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8 Rules For Cold Call Success

Jeff Caves
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Our perceptions of how to be successful at sales are our reality. But, what are the facts about what is working for a cold call? How about in follow-ups and sales training? Whether you are new or old in this business, I have found some inspiration in what Brian Williams, a former University of Georgia professor, now a sales consultant, has to say. The Brevet Group has some great facts to keep in mind about our sales profession. I found these 8 to be the most helpful. I have added my thoughts on how we can make this work in radio.

Brian Williams - Sales Enablement PRO

#1 The best time to cold call is between 4 pm-5 pm. 

I have thought this through many times and try to place myself in the clients’ shoes. I am not a big fan of Monday morning or Friday afternoon cold calls. People’s minds are elsewhere. Some experts think Thursday is the best day to prospect, followed by Wednesday. I also tend to lean more on cold calls after 10 am, allowing clients to get their day started with their tasks. I have had success with cold calls later in the afternoon after clients have worked their day through and are maybe even looking for something to do for the next few days or bring to a staff meeting with them.

Our new sales promotion could be the trick. Remember, smile and dial.

#2 80% of sales require five follow-ups after the meeting. 44% of sales reps give up after one follow-up call.

DON’T QUIT!

The best way to make sure you stay on the hunt is to make sure the idea is perfect for the client! You will stay on top of an excellent idea way more diligently than a lukewarm idea. 

#3 You are unique. Only about 2-3 million of us sell B2B.

Take pride in it. If we do our job well, we save our buyers time by finding solutions or opportunities for them. Sell those first, and your passion will come with it. 

#4 In a typical firm with 100-500 employees, an average of 7 people are involved in most buying decisions.

Ensure you package your one sheet with some bullet points that your ad buyer can use to sell upstream. They are going to have to do your selling for you. Help them help you! Ask about who else will see this and get a sense for how your buyer feels about it. 

How to Make Better Purchase Decisions
Courtesy: Shutterstock

#5 Salespeople who actively seek out and exploit referrals earn 4 to 5 times more than those who don’t.

With some of our station groups, we can now sell ads all across the country. If it will work in Detroit, why wouldn’t it work in Chicago or New York? Some of the best sales I have made were rinsed and repeated. Only 1 out of 10 salespeople even bother to ask for referrals. 

#6 Almost half of us aren’t appropriately trained or don’t have the skills to make it.

Bet on yourself. Do training on your own if you don’t like what is provided by the station. Investing in you is the best investment you could ever make.

With continuous training, you could make 50% more money. If you don’t like to train to get better, get out. Sell something you love to learn about. 

#7 Give yourself a year.

The 2nd time around, representatives will be better at seasonal selling, sales contests, etc. New reps will take at least ten months to be fully productive. Older reps who are getting more involved in digital sales may take the same amount of time. Make a plan and stick to it. 

 #8 Retaining current customers is 6 to 7 times less costly than acquiring new ones.

7 Advice for Attracting and Retaining Customers for your Brand | Growth company, Custom printed boxes, Sales strategy
Courtesy: Medium

Don’t ignore those clients who are best for you. Be proactive in everything you do for them. We will all lose about 30% of our billing each year, always be prospecting! Call them, email them, THANK THEM! 

Chicago’s 670 The Score Rolls to 2021 Spring Ratings Victory

BSM Staff
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Chicago’s 670 The Score Rolls to 2021 Spring Ratings Victory

The spring numbers are in for Chicago. Similar to the winter book, 670 The Score led the way among local sports radio brands. The station finished 4th overall in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a 4.7, and 5th 5th overall for the full week (M-SU 6a-12a) with a 4.1. Both sets of numbers represent listening among Men 25-54 and include the station’s radio and streaming numbers. All numbers to follow for The Score throughout this article will include the combined radio and streaming performance with Men 25-54.

Starting with mornings, Mully & Haugh led the station to a 7th place tie with a 3.5. The show was up two rankings and down two tenths of a share from the winter book.

In middays, Dan Bernstein and Leila Rahimi popped the best number for the quarter for The Score. Their 9a-12p program delivered a 6.1 share which elevated them to 3rd place. Their performance improved by one ranking and three tenths from the winter book. The Score’s second midday show, The Laurence Holmes Show, finished 5th with a 4.8. That was up one tenth from the winter but down two rankings.

Shifting to afternoons, Danny Parkins and Matt Spiegel captured another top 5 finish. The talented tandem produced a 4.9 which was a nine tenths of a point improvement from the winter book. The afternoon show also gained three ranking positions.

Closing things out at night, The Score ranked 5th between 6p-Midnight with a 3.9. Chicago Cubs baseball and Joe Ostrowski contributed to the station’s strong evening performance.

For ESPN 1000, the quarter was a bit more challenging. In weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) the station was ranked 21st with a 1.7. The full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) produced the same exact share but a lower ranking at 23rd.

In morning drive the story was more frustrating. Between the hours of 5a-9a, which features two hours of ESPN Radio’s Keyshawn, J-Will and Zubin and two hours of David Kaplan and Jonathan Hood, 1000 was tied for 27th with WGN at just under a 1 share.

The 9a-12p timeslot which includes an hour of Kaplan and Hood and two hours of Carmen DeFalco and John Jurkovic, the station finished 21st with a 1.5.

There was one brighter note for the station during the midday hours. From Noon to 2p, Mike Greenberg’s national show ‘Greeny’ ranked 6th with a 4.3 share, just five tenths of a point behind The Score. Greeny’s show was ESPN 1000’s top rated program for the quarter.

Turning to afternoons, Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman were off from where they usually performer. They generated a 1.5 between 2p-6p, placing them 24th for the book. Finishing up at night between the hours of 6p-Mid, the combination of Chicago White Sox baseball and Chris Bleck & Adam Abdalla earned a 2.2 share to rank 23rd.

After losing a little ground last year, The Score has settled back in. The consistency from Parkins, Holmes, Bernstein, Mully and Haugh, combined with the additions of Rahimi and Spiegel to the weekday lineup have helped the station improve. Having Cubs games back is also a big positive.

Meanwhile for 1000, a meter issue appears to be stunting the station’s growth. If a show drops a few tenths of a point or dips during specific times of the year that’s understandable, but the same hosts on 1000’s airwaves all performed in the 2019 spring book prior to the pandemic. Looking back thru a few other market ratings reports since, the station’s shows are usually in the top ten or the teen’s not the twenties. Even the first place White Sox, one of baseball’s best first half stories, didn’t get the ratings credit they deserved.

Regardless, these are the things you deal with in PPM. It’s a peaks and valley’s system. The Score right now is doing everything they have to do to serve their audience. In return, the meters are sticking with them. They deserve a tip of the cap for informing and entertaining their listeners.

For 1000, their team is far too talented to not be closer in the competition. A market like Chicago should have two thriving sports brands, and for most of the past six years, they’ve had that. If anyone can figure out how to get things back on track and make it a fun two horse race again, it’s Mike Thomas. But while he goes hunting for meters, it’s Mitch Rosen who gets to toast his team this quarter for a job well done.

What Started On Video Games Are Now Staples Of Sports TV

Andy Masur
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While watching the home run derby Monday Night, I started thinking about how the competition looked like the video games so many baseball fans love. The way balls were flying out of Coors Field, it was the stuff of Play Station or Nintendo. In other words, not real. It was ridiculous how strong some of these players are and what a show they put on for the fans in Denver. It reminded me of playing MLB The Show in one of its incarnations. I remember firing it up on my PSP (yes I had one) and more recently on my iPad just to see how far my player could hit a ball. 

Pete Alonso Wins Second Straight Home Run Derby - The New York Times
Courtesy: Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

I think I started playing that particular game in 2008 and it’s amazing to me now, how much a regular normal baseball telecast looks like that game did. Could it be that the success of the franchise (MLB The Show) led to some imitation in a real broadcast? There are a lot of similarities in the presentation. There are some things that started in the video game realm and made their way into the broadcasts. 

With all the new numbers in the game of baseball, I get the impression that StatCast was tested during some of the editions of the MLB video game. Launch angle, distance and exit velocity are featured in MLB Home Run Derby editions. The game helped to introduce the latest way to measure how well a ball is hit. The younger generation of fans grew up playing these games and it looks like the natural progression was to include these numbers and graphics into baseball telecasts. It’s genius. Baseball for years has been called a sport for the “older” generations. Catering to a younger audience hopefully will drum up more interest in the game. 

The ways those stats come to life during games now is pretty cool. The little vignettes used to show how far an outfielder ranged to make a catch are easy on the eyes. It’s one thing to be able to say that Player X traveled 100.5 feet to make a catch that had a catch probability of 12.4 percent. To show it, increases the impact of the play. The manner in which other elements are telecast make me wonder sometimes how we survived watching a game without them? 

Home run distances, launch angles, exit velocities, have become a normal part of game broadcasts. The little “vapor trails” to show the height and location of the homer, along with the distance counters remind me very much of video games. Plus, with every pitch over 95 miles an hour, the MPH indicator on the screen goes to a “fire color” to indicate the zip on the fastball. 

Video games have also changed the way directors and producers bring you, the viewing audience, the game. It’s a trend that’s been going on for a few years now, especially in the NFL.  New innovations like the overhead “sky cam” setting the stage after a change of possession and looking over both team’s huddles – video games did that first, especially at the start of the “e” games. There are other things that have been “leaking” into network NFL broadcasts as both the video game and telecast evolve. 

A 2015 article published in “The Atlantic” featured a conversation with “Madden NFL 15’s” creative director, Mike Young, and its presentation director, Brian Murray. They’ve been making game directors and producers jealous over time, because on the video game there are no real constraints. 

Murray and Young “allow” their simulated camera people and directors take more risks than they would in a broadcast. Obviously because they aren’t real. In “Madden 15”, the Steadicam operator follows the quarterback from the sidelines, then on to the field, and enters a huddle. Only as he begins to take his place on the field will the cameraman finally back off. That was supposed to be something that could only appear in the game. But now several years later we see this happening on TV. 

“I’m not saying there’s any confirmation they did it [because of us], but I did it with Mike and now I’m seeing it in the broadcast,” said Murray. Just watch a game and you’ll get that actual confirmation. 

Madden NFL 15 Gameplay - Seattle Seahawks vs San Francisco 49ers - YouTube
Courtesy: EA Sports

Both men also said live-game producers and directors are often jealous of them based on their creative freedom when it comes to the video game.  

“We’ll meet with the producer and director for Monday Night Football and they’ll ask us what we do. There’s some jealousy with our freedom to put a camera anywhere and do it cheaply,” Young said to “The Atlantic”.

Another innovated idea introduced by the gentlemen was to add a player icon. That can either be the little animated circle under the player you’re controlling, or the graphic you see on the screen that’s attached to a player. The player’s name, position and jersey number are “pinned” to him/her as they move around the field. You see that a lot now on NFL broadcasts and college football games. You also see it during baseball telecasts to indicate which runners are on base, or where the infielders are located during a shift. It’s truly amazing to think about that technology and how it aids in watching a game. 

Over the years, as I wrote about a few weeks ago, Score Bugs seem to have been a biproduct of video game influence. I know that the first one here in the United States debuted in 1994 with the NFL on Fox, but it was a very basic and boring version of what it is today. It seems like several networks, including ESPN, have used their video games to “test” what graphics may look like on tv. That including the score, timeouts, teams, clock and play clock. 

Thinking about other innovations from a couple of other sports that are video game-ish. Let’s not forget the 1st and 10-line, showing the viewer how far a team needs to go to gain a first down. How did we EVER survive without that? How about the glowing puck in the old Fox NHL broadcasts? It made it easier for the non-hockey fan to follow the action, but of course this was before HDTV. Also thinking about golf and it’s shot tracer technology. Your favorite golfer gets on the tee and hits, you see the shape of their shot, the apex of the ball and to the right of the screen, where it will likely land on an animated view of the golf course. Amazing stuff. 

British Open Championship Golf - Wikiwand
Courtesy: Looking Glass Technologies

In general, things on a broadcast that were probably influenced by a video game are numerous. The overall presentation. That includes multiple replays and angles on crucial plays in a game. The sound effects you hear when going to a replay or coming out of one. The enhanced sound overall on the field with the use of skillfully placed microphones were likely instituted after someone played a video game. It’s a flashy production and presentation, which can be received differently based on how big a fan you are of the game or sport you’re watching. 

These innovations and technologies make it so great to watch a game at home. It’s definitely viewer friendly these days and has everything for a casual fan or a crazed fan. While the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball love when viewership is up there could be an inherent problem. The game on your TV makes you feel like you’re at the stadium, hockey rink or ballpark, why would you even bother going to one of their games? You already have the best seat in the house and the beer is definitely cheaper. 

Five Goals: Kendrick Perkins

Ryan Glasspiegel
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Five Goals: Kendrick Perkins

Kendrick Perkins, NBA champion, is an analyst for ESPN. He appears on HoopStreams, The Jump, SportsNation, First Take, and myriad other platforms for the network. I caught up with him in Milwaukee before Game 4 of the NBA Finals to find out about five goals he is still working to accomplish.

Courtesy: Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images

1. I want to accomplish more as an analyst than I did in my playing career. 

I don’t want to leave anything on the table. Whatever’s supposed to come my way, I want to make sure I capitalize and maximize it. 

When you look at my playing career, I never won awards. I never was an All-Star. I never won Defensive Player of the Year. I never won any of those things. When you talk about being an analyst, you want to get nominated for an Emmy. You want it to come naturally. So, I just want to maximize and make sure I put my all into it. 

I was a role player throughout my whole 14-year NBA career. Now, in the analyst space, I want to be a superstar. I want to be a franchise player. 

I just want to make sure that whatever is there for me that I maximize it. I want to touch every show, and I’ve pretty much done that besides NBA Countdown. I know you have to wait for your time, I know certain things happen. But, as far as things are right now, I just want to touch every show. As far as Countdown, I don’t want to boot anyone or take their place, but if it’s there and the opportunity presents itself I want to welcome it with open arms. 

2. I want something of my own in media. 

Not necessarily hosting a show, but even if I’m a co-host. I want to be part of something that is every day where you tune in and Perk is going to be on this particular show. I know I’m on a lot of shows, but I want that primary show where you turn on the TV at this time and Perk is there. 

3. For my 9-year-old son to accomplish his dream of making the NBA.

I coach my son’s team. They are nine years old and ranked number 1 in the country. My son has a dream of making it to the NBA and my goal is to get him to his goal. I have four kids but my 9-year-old is really into sports — especially basketball. As a family man, I want to be there. 

May be an image of 1 person

There’s times where I have to work Monday through Friday, I leave Friday night, I might catch a tournament in Dallas, might catch a tournament in Miami, just to be there and make sure I’m there to coach and support — and then fly back and be ready for work on Monday. It’s a whole lot of travel. 

4. My two oldest boys and me — we need to get in shape. 

Abs need to be poking out. Things to that nature. No need to hire a trainer, because I know what to do and I know what to eat. So, it’s all about me setting an example for them and myself and sticking to it. 

5. I want to turn my Frenchie dog breeding from a 6 figure business to 7 figures. 

I breed exotic French bulldogs. I have six of them. My brother-in-law and I breed them. It started off with my dog Diesel, who we bought for $18,000. Then we bought a girl that cost $20,000. They’ve had four litters of puppies — litters of five, six, or seven. We made close to $230,000 just off the little puppies.

Well, now the Frenchie game has changed, and they have Fluffy Frenchies. Now you want to graduate to Fluffy Frenchies, which are like the best Frenchies ever. They’re just super exotic. They’re different because of their hair. They look like stuffed animals. It’s just the new thing around the world. There was one guy that made like $3 million in a month just off his dog’s stud fee. 

To sell the puppies, you just get caught up in the Frenchie game. There’s all types of connections and things to that nature — around the world, from England to Spain and on and on, people are buying dogs. You’re connected throughout the world. Once you get into the Frenchie business, people reach out all the time. 

If a person from, like, Spain spends $100,000 on a Frenchie, you’re not shipping that dog by yourself. It probably won’t make it. Someone will probably steal it on the way or it will quote-unquote get lost in the airport. So I would just hire someone to fly wherever it is in the world and just drop that dog off at the doorstep.

WFAN Prevails in New York City’s 2021 Spring Ratings Book

BSM Staff
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WFAN Prevails in New York City’s 2021 Spring Ratings Book

The spring book ratings results are in for New York City, and there are two people who should especially feel good about what was produced. First, Mark Chernoff. The longtime program director for FAN recently exited the station, and in his final book, he can look back fondly and know he went out the way he started, on top.

Secondly is Spike Eskin. The new PD arrives on the scene and takes the reigns of a brand he knows is built to win. With a roster full of performers, and NY sports storylines producing drama and interest on a regular basis, listener interest should remain high going forward.

But as far as the spring book is concerned, WFAN was strong across the board in the Men 25-54 demo. The station finished 3rd overall in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a 5.8 share (radio and stream combined). 98.7 ESPN NY finished the quarter in 9th with a 3.7 share. Their number always includes their radio and streaming numbers.

In the weekday head to head matchups, Boomer & Gio delivered the best performance for the quarter among any sports talk show. The WFAN morning team produced an impressive 6.9 share to finish 2nd overall in mornings. 98.7 ESPN NY was 9th from 6a-10a with a 3.6 share. The trio of Chris Canty, Rick DiPietro and Dave Rothenberg actually performed well, picking up a 5.1 share to place 5th during the 6a-8a hours. ESPN Radio’s Keyshawn, J-Will and Zubin were in the mid 3’s though which brought down the overall number for the quarter.

Turning to middays, Maggie Gray and Marc Malusis were strong for WFAN as well. They finished 3rd for the quarter, thanks to a 5.3 share. 98.7 ESPN NY’s combo of Mike Greenberg’s two-hour national show, and Bart Scott & Alan Hahn (Hahn missed some shows due to filling in for Zubin in mornings) produced a 3.2 share, good enough for 8th place.

In the competitive and visible battle among afternoon drive heavyweights, WFAN’s team of Craig Carton and Evan Roberts reigned supreme for the spring book. Carton & Roberts finished 3rd overall with a 5.7 share. The Michael Kay Show meanwhile generated a 4.0 share for 98.7 ESPN NY, placing them 7th.

Kevin Graham Named New Program Director of KNBR

BSM Staff
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Kevin Graham Named New Program Director of KNBR

KNBR in San Francisco has found their next program director!

Last month, Jeremiah Crowe announced plans to move to las Vegas and exit as the station’s top programming boss. To fill his position, Cumulus SVP of Sports Bruce Gilbert, Cumulus San Francisco GM Larry Blumhagen, and Cumulus President Dave Milner have tabbed Kevin Graham to move the brand forward.

Graham joins the sports leader with a spectacular resume programming talk stations. His experience in the sports talk space is extensive, having previously programmed WEEI in Boston, WXYT in Detroit, 1050 ESPN NY in New York City, Arizona Sports 98.7 FM in Phoenix, ESPN 1250 in Pittsburgh, and The Fan in Columbus and Salt Lake City. He was most recently the PD of News/Talk stations WBAP and KLIF in Dallas, working under the highly respected and accomplished Dan Bennett.

Regarding the new opportunity in the Bay Area, Graham said: “I am humbled to go from legendary News/Talk stations WBAP/KLIF to KNBR, one of the best Sports radio brands in the country. I am very grateful to continue to work for Cumulus and Larry Blumhagen and the great KNBR Team, and thank Dave Milner, Brian Philips and Bruce Gilbert for their confidence in me. It was an absolute honor to be able to work with and learn from Dan Bennett, one of the best market managers in radio, and the talented Cumulus Dallas team. While the last five years were some of the most rewarding in my career, I am excited to return to my roots and be back in sports radio!”

In an internal memo to staff, Blumhagen highlighted Graham’s experience in the sports format, and praised his abilities to drive digital success. He’ll spend a few weeks in Dallas helping the company identify his replacement before making the move to the Bay Area. His first day on the job is expected to be August 9th.

The move west reunites Graham with the format he’s enjoyed most of his career success in. He inherits a brand that is in the driver seat for local ratings and the new opportunity gives him a chance to work again with John Lund, a talent he spent time working with in Detroit. With the Giants performing well, the 49ers just two months away from kicking off their 2021 campaign, and a strong roster with market credibility locked in place for the near term, Graham should have plenty of opportunity to keep the sports leader healthy, hungry and chasing future ratings victories.

ESPN Planning ‘Futuristic Look’ For MLB Home Run Derby

Derek Futterman
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ESPN Planning ‘Futuristic Look’ For MLB Home Run Derby

As the “Worldwide Leader in Sports,” ESPN continues to pioneer the future of sports event production through its partnership with various properties, including the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. The decades-old staple of the entertainment and sports industry plans to amplify its coverage of Major League Baseball All-Star Week in a contemporary, progressive manner not yet seen in sports television.

According to the network, it will “provide expansive coverage of the 2021 MLB All-Star festivities from July 11-13 in Denver,” including the first round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft, the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game.

The Major League Baseball Draft was exclusively presented on MLB Network beginning in 2009 when Los Angeles Angels’ outfielder and American League all-star starter Mike Trout was taken with the 25th pick in the first round. Since then, the MLB Draft has grown into an event that interests baseball fanatics, and has become an opportune time for other events to be cross-promoted. ESPN and MLB Network simulcast the Draft for the first time in 2020, with the event taking place out of ESPN’s studios in Bristol. For the first time in its history, the Major League Baseball Draft will take place during Major League Baseball All-Star Week, after plans to hold it in conjunction with the College World Series in Omaha fell through due to health and safety concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We had already been pushing to add simultaneous coverage of the Draft with MLB Network,” said Phil Orlins, who serves as the senior coordinating producer of Major League Baseball, Little League and College Baseball for ESPN. “When the draft happened around early July last year, we were super eager to do it because, at that time, we didn’t have many live sports. We wanted to do it again this year, but it’s just not in the construction of our deal with Major League Baseball. I think we were fairly confident that it would work out, [as] it optimizes the visibility of the event for [both] ESPN and MLB Network to cover it.”

When Major League Baseball made the decision to move 2021 All-Star festivities from Atlanta to Denver in early April, logistical challenges were presented to Orlins and his team, who generally start preparing for these slate of events in the early autumn of the previous year. Unlike Truist Park in Atlanta, Coors Field in Denver does not have a connecting venue with the capability to host the Draft, coercing the network to find alternate ways to transmit the event from the new venue, the Bellco Theatre, to the ballpark, venues that are 1.4 miles away from each other.

The move also impacted the planning of the Home Run Derby, an event that has engendered much interest since its inception in 1985. While the original nine-month timetable was quickly compressed down to three due to the decision by the league to relocate the festivities, Orlins knew that his team would be able to handle the challenge.

“We’ve been doing this for a lot of years,” said Orlins. “[The move] caused a little bit of extra urgency and speed to the work, [but] I don’t think it has any real impact as to how the event will be covered.”

Orlins produced the first Home Run Derby broadcast on television in 1993, in which Seattle Mariners superstar and National Baseball Hall of Fame member Ken Griffey, Jr., crushed a home run off of the B&O Warehouse at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Originally a 30-minute taped show, the veteran producer considers the impact he had in the event’s evolution as one of the signature moments of his career.

“I remember back in the day the seats were free for fans,” reminisced Orlins. “Then, it grew to a $5 charity donation per seat, and now it is a jewel event. It’s been amazing seeing that event capture the public’s fancy.”

ESPN is set to exclusively telecast the Home Run Derby on both the primary ESPN channel and ESPN-2, with each broadcast targeted for different segments of the viewing audience. The parent network, ESPN, will be taking a conventional approach, featuring a broadcast team of Karl Ravech, Eduardo Perez, Buster Olney and Marley Rivera calling the action and giving viewers an entertaining, traditional viewing experience. Conversely on ESPN-2, Jason Bennetti, Jessica Mendoza and Mike Petriello will explore the contest from an analytics-driven perspective, relying on Statcast technology to examine metrics such as launch angle, distance, exit velocity and barrel percentage to name a few, implementing them into the broadcast. This style of broadcast, which first debuted on ESPN’s coverage of Major League Baseball just prior to the turn of the century, is designed for the astute, perspicacious viewer, and will use graphics and groundbreaking technology to envision these data-powered metrics in an elucidatory, provocative mode.

“The pervasiveness and the capability of what Major League Baseball has been able to do through Statcast is unbelievable,” affirmed Orlins. “We felt [this broadcast] was a chance to more aggressively-serve… diehards who absorb sports and want all the information in every way [it can be presented]… without alienating more casual viewers.”

Since the Home Run Derby began its utilization of an alternative presentation in 2018, the network has watched the proliferation of its viability, and plans to take the broadcast to new heights this year. Even though the Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be exclusively broadcast on Fox as normal, the networks will share equipment to ensure that both their broadcasts eclipse the status quo.

“We have a really aggressive plan to differentiate the visual coverage of the at-bats with significant augmented reality,” said Orlins. “I think it’s going to be a very futuristic look.”

Despite the network planning to display advanced renderings and interpretations of sports data into the broadcast, the top priority remains showing the viewer each pitch as it happens, along with giving viewers unrivaled access to the field, players and spectators. With these concomitant objectives, broadcasting the event to serve all of them was something that presented a challenge to ESPN prior to the advent of the split-screen coverage box.

“We keep a pretty comfortable portrait-style type shot of the batter and pitcher, and we [have an approximately] 4 x 3 coverage box on the right side of the screen,” explained Orlins. “We have a constant shot of the pitch and the swing on one side, and we’re able to track the balls and reactions on the bigger box on the other side. Until we made that move, we were just in an uphill battle at all times; in the worst-case scenario, pitches were being thrown before home runs were landing. There’s a comfort in never losing track of when the pitch is coming.”

Something different from previous years, however, is the highly-saturated marketplace that exists for live sports. The Home Run Derby, usually a showcase, professional sporting event leading up to the Midsummer Classic, has to compete with the N.B.A. Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns, along with the buildup towards the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which are set to begin later this month after a year-long delay. These premium events notwithstanding do not take away from the appeal of the Home Run Derby, as the setting for this year’s event is the high-altitude Coors Field, which, on average, yields the longest home run distances out of any ballpark in the major leagues. Moreover, its showcase participant is the man who is being called the closest thing to Babe Ruth since, well, Babe Ruth himself: the Los Angeles Angels’ two-way phenom, Shohei Ohtani.

“I can’t believe I’m actually saying this,” expressed Orlins, “but the Babe Ruth comparisons actually almost fall short at this point because, while Ruth was an excellent pitcher and the greatest hitter of all-time, he really never did them both at the same time to this degree, and he certainly wasn’t being measured on Statcast either. [Ohtani] is going to be the number one seed, [and] he’s positioned to bat in the spot that will lead our audience to there. I think there is a mystique and intrigue as to what will happen.”

The rest of the field for the Home Run Derby, which includes New York Mets’ slugger and reigning event-champion Pete Alonso, Texas Rangers’ outfielder Joey Gallo and the prolific Washington Nationals’ all-star Juan Soto, is sure to generate peak ratings and cultivate feats worthy of awe and incredulousness among fans and analysts alike.

“We promote the event extremely-aggressively,” said Orlins. “We are very fortunate to have one of the strongest possible promotional stand-out elements of the event, which is holding a home-run hitting contest at a high altitude.”

Following the Home Run Derby, ESPN will feature the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game, which will be broadcast by father-son duo Tim and Jeff Kurkjian. The event will feature notable celebrities including The Miz, Kane Brown, JoJo Siwa and Quavo, along with athletes Larry Walker, Jenny Finch and CC Sabathia.

“It’s an event that probably takes 75 minutes in the ballpark,” Orlins explained, “but gets cut down to about 46 minutes on television. The main thing is [being[ fun and clever [about] things to do with the various participants [at an] aggressive-pace. It’s how you quickly, effectively trim it down, making your commentary make sense when you are trying to eliminate all of the balls not swung at.”

Lastly, on Tuesday night, Jon “Boog” Sciambi and Chris Singleton will be on the call for the Major League Baseball All-Star Gameon ESPN Radio, the 23rd year it has been the national radio home for the midsummer classic. Additionally, Sciambi and Singleton will provide listeners with all the action from the Home Run Derby on the air Monday night.

ESPN’s multimedia coverage of the Major League Baseball All-Star festivities is also available to be streamed on the ESPN App, and will be the first Major League Baseball All-Star Week to occur since July 2019.

Getting The Most Out of Vacation Time

Jeff Caves
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Getting The Most Out of Vacation Time

Was the 4th of July holiday everything it could have been? Did you take Friday or Monday off and make it a three-day holiday? Or, as I have every year, did you work like Demetri Ravanos even though you were on a family vacation in a cabin? I am not proud that I have left weeks and days of earned vacation unused every year. And, no, it never was eligible to accrue from year to year or be paid in cash. I blew it.

Now, go back and look at how productive or unproductive you were last Friday or Monday. How did you spend your time? Did you need to be in work from home mode or at the office? If you didn’t get much done, maybe you should have done anything but work. One regret I have through my work life is not taking more time off. And I am not just saying I should have taken more one-week vacations to Hawaii. That’s not always financially possible. I mean a few days here or there. An afternoon or Friday off to enjoy a three-day weekend somewhere other than my home. Or spend a morning or afternoon with my wife or kids focusing on them and their interests. The guys at Harvard have it figured out. Read how to get the most out of vacation. I wish I had. Here are some things to consider right now.

Ben Franklin was right

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. Make sure next year, around December, you look out at the annual calendar and make your vacation plans. Committing will organize your work and personal life a lot better. You also will have reservations for hotels, flights, whatever. Planning vacation is like writing copy; it’s easier to edit than create. And it’s not too late to look over the rest of the year right now. Make a different plan for the last summer weekend of the year, Labor Day. Or why not spend Veterans Day on 11/11 by visiting a veterans’ home or military hospital? Why not plan to take a drive this thanksgiving and see a friend or relative you have not connected with since COVID? Did you know Christmas eve is on a Thursday this year? Take it off! Same with new years eve. Why spend the last day of the year working on a Friday when you could create a special day with your family or partner going to a local hotel for a day of fun and then New Year’s Eve celebration. And, if there is one week I usually did take off correctly, it was the week between Christmas and New Year. If you can swing it, do it. You can do your annual planning somewhere other than the office, and you will struggle to make presentations that week anyway.

Go Longer

Leaving for a vacation takes something out of you. Getting to a getaway spot can also be taxing. Let’s figure at least two days of travel, stress, and decompression. Then, if you are like me, I always traveled back home two days before I had to be at work and took that last day to get organized. That’s four days of a 7-day vacation filled with anything but Mai Tais and margaritas. On your next one week off, take six vacation days off and travel on a Friday and return on a Saturday. That will give you a good Sunday-Friday break of no stress. The best days of vacation are the days when you know you have more days of vacation left.

Getaway

If at all possible, get away from making any decisions at home. Go to a hotel or wherever else if possible. Especially with all the work from home time we have logged, get out of the house. 

Delegate!

Just have another sales rep do anything you would need to do. Tell all your clients that need to know. Please put it on your voice mail. And stop looking at your phone. It took me 30 years to realize that calling and emailing clients while on vacation was work!

If you spend time on yourself and your loved ones, you will never regret it. My dad worked seven days a week, 12 months a year, and NEVER TOOK VACATION. When he was dying, he regretted working so much and said he should have spent more time with his family. Take some time off and live it up.

Anatomy of a Broadcaster: Joe Buck

Andy Masur
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Anatomy of a Broadcaster: Joe Buck

He’s been the guy calling pretty much every big event on Fox since the late 1990’s. Joe Buck has become a regular part of many people’s Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, well you get it. Buck calls the NFL and Major League Baseball for the network, covering the biggest events on the biggest stages. The Super Bowl and of course the World Series.

Busy should be his middle name. During the baseball playoffs, he’s still working his Fox NFL gig, which can also include a Thursday night game. A couple of times in the last decade he’s called his own “doubleheader”. On October 14, 2012, Buck called an NFL game between the Giants and 49’ers in San Francisco, which started at 4:25pm Eastern Time. He then made the 7-mile journey across town via trolley for Game 1 of the NLCS between the Cardinals and Giants.

Buck has also become one of the most polarizing national announcers in recent memory. He is opinionated, sometimes sarcastic and is usually accused of having a bias against, well, pretty much every fanbase in sports. He’s been called a jinx to whatever team it is that a viewer follows. That’s a power many of us in the industry wish we had. Of course, it’s not true.

ROAD TO THE NETWORKS

Buck called play-by-play for the then Louisville Redbirds, a minor league affiliate of the Cardinals. He was a reporter for ESPN’s coverage of the Triple-A All-Star Game in 1989. Buck became a reporter for St. Louis’ CBS station KMOV in 1991, the same year he began broadcasting Cardinals games on local television and on KMOX radio. He would fill in for his father Jack Buck, while the elder Buck was working on CBS telecasts.

Buck continued to call Cardinals games after being hired by Fox Sports in 1994. Though as he got busier and busier with the network job, his local duties shrank. Prior to the 2008 season he announced that he would no longer be calling Cardinals games. It marked the first time since 1960 that a member of the Buck family was not part of the team’s broadcasting crew.

LIFE AT FOX

Buck has been the face and voice of Fox Sports since 1994. He was hired to work the NFL in the inaugural season on the network at age 25. Buck became the youngest person ever to announce a regular schedule of NFL games in network TV history.

He took over as the top play-by-play man in 2002 replacing the legendary Pat Summerall. Buck is only the third announcer to handle a television network’s lead MLB and NFL coverage in the same year. He joins NBC’s Curt Gowdy and ABC’s Al Michaels.

Buck, as mentioned, is also the top guy at Fox on the network’s coverage of Major League Baseball. In 1996, he was named Fox’s lead play-by-play voice teaming with Tim McCarver.

On September 8, 1998, Buck called Mark McGwire’s 62nd home run that broke the single-season record. The game was nationally televised live in prime time on Fox. Not a normal circumstance at all, but the record, at the time, was of huge national interest.

One of the other well-known broadcasts by Buck, included a tribute to his late father Jack. It came during the broadcast of the 2002 World Series. Game 6 between the Angels and Giants came down to an Anaheim comeback in the bottom of the 8th to take a lead on San Francisco. The Angels needed to win to stave off elimination. When the final out of the Angels victory was recorded, Buck said, “We’ll see you tomorrow night.” Buck’s father Jack had passed away only a few months earlier and it was a perfect hat tip to his dad, because Jack said the exact same phrase in 1991. Jack Buck made the original famous call when Minnesota’s Kirby Puckett hit a home run off of Atlanta’s Charlie Leibrandt to end Game 6 of the 1991 World Series.

Through 2020, Buck has called 22 World Series and 21 All-Star Games for Fox, the most of any play-by-play announcer on network television.

WHY IS HE SO GOOD?

For some, being the son of a Hall of Fame announcer would be enough for them to think, I can do this broadcasting thing, my dad did it so why not me? Yes, some get jobs based on their name. But just a few last as long as Joe has, because of one thing. No, not his name. Talent. He’s not his dad, he’s his own guy. As I wrote last summer.

Joe had a difficult time dealing with his dad’s shadow, but learned later that there was no reason to feel that way.

“I was broadcasting Cardinal baseball in the major leagues at the age of 21, and that only happened because my last name was Buck. At the time, I fought that.”, the younger Buck told NPR in 2016. He continued, “But there’s also a little bit more of a sharp knife out there, as far as critics are concerned, that you better be as good as the old man, or in some cases better, to be considered a success.”. Being modest, Joe continued to NPR, “I know I do a decent enough job to keep my job, but I will forever be known to some people as Jack Buck’s son. And thank God he and I were best friends or that would drive me nuts. Instead, I consider it a high compliment.”

To me this is why the younger Buck is so polarizing. Some feel that since he’s not his old man, how can he do this job? Some may feel he’s just on the air because his name is Buck and dismiss him? There are those that don’t like his wit or sarcasm, saying he seems to come off as a know it all or aloof. Whatever the reason, it is a thing, Buck hating is real. There are Twitter accounts dedicated to the practice. Petitions online call for his job routinely. This is broadcasting in a new era of social media. Thick skin is required. Buck proves he’s above it, because here he is, a couple of decades later, still going strong. To know all of that is out there and still be able to do your job at a high level is an extraordinary thing. It’s a testament to his talent.

Buck finds a way to make games exciting. Whether it be a great call in a huge moment or his ability to set the scene for a game that has a lot on the line. It is such a compliment to a broadcaster when you achieve the level of “you know it’s a big game when you hear that voice” and Buck has.

I appreciate the enormity of the job he has, in being expected to get everything right. It’s an awesome responsibility.

CONTROVERSY

Buck has had to deal with some controversy over the course of his career. Several of them have popped up over the last few years, about things he said on air, and things picked up while not on the air.

There was the famous “mocking” of a flyover in Tampa. Before the game started, someone recorded the duo of Buck and Troy Aikman making comments about the planes overhead.

“That’s a lot of jet fuel just to do a little flyover,” Aikman is heard saying in the video.

“That’s your hard-earned money and your tax dollars at work!” Buck replied in a mocking tone.

Buck told the St. Louis Dispatch that he was a fan of military flyovers before sporting events. He also says that what sounded like he and partner Aikman mocking them that weekend was in fact an inside joke and sarcasm that was taken entirely out of context.

“The perception that we’re not supporting the military is crazy,” Buck told the paper. “We were being completely sarcastic. I’ve seen some of the most chilling flyovers you’d ever see. It’s like a communal experience. Flyovers are great.” Buck suspects that someone who isn’t with Fox clipped the audio, packaged it with video that wasn’t Fox’s and then sold it. 

Buck, in another recent controversy told Colin Cowherd on his podcast that he and Aikman used to sip tequila mixed drinks on occasion in the broadcast booth during games, and that he liked to nurse “the biggest beer” in the stadium to call baseball.

“I’ll say this. We have had that glass of bourbon in the booth. Although it’s not bourbon, it’s tequila, splash of Grand Marnier and grapefruit juice,” Buck replied. “I went through a couple years where, in the first inning of every postseason baseball game, I had the runner go get the biggest beer that the stadium sold. And I had it sitting there and I would sip it from time to time to remind myself to relax and have fun. I’m just doing a game.”

Buck says the remarks were just a tiny segment in a long conversation. He is not happy about the way it is playing out, leading some people to perceive that he slams drinks during the game — something that never was said.

“It is just another reminder that journalism is indeed dying and clickbait rules the day,” Buck tweeted. “… I am 51, not 15. I believe I am old enough to understand what a drink is.”

He said the drinks were just one of the tricks he has used over the years to calm his mind.

He puts notes to himself on his spotting boards to remind him to put things into perspective.

“The notes on my board ‘have fun’ ‘relax’ are examples from every Super Bowl,” he said. “Texts from friends pop the bubble and are needed during the game. The coffee machine and almost fake trips to it to leave the front of the booth are necessary for me.

HALL OF FAME

For his work over the years in the NFL, Buck is headed to Canton. He will receive the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s prestigious Pete Rozelle Award, given for “longtime exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.” Buck joins his father, Jack Buck, in receiving the award, the first father-son duo to do it.

Hall of Fame president David Baker surprised Buck with the news on a Thursday Night Football broadcast between the Bengals and Browns. Buck will be officially recognized during next summer’s enshrinement week in August, during the enshrinement of the Centennial Class of 2020.

The announcement left him speechless for a moment during the broadcast. “I don’t even know what to say. I feel like – what? That’s unbelievable.” 

JEOPARDY!

TV Sports Announcers for $400 please…

This NFL announcer for Fox TV shares a name with a male deer and will also be the host of Jeopardy.

Who is Joe Buck? Correct.

So, Joe Buck is going to appear on Jeopardy! as a guest host. His episodes are set to air in early August. Buck joins a long list of those that are interested in replacing the late Alex Trebek who passed away last year. He joins Aaron Rodgers, former Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings, Anderson Cooper and Mayim Bialik on the roster of potential new hosts for the show.

CONCLUSION

I understand that Buck isn’t for everyone. People seem to enjoy picking him apart for every word, every nuance and every call. Seriously though, the guy has enjoyed a long and successful career, so he’s doing something right. You don’t stick around and perform at a high-level just because you have the same last name as a legendary broadcaster. I enjoy how Buck seems to play off the negativity and turn it into something to laugh about. Deep down, nobody likes to hear bad things about their broadcasts. At the same time, you can’t cave to the trolls and haters, they’re always going to be there, but seemingly so will Buck.

SUMMARY:

Joe Buck is the voice of the NFL and Major League Baseball on Fox and has been at it for a long time. The son of the late Jack Buck, he has carved out his own niche in the industry. Joe Buck has become the soundtrack for some of the biggest sporting events in the last 20+ years. Buck has dealt with controversy and detractors, but it hasn’t affected his longtime grip on the top job at Fox.

Four Key Factors to Selling Play-By-Play Commercials

Jeff Caves
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When considering how to sell live play-by-play commercials, four factors come to mind: broadcast times, tv, streaming rights, and announcers. And, let’s define play by play as broadcasts for local high school football and basketball, college football and basketball, NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL games.

First, make sure you review this piece from Rob Taylor to understand how programming and management feel about paying to broadcast games. Once somebody in your building decides to give up inventory or cash to broadcast those games, you will be expected to sell live play-by-play whether you want to or not. 

When will the games air?

This helps in determining the price of most inventory. Games that are during the weekday or late afternoon drive have the most value to me. If the broadcast is important enough to bump your regular weekday programming, it MUST be critical. Local college and pro games can have great tune-in for pre and post-game coverage as well. Afternoon drive weekday pre-game shows for big games are perfect settings to reach fans anticipating the game and driving around doing errands while they whet their appetite for the game. Home game post-game coverage has the advantage of thousands of fans getting in their cars and craving post-game analysis and interviews. Some games end early enough for fans to listen to post-game while traveling for hours home after a college football game. Weekend day games are perfect for listening while driving around or working around the house. 

Is the game on TV? 

Most everybody prefers to watch a game on tv over listening to the radio. And now fans can stream some tv broadcasts off their phone and listen in their car or earbuds. Road games with no tv option present great tune-ins for fans who want to follow the game live.    

Can you sell streaming commercials?

If you can sell commercials on your stream, you can sell two demographics to your advertisers. Younger or tech-savvy fans prefer to stream even in their car, and older listeners in their cars or even, to some extent at home, will flip on the radio. I still think that fans prefer the tv to any stream, which is just a tiny part of the case for buying play-by-play from you. I don’t think it is a deal-breaker for most clients, but there will be enough buyers who will want this option. 

Who is calling the game?

Long tenured broadcasters who have a distinct style like the retiring Marv Albert generate an audience on their own. If you have a beloved local broadcaster, you already know that. If you don’t, and you control the situation, find one and stick with them. I have sold more local play-by-play this way to clients who want to associate with the legendary local broadcaster. 

If you look at play-by-play as a unique asset, treat it that way to your client, and price it fairly, selling play-by-play is a slam dunk in sports radio.

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