Welcome to the second installment of “Now Hear This“. Most of the time when you listen to a sports radio show the hosts are full of fun, passion, and thought provoking ideas that leave their audiences mentally and emotionally spent. But what happens when tragedy hits close to home, and the host and audience are no longer interested in laughing or debating?
That situation took place this past weekend in Miami, where the Marlins lost their star right handed pitcher and one of the most beloved members of the Miami community Jose Fernandez. The Dolphins won their home opener on Sunday, and the Miami Heat announced that Chris Bosh’s future would not be in South Beach, and on any other day, those stories would be a larger local priority. But when the 24 year old Fernandez was killed in a boating accident early Sunday morning, it’s all that mattered to Miami sports fans and discussing other subjects would have felt irrelevant and unwelcomed.
I listened to 790 The Ticket’s morning show with Jonathan Zaslow, Amber Wilson, and Brett Romberg and thought they gave the proper respect, attention and tone to discussing the Fernandez story. I heard the same out of Joe Rose’s show on WQAM. But one program stood out most, and that was the Dan Le Batard show on ESPN Radio.
Dan and his on-air partner Jon “Stugotz” Weiner are based out of Miami, and few have had a connection or impact in the Miami sports community the way Le Batard has. When big local stories happen audiences turn to Dan expecting him to make sense of them and on this particular Monday, knowing that Jose Fernandez was being remembered and honored on a national level carried extra importance.
As I listened to Dan start his program, I was instantly connected to the way he delivered his content. It was honest, from the heart, and showed that despite being known for his strong opinions and off the wall sense of humor, he can also be vulnerable. You could feel the sadness in Dan’s voice as he shared the Jose Fernandez story, and as a listener you were committed to sticking by him as he stumbled through a few moments where the show lost focus. The rules didn’t matter – connecting to the story and explaining who Jose Fernandez was to the entire country did.
I loved how the program spent the first fifteen minutes bringing back older clips of Fernandez talking with Dan about his life and his adjustment to the United States because it humanized the athlete. I got a deeper appreciation for who Jose Fernandez was and it made his loss feel even more significant because it allowed others who didn’t see him on a daily basis get to know why so many in the Miami community considered him special.
Talking about the loss of a hero is never easy. It’s even harder when you’re operating a national show on a Monday and there’s immediate pressure to talk about the NFL and other top stories which will matter to more markets and people than the Jose Fernandez story. But every now and then there comes a situation where you have to be true to who you are and talk about things that personally affect you.
On this day, Dan Le Batard may not have discussed the story that the entire country tuned in to hear about, but he made the right choice. And when you follow your heart and let the world hear you during your toughest days, more times than not they rally around you.
To hear the segment click the play button below. In the future, if you hear something on a radio station that you feel is worthy of being featured in the “Now Hear This” column, you can pass it along via email at JBarrett@hvy.tcp.mybluehost.me. Enjoy the audio!
After 10 years, Matt Mosley’s time at ESPN Dallas 103.3 has come to an end. The talented afternoon host who partnered with SportsDay columnist and ESPN contributor Tim Cowlishaw for the past three years, and who worked with Randy Galloway prior to his retirement, was not on the air Friday, and confirmed via social media that his time with the radio station had expired.
According to a report in the Dallas News, Mosley was working on a one year deal. His agreement was set to expire in October. The two sides had talked about continuing the relationship but were not able to come to terms. Mosley’s partner, Cowlishaw, has one year left on his deal and will have to adjust to working with a new on-air partner.
Although Mosley and Cowlishaw were third in the ratings behind The Hardline (Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket) and Ben & Skin (105.3 The Fan), they outperformed their lead-in (Dennis & Friedo). When reached for comment, Mosley said plans are in the works for him to return to the Dallas-Fort Worth radio airwaves in the future. He’ll make an announcement at the appropriate time.
In addition to Mosley departing, so too is midday host Mark Friedman. Friedman teamed with Steve Dennis in middays, and the local speculation is that Dennis will move up from the midday program to partner with Cowlishaw, and the midday show will be turned over to Jean-Jacques Taylor and Will Chambers. Taylor has already confirmed on Facebook that he will host the midday show.
The 2016 NAB Radio Show is in the books and as usual, I’m feeling energized after a few days of learning. This year’s event took place in Nashville, Tennessee, a city with rich history, and a strong commitment to country music, which made it feel like the right place to spend a few days analyzing the state of the radio industry.
The music scene on Broadway was vibrant. You couldn’t walk thirty feet without reaching another bar or restaurant and hearing a local artist perform. The County Music Hall of Fame and Johnny Cash Museum were both within walking distance of the conference, as was the Bridgestone Arena, which featured concerts by Carrie Underwood, and Avenged Sevenfold, and left passionate music fans enjoying the Nashville nightlife all throughout the week.
As I’ve learned over the past few years, these conferences provide many positives, but there are always one or two areas where things can be better. It takes the effort of many to organize, speak, perform, and attend, and the reason people travel for this event is to get a deeper education on where our business is, and where it needs to go. That is very important and wouldn’t be made possible without the contributions of the NAB, our broadcasting industry, and the thousands of people who work in it.
This year more than 2,200 showed up, and there was a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy. The Marconi and Radio Wayne Awards were especially top notch, and included a classic line from New York radio icon Scott Shannon who said “I’m happier than a Kardashian walking into an NBA locker room”. It was a great few days of celebrating our industry and educating ourselves and for those who couldn’t make it, I’ve highlighted some of the positives I gained from this year’s event, along with a few areas where improvements can still be made. I enjoyed attending and speaking on a panel, and am looking forward to next year’s show in Austin, Texas.
What Was Good
Performers: The NAB did an excellent job of including some great musical acts into this year’s show. Whether they were performing live and talking about the way radio factored into the success of their songs, or just sitting on a panel and talking about the business of music and the challenge of growing a brand, there were a bunch of artists providing insight into their careers and how important radio has been to what they do.
In the span of three or four days, Big & Rich, Kellie Pickler, Danielle Bradberry, Jennifer Nettles, Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra, and Jesse James Dupree of Jackyl were all involved either speaking or performing, adding a nice energy to the event. In the case of Dupree, his candid opinions and insights on brand building during a conversation with Mike McVay and Michael Brandvold were especially interesting and helpful.
Social Media: Few would disagree that social media plays a large role in our daily lives, and when Lori Lewis is involved in a session talking about the do’s and dont’s in the social space, few are more informative or enjoyable. Lori’s line “the essence of social media is reminding people that they matter” was perfectly stated, and a good reminder to brands to further engage with their audience on social media platforms.
She shared a few examples of why radio needs to abandon its ‘prize wheel’ approach and look at social from a fan’s point of view. Gaining a deeper understanding of the business we’re in and how it appears to be glamorous to the audience was another part of her focus. During the discussion she urged the room to let the listener capture their experience when they stop by a radio station event or studio because “it’ll be on Facebook before they leave the parking lot”. She was right on target.
Networking: As great as the NAB is for learning new information about the radio business, many in executive positions attend to further their relationships, speak on panels and keep the profiles of their companies strong. That helps open the doors to new business opportunities. The turnout this year from the majority of broadcasters was strong, and that’s important because for radio conferences to work it requires support and involvement from our industry’s leaders.
I saw high ranking members of CBS, iHeart, Entercom, Cumulus, Alpha, Emmis, Beasley, Townsquare, Hubbard and Cox in attendance, plus a few smaller groups had a presence too. While many of these broadcasters concentrated on business inside of each conference room, they allowed themselves to unwind and enjoy time together outside of them. We may compete against one another on a daily basis, but we all face the same challenges. Besides, competition is more fun when you’re battling people you like, respect, and enjoy spending time with.
If you’re in the radio business and trying to take larger steps in your career, or if you’re trying to break into the industry for the first time and this event is happening in your town, I recommend being present. Not only will you get a chance to learn from these folks, but you can get valuable face time with them in the lobby too. With radio being a business built on relationships, it never hurts to expand your friends list.
Programming Panel: I had the pleasure of being included in a panel discussing what makes sports radio powerful. The session included perspectives on what makes other passion formats such as Religious, Spanish, and Urban successful, and what stood out was how invested each person was in their respective format. It reminded me that regardless of the format we work in, everything about radio starts with love, passion and creativity.
I tried to educate the room on what lends itself to success from the on-air person’s position, and from the programmer’s office. It was great seeing a few familiar faces in the crowd, including my new cameraman Dennis Glasgow, PD of 99.9 The Fan. Thanks buddy! I utilized one audio clip during the session, a powerful two minutes from Mike Valenti of 97.1 The Ticket talking about the loss of the Detroit Lions play by play rights last November. To see the presentation and hear the clip click here.
Podcasting: The smaller panels that I noticed drew the largest crowds were ones which focused on podcasting. This is a space that continues to surge and the NAB did a nice job of utilizing a variety of people with strong experience in the field including Seth Resler, Traug Keller, and Steve Goldstein. Goldstein’s session in particular was very insightful and focused on the growing audience in podcasting and how it’s a different experience compared to radio. I was surprised to learn that only 1% of podcasting comes from commercial radio. That speaks to a huge opportunity for the radio industry to increase its productivity. It also has the radio airwaves to promote it further. If done right, it could produce significant audience, revenue and loyalty.
One part that continues to baffle me is how many radio people continue looking at podcasting as a fad or niche business. They also fail to see that original programming is what’s become popular, not repeated 3-4 hour shows that were broadcast over the radio station’s airwaves earlier in the day. Offering the over the air content may be one part of your online strategy but it shouldn’t be the only representation of your brand’s podcasts. If it is you’ll be disappointed by the results.
It’s scary because one of radio’s biggest past problems has been waiting too long to react. This feels like another one of those times. During one session with FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, a woman stood up and said supporting AM radio was important because it gives people a chance to be on the radio, and if it isn’t saved, children won’t be able to dream of being on the radio. The only problem with her logic is that kids don’t dream of being on the radio now like they did 20-30 years ago, and there’s this thing called podcasting which has taken off and given them the ability to broadcast. It’s also a lot easier to put together. It’s no different than previously dreaming of writing for a newspaper and now having the ability to create your own website and launch your own brand. Times change, interests change, and radio traditionalists need to follow suit or risk being left out in the cold.
What Was Missing
On-Air Talent: I’m often perplexed when I attend a conference and don’t see many on-air talents in attendance. Is it not helpful to learn? To network? To speak about your craft and educate others who work in the same business or hope to in the future? I recognize that companies don’t often pay for their on-air people to attend these functions and I’m not advocating that they should, but I wonder if some groups should be developing a system to make sure some of their key on-air people do get a chance to be involved. I noticed that Hubbard is doing this and I think that’s smart. If you’re an on-air talent and a future radio conference takes place in your city, spend a day before or after your show picking up some knowledge. You’ll take something away from it.
Programmers and corporate executives can discuss subjects at length at conferences and many are very informative. Some of these folks may one day be your future bosses. But if the information they share doesn’t travel to an on-air host’s ears, it’ll never get passed through the speakers. Therein lies the issue.
Is there a perfect solution? Probably not. I’m hopeful that others who perform on the air will want to invest in their career and continue learning. Unfortunately during the past five years I’ve seen little involvement from on-air talent (specifically sports talk talent) at these events and it’s something that I believe can be much better.
Programming Focus: Most conferences these days put an emphasis on digital growth, revenue generation, statistical analysis, and other parts of the business which matter to executives. I am fascinated by those topics myself. But you know what gets the least amount of attention? The on-air programming.
I’m a firm believer that you need both programming and sales hitting their marks to create a dominant business. The reason though that an audience tunes into a radio station or podcast is for the content experience. We need to be aware of trends and recognize that there’s more to a brand’s success story than what gets broadcast over the airwaves, but the reason we have fans and loyal supporters is because of our on-air product. When it gets less attention at conferences when the entire industry is present, I wonder if that’s a missed opportunity.
Closing
These conferences are valuable. Not every session will satisfy your desires but overall they’re worth your time. That said, we need to remind ourselves of what it was that drew us to the industry in the first place. It wasn’t a spreadsheet, sales training course, or radio commercial. When people hear others in this industry talk about their passion and creativity to make great radio and deliver success, it inspires them. It makes others want to do it, and it shows our business to be a fun and cool place to make a living in. We need more of that.
Or I guess we can choose the other path. We can just stand in a room, complain to the FCC, hope to be bailed out, and trust that our future will be in good hands because of it. You decide which path makes more sense.
Conducting research is a critical part of every brand’s strategy and development. It’s not an easy process and not every piece of feedback is informative, but it’s necessary in helping your company and people avoid danger signs and pursue opportunities to enjoy greater success. Throughout my career, I’ve used ratings results, focus groups, social media responses, and digital analytics to help my brands build momentum and steer clear of landmines. The radio host and programmer’s responsibility is to know what moves and interests the audience. That information then allows you to design your product strategy to generate larger ratings, deeper brand loyalty, and revenue.
I compare it to being in a popular band. Fans buy tickets to see you perform. When they attend your concert, they expect you to play the songs they enjoy most and do things which are consistent with the way you’ve represented yourself throughout the years. If you hit the stage and act differently and showcase material that you love but the audience isn’t familiar with it will have a negative impact on your future ability to sell tickets, music, and merchandise.
The downside of research is that certain traits have more or less importance from individual to individual. Listeners may tell you that they want to hear a heavy dose of NFL content on your airwaves during their morning commute, and your hosts may provide it, yet not move the needle in the ratings. What does that tell you? It can mean many things. It could be that your talent doesn’t possess the ability to present the content in a spectacular way. It can mean that your competitor has an established show which your audience won’t break their loyalty to. Or it can be an issue with the meters in your market or something else. This is why researching your audience regularly is necessary. The longer you do it, the better read you’re able to get on multiple situations.
Since it’s been a while since I last analyzed the listening habits and interests of sports radio listeners, I thought I’d take a crack at it to see if people’s tastes had changed. I was blown away by the response of 2,006 participants. I have many of my friends in the industry to thank for getting listeners involved. Although a few responses didn’t jive with other projects I’ve worked on, I did find that the majority of responses offered valuable information that we can learn from.
When you look at the feedback below, keep in mind, these responses are coming from sports radio fans all across the United States and Canada. If this exercise were done in an individual market the results would likely be different. But there are some trends which would be consistent anywhere you listen.
Altogether I asked nine questions in this survey, and my goal was to find out which answers the audience identified with MOST. I stress the word “most” because a number of people reached out on social media expressing a frustration with not being able to provide multiple answers. In most case studies, it’s understood that fans of a product will like multiple things. But what brands want to know, is which items make the biggest difference? That was my goal too with this survey.
I will now share with you the results of the BSM sports radio research survey. You’ll find my analysis under each question, highlighting what I felt was most important to take away. Enjoy!
BSM: The majority of fans who took this survey are hardcore sports radio listeners. 85% or 1,700+ said they listen daily which is great news if you’re in the industry. However, if you look at most radio markets and the ratings that support each brand, most don’t have 85% of their listeners tuning in daily. Those who listen 2-3X per week are also higher than 12% in most cases.
BSM: For all of the talk about the growing power of the phone, it’s good to see that the car is where listeners still listen to sports radio the most. The phone does come in second with 1 out of 5 listeners tuning in. When you combine that number with the percentage of listeners who listen on a computer, laptop or ipad, the total grows to 30.5%. Why is that important? Because if your website or app delivers a poor listening experience, is difficult to navigate, or features outdated content, 3 out of every 10 listeners are going to notice. You can’t just program your radio station. You must treat your digital brands with great care too.
I did find it interesting that listening at home or at work came in at 11.4%. When that number is combined with listening in the car, you have 68% of hardcore sports radio listeners who are tuned in through an actual radio, not a digital device. That surprised me. We can expect more listening in the future to the sports format to be done on the phone and less on a radio. If we analyzed all formats in the radio industry instead of focusing just on the sports format, this would be a close call between the two primary options.
BSM: If you judge listening habits based on the ratings data many radio stations receive, you’d be convinced that few people exist during the hours of 10a-3p, and everyone listens to sports radio programming during the morning or afternoon commute. I’m not sure if this is a case of hardcore sports radio fans having a different routine but I was surprised to see middays produce such a healthy number. In comparing mornings, middays, and afternoons they were extremely close but PM drive held a slight advantage. Nights, overnights, and weekends were much lower which is consistent with what many stations experience across the country.
BSM: No surprise here. Fall is the most important time of the year for the sports format and that’s reflected with almost 84% of listening being most likely between the months of July and December. This is why so many brands air football games and position their Monday’s and Friday’s around football programming. It’s also why each fall you hear a heavy amount of football related guests on local stations during the course of the week. The big challenge for brands moving forward is to figure out how to get those individuals back to the dial between the months of January and June.
BSM: This was my favorite part of the survey because it gave a good look into the different things listeners hear daily and what moves the needle most with them. The #1 takeaway was that people want to hear a host deliver strong opinion and allow room for debate. I’ve often said drama is what fuels listening to sports radio, and when coupled with opinion and disagreement it becomes a recipe for success.
The second most popular item was funny stories and bits. This means the top two things a host can deliver on a daily basis to engage an audience are passionate opinion and humor.
Coming in third were interviews. Although I enjoy them and believe they can help a brand create or extend content and generate additional buzz, they are not more important than what the host has to say. Many stations also make the mistake of keeping them on for a long period of time, which is why listeners lose interest.
The last item to highlight is the lack of interest in hearing callers. I’ve heard this same story in multiple markets I’ve worked in. Only 5% of people in this survey listed the callers as their favorite part of a sports radio show. If you think your show is connecting based on how many times you’ve seen the phone line light up you’re missing the boat. Calls represent a small fraction of your audience. Although a good passionate call can add entertainment value, and elicit good response from a host, a great on-air talent can perform without them and still kick ass in the ratings.
BSM: It’s an NFL world that we’re living in, and the survey results confirm that yet again. 1 out of every 2 listeners wants it, and the reason why your audience spikes between July and December is because the NFL becomes the main attraction. This should be no surprise. If you’re not finding a way each day to discuss your local team AND other key storylines from the National Football League, you’re allowing an opportunity to connect with your audience get away.
I’ll admit that I was surprised to see MLB and College Sports so close, because baseball simply has a longer amount of time to be a featured part of the daily conversation. If we did this survey in April I wonder if MLB would be higher. That said, the appetite for College Football and Basketball is strong, and growing, and that’s excellent news for brands who enter the fall seeking a big lift.
The one area that stood out negatively was how poorly the NBA was received in this survey. Once again, depending on your market it’s either a hot or cold conversation, but for the purposes of this survey it’s behind the NFL, MLB and College Sports, and even the NHL. Having worked in multiple NHL markets I can tell you that this evidence doesn’t jive with what I’ve seen in previous research studies. Usually the NHL is beaten 4-5 to 1 by the NBA. But the geography of the individuals taking the survey or the time of the year when we’re conducting this survey could have factored into the final totals.
Something important to remember for all air talent and programmers. You may think your show can afford to spend 2-3 segments per day focusing on lesser stuff because the majority of it deals with the important topics, but those 2-3 segments where you discuss lesser subjects (in this case the NBA and NHL), could be the difference in winning or losing your next book. If people tell you they want NFL, MLB and College Sports content, don’t argue with them – give them what they want. That type of customer service often puts more money in your pocket.
BSM: The number one reason listeners leave your radio station is not as cut and dry as you might have thought. It’s actually a tie between commercials, and the personality of a host. Face it, people hate interruptions. But they’re a part of our business. You know when every show begins that people will leave at some point when they hear a commercial. But if your personality is divisive, fake or difficult to connect with, it can be as damaging as a Kars For Kids jingle. Some hosts can’t control this, but people listen to talent they want to hang out and have a beer with. If you sound detached from the audience or dismissive of their input, they’ll make you pay for it by tuning you out.
Not far behind those two options was poor content. As I stated in the previous section, if you’re forcing 2-3 segments into the show because you enjoy them but the majority of your audience doesn’t, that’s considered poor content. It doesn’t matter how great you deliver it, if nobody cares about the subject matter.
Right behind poor content were callers at nearly 20%. That number surprised me. But if you’re wondering if hearing the audience weigh in with mindless responses is valuable to your show, remember this survey. 5% said hearing listeners call-in was their most enjoyable part of a sports radio show. 20% said they find them to be the #1 reason to tune out.
BSM: It’s clear that people prefer to listen to sports talk LIVE but if we did this survey 5 years ago, I bet it would’ve been 90-10 instead of 73-26. What this tells me is that podcasting is growing, and listening on demand has become more attractive to the audience. The interest in the content our format creates remains high but having the ability to enjoy it when it suits an individuals schedule continues to increase. What will really be interesting is to see the results to this same exact question in 2-3 years.
BSM: Many of us who have made a living in the sports format have been beaten over the head with the message – you must deliver local, local, local. That content strategy drives ratings and revenue higher than national sports programming in most markets. This survey showed that 3 out 4 people prefer local to national. That’s not a surprise. It should make every local radio operator feel good to know that local talent discussing local content still has tremendous value.
However, if you’re dismissing national sports radio programming, that would be a mistake. 1 out of 4 hardcore sports fans in this survey (500+) didn’t care if the programming was local or not. There’s plenty of room at the table for national sports radio networks like ESPN, FOX, CBS, NBC, SiriusXM and SB Nation Radio. When you add the success these national brands have on digital platforms due to their extended reach and cross promotional opportunities on television and websites, it builds an even more impressive story.
The bottom line, we can have a thriving format with both local and national sports radio. It does not have to be a case of picking one or the other.
A big change has taken place at 92.9 FM ESPN in Memphis. Chris Vernon has left the station and his position as its midday host. Taking over are John Martin and Jason Smith.
Vernon, who was recognized as one of the top midday shows in the nation earlier this year, is joining Bill Simmons to host a podcast series for his website “The Ringer”. He’s also expected to remain involved locally working with the Memphis Grizzlies on their television broadcasts.
Martin is the youngest sports host in a Top 50 market in America and has been with 92.9 FM ESPN since 2013. Smith is an award-winning reporter who brings over a decade of experience in the Memphis sports landscape. He joins 92.9 FM ESPN after spending the last six years at The Commercial Appeal as the University of Memphis basketball beat writer.
The two men were once colleagues at The Commercial Appeal, who will reunite to host the midday show from 11a-2p. Smith will also contribute to The 92.9 Line, the radio station’s online home for written content and breaking news.
“I could not be more excited to have this opportunity with a man I consider a true friend and talent. We always said we wanted to team up again, and we think we’ll bring an entirely new twist to Memphis sports radio,” Martin said.
“I am so pumped to be with my guy John Martin again,” Smith said. “I am so grateful to the folks at 92.9FM ESPN. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I can’t wait to get started. I also want to thank The Commercial Appeal for the last 13 years.”
“This is a significant day in this market,” 92.9FM ESPN/680AM sports programming director Brad Carson said. “We couldn’t be more excited about the dynamic that John and Jason both bring – from a reporting and entertainment perspective.”
“We are thrilled to bring this show to Memphis,” Entercom Memphis VP/Market Manager Dan Barron said. “Jason and John are highly skilled and bring unique insight. I believe listeners will enjoy this fresh, informative and entertaining show.”
The annual tradition of presenting the Marconi Awards at the NAB radio show continued, and in the category of sports station of the year, there were five very deserving candidates. The stations in contention were KNBR in San Francisco, 670 The Score in Chicago, 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh and 105.3 The Fan in Dallas.
Although all five brands have enjoyed tremendous success, there could only be one winner of this year’s award. That honor was given to 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit. A huge congratulations to Debbie Kenyon, Jimmy Powers and the entire Ticket staff on a tremendous honor.
There were a few other categories which sports radio stations and personalities were recognized.
Toucher and Rich of 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston earned the Marconi Award for Major Market Personality of the Year. Mike Francesa of WFAN in New York was also up for consideration. Congrats to Mike Thomas and his morning show on the well deserved honor.
Dan Patrick and Jay Mohr of FOX Sports Radio were nominated for Network Personality of the Year. That award though went to Delilah.
And finally, New York sports radio station WFAN was nominated for Major Market Station of the Year. That honor was given to Philadelphia radio station 101.1 More FM.
In the August 29th edition of ‘Under The Radar‘ we reported that Sarah Spain was expected to take over for Jorge Sedano on ESPN Radio alongside Israel Gutierrez. Now the news is official.
ESPN Radio has confirmed Spain is joining Gutierrez, and will team with him to form “Izzy and Spain”, weeknights from 9p-11p ET. She’s also signed a four-year contract extension with ESPN.
Spain will also continue to make television appearances on “Around The Horn” and “SportsCenter”, and write for espnW. She’s also expected to continue hosting her podcast “That’s What She Said”, and co-hosting “The Trifecta”, espnW’s radio program.
Welcome to the debut of a new weekly feature titled “Now Hear This“. Each week, I’ll identify a piece of content, and give others inside and outside of the radio industry an opportunity to hear it, enjoy it, and learn from it. As the weeks progress, I’ll try to showcase a variety of different segments. You may hear a rant, interview, funny story, creative bit, or something as simple as a host connecting with callers. I believe there’s something to learn from everything we listen to, and I hope you gain some value along the way.
Some of these shows and on-air hosts you may be familiar with. Some you may not. Delivering one great segment doesn’t make a show successful, and just because I’ve chosen to feature a host, show, or radio station in this column, doesn’t mean I have a personal or professional relationship with them or value their brand over the local competitor. This is strictly a personal observation and opportunity to showcase a host or show who I thought created content worth listening to.
To kick things off, I’ve chosen the “Howard Simon Show” which includes Jeremy White, and airs weekday mornings on WGR 550 in Buffalo. I enjoyed this segment because it captured what passion and emotion sounds like on a sports radio station the morning after a local football team fails to perform.
If you were in Buffalo on Friday morning, or if you tuned in to hear what Buffalo sports radio sounded like the day after the Bills lost to the Jets, you more than likely would have stuck with Howard and Jeremy for the majority of this segment. The conversation was easy to follow and included passion, opinion, insight, and evidence, which the host’s used to support their positions. The guys wore their hearts on their sleeves and put the audience in a position to think, react, and want to discuss the content further with their friends or colleagues.
It may not be the most original angle, or the most creative presentation, but it’s raw, genuine, and easy to connect with. Sometimes that’s all you need to move the needle with an audience. I could feel the frustration in Howard and Jeremy’s voices, and the examples they used throughout the segment to explain why they were upset, and why fans shouldn’t get their hopes up for the Bills this season, made it simple to play along. I’m sure WGR Program Director Allan Davis will agree.
To hear the segment click the play button below. In the future, if you hear something on a radio station that you feel is worthy of being featured in the “Now Hear This” column, you can pass it along via email at JBarrett@hvy.tcp.mybluehost.me. Enjoy the audio!
Earlier this week, 95.7 The Game in San Francisco parted ways with morning host Chad Doing, and midday host John Middlekauff. The big rumor was that FOX Sports Radio host JT The Brick would be brought in to anchor middays.
Today, those rumors were confirmed.
JT will replace Guy Haberman and John Middlekauff from 10a-12p. He’s expected to host the show remotely from Las Vegas. The addition of the local program will have no impact on his work with FOX Sports Radio.
The Brick is no stranger to the Bay Area. He’s hosted a local show in the market previously for KNBR 1050, and has remained involved with the Oakland Raiders, a team he’s very passionate about.
With JT joining The Game, questions still linger about Guy Haberman’s role with the station. It’s expected that the station would like to retain him but no details have been offered yet about his future. Haberman took to Twitter to thank local listeners for their support and said he was weighing his options.
One of the biggest sports media stories of the summer was Skip Bayless’ decision to depart ESPN for Fox Sports 1. The polarizing personality who teamed with Stephen A. Smith to make First Take a huge ratings success, elected to chase larger dollars and more freedom by realigning with Jamie Horowitz at FS1. In previous months, Horowitz went on the record stating that his goal was to add more “opinionists” to his network, and develop the brand into the sports television equivalent of Fox News.
His vision began to take shape when he pried Colin Cowherd from ESPN and launched him on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports Radio. He followed that up in June with the debut of Speak For Yourself, a program featuring Cowherd, Jason Whitlock and Jason McIntyre.
The next big move was to raid ESPN again and steal Bayless away, and build a new program around him which would run opposite his creation First Take. Horowitz then added NFL Hall of Fame Tight End and former CBS NFL Analyst Shannon Sharpe, and moderator Joy Taylor to the mix, and the trio now form Skip and Shannon: Undisputed.
Whether you like each personality or not, there’s no question that they possess the ability to connect with an audience. Their prior track records prove that to be the case. Opinions will differ from show to show and host to host, but if you polled most sports media fans, they would likely agree that Fox Sports 1 has improved itself during the past twelve months.
When Horowitz was asked last year about his plans for FS1, he made it clear they were in it to win it. He told attendees at the 2015 NeuLion Sports Media and Technology Conference “We’re here to compete all hours of the day, seven days a week. We’re not going to concede any ground to ESPN. Not now, not in the future, and I think that’s represented in the decisions we’ve made recently.”
A step in the right direction was certainly needed for the company, and the big name additions of Bayless, Cowherd, Whitlock, and Sharpe have provided buzz and a reason to tune in. The early signs are encouraging. FS1 has also done a nice job adding and featuring rising stars such as Katie Nolan, Kristine Leahy, Nick Wright and Clay Travis. But, while Horowitz’s game plan comes into focus and signs of progress follow, others in the media are expecting instant results that are unrealistic.
If you’ve ever worked in the sports media business in an executive role, you know that new shows take time to catch on. You don’t overreact over the first day, week or month of a new program’s performance. It’s understood going in that the goal is to deliver strong content and slowly build a loyal following. To do that, a brand must have consistent effort, popular personalities, creativity, marketing, and the word few people like to hear – patience!
It’s fun to write stories and draw instant clicks by declaring a show dead on arrival when its ratings don’t immediately catch fire, but anyone who expects a new show on a relatively new network to show up and immediately knock off a competitor like ESPN is kidding themselves. If it were that easy, someone else would’ve already done it, and personalities like Bayless and Cowherd would be worth more than six million per year.
On a recent appearance on the “Podcast About Sports Radio“, Cowherd summed it up perfectly: “You don’t do these things overnight. It’s a slow methodical rebuild. I’m already at 80-85% of my previous audience, and we’ll get back to where we were within 12-18 months”. Notice that Cowherd talked about regaining the audience he had, not expanding the audience beyond where it was. To do that takes even more time and promotion, which is why FS1 likely has a five year plan to evaluate their progress.
Many in the media love to critique, complain, defend and attack new shows when they launch, but the harsh reality is that most successful shows reach their level of success after a few years. Let’s not forget, when Cowherd took over for Tony Kornheiser on ESPN Radio many thought it was a recipe for disaster. First Take also existed for a while before it took off with Bayless and Smith. The program featured rotating personalities opposite Bayless, and although their were modest gains compared to Cold Pizza’s previous performance, it was nowhere near the ratings juggernaut that it’s become in recent years.
A sports television network doesn’t invest six million dollars annually, and twenty five million over the span of four years in a personality without expecting success. However, they also understand that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and you can’t get trigger happy after a few shows.
Yet that’s what I see happening throughout the sports media universe. There’s a large segment of the media who are watching Bayless, Cowherd, and Bill Simmons at HBO, and laying in the weeds like a venomous snake waiting to strike an unsuspecting victim. I’ve noticed that many in the media are more interested in seeing these men fail than succeed. Much of that I suspect is driven by personal opinions on each host, but usually when David (the host) faces Goliath (ESPN) , there are more people cheering him on rather than rooting for his demise.
What many fail to realize is that if these personalities have success, it will open the doors for others in the industry to enjoy opportunities. It may also lead to additional companies wanting to invest more in the sports television business. But more importantly, it gives viewers more to choose from. ESPN is an outstanding operation with a large number of talented people. They have the staff, skill, experience, and programming options to compete with any media outlet on the planet. But even the best deserve to be challenged.
When sports media companies feel the pressure to perform, they often deliver their best. That puts the viewer in a great position. Too often we get caught up in which brand won and lost and lose sight of the bigger picture – to grow the sports media experience and leverage the interest in it to increase business.
We don’t blink an eye when we hear ten or fifteen music stations on the radio. We don’t have an issue with ten or twenty movie channels appearing on our channel guide, and we have multiple apps on our phones to provide us with entertainment. Having two debate shows air opposite one another on two different networks should be no different.
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t evaluate their content and performance. That’s absolutely fair game. But, we should hope that both shows deliver an audience because it helps lift our entire business. We also need to be able to put things into proper perspective because the FS1-ESPN matchup is in the early stages, not where it potentially could be in the next few years.
The other side of this conversation that creates challenges is when ratings are covered. Unless you understand how they work, it’s easy to be fooled by numbers. Most people form their opinions based on whether a number is up or down. If they see a decline, the next column discusses why a show is headed for a downward spiral. They don’t take into account numerous factors that determine how the number was achieved.
For example, a show could’ve lost yet had its hosts on vacation for most of the month. Maybe the show was pre-empted 3-4x. A show could be ahead for the first 90 minutes yet stumble badly during its final thirty minutes which causes it to finish second. Or one network may aggressively market their brand, while the other chooses not to. Never mind the fact that in many cases a few thousand people in a ratings system represent the viewing interests of millions.
Among FS1’s biggest challenges are that audiences like routine. People don’t change their plans until they’re given a reason to do so. Some will switch to FS1 because they’re drawn to Skip, but even many of his supporters and casual fans will take a wait and see approach. There’s also the reality that many people don’t like Skip, so those viewers are likely to avoid his new show at all costs.
Larger than that though are two other key factors. First, people know where ESPN is on their television. The same recall doesn’t exist for FS1. Earning that space in an individual’s memory bank takes time. Then there’s the challenge of viewers deciding whether to watch or tune out based on their opinions of Sharpe. If that wasn’t enough, toss in the challenge of trying to build an audience while going up against First Take.
Fans either love or loathe Bayless because of his work on First Take, and getting them to change their allegiance when Stephen A. remains on ESPN won’t be easy. It isn’t as much about whether or not Skip and Shannon have a great show, as it is about getting people to sample their content. This is why you see FOX promoting Undisputed on TV, billboards, websites, social media platforms, and anywhere else that they can reach people.
As difficult as it will be to unseat First Take or any of ESPN’s other key shows, don’t think that it can’t be done. Nobody in this business is unbeatable. TNT’s “Inside The NBA” with Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaq has consistently beaten ESPN’s NBA shows, and Adrian Wojnarowski regularly scoops ESPN’s NBA reporting team for inside information. That shows that even the best have weaknesses.
But to accomplish that feat takes hard work, consistently great content, massive amounts of marketing, internal and external patience, and a little bit of luck.
Last week in the Washington Post, Scott Van Pelt said FS1’s ratings were abysmal and Horowitz and friends deserved to be held accountable for them. He’s right. They’re very low. If they’re still this bleak in twelve to eighteen months then Horowitz may have some corporate suits pressuring him to change his strategy. But, to expect a relatively new network to be locked in a dead heat with the world’s largest sports media company when they don’t have a ton of play by play, decades of an established presence, or a ton of original programming is silly.
Whether you want to hear it or not, these things do take time. It may sound cliche when people utter “Rome wasn’t built in a day” but it’s absolutely true. FS1 right now has to concentrate on being better today than yesterday and growing its audience. The rest of the world can compare each day and month’s ratings to ESPN’s but FS1 has to stay focused on their overall strategy and creating incremental progress.
I believe you have to look at FS1’s development similar to that of a sports franchise. It starts with a few talented people, which puts you on the map. Then you add additional high profile talent (Bayless, Cowherd, Whitlock, Sharpe, Leahy, Wright, Taylor) which brings in new fans. Next, you focus on self improvement. Then, when a team has great talent, exceptional content, a smart strategy, and growing interest, a successful story starts to develop. Before long, you set your eyes on the prize and push yourself to knock off the champion.
Right now, ESPN is the storied sports media franchise. They’re seen as the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Lakers of the sports media space. FS1 on the other hand is more in line with the Kansas City Royals, Denver Broncos, and Cleveland Cavaliers. They may not be the brand with the better historic track record, familiarity, talent roster or programming options, and they may have to move mountains to reach the top, but don’t forget, the Cavaliers, Broncos and Royals all won titles last year.
Enjoying massive success won’t happen overnight for FS1. It might not even happen at all. And although Jamie Horowitz and his staff probably don’t want to hear that, and are driven to win immediately, it’s important to remember that when you’re shooting for the stars, you first need to get off the ground and into the sky.
That being said, if Horowitz was given an ESPN voodoo doll and could poke it and cause Bristol’s programming to go off the air and speed up his own network’s timeline, you can bet your ass he wouldn’t hesitate. That’s called being competitive and hungry to win.
We’ve become a sports society of Monday morning quarterbacks who expect instant gratification, and view the world in black and white. That doesn’t bode well for FS1, whose narrative over the next 12-18 months will consist of shades of grey. It may be entertaining to read, write, and compare FS1’s ratings and shows against ESPN’s, but the two brands have different short-term expectations, and are at different stages of their development. That may not sound as sexy as the other headline options, but it’s honest and realistic. And sometimes, whether you like it or not, patience and a reality check are necessary.
