ESPN NFL analyst Peter Schrager may now share the national spotlight alongside the likes of Stephen A. Smith and Chris Russo, but his broadcasting journey began with something much simpler — a childhood fascination with New York sports radio.
Speaking in an interview with Steve Serby of the New York Post, Schrager admitted that before he was a national media personality, he was “Peter from Freehold,” a frequent caller into WFAN’s legendary lineup of hosts. The network’s mix of opinion, authenticity, and energy shaped not only his fandom, but also his eventual approach to connecting with audiences.
“I have a lot of respect for Mike and the Mad Dog and the way that they talked about things,” Schrager said. “The fact that they were able to do it in an unfiltered way was really cool for me, too. I was a caller into their show.”
For Schrager, what began as a listening routine became a blueprint for how he communicates on air today for ESPN.
“Every day after school, I listened to those guys for hours,” he said. “I think it helped form a lot of the ways that I like to connect with the listener, viewer, reader, whatever. They’ve been a huge influence over my career.”
That early exposure came full circle years later. Now a regular contributor to ESPN’s First Take alongside Russo, Schrager admits it’s still surreal to share airtime with someone he once idolized.
“I work with Mad Dog now on Wednesdays on First Take, and I have to pinch myself that I’m actually doing that,” he said. “And then Francesa used to have me on Fridays, and I was over the moon that I was actually talking with him.”
Long before his television career, Schrager was a familiar voice to WFAN’s overnight and weekend hosts.
“Yes, Peter from Freehold,” he said. “I would call in [Joe] Benigno when he was doing the Umberto’s Clam House. I would call in Adam Schein and Tony Paige on late nights, Richard Neer. You name it. I’m a product of WFAN sports talk radio.”
Schrager’s story is a reminder of WFAN’s enduring reach and influence. The station has inspired countless broadcasters and fans alike since its launch in 1987, and its legacy continues through those who once called in — and now help shape the national sports conversation.
For Schrager, it’s more than nostalgia. It’s proof that the passion born from a radio signal out of New York still drives him every day.
Have read Serby's Sunday Q and A for years. Humbled and thrilled to be asked to be the subject of this week's in the @nypost . https://t.co/foLMpxVbtM
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Since launching in August 2009, Beasley Media Group’s 98.5 The Sports Hub has been a defining legacy brand in one of the most passionate sports markets in the country. The radio station has celebrated numerous championships across all four major sports. Quickly elevating to a ratings juggernaut in the industry. Throughout the station’s longevity, Mike Felger and Tony Massarotti have held down afternoon drive, setting their own standard of excellence.
“The last time we didn’t finish first was in the spring of 2011,” stated Felger about the streak of 19 consecutive quarters in which Felger & Mazz have beaten their crosstown competition.
Prior to his time at The Sports Hub, Mike Felger covered Boston sports as a beat reporter for the Boston Bruins before becoming a columnist for the Boston Herald. Considered a scrappy tabloid compared to its competition at the Boston Globe. The time spent in locker rooms, challenging franchises, and understanding the inner workings of organizations helped Felger navigate his role at The Sports Hub.
Sixteen years later, Felger considers the success a combination of luck and a testament to the strength the station delivers overall in meeting the demands of its audience.
“I would say that most of the shows on our station have a similar track record [of ratings success],” explained Felger. “It’s a statement by the station and everyone on it. The city, and their appetite for sports talk in Boston.”
Consistency Is the Key
While there have been many critics within the industry regarding how measurement is tallied with Nielsen, Felger understands the challenges. After historic numbers in previous years, Felger & Mazz have seen declines in rating share despite still being well ahead of their head-to-head competition.
“Even though we’re still number one, the numbers have been down recently from our peak, which we don’t like. We’re still number one, the streak continues, but I’m always conscious of it,” explained Felger. “I’m constantly thinking of radio in general, and the place of terrestrial FM radio. Bigger-picture stuff, even beyond our content and approach.”
Felger says there is constant evaluation regarding how the program is performing. Everything from which stories and topics are discussed to how the program approaches connecting with the audience online. However, he admitted that he considers himself “incredibly lucky and grateful” for the long-standing success of the program, even with the challenges of the industry itself being ever-present.
“When you really boil it down, there are so few people who have a [PPM] meter. If one goes on vacation, or one is off for a week, it can throw it off. That’s kind of scary,” admitted Felger. “The thing we’re most proud of is that it has been 14 years. That sort of shows you that it’s not a fluke. That is something we’re very proud of, and we’re very proud of the continuity on the show.”
Benefits of a Reporting Background
Felger & Mazz have been together on The Sports Hub for over 16 years, with a production staff that has been consistent as well. He noted that not many programs stay together as long as they have. Jimmy Stewart, the show’s executive producer, has been with the program for 14 years. Marc Bertrand was the original update chair on the program before being elevated to a full-time host in 2015. Since then, Jim Murray has filled the role.
The consistency on the program mirrors the consistency in the delivery of its content. Felger insists the show is rooted in sports first. Utilizing the background both he and Massarotti acquired during their years working the beat for the Boston Herald.
“I find there’s real value in having two guys who have been in locker rooms, been on the beat, butted heads with teams, and covered teams. We’ve been around the block, and we can very easily discern when a team is full of s**t,” explained Felger. “There are a lot of modern kids who are bloggers, streamers, or podcasters who don’t really get it the way someone would who covered teams on a daily basis.”
Felger noted that his experience at the Boston Herald has translated directly to his experience hosting afternoon drive on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
“We had to be edgier and tougher [at the Boston Herald]. Sure, more sensational. We took that approach still because it’s in the DNA of the show,” explained Felger. “Yes, we talk s**t and we’re hot-take artists. But it comes from a base of covering these teams. Having a better idea of how the sausage is made than a kid who does it from his living room.”
A self-admitted “sports dork” who grew up reading the sports pages of his local papers, Felger is an adamant critic of how the practice of beat reporting is today compared to when he covered Boston teams.
“I think that beat reporting has gotten softer than it was in my day,” explained Felger. “The beat reporters now, to me, feel like their first inclination is to protect the team. I just know this because our approach on the radio is to be critical. That’s our default. That’s where we start on the show. But now, writers start from a place of protecting the team against people like us. Back in the day, that used to be different.”
Felger admitted his feelings don’t apply to all beat writers and not necessarily always. However, he remains passionate about the honor of the practice and the role it plays in telling the stories of athletes and franchises.
Effects of TV and Social Media
With the success of Felger & Mazz on radio, the duo began a simulcast of their program on NBC Sports Boston in 2010. As part of a partnership with the network, Felger believes the simulcast helps the branding of the show, allowing it to be available on television and reach a new audience. However, he also understands how it could affect their radio ratings in the market.
“We wonder about it. On a macro level, it cannot help,” said Felger. “Anyone who might be listening to us in the car and gets home and turns on the TV, or anyone who could be listening on the radio but has access to the TV, is watching on TV instead of listening on the radio. That takes away radio listeners. In the short-term macro, it does not help.”
With the professional television presentation that NBC Sports Boston provides for Felger & Mazz, the exact opposite could be said about Felger’s Off Air Show, which streams on social platforms. Following every show, Felger is joined in a production studio to discuss either similar topics or more “grab-ass stuff,” as he termed it.
Felger is not a participant on social media on any platform, but the Off Air Show serves as a platform that fulfills a requirement in his contract with 98.5 The Sports Hub.
“I have a social media requirement in my contract. We all do. I am not on social media. I can’t do it, nor stand it,” admitted Felger. “They want us to have a social media presence. While some of the other guys do Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube, I do that. So that’s my contribution to the internet world.”
While for some it may seem like checking a box, Felger enjoys the opportunity to riff on the most random things in the setting of the Off Air Show. While many of his contemporaries insert that type of content into their daily programming, Felger admits the focus must remain on sports for his program.
No Time for Reflection
Winning is everything in Boston. Sports fans around Beantown have enjoyed a run of titles since the inception of Felger & Mazz: three Super Bowls, two World Series titles, an NBA Championship, and a Stanley Cup Championship. In most markets, it would take a century or more to experience the amount of winning the Boston market has seen in the last sixteen years.
Felger believes that because of the lack of recent sports success, the market has somewhat forgotten that winning feeling. He admitted that the streak of glory the city experienced was a once-in-a-lifetime stretch that may never be duplicated.
“The winning around here lasted so long. It wasn’t just the [New England] Patriots,” noted Felger. “I think we just took for granted that it’s not always that way.”
Despite a growing legacy in the medium, Felger admitted he’s not stopping anytime soon. Instead of taking a step back to enjoy and reflect on the program’s standing in the industry, he says no one on the program is close to hanging their jersey in the rafters.
“It’s still the best four hours of my day,” noted Felger. “I really do enjoy the process of it, and I’m incredibly lucky. I grew up as just a sports dork. As a kid, I just wanted to be a sportswriter. To be able to do what I do, I just consider myself lucky. And no, we’re not ready to stop anytime soon. I’m more worried about the industry stopping before I stop—that is really the concern.”
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This Week with George Stephanopoulos is always a target for conservative media members, and justifiably so. The ABC News anchor previously worked for the Clinton administration, so it’s hard to argue that he’s impartial (despite the fact that those same people criticizing aren’t impartial, either, but that’s a different column for a different day.
On Sunday, Stephanopoulos stopped a conversation with Vice President JD Vance after a contentious back-and-forth about border czar Tom Homan and whether or not he allegedly accepted a $50,000 bribe from undercover FBI agents.
For brevity’s sake, the recap goes something like that: Stephanopoulos asked Vance if Homan kept the money. Vance retorted by saying that he didn’t know what Stephanopoulos was talking about, saying that he didn’t accept a bribe, then suggested that Homan could have been paid for services he provided to someone. He continued by deflecting, saying that Homan is only being criticized because he’s being successful, and stated that it would be a more interesting question to find out why Homan is being so roundly criticized for doing his job.
George Stephanopoulos attempted to clarify the answer, pointing out that Vance had failed to answer the question that had been asked. Vance was clearer in his answer the second time, stating that he didn’t believe Homan accepted a bribe, and that there was no evidence he had done anything illegal.
Again, Stephanopoulos asked whether or not Homan kept the $50,000. Vance then claimed ignorance, before Stephanopoulos reiterated the question, with Vance continuing to assert he didn’t understand the question. The Vice President ultimately shared that he did not know the answer to the question, but that he knows that Homan did not commit a crime.
At that point, the ABC News anchor ended the interview. While ending the discussion, Vance attempted to retort. But was cut off, with the show moving to a different topic.
In the aftermath, plenty of reactions poured in, mostly along party lines. On one hand, conservative commenters argued that Stephanopoulos acted unprofessionally by hounding Vance about the topic, especially when the subject of the interview was supposed to be about the situation in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
On the other hand, commenters shared their beliefs that Vance was purposefully being contentious in an effort to avoid answering direct questions about a member of the Trump administration.
I don’t especially care about Vance’s stances in the matter, because this isn’t a political column, it’s a news media column (although, I do think it’s worth noting that you can’t say you don’t know whether or not Tom Homan kept $50,000, but you’re certain he didn’t commit a crime. I don’t think it can be both.)
I care about the reaction to how George Stephanopoulos handled the interview. And I have one question for those criticizing the ABC News anchor: what else was he supposed to do?
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Stephanopoulos asked the question four times. And Vance continually failed to answer it. Holding someone’s feet to the fire, whether they’re a member of your favorite political party or not, isn’t an indictment on the ABC News anchor’s character: it’s his job. Too many confuse public relations for journalism today. George Stephanopoulos isn’t supposed to be lofting softballs to the Vice President to make him look better. That’s not the gig.
It’s also not the gig to ask softball questions of those Stephanopoulos finds more favorable, either, for the record.
But when you’re interviewing someone who very clearly does not want to answer the question, and their responses range from “he did nothing wrong” to “well, wait, I don’t even know what you’re asking me”, when the question was not strangely worded or confusing, you have two choices: keep asking the question or move on.
That’s it. Those are the options. And since George Stephanopoulos is an experienced news anchor, he moved on. Because it was clear that JD Vance was never going to answer the question. Now, it could be that he truly did not have the information to respond accurately, but he wasn’t ever going to say that, either.
I have no issue with the criticism of any news anchor or interviewer when they truly have acted unprofessionally, when they’ve been slanted, inaccurate, or intentionally attempted to mislead the audience. Furthermore, I think we all should call that out.
But I don’t think it’s fair to simply state that because someone — whose job it is to ask important questions of those in power — followed through with their task, and in the process made a member of one political party look like they were backed into a corner. If you want to criticize the host for not doing that to Democratic lawmakers, I’m here for it and I’ll stand beside you in that criticism.
However, Stephanopoulos didn’t badger Vance. He didn’t attack him. He remained firm and steadfast in asking the same question again and again. It was a question that members of the Trump administration had routinely sidestepped, avoided, and failed to clarify.
Asking it, firmly and fairly, is the job. That isn’t cause for criticism. It should be celebrated, if anything.
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In the category of air talent, radio unicorns are few — those people who defy their market size while thriving in a format that doesn’t sync with their tenure. This time last year on the Barrett Media platform, we chronicled a cross-country trip to visit the world’s cutest grandkids — ours. On that trip, we were exposed to around 100 radio stations. Read about that trip HERE.
The second leg of the journey — covered HERE — ended in the heart of Missouri, where arguably the best-operated cluster of radio holds court: Zimmer Communications.
If you’re not up to speed on this blue-chip outfit, Zimmer Communications — once a major mid-market player — now operates in smaller towns across the Midwest.
The Columbia–Jefferson City brands of Zimmer Communications are led by John Zimmer, a champion of local, live radio and a true legendary broadcaster.
On the programming side, Zimmer Communications regularly assigns a content leader for each of its brands, including Barrett Media colleague Peter Thiele as their News/Talk Format Captain.
Their sales efforts reach beyond spots and sponsorships. Zimmer Communications acts as a plain-wrap agency for dozens of local clients, publishes a mid-Missouri magazine, and employs a half-dozen digital experts along with a robust Creative Services team. They have won a vast number of local, regional, and national awards — so many that if their trophy case were outside the building, it would be visible from the International Space Station.
Their team culture is admired throughout the industry. Zimmer Communications’ tenured talent are often recruited to major markets, with the answer almost always being a resounding “no thanks.”
Which brings us to one of their most loyal — Nick “Cosmo” Schudel — longtime morning anchor for their Top 40 juggernaut Y107. What makes Cosmo a Radio Unicorn is his market longevity, loyalty to Zimmer and the Columbia market, and his ability to remain relevant through decades of evolution.
Like nationally syndicated Elvis Duran — who’s 61 — or what Scott Shannon achieved as he too approached 60, and what cross-state St. Louis legend Guy Phillips accomplished, Cosmo has the knack and talent to stay connected to a much younger audience while chasing Father Time.
On a recent trip to Columbia, we shared coffee, conversation, and reflection on his remarkable career.
*Editor’s Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.*
Kevin Robinson: Share with us the beginning of your radio journey and what brought you to Columbia.
Cosmo: Out of the St. Louis Broadcast Center, my first job was — of all places — in Steamboat Springs. I was a 20-year-old kid who never imagined that my first apartment would be 20-some hours away. The company tried to get me to come out on a bus ride for an interview. Nope — I flew! It would’ve been a 26-hour bus trip for an interview!
I was there a year and a half for my first job. I did everything — talent on a Top 40, news, sports — and even took out the trash! It was in a little strip mall with an Army recruiter on one side and a jewelry store on the other.
Three months into the gig, I locked myself out of the station while taking out the trash. I was getting one last cigarette with the last few segments of Casey Kasem on CD and thought, “OK, I’ve got time to prep for the next morning.” But the door was locked. I had to bang on the door of the program director who lived behind the station at 10:45 p.m.! I thought for sure I was fired.
From Steamboat to Sedalia, Missouri — being a St. Louis kid, I wanted to get closer to home. I spent four years there, then got a call to northern Illinois: WDEK and Big City Radio. Big City attempted to cover Chicago with fringe signals. That didn’t work — we all got fired.
I thought, “OK, all right, son of a b***h — what do I do now?” But because I had all this experience doing 20 different things, I got a gig in Rockford at WZOK. It was a fluke. The next day, heading to Rockford, I was just going to drop my folder off in the door slot with my CD and résumé. Some remote tech from the station invited me in and asked me to wait for Program Director Scott Chase. I didn’t have an appointment, but we ended up doing an impromptu interview.
He came out of the studio like, “Who the hell are you, and how did you get in here?” We talked for 45 minutes, and a week later I was hired — got to do a “morning show at night,” and I had a blast with it. That was my goal: a morning show, and I was able to do that at night!
After WZOK was sold, I got the opportunity to come back to Missouri and launch Q103.1 in Jefferson City, and then flip the 106.1 frequency to CHRT. Then the same company that bought Rockford came into Columbia — Cumulus — and I knew the writing was on the wall.
All my coworkers were like, “What are you freaking out about?” I said, “I’ve seen this script. I’ve lived this script.” Contracts and bonus structures were ripped up. I knew where it was going. Luckily, I had no contract. I got in contact with the Zimmer folks, and my original show, Cosmo and JC — which people still talk about — went from being a night show on a Friday to a morning show the next Monday.
Kevin Robinson: Tell me about your two decades in Columbia.
Cosmo: This fall marks 25 years since I moved back here to Columbia — and 21 years on Y107! There are moments I still have to stop and pinch myself, like “Holy crap.” Now I realize that this is my spot! I’m not letting go of it, no matter who my coach is or what format tweaks come from different consultants.
It’s pretty cool here — in Columbia and at a station that believes in local talent and gives us great resources. There are very few buildings where all the morning shows hang in the hallway — talking about what’s going on, bouncing jokes off each other, brainstorming. We’ve got four live, local shows with multiple players. There’s an energy to that, and we compete with each other to keep improving.
I watch Scotty and Shags and Trevor and the other morning shows work so hard to get better and evolve their brands. I’m not getting left behind in that — they help me so much.
Kevin Robinson: What was your best day on the radio?
Cosmo: One of the ones I’m most proud of happened just a couple of weeks ago. A 21-year-old Stevens College student, Aiyanna Williams, was the victim of errant gunfire — some guy got into an argument downtown, fired off 11 shots at random, hitting three people up the block. She played high school volleyball with my daughter.
This happened on a Friday night into Saturday morning — Mizzou Homecoming weekend. That next Monday, we scrapped an entire hour of regular programming and just opened the phone lines. No political talk — that wasn’t the time. I shared my personal feelings, and we had parents and students calling in.
After the Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally shooting in Kansas City. We scrapped everything and said, “We feel like you — hurt, confused, scared — and we’re right there with you.” It’s hard to do morning radio on days like that, but we used our platform for good.
The freedom to do that at Zimmer is great. Too often, shows don’t know how to tap into real emotions because they get so caught up in format and characters. On days like these, we say, “Screw the benchmarks and format.” Radio is for your community.
That raw emotion makes us vulnerable. I’m normally the loud, obnoxious guy on the air, and I tell myself I can’t be the softy crying on the mic — but that’s the real me.
Kevin Robinson: Audio platforms are growing around you, and the target audience is getting further from your personal perspective. What keeps you and your show relevant?
Cosmo: The number one thing is being raw and real. You’re not going to get that from anyone off the radio, no matter how good the podcast or national show is — they don’t even know where Columbia is on a map.
To continue that relationship, we go where the audience is — connected on social, especially in a younger format. I ask my 22-year-old daughter for help all the time.
We also focus on that one person — our P1. What’s their name? Where do they live? What do they do? We even have a picture in the studio — she’s named Emily. Does the content pass the “Emily filter”?
Plus, we have younger women in our building — our Advisory Panel. We ask about imaging, promos, and trends. Every local business can learn from that.
If you’re sitting in a restaurant like Murray’s next door, they know their brand and core customer. If you’re in a format outside your demo, you have to work even harder to stay relevant. Don’t use verbiage that’s not natural — I’m not going to say “squad” because I’d lose more points than I’d gain.
I can be hip and connect to the demo without faking it. I talk about what they’re talking about truthfully. I’m not going to pretend to know a show because it’s on a prep sheet. I’ve got to be authentic.
Kevin Robinson: What’s your best advice for emerging talent ready to dive into radio?
Cosmo: Be really good with your money — save your money (laughs). Do some things I wish I would’ve done. Soak up anything and everything you can. That helped me get opportunities I wouldn’t have had if I’d focused on just one thing.
When new people come to us, we ask them to teach us something we don’t know. We just hired a Mizzou grad — a producer on our talk station — who wants to learn everything. A lot of us veterans are soaking up his knowledge while teaching him what we know.
Be open to learning every aspect of the business: helping with the website, voicing commercials, producing a high school football game. The more you know, the more opportunities you’ll have.
Experience matters less than attitude. You can have 15 years and a résumé full of call letters, but if you’re not a team player — if you won’t help at the food drive or school supply drive, or show up early for the Tiger tailgate — we’ll find someone with half your experience who will.
Kevin Robinson: If you could interview or cohost your show with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Cosmo: I think back to David Letterman — a radio guy back in the day. One of my friends would watch Letterman, and I had no idea who that was. This guy was throwing watermelons off buildings and doing stupid human tricks. I’d love to share a mic with him — his timing was great.
I also do play-by-play locally. If I could share a mic on a baseball broadcast with Jack Buck — oh my gosh! Growing up in St. Louis, that would be incredible. My dad had a little transistor radio back when there were only 30 games on TV — it was always on. If I could share a mic with Jack Buck for half an inning, let’s go.
Conclusion
Cosmo shared that he occasionally looked at bigger-market opportunities but feels blessed to have chosen to remain with Zimmer Communications for the past two decades.
When our hour-long chat wrapped up, Cosmo said it best — with spot-on realism:
“Our brand is relationship radio. It’s what connects us. Our spouse, kids friend and coworkers. Relationships define us and it resonates with our most loyal listeners.”
In light of another big-company layoff just last week, clearly, Cosmo chose wisely.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Few phrases have hurt Hot AC and music radio’s general evolution more than “shut up and play the music.” It’s often said with good intentions, to keep momentum tight and protect music flow, but for Hot AC, it’s a short-sighted mindset.
In a world where listeners can get the same songs on Spotify, Apple Music, or their smart speaker, the one thing they can’t get anywhere else is your station’s personality. Hot AC’s success has always come from the balance of music and mood; it’s not just a playlist, it’s a vibe.
The personalities between the songs define that vibe. When programmers or consultants tell talent to stay quiet, they’re effectively removing the most human part of the station. Music alone can’t build a relationship with listeners—people do that!
The original “shut up and play the music” mantra was a reaction to a time when jocks rambled too long, sometimes making the station sound sloppy. I once worked for an operator who stated out loud, “I like salespeople, they make me money! On-air talent costs me money!” Such a short-sighted way to approach your entertainment operation.
I like to argue that today’s Hot AC talent understand pacing, teasing, and topicality—and if they don’t, it’s up to you to coach them to that end goal. The challenge isn’t to silence them; it’s to guide them toward making content more relevant, personal, and emotionally resonant. Tight, engaging communication is the goal, not muteness.
Listeners don’t turn off when someone talks; they turn off when the talk is meaningless. That’s a big, crucial distinction. A quick, honest observation about something local, a moment of empathy about a rainy Monday, or a witty line connecting two songs are the moments that make Hot AC sound alive. Good programmers know that talk breaks are opportunities to brand the station’s personality, not interruptions in the music.
When consultants push the “less talk” agenda, most will point to research and claim “listeners want more music.” But that’s surface-level thinking. Yes, music is the core, but listeners stay because of connection. If all they wanted was music, they’d already be streaming. What they want from Hot AC radio is companionship—the feeling that the station “gets them” and understands what’s important in their lives.
That happens when a relatable, human voice breaks through and creates a real moment.
The most successful Hot AC brands understand that balance. They don’t fill airtime with fluff, but they don’t erase their talent either. They coach, helping personalities say more in less time with greater authenticity. It’s about smart talk, not no talk. When done right, a seven-second break can make the listener smile, nod, or feel understood—and that’s priceless.
There’s also a strategic layer here for programmers and GMs. Personality builds equity. A well-branded, personality-driven Hot AC station is far more defensible against streaming and AI-driven music services. A faceless jukebox is easily replaced; a warm, familiar voice that feels like a friend is not.
So instead of saying “shut up and play the music,” the better approach is “make it matter.”
Encourage talent to find a hook, a thought, or a shared emotion that fits the station’s tone. The great Hot AC brands of the future won’t be the ones that played the most songs—they’ll be the ones that made the most connections. Because when the music fades and the voice that follows sounds real, that’s when Hot AC wins!
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Major League Baseball is enjoying a surge of success in 2025 heading into the World Series. Commissioner Rob Manfred must be pleased to see all three league television partners showing year-over-year increases in viewership for the 2025 regular season. Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN was up 21 percent, the best figures since 2012. TBS saw a 29 percent increase this season, as did FOX Sports, which experienced a nine percent increase year-over-year.
MLB now enters the championship portion of the postseason with three unlikely competitors and one proven commodity. The Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, and Toronto Blue Jays have a combined total of just two World Series championships. The Los Angeles Dodgers alone quadruple that number.
Earlier this year, the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder sparked debate over low ratings. Excluding a game seven, the series produced the lowest viewership (outside of COVID-era numbers) in many years. Could baseball face the same challenge with smaller markets and unfamiliar teams in the spotlight?
Make no mistake: people are watching more baseball in 2025 than last year. MLB also achieved its first three-year run of growth at the turnstiles, with attendance rising slightly for a third consecutive season. The sport is recapturing audiences both in person and at home at levels unseen in years.
Oh The Possibilities
But with the World Series less than a week away, the league faces a familiar challenge. The Dodgers are a juggernaut, drawing attention worldwide and bringing viewers to every nationally televised game. The Brewers, Blue Jays, and Mariners, by contrast, lack comparable national draw.
Milwaukee appeared on national television just ten times this season, with no Sunday Night Baseball coverage. Despite finishing with the best record in baseball at 97-65, the Brewers received minimal attention from a national audience.
Toronto tells a similar story. The Blue Jays appeared on national U.S. television only three times. They finished tied with the New York Yankees for the American League East title but were televised 14 fewer times than New York.
Seattle fared slightly better, with 13 national appearances. Being a West Coast team helps fill late-night slots for networks, and the Mariners led the AL West in national coverage.
Baseball’s crown jewel is the Los Angeles Dodgers. With 21 appearances on national television this season and the defending MVP, Shohei Ohtani, they are baseball’s biggest draw. Without question, the defending champions are one of the largest and most popular brands in the sport.
Ideally on paper, if Commissioner Rob Manfred had his way. Anything involving the Los Angeles Dodgers playing in the World Series would be preferred from a viewership standpoint. An average of 15.8 million people in the United States viewed last year’s World Series, marking a 67 percent increase from the 2023 World Series between the D-backs and Rangers.
Without the Dodgers, how much could viewership drop? Could a Milwaukee-Seattle or Milwaukee-Toronto matchup lead to a sharp decline? And how steep would the drop be if the series included Canada’s lone team?
Right Place, Right Time For MLB
Patriots-Bills Thriller Continues Streak of Blockbuster Sunday Night Football Audiences Across NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/tdSiR84fmZ
If history has shown anything, the new Nielsen “big data + panel” measuring system could factor into the narrative surrounding baseball and a potential viewership drop with no Dodgers representation in the World Series. The measurement company introduced the new metric on September 1 for live programming, just in time for the start of the college and pro football seasons.
Viewership since its implementation has seen massive gains year-over-year for nearly every NFL and college football product. The same can be said for opening night of the NHL season and the viewership growth for the MLB postseason so far.
To use a radio term, it’s been a shot to television ratings measurement like “Voltair” was to radio brands.
Live programming for sports has benefited from the new measurement system, whereas other programming has struggled to maintain viewership figures. This works to the advantage of countering narratives about small-market teams or lesser-known national commodities playing for the sport’s largest prize.
ESPN's #NHL opening night tripleheader scores big 🚨
🏒 Up 37% YoY 🏒 Pittsburgh Penguins-New York Rangers delivered second-best opening night game on cable (1.09M) 🏒 Chicago Blackhawks-Florida Panthers up 114% vs 2024 opening night early windowhttps://t.co/Jt1Z4DPkBtpic.twitter.com/3PL3W6Lq9V
The World Series benefited last year from the two largest markets and two most popular brands in the sport playing one another for the game’s ultimate prize. This year will be very different, with three teams of lesser national notoriety as the final four. However, the biggest driver of viewership for the Series itself won’t be anything on the field or in the broadcast booth.
Major League Baseball is the beneficiary of right place, right time. Regardless of which two teams play in the World Series, there will be some decline in viewership but nothing that should worry baseball fans or sports media, unlike what happened this spring with the NBA Finals. Will World Series ratings dominate sports radio? Should columnists and podcasters question the measurement methodology?
Baseball may no longer be the American pastime it once was, but the numbers suggest the sport is thriving in 2025. When viewership is tallied for this less star-studded Fall Classic, remember this: the counting has changed, and the audience is still there.
The answer, as always, is hardly inside baseball.
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Congratulations, you have been hired for a prime on-air radio gig! Do you want to destroy the competition? Do you want people to quickly forget the previous host? Can your show create revenue equal to Walmart? Do you want to have a long run in the position? Well, I want to share with you the strategies necessary to dominate in 2025.
I have witnessed these ideas over the years. There are more things that I can expound upon. I know that hosts who want to succeed can use these ideas.
It is now more than just doing a great radio show. It is about building a loyal audience quickly. In my experience, it is an 18-month process to build an audience, especially in a diary market. Companies are likely not that patient. Your job on day one, besides doing a great show, is to protect the revenue from the previous show.
I get it — you are not in sales. But you will be judged on revenue. I know someone who replaced a long-running morning show. The show’s ratings were okay, considering the jarring change of replacing a landmark show on a heritage station. Over the first six months, several endorsements dried up. This host was working the old paradigm, where sales and programming rarely interact with each other. I can assure you that thinking is passé. Your show’s revenue numbers mean more than the ratings.
So, you are the new host: what do you do? It’s called taking time out to drop by every major advertiser of your station or cluster. Do this on your own. Don’t go with an account executive. This is for a very specific reason: it is a sign to the sales department that you are a partner for every account executive.
What do you say to the advertiser when you stop by? This is relatively simple. Introduce yourself and thank the advertiser for being a part of your show and station. The client will tell the account executive. You will likely be the only media personality in your market who stopped by to say hi and thank you. Here is the other touch: ask for a picture with the boss and his or her team. Post that on the station’s social media. Put that pic up on your show’s social media as well. You want every advertiser to know that you are a partner for their success.
You also need to be on point with the biggest events in your community. You need to make connections with the audience. There are several strategies for this. Your community has a couple of signature events. You must be there, and it is imperative that you include listeners. Invite them. Yes, you will be at Oktoberfest this weekend. Invite the audience to say hi. Or, on Friday, tell your listeners that you will be at the food court of the local mall to enjoy some Bourbon Chicken. You will be there at noon and would love to meet your listeners.
As with business owners, take selfies. Post pictures on the social media for your show and station. There are a couple of reasons to post. It shows that you — the new host — are excited to be a part of the community, the station, and the lives of your listeners. This is such a big win.
Now, I understand that this may be tough to do. What if no one shows? What if there are only a few people? I am not guaranteeing that 300 people will show up. I am guaranteeing that you will make evangelists for yourself, your show, and your station. You will become accessible and personal to them. Perhaps you are worried about your personal safety. Don’t drive to the location. Take a taxi or Uber to and from the station.
Whenever you are recognized at the grocery store, a restaurant, etc., spend time with that listener. Be very polite and appreciate them greeting you. Thank them for listening. Ask if they want to take a selfie for you to post on social media. Most of these people will love that. A quick brush with greatness is a highlight for their miserable existence. You are a star who is thrilled to listen to their observations and concerns. It is a win.
I want you to have a long run at your job. This doesn’t happen by accident. You need a careful strategy to become so essential that you are the radio station’s identity.
Everything in life is built upon relationships. Your success is in your hands. I have heard hosts grouse about a lack of a marketing budget, the studio setup, the equipment, or the station signal. I certainly understand that there are shortcomings in every situation. It is your responsibility to overcome the obstacles. Bitching about them is not how to solve these very real issues. I want you to go out and win. We all have situations that seem uphill. You can do two things: ignore them or overcome the issues. I prefer overcoming the issues.
Here is something that you also need to always remember: you are a champion of the listener and advertiser. You are there to represent them. If you are able to become that champion, you will be victorious.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Last month, The Hollywood Reporter ran a long story revealing data from a study conducted by Morning Consult on their behalf. The subject was an important one in this era of political polarization and sinking trust in media. The title says it all: “America’s Most Trusted News Anchors in the Trump Era Are…”
The study was conducted among just over 2,200 adults in the U.S. in August. The claim is “nationally representative,” which is a fudge term, but in the 2020s, we’ll go with it.
So why don’t I have any trust in the survey about trust? It’s simple. We know that fewer and fewer Americans watch the early evening national newscasts or the network morning shows. Despite the recent Kimmel kerfuffle and Colbert’s pending cancellation, both of which have goosed their audiences, the late-night ratings remain low by historical standards.
Despite that, large majorities of the survey respondents knew these people, which I find hard to believe. The results are reported in three pieces: “trust a lot or some,” “trust not much or not at all,” and the “don’t know/no opinion” group. Apparently, a four-point scale was used, and the top two groups went into the first bucket (“trust a lot” and “trust some”), while the next two (“not much trust” and “don’t trust at all”) fell into the next bucket.
Here’s my concern: of the numbers reported, the largest “don’t know/no opinion” number was 33%, and that was for Jeffrey Goldberg, who is listed as PBS/The Atlantic. Do you believe that a survey of Americans would find that 67% know who Jeffrey Goldberg is? I vaguely know who he is, but I also think he may have been one of my classmates from Hebrew School in 1965.
A few other choice results: Tom Llamas had been the anchor of NBC Nightly News for less than three months when the survey was fielded. He’s been at NBC News for a while, but would you accept that 80% of the U.S. population knows who he is and can offer an answer on his trustworthiness?
The CBS Evening News pair, Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson, which also started in 2025, didn’t fare quite as well as Llamas, but around 75% of the U.S. knows who they are, according to Morning Consult.
For me, the survey doesn’t pass the smell test. Either there was an undisclosed screen in the survey —something like “Do you watch network newscasts, morning news, late-night talk shows, etc.?” — or perhaps respondents were told something to the effect of “Even if you have only heard the name, answer what comes to mind.”
By way of comparison, NPR has put out some recent articles citing polls the organization sponsors with Marist University and PBS. If you go to Marist’s site, you can click on the “Survey Data” button to see almost anything you want to know, including a solid description of methodology and the results broken out in many ways. While I’m sure most people won’t go there, this gets my personal seal of approval.
The point here is to always question results and be aware of how a questionnaire was designed. Some months ago, just before public broadcasting’s federal funding was pulled, I wrote about a Pew study that purported to show support for public broadcasting. I suggested one of the questions was conflated but praised Pew for their transparency. If you visited their site, you could see just about all the details except the actual questionnaire—much like the Marist survey for NPR/PBS.
I’ll admit to responding to surveys for a combination of curiosity and frequent flyer miles. I answer honestly, but this is sort of a “busman’s holiday” for me. Some of the questionnaires are well-written, while others leave me scratching my head.
I’ve filled out surveys about the image of companies I know very little about beyond the name, under the heading of “Just give your impression.” Fine — my impression of the company’s management, how it treats its employees, and what it’s doing for the environment is “I have no freaking idea.” I was asked if I had heard of the company, and my answer was “yes.” That’s it. Yet some company will pay for the results and possibly take action. You can’t go wrong asking questions of those who ask the questions.
Let’s meet again next week.
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After decades paired together and in national syndication, The Big Show with John Boy & Billy is set to cease operations later this year.
The Premiere Network program is ending at the end of the calendar year, with John Boy Isley and Billy James ending their show together.
The duo have worked alongside each other since debuting in 1981 in mornings in Charlotte. They later hit national syndication in 1993, reaching more than 100 affiliates at its peak.
Currently, the morning show airs Monday through Saturday from 6-10 AM. It is heard on 37 stations.
The end of the show comes after the station departed its former flagship home — 99.7 The Fox in Charlotte — last year.
Neither of the two have commented publicly about the end of their program as of this publication.
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Less than a week following layoffs across the country, iHeartMedia has pulled sports talk off their 97.3FM signal in Milwaukee. Barrett Mediafirst reported last week that the company under new local leadership decided to make the move as part of a restructure in conjunction with the company’s reduction in force.
This afternoon at noon local time, the 97.3FM frequency flipped from broadcasting sports to AC format B97.3 FM.
“We’re still doing a show for the rest of the state. We’re on the iHeartRadio app,” said sports director Doug Russell during Monday’s episode of DnD. “We’re on 1070 the game in Madison. But if you did miss the news, 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee, is now a music station.”
The change takes the AC mantle from Milwaukee Radio Alliance’s “B93.3” WLDB as that station awaits the closing of its sale to K-Love Inc. The flip happened following closing remarks on the Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Brewers NLCS game one preview with a switch to Pharell Williams “Happy”.
Current 97.3 The Game talent will still be hosting shows on the company’s Madison sports radio signal 1070 The Game, and streaming on the 97.3 The Game iHeartMedia app channel.
Green Bay Packers and University of Wisconsin football broadcasts will now be heard on 95.7 Big-FM.
97.3 The Game launched in November 2018 as the third Sports FM in the market. It’s competitors include Good Karma Brands’ ESPN Milwaukee 94.5FM and Audacy’s 105.7 The Fan. The 97.3 The Game website no longer contains a daily on air lineup, instead offering a number of podcasts hosted by current Game employees.
“We’re still on in Madison, we are still around. We’re still on around the rest of the state,” said Russell. “We’re still on the iHeartRadio app. So we soldier on, as they say.”
The format flip comes less than a week after the station laid off morning hosts Steve Czaban and Brian Butch. Czaban joined 97.3 The Game in 2019, just six months after the iHeartMedia owned station flipped from contemporary hits music to sports talk. He hosted nationally syndicated programs for FOX Sports Radio, Yahoo Sports Radio, Sporting News Radio, and ESPN Radio among others.
Butch joined Czaban in mornings early in 2024. The former professional basketball player from Wisconsin also serves as an analyst on the Big Ten Network and FOX Sports. He also serves as an analyst on the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball broadcasts.
The station also cut 97.3 Program Director Tim Scott after signing a new multi-year contract earlier this year. Scott was with the company since 1998, serving in several roles, as well as a key figure in bringing the broadcast rights for the Green Bay Packers to iHeartMedia beginning in 2022.
Also exiting 97.3 The Game is Matt Schneidman, who hosted an evening show alongside Doug Russell focused on the Green Bay Packers.
We are still LIVE talking SPORTS AND STUFF on the iHeart Radio App!
Absolutely jaw dropping. In the middle of the Brewers historic feel good World Series run, and a possible Super Bowl season for the Packers. Wow. My heart hearts for everyone. Thank you to all of our listeners. We’re sorry.
Incredibly tough to have a station that we put so many hours into, flip to music in an instant. I am so proud of every single one of my coworkers over the years that built @TheGameMKE into what it is. Thank you to all who listen.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
