The award-winning studio program Inside the NBA will be airing on ESPN and ABC beginning next season under a sublicensing deal between Warner Bros. Discovery and The Walt Disney Company. The TNT Sports show will continue in its 36th season and currently includes the cast of Ernie Johnson, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. Barkley has been candid throughout the process as Warner Bros. Discovery lost NBA rights and took meetings with other companies. Last month, he divulged that he was going to stay with TNT Sports, a resolution that took place following a retirement announcement and subsequent long-term commitment to the company.
On the Thursday night edition of Inside the NBA, Barkley delivered a scathing rant surrounding the amount of coverage the Los Angeles Lakers receive from “the other network,” ostensibly referring to ESPN. The remarks started with Barkley explaining that he saw a “fool idiot” on television who was talking about how the Lakers saved the NBA, revealing thereafter that he was referring to ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins. From there, he proceeded to explain how the Lakers were having a strong two weeks, which has included stellar play from stars LeBron James and Luka Dončić.
“He said, ‘The Lakers saved the NBA season,’” Barkley explained. “That’s because them fools on the other network, which we’re going to be working for next year, that’s all they talk about. Let me tell y’all something, and first of all, I want all the smoke, alright? I don’t whistle when I walk by the graveyard or anything like that.”
Barkley outlined how the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder have been the stories of the NBA season, both of whom are atop their respective conferences. Conversely though, he contended that the others just want to discuss the Lakers and Golden State Warriors, teams that have enjoyed recent success. Even though Barkley explained that he did not have an issue if he was wrong, he added that the others were talking about who was in second place.
“Hey, the Lakers are doing great,” Barkley said. “I don’t mind being wrong. The Warriors are doing great, but that’s because you fools on the other network, which we’re going to become fools next year because we’re going to be working on that network, but Oklahoma City and the Cavs [have] been balling for six months. Y’all talking about teams that had two great weeks.”
As Barkley continued his diatribe, he began to discuss the G.O.A.T. debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. In fact, he opined that the only people who engage in the discussion are those people on television who do not possess talent to talk about other topics. Aside from Perkins, Barkley did not mention any specific names of people to whom he was referring.
“The Oklahoma City [Thunder] and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the two best stories in the NBA this year,” Barkley said. “Congratulations to the Lakers and the Warriors – they’ve had two good weeks. The Cavs and OKC have had six great months.”
During the American Express Halftime Report on TNT, a viewer tweeted that Barkley was enjoying seeing the Lakers lose to the New York Knicks. Barkley replied by saying that he was not a hater, but rather worried about the people on the other network who would be sad on Friday. Perkins quickly took to social media and responded to Barkley’s assertions made earlier in the program.
“Hey @NBAonTNT might wanna tell that senior citizen Charles Barkley that I’ll be around,” Perkins said on X. “When he see an idiot or fool in person make sure he keep that same energy. He can come playing with me if he want to and imma Address his ass like the numbers on a house. Straight from the 409 homebody and we bar none and fade all. #TexasBoy.”
Stephen A. Smith, who reportedly agreed to a five-year contract worth at least $100 million to remain on ESPN and First Take, also shared his thoughts on the situation via social media. Smith was also seen sitting courtside at the Knicks-Lakers game from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif., along with other celebrities such as Bob Costas, David Zaslav and Larry David.
“Yo Chuck, stop the b.s. with the “y’all.” Attach a name to it,” Smith said on X. “I know I’ve been talking about @cavs being the No.1 threat to the @Celtics . Once you come over here, there’s gonna be some folks waiting to call YOU a fool. P.S. You know I love ya, though. See y’all soon. Yo @TheJetOnTNT ….workbook those free throws😀. Love y’all.”
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The latest round of layoffs at Audacy have been the talk of the radio industry for the past 24 hours. The cuts have impacted numerous markets and departments across the company. Inside sources told Barrett Media the number of people affected could go as high as 300.
Those impacted and not included in our original story, please email John or Jason. We are here to make sure your availability is conveyed to the rest of the radio industry. That comes in handy should others have future needs.
Following the news, Barrett Media’s Jason Barrett, John Mamola, Jeff Lynn and Garrett Searight took time to share a few thoughts. Here are their thoughts on the industry’s challenges, future, concerns, and mistakes.
Jason Barrett, President of Barrett Media
It’s ironic that news broke of Stephen A. Smith securing a 5-year deal with ESPN worth at least $100 million dollars on the same day as the Audacy layoffs. Not that ESPN hasn’t had its challenges before, but if you look at the state of TV/Streaming compared to Radio, it’s in a healthier position. My heart goes out to those affected, and the brand leaders and HR folks who had to deliver the bad news.
It’s been a rough decade for radio’s largest companies. Audacy, iHeart and Cumulus have each gone through bankruptcy, revenue decline, tumbling stock prices, management changes, and repeated layoffs. I’ve covered this business daily for 9+ years. Though I love it, it’s hard to elicit excitement about radio’s future when its top companies frequently experience headwinds. Even more troubling is that the big three’s issues paint a picture that all of radio is hurting. That’s not true. Ask smaller companies and local owners, they’re thrilled to be in this business, and they’re doing well.
My biggest concerns surrounding industry layoffs is that many involved in these decisions have been part of prior calls. If someone hasn’t created a business plan to put a company in a strong financial position before, why would you assume they will now? I used to tell my teams at local stations that everyone has to win their battle. From the PD to the morning show to the Sales Manager, GM, social media manager, and corporate bosses, all have to outperform the competition. As we sit here in 2025, do you trust radio’s top leaders at the big three to deliver a brighter future than Spotify, SiriusXM, YouTube, Television/Streaming companies, etc.?
Leaders are supposed to be measured on results. Fortunately for many, shrinking revenues don’t seem to bother investors. They seem satisfied as long as there’s fat to trim. Meanwhile, Spotify, YouTube, Apple, and larger media groups continue taking bites out of the industry’s advertising pie. Radio’s remedy is to reduce staff, and put its best people in positions where they have little chance to succeed.
Radio used to be great at marketing itself, and creating must-listen programming. Now, there’s minimal promotion of the industry and less memorable content. Instead of prioritizing can’t-miss voices and content, the business elevates mediocrity based on comfortability and costs. Talented people then get sent into the job market to help build new companies, and strengthen existing ones. That results in stiffer competition for ad dollars, something we already struggle to obtain. As others innovate and hire new people with new ideas, radio remains unable to raise rates, and monetize podcasts, merchandise, newsletters, events, and subscriptions.
I understand the challenges of running a business. I’ve led numerous radio brands, and live in a budget sheet on a daily basis with Barrett Media. If revenues can’t support retaining employees, tough calls have to be made. Complicating matters for the industry is that it’s not a seller’s market. If it were, radio groups would unload stations to help ease the burden. However, there’s a difference between going through this once, and experiencing it annually. If the same problems exist year after year, that suggests bigger problems up top than on a local level.
My only advice to media groups, when you’re parting ways with a lot of employees, say nothing. A statement from a corporate spokesperson telling the world that you’re making workforce reductions to ensure a strong and resilient future for the business, is distasteful. It’s also bullshit. Audacy made cuts last April, the prior year in March, and in April 2022. If those moves were made to ensure a brighter future, why is the company in the same position this year?
When a workforce is reduced by 10%-15% in 3 years, people don’t need hollow remarks. They need ideas, support, leadership, and innovation. Blaming corporate for the industry’s repeated problems is easy, but jobs are vanishing in many industries. The best thing radio professionals can do is stay educated on the health of the industry, and sharpen their skills in other areas. When these things happen, you shouldn’t be ‘blindsided’. You should be informed, and prepared with a strong Plan B. We may all love radio and want it to prosper, but just like a relationship, sometimes you have to let it go.
John Mamola, Sports Columnist
I wrote on Wednesday that radio needs to do a better job telling its own story. Unfortunately, days like yesterday happen far too often. It’s hard to fathom how radio can control its own narrative when the majority of headlines surrounding it focus on people losing their jobs. How can radio companies preach locality when they are no longer local? Can you champion digital and technological advancements when you’re playing catch-up with podcasting and digital streaming since the dawn of Windows 95?
Radio is losing the battle for its own livelihood.
For many who choose to work in the industry, radio is a passion—a love letter of service to entertain and inform the listener. These are people who work hard, show up early, stay late, go the extra mile, and do whatever is asked of them simply because they love it. Yet, how can radio sell itself as a bright and thriving industry when its past and present feel as silent as dead air?
The sacred ground that radio has claimed for generations is being chipped away with every layoff. How much longer can fewer people be expected to do more, with no promise of stability? Radio has become a constant “look over your shoulder” business, where there are more fires to put out than sparks to ignite.
At its core, radio is about connection—the relationship between talent and the audience. With so many other places to hear music, why continue stripping away the one thing that makes radio special? With countless sources for local sports coverage, why lean on syndication that often ignores the hometown teams? There are many ways to get weather and traffic updates, but when a hurricane knocks out power, where do people turn?
If radio continues to neglect investing in people, it must ask itself: Why should people continue investing their time in radio?
Magic 106.7 morning broadcaster David O’Leary and Mix 104.1 midday host Erin O’Malley are among the departures at radio company Audacy Thursday, part of nationwide job cuts at the company. https://t.co/yye0QWJP0k
Days like yesterday make it difficult to advocate for and champion the radio industry. Maybe I’m not seeing the forest through the trees, but I don’t know of many industries that have cut their way to prosperity. And the industries that still exist and are fruitful today that had major cuts in the past have seen bounce-backs that radio can only dream of.
It just doesn’t make sense to hear radio leader after radio leader tell you that two of the major selling points of the radio industry are “local” and “personalities”, and then see those same companies continue laying off local personalities.
The radio industry isn’t in a good place right now. It continues to be self-inflicted with no end in sight. What happened at Audacy is likely to happen at other companies throughout 2025. And those same people that say the industry is doing great because 90% of Americans use terrestrial radio monthly are the same people who will look their employees in the face and say that layoffs are necessary to streamline operations or whatever poppycock excuse they can muster to try to mask the fact that the same employees they’re speaking to now are likely to be the next ones to go.
We live in a media world where content is king. And yet, somehow, radio seems to be one of the only avenues that can’t figure out how to monetize itself to enough profitability that we don’t have to write “(Insert Radio Company Here) to Cut 7% of Staff in Latest Round of Layoffs.” If the content doesn’t matter, if the work that radio hosts, DJs, producers, and programmers doesn’t matter, just turn the transmitters off. The party is over if that’s the case.
Sometimes, it isn’t “challenging market conditions” or “economic headwinds” that cause these situations. Sometimes, it’s just flat-out incompetence. But that’s unpopular to even think, let alone say.
I’d love to be able to look on the bright side and think the night is darkest before the dawn. But it’s becoming ever more challenging to think the sun is going to come up for the radio industry. What hope do you have that things are going to turn around? That the major players will get their financial house in order so the industry can thrive instead of survive.
I look forward to the day that I’ll be able to sit down and type stories about the wonders of the industry and how it bounced back from the doldrums it once saw. But it’s become increasingly likely that I won’t ever have to think about what that story sounds like.
While not surprising, the Audacy layoffs are disappointing. I have been through the RIF process both as the manager delivering the news and on the receiving end. With those experiences, I still believe that trying to save your way to prosperity is not possible and shortsighted.
Until radio is willing to look at the real problem, this will likely continue. Radio doesn’t value its product. It bends over and takes the lowest rate to keep it from the competition. At the same time, tossing in lesser-rated cluster properties in what I like to call, “Do you want fries with that?”
That leads to long stop sets and no resources for investment in talent and marketing. Isn’t it funny that when the radio sales rep gets the message from a client that times are hard and they need to cancel their buy, the first thing they are told is, “That’s exactly when you need to increase your buy.” Well, take your own advice.
Until radio stops apologizing for its product and drives rate, the consumer will be stuck with generic talent piped in from elsewhere. This trend of eliminating people will continue. Companies will keep surrendering licenses and having stations go dark. Last one out please turn off the lights.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
I like Jimmy Johnson. I’ve always liked Jimmy Johnson. Jimmy has swagger but is also just so passionate about football and that always came through on the television whether he was coaching or analyzing for FOX Sports. Plus, that Port Arthur, Texas accent just always added a little flavor to it.
I think for me it’s also because Jimmy, in my head, is more of a college football guy than a professional football guy even though he has a couple of Super Bowl rings. How could anyone not have loved Jimmy Johnson in the 80’s at Miami?
Anyway, this column isn’t about whether or not you or I like Jimmy Johnson, this is about his recent decision to step away from broadcasting and the FOX NFL Sunday show he has been a part of since 1994.
“As you know, probably the most fun I’ve ever had in my career, and that’s counting Super Bowls and National Championships, was at FOX Sports,” Johnson told Colin Cowherd earlier this week. “I have an absolute ball with my friends on the set, and the best friends I’ve ever had there with FOX. And I’ll tell you on top of that, I love working for Eric Shanks, our CEO, and our producer Bill Richards, but I’ve made an extremely difficult decision.
“I’ve been thinking about it for the last four or five years, and I’ve decided to retire from FOX, and I’m going to miss it. I’m going to miss all the guys, and I’ll see them occasionally, but it has been a great run starting back 31 years ago.”
And with that, the first member of the show’s ‘Day One trio’ of Johnson, Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long has walked away. And I for one think the rest of them should go with him. Literally, every other member of the show whether they were there from the beginning or not should be replaced. It’s time.
Admittedly, I’ve watched very little of any NFL pregame show in the last couple of years. It isn’t that I’m not interested or don’t want to watch, it’s that none of them do anything for me. I really want to like what NFL Network does on Sunday mornings, but then they start screaming and howling and I have to get back to catching up on episodes of Dexter.
ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown used to be great but is far from it now. It always feels to me like they try and solve their NFL pregame show by adding more people and voices and it is all very confusing and very loud.
CBS and FOX lost me years ago – the shows are old and stale and most of the people who are the analysts because they either played the game or coached the game, played and coached something that doesn’t resemble today’s game at all.
CBS made some changes, but with James Brown and Bill Cowher still there it isn’t going to change much. FOX Sports, meanwhile, now has to wait until Terry Bradshaw calls his own shot and says he is retiring, I guess.
Is 76-year-old Terry Bradshaw, or 65-year-old Howie Long, helping the network drive younger viewers? Why wait? Use this opportunity to reinvent the show. Curt Menefee has been fine, but Curt Menefee isn’t a dynamic personality and wouldn’t be the person you want leading a new team. Heck, even Michael Strahan last played in the NFL 18 years ago!
It is way past time for this show to make some major change and Johnson has given them the opportunity to make real change and get back to not just having good ratings (because it’s the NFL and everything the NFL does has good ratings) – how about creating great programming? How about creating a new show that focuses on the generations of people who will decide how those ratings go in the future?
One of these networks is going to figure it out and put on something completely new that is going to take all of the Sunday morning audience in the future. If I were an executive with FOX Sports, I would take Jimmy’s news and not hesitate to use it as the first move of preparing for the future. A future that can no longer include people who played or coached when Richard Nixon was in office.
The Best/Worst Thing I’ve Heard/Watched/Read Recently
I don’t care if you never watched an episode of Around the Horn or watched all 4,900+ shows, if you didn’t see or read Tony Reali’s remarks when the news became official that the show was ending, take the time to do so. Here is what he said to the audience:
“Hello! I want to thank everybody, the millions upon millions, literally, that saw the news and the thousands upon thousands that commented. Could’ve crashed the system here, they never get that much love for one show. I need you to see me right now, I want you to see my face as I say this. There’s going to be tough days in your life. Meeting those head on is a good strategy.
“Our great show will be signing off this air in a few months, May 23rd is our final episode of Around the Horn. I’ve got three months. I intend to respond to you all, but I’ll say this in the meantime. You want to be happy for an hour? Have my mom’s pasta. You want to be happy for a day? Watch Goodfellas. You want to be happy for a week? Hang out with me. If you want to be happy for life, either get engaged at the LaGuardia airport bathroom or find a place where people will miss you when it’s over. I’ve got both right now, we feel your love. Around the Horn.”
Earlier this week, John Mamola wrote a piece about the great Bob Uecker and how somebody will have the unenviable task of having to replace him as the ‘Voice of the Brewers.’
Mamola wrote, “Uecker called games for the Brewers for 54 seasons and was a well-known broadcaster, actor, pitchman, Hall of Famer, and a regular on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. No other voice in baseball carried the unique resume or legacy that Uecker did. Now, the challenge moving forward is how the next person tasked with calling Brewers games can maintain the connection that Uecker held for over half a century.”
John also included this great quote from Philadelphia Phillies play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy who once had to replace legendary Phillies voice Harry Kalas.
“It’s really hard to be a Major League broadcaster. When you try to be somebody other than yourself, you’ve made that job 100 times harder.”
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.
To say Chris Plante is busy would be an understatement. In addition to his nationally syndicated radio show with Westwood One, he also hosts a primetime show on conservative cable network Newsmax.
And despite that hectic schedule, he said it’s really not that difficult to juggle.
“You work a lot of hours,” he admitted. “You get up early, and you stay up late. What else are you gonna do while you’re awake? You might as well do something productive. I could just sleep in in the morning, which I don’t do. Or I could go to bed earlier, go out to dinner every night, which I don’t do as much anymore. A lot of people work a lot harder than I do. A lot of things are more difficult than what I do.”
When asked what the biggest difference was between his radio show with Westwood One — which airs live from 9 AM to Noon and originates from 105.9 WMAL in Washington D.C. — and his Newsmax show, Chris Plante had a succinct answer.
“Makeup,” he said with a laugh.
He went on to add that the difference between the two mediums might not be as different as one might think.
“There are a lot of differences, and at the same time, they’re kind of the same animal. Because the organizations that I work for are kind of the same game. But television is a very different beast,” Plante said, noting he spent 17 years working for CNN. “Don’t hold that against me”, he joked.
“You shouldn’t look at radio or television very differently because the similarities are more important than the differences. I do a conservative talk radio show from 9 AM to Noon Eastern Time. And then I do a conservative show, Newsmax, in the evening from 10 to 11 PM. Honestly, they’re pretty much the same beast. My mind is in the same place all day long, no matter how you slice it.
“So it’s not like I really have to change gears. Except there’s one important difference and that is on television, my show is a panel show and on radio it’s really me flying solo every day for three hours. That is probably the biggest difference. On the radio, I can I can go to callers, my listeners. I really don’t do guests, but I can go to callers at any time. My callers are brilliant and wonderful and are very well informed and pay close attention to the news every day. When they want to contribute, it’s usually because they have something valid to say. something important to say.”
Chris Plante is one of the few members of the news industry who has to decide what content goes where. Anytime he sees a story he knows he wants to discuss, he has to decide: does this go on the Westwood One radio show on the Newsmax television show?
He admitted it can be challenging but not impossible. But he prioritizes the medium that the content fits best.
“That’s one of one of the great challenges every day,” said Plante. “The reality is some topics — usually when they’re based on video are better television stories than they are radio stories. But at the same time, if you use the English language well, if you can explain the video well enough, one of the great art forms is radio. Of course, when it comes to using the English language, and if you can explain yourself and use the English language well enough, then you can explain video in ways that sometimes the description of the video can be better than actually watching the video.
“But there is certainly some differences between radio and television. One is that radio is audio and television, audio and video and people are very accustomed to seeing videos. Sometimes, it’s easier to just show the video and let the video speak for itself. But I’ve gotta say, I really enjoy stories that are very visual stories on the radio. I’m happy to explain using the English language videos that people may or may not have seen, but use the English language to describe what’s being seen or what’s being shown in the video … I think it’s part of the fun of doing radio.”
Chris Plante grew up with a family full of media members. Plante’s grandfather began working in the radio industry in 1924 after returning home from World War I. His mother began working at a radio station when she was seven years old. His stepfather, longtime CBS News correspondent Bill Plante, spent more than five decades reporting the nation’s largest stories with his baritone voice.
And the younger Plante joked that broadcasting was the one business he never hoped in which to find himself working. But here he is on the national stage in two separate mediums.
“Everywhere in my life, everybody’s been in broadcasting, all the adults around me. So I think that maybe I got an unfair advantage in that everyone around me spoke clearly and concisely,” he shared. “I didn’t want to go into broadcasting. I didn’t want to go in the news. And look at me now,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m having a great time in my life.”
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.
As the Los Angeles Lakers were moments away from tipping off a game against the Milwaukee Bucks last season, reporter Chris Haynes stood along the baseline and provided an exclusive injury update on star forward LeBron James. Even though there was public interest in James’ health status, players are not obligated to speak with the media when sidelined. Acting in an industrious and discerning manner, Haynes leveraged the connection he had built during his time covering the Cleveland Cavaliers and texted James to see what was going on. In response, he received a detailed message divulging his rehabilitation status.
For Haynes, enterprising and delivering this insider information is how he envisioned the role, taking a similar approach to being a print journalist. Being employed by a television partner of the league, he felt obligated to try and enhance the broadcast with information and perspectives that would supplement the game. A few months later though, he decided to leave TNT Sports and become a media free agent ahead of an exciting season of basketball.
“My contract was up and others’ contracts were up, and I felt it was a good time to leave that point,” Haynes said. “Obviously we were kind of shocked that TNT didn’t get to retain the NBA rights, and so once it became clear that they were not, there was a decision to be made.”
Haynes initially wanted to decline the job with TNT Sports, but he decided to give the role a chance upon being informed that the company wanted him to shape the role to fit his own style. Learning on the fly how to disseminate information in this capacity after years of beat reporting and writing, he augmented his versatility and helped add more value to the broadcasts. Upon leaving the company, he had to consider the best manner to go about covering the 2024-25 NBA season amid a dynamic, evolving media ecosystem.
“I feel like I’ve gathered up a ton of relationships over my 15 years of covering this league, and I felt like I didn’t need a company to do what I need to do,” Haynes said. “I’m still going to be competitive out there, so I just had to figure out a way and trying to execute that without having a big company backing me.”
Throughout this season, Haynes has been working independently breaking news on social media, and he has been involved in all stages of the production process. The independent business venture, titled Haynes Briefs, is a subtle play on words that describes concise videos he produces through which he goes about reporting the latest transactions and updates around the league. Recognizing curtailed attention spans among the consumption audience, he looks to keep all videos within one to two minutes and has also secured sponsors for the endeavor.
“It’s my name, and I’m briefing you on NBA news and it’s a brief video I’m putting out, so I’m rolling with this thing,” Haynes said. “My main thing is building this up and gradually making it into something that people look forward to seeing, and hopefully I think I’ve done that to a certain extent to this point.”
In the beginning of working as a journalist unaffiliated with a traditional media conglomerate, Haynes reached out to former ESPN reporter Marc Stein about being involved in several business ventures and projects to continue covering the league. Confident in the connections he has built within the Association, Haynes remained committed to the grind and got ahead on finding and documenting movement and other news.
“For my creative juices, it’s really something refreshing to do something new,” Haynes said, “I didn’t know how I was going to cover the league this season, and I just said to myself, ‘Well, I’m not going to be shut out, period, so I’m going to figure out a way,’ and this is what I’m doing as of right now.”
Haynes is currently in the process of finalizing his YouTube page to create a new show, titled Haynes Briefs Extended, which will include interviews as well. The videos on social media have generated significant engagement and impressions, and he is excited that maintaining the brand remains a possibility while also being engaged in discussions with different companies.
“The things I consider are like, ‘Okay, I’m listening to what they’re pitching, what the role they want from me [is],’ and, ‘Can this role be similar to what I’m doing now? Is it a favorable role or something that I would like to do?,’” Haynes explained. “With Haynes Briefs, what I’m starting now, ‘Is this something that can continue with their company or some type of version of this can continue with that company?’”
Sources: Weeks ago Suns coach Mike Budenholzer called a meeting with Devin Booker imploring he tone it down vocally, leaving the star shocked. Inside that meeting which provides context to Booker’s postgame remarks on communicating. #haynesbriefs
Earlier in his career, Haynes worked for ESPN as a beat reporter surrounding the Golden State Warriors and moved to the Bay Area. Henry Abbott, a former NBA editor at the company, initially hired him to join the team as a national NBA writer, but Haynes expressed that things changed during the onboarding process. As a result, he was assigned to the Warriors beat, a difficult proposition considering that he was covering the rival Cavaliers in the preceding years.
During his formative years in the business, for example, Stephen A. Smith was one of several professionals from whom Haynes sought out advice. While the overarching consensus was starting off as a high school and college sports reporter before covering the NBA, he took his own path and watched as the business continued its inexorable evolution. Fifteen years later, Smith and several other media personalities work on network shows while also building digital brands and other enterprises.
“When I was at ESPN, that was something you didn’t even think of before,” Haynes said. “ESPN has you for everything. If you want to do a podcast, ‘Okay, start a podcast right here,’ so times have changed now, which is great.”
Although Haynes has not worked for ESPN since 2018, he confirmed that he took part in three meetings with the company about a potential return. At one point in the discussions, which included two phone conversations and one in-person meeting, he thought he may end up back at the network. ESPN will continue to be an NBA rightsholder next season and broadcast the NBA Finals on ABC under a new 11-year deal with the league, reportedly worth $2.65 billion per year.
“I’m a senior NBA insider – that’s what I’ve been for six or seven years now – so that’s what I do, but I want to expand what I do,” Haynes said. “Again, I like the changing of the landscape in which certain people have been given freedom to have their own thing on the side. That is something that is appealing to me.”
Haynes started working as a reporter pro bono for SLAM Magazine while serving as a high school security guard during the day. Although he was a graduate of California State University in Fresno with a degree in kinesiology, he struggled to find a job as a physical education teacher but remained poised to achieve his goals. Haynes remained optimistic that things would work out through a challenging time, and his wife gave him an ultimatum that he had a few years to pursue his dreams.
“I was just so confident that I was going to catch a break real soon,” Haynes said. “I believed that was going to be the case based off of just the inroads that I was capturing during that year, and I did it for a year, and after that, that’s when Comcast SportsNet Northwest, which was the Blazers’ TV partner at the time, that’s when they gave me that call a year later.”
Haynes has established strong connections around the league throughout his career with standout players, coaches and other key personnel. In fact, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard broke the news of him joining Yahoo Sports seven years ago, and he has been around his family for the Thanksgiving holiday as well. As Haynes began to gain credibility around the league and converse with more athletes, he found that other stars started knowing him and recognizing his work.
“One thing about the NBA and the league – it’s big, but it’s relatively small because word of mouth is still important, and players talk,” Haynes said. “They talk about who to mess with, who to trust, who not to trust, and so I know that LeBron James, Damian Lillard, guys like that, played a significant role in how I was able to get other relationships throughout the league.”
Sources:Free Agent reporter @ChrisBHaynes reaches agreement w/yahoo sports as Senior NBA insider, Will help build their NBA team.More coming
Part of forging and maintaining these connections comes in being accountable and accessible while covering the team. Haynes learned this during his first year working in Cleveland after writing a column about James’ leadership style. Upon being summoned in the locker room by James to speak with him, he felt worried about what would transpire. Conversely, James articulated that he did not care what Haynes wrote but rather asked him to approach him and ask questions beforehand about a given situation. If Haynes still desired to write something after hearing his side, James expressed that it was fine.
“From that day on – you can check with any NBA player – if I had to write a negative column or if I had to report something that was negative, I always reach out to that NBA player personally, and I give them a heads up,” Haynes said. “A lot of times, they urge that I don’t report it or write it, but one thing that they’ve always respected [is] that I gave them a heads up and I told them because players hate to find out news via Twitter before it gets announced.”
Operating in an era predicated on instant gratification, there are instances where speed has harmed reporters in being accurate with given dispatches. Haynes usually has multiple sources who confirm news and treats the initial tip as a lead, but there are instances where he will forsake that paradigm. When obtaining information from people with whom he has a strong track record, he will attribute the information to one individual by listing ‘Source’ in its singular taxonomy.
“You have to trust the people that you’ve known that have done this for years and that have a track record, and those are far and few, and so I just go based off of my history,” Haynes said. “You know my résumé, you know the connections I have, you know the relationships I have, and so I think that speaks for itself.”
While Haynes looks to uncover the storylines that may otherwise go undetected, he understands that it all comes back to relationships. Possessing scoops and concomitant details is more valuable than ever before, he contends, because of the difficulty associated with procuring such information.
Before starting Haynes Briefs this season, he had occupied a singular role focused on reporting, but he has now adopted more of an entrepreneurial mindset. The ideal next steps for the venture would include the expansion of his own team, but with ongoing discussions in the business, he is remaining open to see what could be coming next.
“I don’t know what the future holds,” Haynes said. “I’m having talks with different companies. We’ll see what happens, but for the time being, my focus is on Haynes Briefs and providing news in a different way, and hopefully it resonates with people. So far, it looks like it has.”
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Gregr is the Morning Show Host on 107.7 The End in Seattle. Fifteen years ago, he moved to the city to host Afternoon Drive and then worked his way to AM Drive. The Albuquerque, NM native got his big break in the business on air first, at KPEK on Thanksgiving morning, “Meredith Brooks and the ‘B’ Song on 100.7 The Peak…” he tells us.
Soon after, Skip Eisley hired him to do Saturday nights and fill in on KTEG, then 107.9 The Edge. He was Sixteen. In college, he applied at KFMA in Tucson, which was home for him for the next eight years, eventually adding MD/APD and Afternoon Drive stripes. He spent a short four months at X1075 KXTE in Las Vegas, but after the 2009 financial collapse, it ended, but it opened the door to KNDD.
“When I first moved to Seattle, I noticed how cute our audience was – just sweet fun kids and adults who loved music (and weed) and going to shows and supporting art,” he explains. “So many smiles and good vibes all the time. This was right at the time the nationwide purge of nü-metal happened – don’t get me wrong, I loved playing System of a Down, but sonically everything changed, and Seattle ate that up.
“Pre-tech-transformation, Seattle felt impossibly far away and thus has its own vibe. Seattle is well-read and educated, and it is curious about life and culture. It’s the best. I love it. Also, so many of the listeners have grown up with me and that feels special that I get to be part of that journey.”
Gregr created “Nerd Talk” on-air for Audacy, including a podcast, “Nerd Talk+”, he also hosts which targets people who are considered “Nerdy.”
It came about, according to Gregr, because “The method of Seattle leadership was to help with character development – our morning host was ‘everything Seattle,”‘
“Andy Harms was our music guy, and as the meme-internet exploded, I ate it up,” he says. “Combined with a huge presence of nerds at Microsoft, Boeing, etc., I could make silly jokes about nerdy stuff and get a good response – so my niche was internet culture summed up as ‘Nerd Talk.’”
“When I started mornings, I made it an hourly feature making fun of billionaires and playing Terminator sound effects while talking about dinosaurs and the newest overpriced Apple product. Seattle is so STEM-y that I got a lot of support from the people my age who were having kids and as we say today, I helped to grow the next generation of nerds.”
As far as his on-air show, Gregr uses a Google doc run sheet he created as a template. “I read every news website for headlines and find some common themes or stand out weird stuff. From there I have a half dozen websites from iflscience.com to Futurology on Reddit that I comb for ‘Nerd Talk’ content. Then it’s the doom scrolling to understand what we’re doing online. I go through this process every night after dinner and then again in the lead up to my show in the morning.”
When it comes to Ratings strategy and PPM, I wondered how much of Gregr’s prep was based on that. “Strategy a ton,” he insists. “Ratings hardly at all. The nice thing about the strategies that we’ve used since its inception is that they’re just good advice regardless: talk about one subject, prep ahead to cut down on excess language, focus on the emotion and not the details, AND tease tease tease!”
“I love writing and producing content. In the beginning, my mentor, Dave Richards, got out the company credit card and paid for a couple of improv classes for me, and I learned to get out of my own way and let my weird brain do its thing. As I got better at capturing my own voice, I’ve become so fond of making absurd content (Only juuuust steps toes in a little bit, but nothing that anyone usually wants to yell at me about). In my personal life I love photography (holler if you want portraits) and after nine years I just got my 1st degree black belt in Kenpo!”
As for Gregr’s thoughts on the use of AI in the industry, “Look, I mean no one any disrespect (here comes the disrespect) if you think you can replace your own creativity or someone else’s with AI, you don’t engage with humans enough,” he says.
“Everyone is struggling, and AI is accelerating the demise of industries, sure, but also, when no one has jobs, what are we supposed to do? That being said, my group chat is 100% when someone puts some absurd cue into IG's AI to generate an image for a giggle. Just don’t be fooled. Regardless of AI’s quality imitating humans, someone chasing a spreadsheet balance will see this as a justifiable gamble at the expense of human purpose. Humans are the economy; if you hand it to AI, what will happen to us?”
For the younger generation, Gregr has some advice. “The lesson I’ve learned about radio is that I get to be by myself and let my creative brain wander in amazing places and create a bit of fun for a group of people who choose to participate. If building community through shared interests – common ground – is your jam, then radio is an amazing space for that. If you want to be famous and get attention for it, you’re probably looking at TikTok (which I love as a consumer).”
As for what’s ahead for Gregr, “The Rubik’s Cube World Championships are in Seattle this summer and I’m a former competitor who went to the championships a decade ago, so finding a way to own that is going to be a blast!”
Earlier this week, my Barrett Media colleague John Mamola wrote a column titled, “Radio Must Be Better at Telling Its Own Story.” In the piece, he wrote that radio needs to be more positive, tell its story, and “Capitalize on The Moment.”
While not entirely the same, it made me think of one of my pet peeves regarding radio telling its own story.
Stations invest in promotions that award prizes like trip giveaways, concert tickets, and cash giveaways. Big flashy promos and web pages are created, and the talent sells them as if they are the best thing to come along in years.
Sometimes, it spans several weeks, culminating in the big moment of awarding the prize and announcing the winner. Then what? Far too often, nothing.
You have spent all this time and money and now you’re done with it and on to the next thing. This is where radio often fails big time.
Brag promos about it featuring the winner are nice, but often aren’t done. You spent time convincing your listeners that they HAD to have this, so give it a long tail.
If you send someone to a concert, have them send you photos or a video of the event. The same goes for a vacation. Have them on the show when they return to tell you about it. Have them paint a picture about how great it was.
Ask them to record a snippet that goes into a station winners promo. Run that promo monthly or quarterly, bragging about your winners and the great experiences your station provided. Don’t wait until the end of the year and talk about totals.
I know what you are thinking right now. My company runs national contests, which makes it even more important to have a winner promo. When I was working for one of the majors that did national contesting, they provided winner audio. It just rarely got used other than the moment the prize was awarded.
One thing that I have seen periodically in market research is listeners’ doubt that radio contests are legit and that people actually win. Doing the follow-up will go a long way toward putting that to bed.
I would love to hear and share what you are doing to spotlight what you are doing to showcase your winners. Email me at jeff@barrettmedia.com
Community Connections:
97.1 The Drive WDRV in Chicago, alongside its morning hosts Sherman & Tingle, successfully wrapped up its eighth annual “Give a Vet a Pet” campaign. The campaign has raised $113,164 for providing service dogs to veterans with PTSD.
Photo Courtesy 97.1 The Drive
Kat Country 103 and 104.1 The Hawk in Modesto/Stockton, CA collaborated to raise $212,200 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Saga Communications Illini Media Group, Champaign, IL raised over 381,000 meals for the local community during its 16th annual Prom Benefit for Hunger Relief.
Bicoastal Media’s “Q100.3” KRWQ in Medford, OR, raised over $187,000 during its 22nd annual Country Cares for St. Jude Kids radiothon.
Des Moines Classic Rock radio station 95 KGGO and Country station Nash-FM 97.3 KHKI joined forces to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during the annual Music Gives to St. Jude Radiothon. The two-day event raised $81,523.
Photo Courtesy of Cumulus Des Moines
Industry Happenings:
iHeartMedia’s Chief Legal Officer, Jordan Fasbender, has announced her resignation, which will take effect around April 1. She is set to pursue a new opportunity outside the organization.
NAB 2025 will again host the Small and Medium Market forum on April 5 in Las Vegas.
Add Ons:
Townsquare Media has let ESPN Quad Cities 1170 KBOB and Translator 104.1 go dark, citing economic conditions in the market. The company also shut down Red Dirt Country 92.5 KMWX Abilene, TX.
vCreative, a leading provider of media workflow software, has unveiled a new integration between its vPromotions and PromoSuite Mail products. This enhancement aims to simplify the management of contests and communications within the broadcasting industry.
Katz Media Group raised over $47,000 for Broadcast Foundation Of America during its annual fundraiser. BFOA helps broadcasters in times of need
SiriusXM has officially launched Page Six Radio, a new daily morning show that brings listeners the latest updates in celebrity and pop culture news directly from the renowned Page Six of the New York Post.
The Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA) has been reintroduced in Congress, gaining attention in both the House and the Senate. The LRFA aims to reinforce congressional resistance against introducing new performance fees, taxes, or royalties on radio stations, pushing back against initiatives from the music industry that seek to amend federal copyright law.
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.
As Barrett Media reported on Thursday, an average of 36.6 million people tuned into the coverage of the address to a Joint Session of Congress by President Donald Trump. Fox News led the way on Tuesday night.
From 9:15-11 PM ET, Fox News averaged 10.7 million viewers. That figure represents a new high-water mark for a cable news network during an address to a joint session of Congress.
In that timeframe, Fox News earned 74% of the overall cable news audience and 70% of the Adults 25-54 demographic, with 1.9 million viewers from that sector tuning in.
Elsewhere on cable news, CNN averaged 1,929,000 total viewers, with MSNBC not far behind at 1,924,000. In the key demographic, however, CNN earned 585,000 viewers compared to MSNBC’s 237,000.
During the response from the Democratic Party, Fox News also led the ratings with 5.9 million viewers and nearly 1 million in the key demo.
Fox Business Network earned 245,000 total viewers, with 47,000 coming from the key demographic.
Ratings information for NewsNation, Newsmax, and CNBC was not made readily available.
Of the 2025 audience, 70.7% were from the 55+ demographic, with just under 26 million tuning into the address from President Donald Trump. 20.5% were in the Adults 35-54 demographic, with 7.5 million viewers coming from that sector. Only 5.7% of viewers — 2.1 million — were from the 18-34 demographic.
The average of 36.6 million viewers is down from the previous similar speeches Trump gave during his first term in office. The speeches from 2017 to 2020 averaged 44.3 million viewers, peaking at 47 million in 2017, which was also not technically a State of the Union Address put rather an Address to a Joint Session of Congress.
ABC News Leads Network News Category During Trump Speech
On the network news side, ABC News held a strong advantage over CBS News, NBC News, and the FOX broadcast network during Tuesday’s speech.
In total, 6.3 million viewers watched the coverage on ABC News. That topped CBS News, which just surpassed 4 million viewers. NBC News was right behind at 3.9 million viewers. The FOX broadcast network saw an average audience of 2.7 million.
In the key Adults 25-54 demographic, ABC News led that sector as well, with 1.7 million viewers. NBC News actually surpassed CBS News in the category, with 1,085,000 viewers compared to 1,065,000.
The FOX broadcast network featured 892,000 viewers in the key demo.
Ratings information for PBS News was not made readily available.
Overall viewership peaked between 9:45-10 PM ET with 38 million viewers.
CBS News Continues Slide in Nightly Newscast Ratings
CBS News has seen its ratings dip since Norah O’Donnell exited the CBS Evening News anchor chair.
During the final three weeks of her tenure, the nightly newscast averaged 5.1 million viewers. It had dipped slightly in the first two weeks after her departure. Unfortunately for the network, that slide has continued.
During the week of February 24th, the CBS Evening News averaged 4.3 million total viewers. That paled in comparison to NBC Nightly News (6.4 million) and ABC World News Tonight (7.9 million). The 4.3 million total viewership tally is a nearly 7% decline from the previous week.
The CBS News program unveiled a new format as new anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois took over the show to feature more long-form storytelling and analysis. However, as the ratings continued to dip, the network reversed course and went back to its previous format.
In the Adults 25-54 demographic, CBS News averaged 643,000 viewers. That was well behind ABC News (1.1 million) and NBC News (940,000). However, it was a slight uptick in that sector after averaging an audience of 638,000 viewers the previous week.
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When comparing radio to television, it’s never apples to apples, but there’s undoubtedly plenty of similarities in branding, content production, marketing, and loyalty. And all programmers and hosts can learn, or be reminded of, some valuable tools recently shared by FOX Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch.
When discussing the success of Fox News, Murdoch, speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, said, “Look, it comes down to great content, great journalism and a great brand ultimately. If you look at the Fox News viewer, they’re incredibly loyal. They’re passionate about the service. They really see it as not just as a news service but as a network for them.”
Fox News just finished with its highest-rated February ever. Plus, for the first two months of the year, Fox is averaging 2.8 million viewers in prime time — with viewership up 40 percent year-over-year. Among viewers 25-54, the key demographic valued by advertisers, Fox drew 353,000 viewers in prime, representing a huge jump of 61 percent from the same period one year ago.
There’s undoubtedly a Trump effect to all of this, but there’s also plenty to learn from a network that now doesn’t just dominate cable, it has also outdrawn a variety of free TV options by averaging 3.9 million weeknight viewers in primetime since January to beat ABC, CBS, NBC.
It doesn’t happen overnight, but how can we all apply those principles to our stations and shows across the country? How are we working every day to build brand loyalty from our listeners so that they feel like they need us to be a part of their daily lives and routines?
Part of our job is to be everywhere they are, not just on the radio. We need to remain active on our social media channels, newsletters, and in-person via events to always be looking to connect with our audiences where they are. If not, they will find that loyalty where they can.
Murdoch added this nugget, “We’ve had over 100 new clients since the election — obviously, our ratings are doing tremendously well. Our share is doing tremendously well, over 65% share of the cable news universe. Ratings are up something like 50%. But, I think because of the election result, many advertisers have sort of rethought their positioning in this country and understand that the Fox News viewer really does represent middle America. And they’re responding with their checkbooks.”
Talk radio is likely to see ratings gain courtesy of the pace at which the Trump administration is moving and the fact that we are getting seemingly multiple news cycles daily. There is a fascination right now, even amongst those who did not vote for him.
Local direct clients don’t need to agree with every opinion from every host. Do they agree with everything they hear from sports talk hosts they buy from? Unlikely. Why would they view local or national news opinions any differently? It’s about growing their business through the audience. As long as the hosts are laying out fact-based reasoning to back up their strong opinions, the News/Talk audience has always been highly valued in advertising. And it may be more valuable than it’s been in years.
There’s a huge opportunity in our format right now from a branding and sales perspective. Don’t miss out. Capitalize.
According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith has agreed to a five-year deal worth at least $100 million. Smith, who also serves as the executive producer of his show First Take, will continue to star on the program; however the new agreement reportedly reduces the number of his overall appearances on ESPN.
According to Marchand, Smith will no longer be a regular on ESPN’s NBA pre-game programming. However, he may still make occasional appearances on the network’s basketball coverage as well as other ESPN shows. These could include Monday Night Football and additional basketball-related programming.
The 57-year-old Smith was reportedly offered a five-year, $90 million contract to remain with ESPN back in the summer of 2024.
Over the past year, Smith has expanded his personal brand by developing his own company, recently renamed Straight Shooter Media. The company has been involved in original projects, including a documentary series about sports debate television that premiered last year on ESPN+. It also houses The Stephen A. Smith Show, which has a distribution deal with iHeartMedia and is available on YouTube.
With his new contract, Smith now has greater flexibility to make more appearances on other platforms, where he can discuss politics and non-sports-related topics. Additionally, this agreement allows him to explore more opportunities outside of ESPN, increasing his overall earning potential.
Recently, Smith was a featured guest on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and has made regular appearances on various other programs.
Neither ESPN nor Stephen A. Smith has publicly commented on Marchand’s report. However, Marchand notes that the full contract details are not expected to be disclosed.
Smith’s current deal was set to expire in July, and over the past year, he has openly discussed his contract situation. He has also emphasized his value to the network, expressing that he believes he should be among ESPN’s highest-paid talents.
Prior to joining ESPN, Smith also hosted a morning show on Fox Sports Radio. Smith held several positions, most recently as a general sports columnist for 16 years with the Philadelphia Inquirer (1994-2010). Prior to joining the Inquirer, Smith was a reporter with the Winston-Salem Journal, the Greensboro News and Record and the New York Daily News.
After attending the Fashion Institute of Technology for one year, Smith received a basketball scholarship to attend Winston-Salem State University, an HBCU in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he graduated in 1991.
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.
