in sports media.
The NFL isn’t merely America’s most popular sport. It’s America’s most reliable content engine. The games matter, obviously. They always will. But the league’s real superpower is that it doesn’t require games. It can dominate Sundays, the draft, free agency, and even schedule release day. Apparently, it can dominate June, too.
Even when the NBA Finals are tipping off. Even when the Stanley Cup is being contested. Most sports need games to control the conversation. The NFL just needs a headline. That’s not normal.
Then again, neither is the NFL.
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This Fall, DJ Pup Dawg will have called Boston home for 25 years. At iHeartMedia’s JAM’N 94.5, he runs the station, mixes the records, mentors the next wave, and still goes out to the clubs to check the room. At this point, that’s not a job description. That’s a calling.
When I asked DJ Pup Dawg what still excites him about radio and Hip Hop after all these years, it’s still the music, and specifically helping to platform new artists.
“I still love planting the seed and watching it grow,” he said. “New artists come along, you build a relationship, you believe in their music — and then it takes off. And you’re like, okay, cool. I still know music.”
Pup Dawg has spent a quarter century building one of the most respected Hip Hop brands in the Northeast. In that time, he has evolved from a DJ who never wanted to touch a mic into one of Boston’s most recognized on-air voices.
He didn’t plan it that way. But he also didn’t fight it.
From the Decks to the Director’s Chair
Pup Dawg started with one goal: be a DJ.
“I never wanted to crack the mic, I never wanted to be a jock” he said. “I just wanted to DJ and was on the private side — showing people what I wanted to show, but not more… I always just wanted to show my art as a DJ.”
Over time, the role shifted. People told him he sounded good on air. He started talking more between mixes. Then came production, running the board, learning every corner of the operation before the PD title ever became a possibility.
“I knew I always wanted to run radio, but I didn’t think it was going to come to the capacity of actually running the whole thing,” he said. “Now I’m the Program Director, Music Director, Assistant Music Director, On-Air Mixer, National Show… (these days) whoever is working in radio, you have to do more than five jobs.”
That depth of experience matters. When something goes wrong at the station, Pup Dawg can usually fix it before engineering gets the call. That’s not an accident — it’s the result of learning everything from the bottom up.
Trust the DJ — Or Don’t. Here’s the Difference.
The conversation around DJs and radio programmers has always carried some friction. Pup Dawg lives in both worlds now, and he understands both sides.
I asked Pup if he felt like programmers today understand the value of on-air mix shows. “If the programmer is a DJ, yes — they get it,” he said. And laughed adding quickly, “if they’re not, no.”
He’s not throwing anyone under the bus. His point is more nuanced. Club DJs know which records move rooms. But a record that lights up a club at midnight doesn’t always translate to drivetime. Programmers who don’t DJ don’t fully trust the DJ’s instincts. And some DJs don’t understand programming well enough to make the case.
The real differentiator, in his view, is batting average. Build it over time, and listeners trust you. Play J. Cole before J. Cole was J. Cole. I was listening to Pup Dawg recently and heard him shout out emerging New York artist Maithili Raelle while she was headed to the JAM’N studio with record exec Kevin “Inca” Valentini. When those artists do make it, the credibility compounds.
“The trust comes from your listeners,” he said. “And it takes a while.”
As for what separates a DJ on the radio from a Spotify algorithm? Pup Dawg doesn’t hesitate.
“Element of surprise. That’s always going to be the key.”
Radio Still Matters to Music. Period.
There’s a version of this industry conversation where radio is always on defense. Pup Dawg isn’t interested in playing that game.
“I think radio will never die,” he said. “A playlist is a radio station. All those things were created off of what we did in radio.”
He points out something most people don’t consider: streaming playlists repeat songs. They weight recurrents just like radio does. They move songs in and out on a weekly cycle. The architecture is identical — radio just invented it first.
His take on whether radio can still break records is unambiguous. Once a song lands on radio, it’s official. He compared it to the NBA: “We’re the top of the top. Once it gets onto radio, it’s like — okay, it’s here. It’s real.”
Regional Identity Still Exists
We talked about regional hits, especially in Hip Hop and both agreed that’s why regional programming still matters. Boston isn’t San Diego. The Caribbean influence that fills JAMN’s mix show doesn’t play the same on the West Coast, and that’s exactly the point.
“You’re not playing Serani outside of here,” he said. “And that’s what makes Boston so special.”
He gets listeners from Phoenix tuning in specifically for the reggae and Afrobeats flavor mixed in with Hip Hop. That’s not an accident — it’s a deliberate programming identity that only works when someone in the chair actually cares about the culture.
“Being here in Boston, when people come visit from say the West Coast, they’re like ‘oh you’re playing different music’ and we’re not playing that much different, but it’s because of those couple of records, it switches up the whole station,” he said. “I think that’s very important. You don’t want everyone to sound the same.”
Giving Back to the Culture That Built Him
Earlier this year, Pup Dawg produced his first concert — a benefit show for Jamaican hurricane victims, with Shaggy headlining. For someone who has DJed fundraisers for 15 years, stepping into the producer role was a deliberate next level.
“My career and that culture and that music is why I am where I am,” he said. “Jamaica is like the third home to me. They needed the help, and I had the connections.”
He’s not stopping there. His next focus is music programs in Boston schools. Not the well-funded ones, but the ones with broken piano keys and dusty instruments nobody replaced. He wants to change that.
The goal he’s building toward? A benefit concert at Boston’s largest arena, the TD Garden. He’s giving himself five years.
Pup Dawg also mentors a handful of young people interested in radio. “Someone made the time for me,” he said, reflecting on his own path. “That can’t be an excuse why you can’t excite some of these kids who want to do media and radio.”
If you want to understand Pup Dawg’s philosophy on programming in one line, here it is: 65% gut, 35% data.
Pup still goes out. He watches DJs. He reads the room at clubs and concerts — sometimes 15,000 people deep. That’s his data. Not just hooks tested in a vacuum.
“I’d rather use that kind of data than someone sitting behind something listening to a bunch of hooks and going, yes or no,” he said.
He’s not anti-research. He’s anti-over-reliance. The balance matters. Push it too far in either direction and you lose the thing that makes radio feel alive.
And that feeling — the surprise, the community, the DJ who shouts out a listener by name and knows what’s happening in their hometown — is what Spotify can’t replicate. That’s what Pup Dawg is protecting. That’s what he’s building toward, one record, one mentor, one benefit show at a time.
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