As the NFL Network prepares to enter a new chapter under ESPN and The Walt Disney Company, one of its most recognizable voices is reflecting on both uncertainty and pride. During Tuesday’s edition of The Rich Eisen Show, Rich Eisen opened up about the emotions tied to the transition.
The longtime host described the moment as both significant and deeply personal for those who helped build the network from the ground up.
“It’s an emotional day for a lot of us,” Eisen said. “There’s a lot of people at the NFL Network right now wondering what is going to happen next. But it’s also the end of an era. The end of 23 years of growing this network on behalf of the NFL. It kind of feels weird that I’m not going to be employed by the shield.”
Eisen has been a central figure since the network’s launch in 2003. Despite that uncertainty, Eisen struck a hopeful tone. He pointed to the network’s growth and the foundation built over more than two decades. Rather than viewing the move as an ending, he framed it as a transition into something larger.
“I feel like we’re being dropped off at college,” Eisen said. “We are grown, we are mature, and we’re still growing.”
That perspective reflects confidence in what NFL Network has become and how it will continue to grow. Eisen noted that the partnership with ESPN opens doors that did not previously exist.
“There’s still lots to do,” he said. “It’s an exciting new world, and there is a way for our body of work to be expanded. Our minds to be expanded. There’s ways to explore new worlds with obviously, the leader in sports.”
The deal places NFL Network under the oversight of a company with deep resources and an expansive platform. As of today, NFL Media employees will officially become ESPN employees. NFL Network will be included in the ESPN direct-to-consumer product, while NFL RedZone will be distributed by ESPN to cable and satellite companies.
Even with those opportunities ahead, Eisen made it clear that the mission remains unchanged. He emphasized continuity and responsibility for everyone involved with NFL Media.
“It’s my job, along with everybody else. Including all the hard working men and women up at the NFL Media Group, as it’s formally been known. To continue the NFL Network the way it has been intended,” Eisen said.
That commitment may prove critical during a period of transition. While questions remain about staffing and structure, the focus appears to stay on maintaining the identity that helped define the network. The past 23 years shaped a generational time in both his career and the network’s place in sports media. Now, a new era begins with different leadership but familiar expectations.
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Q104 in Kansas City has announced Codie Allen will serve as its new morning host.
Allen is no stranger to Kansas City country listeners. From 2012 until last August, she worked at 106.5 The Wolf. During her tenure, she worked as APD/MD as well as a morning show co-host.
“Codie Allen in Q104 mornings is a dream scenario for this station,” said Program Director Dale Carter. “She understands Country music, she understands Kansas City, and she knows how to make a real connection with listeners from the first song of the day to the last. We’ve built something special here with this lineup, and I can’t wait for Kansas City to wake up with Codie every morning.”
The move marks a return to the station for Allen. She began her career at Q104 before later working at 102.9 The Wolf in Minneapolis and 99.7 The Wolf in Memphis before moving back to Kansas City.
With the addition of Codie Allen in mornings, previous morning host, Mallory Kay, will move to middays. Marissa Leggio, who helmed middays before Kay, will move to nights on the station. She’ll also be heard in the same daypart on Mix 93.3.
“This is a big day for the entire cluster,” said Operations Manager Steve Serrano. “Codie brings an incredible combination of talent, experience, and genuine connection to this audience. The programming moves we’re making today reflect our commitment to putting the right people in the right places — and having Codie Allen wake up Kansas City on Q104 every morning is exactly the right move.”
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Benztown continues to expand the reach of one of its longest-running syndicated radio brands. The company announced that The Todd-N-Tyler Radio Empire has added four new affiliates through Murfin Media, extending the show’s presence across Kansas.
The program will now air on KSPN-FM in Burlington, KKOY-FM in Chanute, KSEK-AM/K300DE in Pittsburg, and KIND-FM in Elk City as part of the Rock of Kansas format.
Hosted by Todd Brandt and Mike Tyler, the show airs weekdays from 6-10 a.m. and blends humor, lifestyle content, and interviews aimed at rock audiences. The addition gives Murfin Media a personality-driven morning option to pair with its music-focused stations.
“We are excited to expand our footprint in the great state of Kansas,” noted Brandt about the new additions.
Murfin Media Brand Manager Jack Oliver said the program aligns well with the company’s audience strategy. He noted the show delivers a mix of commentary and real-life storytelling that fits the mindset of rock listeners while adding energy to the network’s presentation.
The Todd-N-Tyler Radio Empire has built a long-standing presence in syndication by leaning into conversational content and a comedic approach to current events. Signature features include recurring bits such as “The Dead Pool,” “Unspeakable Sex Acts,” and “Famous Chicks that Bug Todd.”
In addition to its standard weekday offering, Benztown also distributes TNT Stripped Bare, a customized version of the show designed for stations seeking a tighter music-and-talk blend. The format provides flexibility for programmers and supports both PPM and diary measurement markets.
With the Kansas expansion, the show continues to strengthen its multi-market footprint. It is already heard in several cities, including Omaha, Wichita, Lincoln, Mason City, Fayetteville, Fargo, Stillwater, and parts of the Spokane market.
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98.1 KVET in Austin has a new morning show. JB Hager and Sandy McIlree will host The JB and Sandy Morning Show on the iHeartMedia country station.
It marks a return for the duo, who went off the air in 2015. They previously worked together for 18 years at Mix 94.7 in the market before working at 105.3 The Fringe together.
“KVET is a legendary radio station that has produced Texas Radio Hall of Famers Bob Pickett, Bama Brown and Bob Cole,” said Sandy McIlree. “To say we are standing on the shoulders of giants is an understatement. We are excited to be part of the iHeart family and appreciate the effort from Christine Escobar, Marc Sherman and Jason McCollim to make this happen.”
“We’ve always said the JB and Sandy show was really about the relationship with Austin,” said JB Hager. “It feels like picking up the conversation right where we left off. Austin has changed a lot since we were last on the air—but one thing hasn’t: this city still loves a good morning show. We’re excited to be part of it again. We couldn’t ask for a better home than the legendary KVET.”
Joining the show is Tricia McIlree, the wife of Sandy McIlree. She has co-hosted the syndicated Sandy Show since 2018.
The JB and Sandy Morning Show replaces Wayne D & Tay Hamilton in the daypart. That show was a Nashville-based program.
“Austin thrives on the strength of its local, legacy brands. And The JB & Sandy Morning Show is a perfect reflection of that spirit,” said iHeartMedia Austin President Christine Escobar. “Their deep connection with listeners and their family-friendly approach to the morning commute have made them a beloved part of this community for decades. We’re proud to welcome them back and excited for what their return means for our listeners, our partners, and for Austin.”
The JB and Sandy Morning Show will air from 6-10 AM. The show launched on Wednesday morning.
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iHeartMedia has found its new morning voice in Baltimore, and it’s a familiar one for local audiences. The company announced that Candace Dold has been named co-host of Michael J & Candace In The Morning on iHeartMedia Baltimore’s 93.1 WPOC.
Dold joins Michael J on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., forming a new pairing designed to energize the station’s morning drive. Michael J, a longtime fixture in the format, is also set to be inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2026.
“Candace came in as a guest fill-in while we conducted our search. It quickly became clear she was the perfect match,” said Jeff Kapugi, Region Senior Vice President of Programming. “There was instant chemistry. We’re excited for what this team will bring to Baltimore mornings.”
Dold brings a deep connection to the market. She previously spent more than a decade at FOX45, where she worked as a reporter and anchor from 2005 to 2019. In addition, she hosted the lifestyle program B’More Lifestyle, building strong recognition among local viewers.
That familiarity could prove valuable as WPOC looks to strengthen its bond with listeners. For Dold, the move also marks a return to her roots in a different medium.
“I’ve always had a love for this station,” she said. “Growing up in Maryland, WPOC was part of my daily life. Joining Michael J in the mornings is an incredible opportunity, and I’m excited to connect with listeners in a new way.”
The new era of mornings at 93.1 WPOC begins now, with a duo the company believes is already in sync.
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Woody, host of The Woody Show, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Kidd Kraddick Award, Talentmasters announced this week. The honor will be presented during the 38th Annual Morning Show Boot Camp, set for August 5-7 in Cleveland.
The award, named after the late Kidd Kraddick, recognizes radio talent who demonstrate sustained success, originality, community impact and the ability to influence others in the industry.
Woody’s program is one of the country’s top syndicated alternative morning shows. It is distributed by Premiere Networks and originates from iHeartMedia’s ALT 98.7 in Los Angeles.
Each year’s recipient selects the next honoree. That responsibility fell to Johnjay Van Es and Rich Berra, hosts of The Johnjay & Rich Show, who received the award in 2025.
Van Es praised Woody’s connection with listeners and his ability to entertain while remaining relatable.
“Woody has a rare ability to connect, uplift, and make people feel seen — all while making us laugh,” Van Es said. “He represents everything the Kidd Kraddick Award stands for, and no one is more deserving.”
Berra pointed to the show’s steady growth and loyal following as key factors in the selection.
“We’ve watched Woody and his crew quietly build a rock empire over the last few years,” Berra said. “They’ve developed a strong bond with their audience while delivering a consistently entertaining product. That’s something Kidd always valued.”
Woody said the recognition carries special meaning given the legacy attached to the award.
“This industry has given me so much over the years, and radio will always be my first love,” he said. “While I never had the chance to meet Kidd Kraddick, I understand the impact he had. Being honored with an award that carries his name is incredibly meaningful.”
The Kidd Kraddick Award has a long history of recognizing influential morning talent across the country. Previous winners include Bert Weiss of The Bert Show, The Kidd Kraddick Show, The Roula & Ryan Show with Eric in Houston, and Dave Ryan of KDWB in Minneapolis.
Additional past honorees include Paul Castronovo in Miami, BJ Shea in Seattle, and Mojo in Detroit.
Talentmasters will present the award during its annual Morning Show Boot Camp at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown. The event brings together radio professionals from across the country for networking, training and industry discussions.
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The 2026 Barrett Media Audio Summit presented by Point to Point Marketing continues bolstering its lineup to assure attendees learn from the best in the sports media business. The 3-day event takes place June 30-July 2, 2026 at the SVA Theatre in NYC. Anyone working in the media business, whether in management, on-air, production, producing, advertising, sales, digital or up top, is welcomed to attend. Students pursuing degrees in broadcasting related fields may attend as well. Tickets are on-sale HERE.
This year’s gameplan is different than past conferences. The News/Talk Summit starts us off on Tuesday, June 30th. The Sports Media Summit takes place Wednesday, July 1st. And our very first Music Radio Summit closes out the event on Thursday, July 2nd. 48 speakers have been announced for the show so far, and there’s more still to come. The full list is available here.
We host this event to help the broadcasting industry. Learning from others that you don’t cross paths with who run businesses differently provides valuable insight. The networking opportunities in the hallways and at the after parties are also beneficial. Celebrating those who create impact and make a difference is the icing on the cake. We do all of that, and hope you’ll join us to see for yourself.
Meet the Speakers
Jeff Smulyan: Dubbed “The Father of the Sports Talk Format”, Jeff launched sports radio in New York City in 1987, overseeing WFAN’s early rise before selling the station in 1991 for $70 million dollars. It was the highest price ever paid for a radio station at the time. Jeff serves as CEO and Chairman of Emmis Communications, and is a radio hall of famer, former chair of the Radio Advertising Bureau, and former director of the National Association of Broadcasters. In addition, he was the principal shareholder of a group that purchased the Seattle Mariners in 1989. An honored guest and friend, Jeff has attended every Sports Summit we’ve hosted since 2019. He presents one radio industry executive with The Jeff Smulyan Award, an award that celebrates risk taking, leadership, and impact. We appreciate him making the trip to join us.
Mark Chernoff: The architect of WFAN’s rise to prominence from the 1990’s to the early 2020’s, Mark Chernoff is known as one of the greatest programmers in sports radio history. Still active on the radio airwaves in New Jersey on 107.1 The Boss and WFDU-FM and in Washington D.C. on 94.7 The Drive, Mark‘s love and passion for the radio industry remains strong. We’re grateful to have him on hand to present the Mark Chernoff Award to this year’s top sports program director.
Kevin Clark: The host of the widely successful, “This is Football“, and a regular contributor to ESPN television, Kevin Clark has become known for his insightful conversations with the biggest names in the NFL. He has covered the league since 2016, previously writing for The Ringer, and Wall Street Journal. One of Omaha Productions’ most popular personalities, Clark’s program has gained exposure on ESPN2 while attracting nearly 350,000 subscribers on YouTube. A graduate of the University of Miami with a degree in history and communications, this will be his second appearance at the Barrett Media Summit. We appreciate him making time to be a part of the show.
Brandon Tierney: Unwavering passion is what Brandon delivers anytime he gets behind the microphone. An accomplished host with local stints at WFAN, ESPN New York, 95.7 The Game, WDFN 1130 and a national run at CBS Sports Radio, Brandon is now building his own brand and business, hosting BT Unleashed on YouTube. In less than 90-days, Tierney’s channel gained nearly 20,000 subscribers, surpassing one million views, and securing multiple sponsorships. This is Brandon’s first appearance at the Summit since 2020. We’re excited to having him back.
Joon Lee: An independent sports journalist, Joon delivers exceptional content on YouTube, with over 41,000 subscribing to his channel. He has written op-eds for The New York Times and The Boston Globe and worked for ESPN, Bleacher Report and The Washington Post. Now, after building a foundation in traditional media, he is thriving independently, generating large numbers of views for each piece of content he creates. Joon was named a Creator on the Rise by YouTube in May 2025. Attendees will learn a lot when he takes the stage in NYC. We’re thrilled to have him participating.
Kraig Riley: Responsible for the programming direction of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, Kraig has overseen consistent ratings success while moving the brand forward digitally. A strong commitment to video, social media, and original digital content, while simultaneously maintaining focus on serving the traditional radio audience explains why 93.7 The Fan is highly respected. This will be Kraig’s first appearance on stage at the Summit. His fresh perspective and insight on what keeps 93.7 The Fan thriving will be a strong addition.
Tickets and Hotel Room Details
The 2026 Barrett Media Audio Summit presented by Point to Point Marketing takes place in New York City, June 30-July 2, 2026. News Talk kicks things off on Tuesday, June 30th. Sports is next on Wednesday, July 1st. Music takes us home on Thursday, July 2nd. Once each show concludes, after parties will take place to celebrate and network.
For those traveling to NYC, rooms are more expensive this summer due to the World Cup. However, Hotel Hayden is offering a discounted rate ($288 per night) for Summit attendees. Rooms will not last though, so act now before they fill up. Details are available on the Summit page.
In addition, brand leaders looking to reduce expenses do have a barter option. IMAR Entertainment is able to cover costs to allow industry professionals to attend the show. For details, click HERE or the photo below.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available but going fast. To have your company involved with the media industry’s premiere conference, email Stephanie at Stephanie@BarrettMedia.com.
We are just 91 days away from showtime. Secure your ticket, reserve your room, and let’s make this year’s event, the best one yet. I hope to see you this summer in the big apple!
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries.Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Social media, as we once understood it, is gone. It didn’t die quietly. It transformed into something far more insidious — and the consequences for news media are only beginning to unfold.
Gary Vaynerchuk put it plainly over the weekend. He argued that social media has been replaced by what he calls “attention media.” The premise is simple. Platforms don’t reward connection anymore. They reward attention. And attention, it turns out, is most easily captured through outrage.
Think about how the cycle works. Outrage fuels engagement. Engagement fuels monetization. Monetization then demands more outrage. It’s a loop with no natural exit, and it’s reshaping every corner of media — including news.
That’s a real problem. News organizations aren’t selling widgets. They’re supposed to be informing the public. But now they’re operating inside a system that financially rewards the loudest, angriest, most provocative version of any story. The incentives are broken, and everyone can feel it.
Here’s something worth remembering: boring news is often good news. Stable markets, quiet diplomatic progress, a President that can form a complete sentence without going off on a tangent, a city council that balanced its budget — none of that earns clicks. Yet it all matters. In an attention economy, though, “it matters” isn’t enough. It has to agitate. It has to make someone feel something hot and immediate.
So instead, we get wall-to-wall outrage. Stories get framed to provoke rather than inform. Headlines are engineered to trigger a response before the reader even opens the article. Journalists who should be focused on storytelling are, instead, chasing engagement metrics. The craft suffers. The audience suffers too, even if they don’t realize it.
It isn’t a new phenomenon, by the way. “If it bleeds, it leads” wasn’t devised in the past decade. But there used to be plenty of other ways to monetize content, too. As we’ve seen in both radio and television, the ability to simply point to Nielsen numbers and say “This many people are watching/listening. Now give me your money,” feels like a bygone era.
News media is at its best when storytelling drives the work. The best content you’ll ever see operates from curiosity, not controversy. Reporters find the human thread in complicated stories and pull it carefully, giving audiences something they couldn’t find elsewhere. That’s the work that builds trust. That’s the work that lasts.
But trust doesn’t trend. Nuance doesn’t go viral. And so, unfortunately, neither gets rewarded in the current environment.
We’re already living with the consequences. News media is already fractured sharply along political and ideological lines. Audiences self-select into bubbles. Outlets have learned — correctly, from a business standpoint — that serving a passionate, enraged niche pays better than serving a broad, curious public. So that’s what they do. The fracture deepens. The trust erodes further.
It’s going to get worse before it gets better. How much worse is anyone’s guess.
The real danger isn’t just that news becomes less accurate or less fair, though both are genuine risks. The deeper danger is structural. If the only viable monetization model for news content runs through outrage and attention, then the industry will keep recruiting for that skillset. It’ll keep rewarding that behavior. Eventually, it won’t just be that bad incentives exist — it’ll be that no one inside the system remembers what the good incentives used to look like.
Vaynerchuk is a marketing mind, not a media critic. Still, he identified something the industry has been slow to name clearly. Calling it “attention media” instead of “social media” goes past semantics. It’s a diagnosis of sorts. Attention, by itself, is neutral. But attention harvested through manufactured outrage is corrosive — especially when the product you’re selling is supposed to be the truth.
The question now isn’t whether the model is broken. It clearly is. The question is whether enough people inside news media have the will to build something different before the damage becomes permanent.
Some are trying, but it won’t be easy. Algorithms aren’t going to help. But the alternative — a news landscape permanently optimized for outrage — isn’t really news at all. It’s just noise with a dateline.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Clinton Yates had an impossible task: replacing a legend. That’s been the challenge ESPN Radio has faced for more than a decade. Colin Cowherd leaves for FOX Sports Radio, and Dan Le Batard steps in. Le Batard leaves ESPN, and Mike Greenberg’s Greeny takes over. Greenberg steps away from ESPN Radio, and Clinton Yates steps into the role.
Now, just a year later, ESPN Radio is about to fill the midday time slot for the fifth time in a little over a decade. That doesn’t even account for the rotation of cast members in morning drive since Mike & Mike split.
Syndicated sports radio continues finds itself at a crossroads. Veteran, legacy talent is aging out, retiring, or pursuing other avenues in sports. Dan Patrick is expected to retire within two years. Doug Gottlieb chased his passion for college basketball. Colin Cowherd continues building his podcast empire at age 62. Mike Greenberg says he expects to return to radio one day, but when? And how? More importantly, why?
Clinton Yates’ departure leaves opportunity—an opportunity for ESPN Radio to rethink how it evolves within the sports radio industry.
When Mike Greenberg decided to step away after five years hosting middays solo, plenty of questions followed. First and foremost: how would Clinton & Friends appeal to an audience accustomed to a Hall of Fame-caliber host like Greenberg? Those shoes aren’t easy to fill, and they wouldn’t be for anyone.
When ESPN Radio announcedClinton & Friends, the network also shifted Q Myers to co-host with Joe Fortenbaugh from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., as Chris Carlin moved to ESPN New York. That created five hours of brand-new national programming for listeners.
I promise. I will respond to everyone. Thank you so much for the kind words and support. Just wont happen today, alas. I appreciate everyone for ever caring about anything I ever said or wrote during this chapter. Truly. pic.twitter.com/l5sEkSgeCq
Just 13 months later, all five hours are gone from the weekday lineup. Joe & Q was replaced by The Rich Eisen Show. Now, we wait to see what replaces Clinton & Friends.
ESPN Radio likely has plenty of options. Would the company consider leaning on its Good Karma Brands partners and elevate Jorge Sedano and Scott Kaplan from ESPN LA to the national stage from 10 a.m. to noon ET? Their show moved to morning drive in September and features voices familiar to a national ESPN Radio audience.
Could ESPN pursue another licensing agreement similar to the one with Rich Eisen? Might the company expand its partnership with Omaha Productions and tap into a roster of signature podcasts featuring ESPN’s top personalities?
The options may be plentiful—but will any of them break through in an evolving sports radio industry?
ESPN Radio has recognition. It carries the sound of a national brand. Its visuals are already top-tier and likely to improve. The reach and branding are there.
Now, it’s about the future—the next generation and a new way to connect with the audience.
When Westwood One Sports launched its new lineup this past December, I credited the effort and especially the approach. The lineup wasn’t built around former athletes or recycled ESPN talent. It was young, social, and energetic. It featured talent grinding through multiple jobs while experimenting across digital platforms.
While many sports radio brands across the country stopped trying new approaches and allowed opportunities to pass, Westwood One took a different path. It was a step toward competing in a lane the industry had yet to fully explore—content-first, but not radio-only.
Now, ESPN Radio has that same opportunity. The goal should be to connect with audiences on multiple levels, across every viable platform, and establish itself as a destination for programming that resonates widely. The infrastructure and assets are in place. The question is whether the company will use them.
Or will ESPN Radio stick to its traditional formula?
“Today’s my last day doing this show…thank you guys for a lot of fun…this has really been a great experience for me.”@Espngreeny explains his decision to step away from ESPN Radio 🎤 pic.twitter.com/cn15LWz8Gp
Too often, sports radio brands and stations fall back on what once worked. They return to the same playbook, hoping history repeats itself.
That trend extends beyond local sports radio.
This isn’t a criticism of the executives making these decisions—it’s an observation about perception. Too often, the message suggests that protecting the present matters more than building for the future. Meanwhile, the younger audiences the industry claims to covet continue to shift to new platforms, while the core audience sports radio was built on steadily ages out.
Credit to Clinton Yates, who spent a decade at ESPN filling every role asked of him. His contributions won’t—and shouldn’t—fade quietly. Anyone placed in that chair, in that time slot, understood the uphill climb ahead.
Now, it’s on ESPN Radio to decide. Filling the time slot doesn’t require replicating the past, but it does require building for the future. That demands bold decisions and leaders willing to try something different.
Because this isn’t just about replacing a host—it’s about redefining what ESPN Radio wants to be.
The next voice in that chair won’t simply follow Colin Cowherd, Dan Le Batard, or Mike Greenberg. They’ll step into an ecosystem that no longer plays by the same rules those names once dominated. The audience has changed. The platforms have changed. The expectations have changed.
So this decision can’t be about comfort. It can’t be about familiarity. And it definitely can’t be about recreating something that no longer exists.
It has to be about vision.
If ESPN Radio leans into what’s next—not what’s been—this vacancy becomes less of a problem and more of a turning point. A chance to build something that doesn’t just survive in today’s audio landscape, but competes in it.
And if they don’t?
Then this won’t be the last time we’re having this exact same conversation a year from now.
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Accidents happen all the time in everyday life. Oftentimes, those moments are viewed as singular failures. Few, however, produce an outcome that leads to something better. For Chris Van Vliet, he never thought his interest in wrestling would lead to the level of national success it has reached. It all happened by accident.
“2007, I was at MTV2 Canada in Vancouver, and I saw that WWE was coming to town soon. I asked my boss if we could interview a WWE superstar. It blew my mind that they said yes. I was going to get paid to do it,” explained Van Vliet. “It was the merging of two things I’m super passionate about. Broadcasting and wrestling.”
A simple request led to an opportunity for Van Vliet and began a journey he couldn’t have predicted. A one-off interview in Vancouver set the foundation for him to build a nationwide platform for in-depth interviews with stars in sports entertainment.
“I was taking those interviews with wrestlers at the time and putting them on my YouTube channel. I wanted people to see these interviews that maybe we’re watching that local television station at the time,” explained Van Vliet. “It’s kind of a digital library. That’s how this all began.”
Growth Not By Accident
Van Vliet’s platform has become a dominant force in the wrestling media landscape. Supported by a loyal following, Insight with Chris Van Vliet ranks among the top wrestling podcasts in the world and consistently appears among leading sports and entertainment shows on Apple and Spotify. His YouTube channels (CVV Clips, Chris Van Vliet) boast nearly two million subscribers and more than 2.8 billion views.
Van Vliet credits the growth of his content to consistency. For years, he balanced his passion with a traditional career, then navigated the challenges of becoming an independent creator.
“When I decided to pick certain days to put out new episodes, that’s when everything changed,” notes Van Vliet. “That was the biggest thing knowing that if I would show up on certain days, the audience would start to show up as well.”
Consistency also builds familiarity. As wrestling fandom has grown more passionate, clips from Van Vliet’s interviews frequently circulate across social media. His experience in radio and television helped him develop the skill set needed to build his brand from within.
Over time, he has earned the trust of guests by delivering interviews rooted in depth and strong storytelling.
“I’ve have been bootstrapping this for a long time. It’s really been over the last three years that I invested in equipment and started renting studios to make this look better,” explained Van Vliet. “At the core of all of this is the conversation. The storytelling, and that will always be the focus. But for me, I wanted it to look good and be something that someone would want to have on their television. People are watching YouTube more on their television than they ever have.”
The Art Of The Interview
The conversations Van Vliet conducts are exactly that—conversations. They offer perspective, insight, and depth. Rather than focusing on headlines, he emphasizes the journey behind the story. He describes his interviews as “reverse engineering success,” studying those at the top of the wrestling industry and applying those lessons to his own life while sharing them with his audience.
“I want to do these conversations always in person. If someone is willing to say yes, I will do whatever it takes to sit down with them because it’s such a different vibe,” says Van Vliet. “It just deepens the conversation. If that makes the conversation just one percent better, it’s worth it.”
His approach is not to interrogate or chase headlines with hot takes. Instead, Van Vliet prioritizes evergreen interviews—conversations that remain meaningful years after they are recorded.
“I relate to what Marshall McLuhan once said. The medium is the message,” says Van Vliet. “You need to keep that in mind with the type of content you’re creating. There’s a life cycle on it. If I’m going to put something on YouTube that might get suggested as a recommended video months from now. I want the viewer to click on that and not be disappointed.”
Choosing guests is simple for Van Vliet. He interviews people he genuinely wants to talk with and share a moment of conversation. He admits he constantly fills his phone’s notes app with potential ideas and questions for future interviews.
Once a guest is secured, Van Vliet works closely with his team, including writer Alex Hunt. They dive into the research. Uncovering moments from a wrestler’s career that may not have been discussed before, and craft questions to guide the conversation.
“I write down bullet points of the topics I want to cover, but I’m never married to the topic order,” notes Van Vliet. “The most important thing any interviewer is listen. Larry King once said, ‘I never learned anything while I was talking.’ It doesn’t make sense to ask a question and not be present and listen to the response. Sometimes that doesn’t happen in interviews.”
Wrestling Shaped As Sports
Professional wrestling is scripted entertainment at its core. Because of that, Van Vliet notes there are times when guests request certain topics be avoided due to ongoing storylines. In some cases, quotes from his interviews have even been incorporated into storylines themselves.
Van Vliet says he enjoys the current era of wrestling, where everything counts—from behind-the-scenes access to late-night talk show appearances. Every moment, across every medium, helps draw fans deeper into the story.
As his platform continues to grow, Van Vliet believes there is still room for more voices. He applauds companies like WWE for expanding into podcasting, including partnerships with Fanatics to launch new content platforms. The demand for wrestling content remains at an all-time high.
Yet, traditional sports radio often continues to overlook the popularity of the medium.
“Wrestling in general doesn’t get treated on the same level as sports. I understand that one is a sport, and one is a television program. Especially when you’re leading up to a big event in wrestling. It feels like it should be something that’s discussed,” says Van Vliet. “It’s a white space that a lot of these radio stations are missing out on.”
WrestleMania On Cable
Later this month, WWE will produce its 42nd WrestleMania in Las Vegas, a two-night event showcasing the best the company has to offer in a Super Bowl–esque presentation.
This year, WWE and ESPN have agreed to air the first hour of WrestleMania on both nights—ESPN2 on Saturday and ESPN on Sunday. It marks the first time WWE’s premier event will air on basic cable. The goal is to drive viewers to ESPN’s direct-to-consumer platform for the remainder of the event through subscriptions.
BIG NEWS!
The 1st hour of WrestleMania on BOTH Saturday and Sunday will be streaming LIVE on ESPN2 and @espn!
“I’m curious to see what the conversation rate is. How many people are going to watch the first hour and then subscribe to the ESPN app to watch the rest,” said Van Vliet. “I’m also curious to see what the viewership is going to be, because I think it’s going to be big. There’s going to be a lot of people watching that.”
Van Vliet calls the move an “interesting test,” noting that wrestling thrives on nostalgia. Placing WrestleMania on ESPN could attract new fans while reconnecting with those who drifted away from the product.
In an industry built on larger-than-life personas and scripted outcomes, Chris Van Vliet has carved out something real. What began as a chance assignment in Vancouver has evolved into a platform rooted in curiosity, preparation, and authenticity—a space where the stories behind the spectacle matter just as much as the spectacle itself.
The “accident” that started it all was never truly an accident. It was preparation meeting opportunity, fueled by a genuine passion for storytelling and professional wrestling.
As wrestling continues to expand across platforms and audiences, voices like Van Vliet’s are not just contributing to the conversation—they are helping define it. By choosing depth over noise and longevity over immediacy, he is proving there is still room for meaningful storytelling in a fast-moving digital world.
For Van Vliet, the mission remains simple: keep showing up, keep listening, and keep telling stories.
Because sometimes, the most impactful journeys do not begin with a grand plan—they begin with a simple yes.
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