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It’s Time for News/Talk Radio to Strike While the Iron’s Hot

Pete Mundo
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It’s Time for News/Talk Radio to Strike While the Iron’s Hot

The news cycle remains on absolute fire this month. President Trump is moving a mile a minute, there have been multiple plane crashes, and overseas conflicts persist. However, that doesn’t include many stories happening in your individual markets. New television data from Nielsen that dropped this week should also be a sign of good things to come on the news/talk radio side as well.

Overall, television viewership was up 5% from December to January. And while sports events — led by the NFL Playoffs — dominated, news programs were up 15% on broadcast television and jumped 26% on cable from December.

Now, like everything else, there’s nuance to interpreting the data. It doesn’t mean you can take a local show and make it straight national, but you can take the national stories and do your best to localize it while still covering all the goings in your backyard.

But many will look to you and your station to keep up on everything happening in the world at a time when the news cycle is nearly impossible to keep up with. Picking and choosing how to navigate a time when you could cover more stories than you have time for is a balancing act that all hosts have to feel their way through.

But if there are two things to take advantage of right now: 1) Don’t waste the listener’s time and get right to your point/opinion/story. Your show and station will have new cume coming in, and people will be sampling and giving you a shot to inform and entertain them. And let’s be honest, we all have more competition than ever before from other stations, podcasts, YouTube shows, and more.

Every show, every segment, and every piece of imaging can be viewed as an audition for a potential new listener. One new listener will breed more because of the power of local radio that still remains today, despite the death knell so many have tried to project on the industry. Word of mouth remains a potent marketing tool in cities and communities nationwide. The opportunity to meet you in a restaurant or bump into you in a grocery store remains an advantage for local news/talk radio in the marketplace. 

Along with not wasting your listeners’ time, there’s another critical point to think about during this boom and demand for news: 2) Figuring out the best way to have fun. Everything doesn’t need to be serious or the most important thing to ever happen in the world. You’ll become the boy who cried wolf. Serious topics can have lighter angles with plenty of fun attached to them.

Go on YouTube and watch old Don Imus shows. Sure, plenty of it was serious, but there was a lot of fun on that show. Rush Limbaugh was at his best when he was having fun and sharing his sense of humor with his audience. Our format often forgets that. And no, that doesn’t mean you have to be a stand-up comedian. But a turn of phrase that’s clever, a funny line in a story, poking fun at a politician when discussing a broader topic should not be lost on any host in the news/talk radio format today.

We aren’t passing legislation or changing the world. Run for office if you want to do that. We’re providing entertainment for people through the prism of the news of the day.

We’ve got more ears and eyeballs than we’ve had in quite some time. Let’s take advantage, not waste anyone’s time, and have fun doing it. You’ll be rewarded. 

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.

Brad Mielke Returning to Radio Roots as ABC News Radio Podcast ‘Start Here’ Hits National Syndication

Garrett Searight
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Brad Mielke Returning to Radio Roots as ABC News Radio Podcast ‘Start Here’ Hits National Syndication

ABC News Radio is set to debut a new weekend program in national syndication called Start Here Weekend, a companion to the daily podcast hosted by Brad Mielke.

Launched in March 2018, Start Here is a daily news podcast devoted to delivering the most pertinent stories within roughly 30 minutes. And while the show has seen digital success, it will now expand to a one-hour offering to ABC News Radio affiliates. And that expansion to radio is a natural one for Brad Mielke, who previously worked at New York Public Radio before joining the heritage brand.

“I’m from radio,” Mielke said. “I’m a radio reporter is how I think of myself. The only reason that they handed me a podcast was because they were like ‘Hey, Brad, you got a few extra hours and you know some of these journalists. You can talk to these guys.’ Little did we know how much work and how much it would take to make this sort of daily beast. But radio is still the way that a lot of Americans get their news in the most urgent and clarifying way, because it’s so intimate and because it’s there with you in your car as things are continuing to develop.

“So it’s still my favorite format and I’m so excited that we not only have a huge potential network of radio stations that will hopefully want to hear this. But we already have a lot of interest in a lot of stations within our network now that have already committed to airing this. Station programmers are excited about this because they’ve heard the show and they think it will translate well to this format.”

The daily news podcast format can be a fickle one, as topics in the 24/7 news cycle are constantly shifting. But Mielke admitted that while the crew stays as flexible as possible, there are time when it’s important to slow down and focus on an individual story when warranted.

“It’s bizarre because it’s a product that feels like a live product every day because everything seems to be changing throughout the course of the day. At the moment we end recording, the moment we put one podcast to bed, we are already working on the next one,” he admitted. “We’re constantly evolving what our stories are. We’re constantly updating.

“I’ve killed so many segments about that are outdated the moment the correspondent hangs up, and we’re like ‘Well, now we are going this way. The president just said this.’ So it does feel like it’s a very fast-paced product and I think we take a lot of pride and making everything super relevant, super current but still not making everything feel overly urgent. Here is the 20 minutes — or in this case the hour — of your day that you are going to feel best served by. It helps you zoom out just a little bit, take a breath, block out some noise, and just focus on the most important stories.”

Start Here often relies on reporting, insights, and analysis from ABC News correspondents. Brad Mielke had high praise for his colleagues that are more than willing to collaborate on the podcast.

“I think that’s almost the secret sauce of the show’s success is that we actually created something that correspondents and producers at ABC want to be a part of. Because this machine that is ABC News is so expansive, it’s so large, it moves so quickly, but it would be very easy I think for all these people to be like ‘No, I don’t have time. I gotta prepare for David Muir. I gotta prepare for George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts.’ It would totally be within their right to do that and yet somehow we have created a format that I think they like participating in,” Mielke said.

“I think these correspondents feel like they get a good chance to expand on some of their reporting in a way that we don’t always get to hear from them everywhere else. We have time. And we have bandwidth and we have a different format to really hear about the reporting process that they might not have gotten to describe to people, about what they think is going to happen next. We even preview what questions are you going to be asking moving forward. These are the conversations that I enjoy having in the hallways of ABC and that is sort of what has allowed this show to continue to be a really good service for listeners.”

He continued by noting that Start Here is essentially allowing an all access look at what the process of reporting a story can look like for news podcast consumers.

“You’re almost getting a behind-the-scenes peek at what these conversations between journalists are like. Somebody was just reminding me that these correspondents aren’t just taking part in the show, they’re also consuming the show,” Mielke said. “It’s a huge badge of honor within news to know that other journalists think that you are worth spending time on because these are very busy, very plugged in people.

“People across ABC listen to the show because this is how they learn from each other sometimes. And that’s like the biggest compliment you can get, right? To hear like ‘Oh, I was listening to the show today and I hadn’t thought about that before.’ If we can give that value to a correspondent on the front line, then I think we have a great value to listeners.”

Start Here Weekend is being made available to ABC News Radio affiliates as a one-hour radio show. It will make its debut this weekend. Additionally, the daily version of Start Here is available as a podcast and also airs on ABC News Live, the television streaming home of the venerable news brand.

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.

Ratings Roundup: Meet the Press Earns NBC News Top Spot in Key Demo With Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Interview

Garrett Searight
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Ratings Roundup: Meet the Press Earns NBC News Top Spot in Key Demo With Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Interview

The Lead

Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker featured an exclusive interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, and that led NBC News to a ratings win in the key Adults 25-54 demographic.

Zelenskyy has been a key figure in the news media realm in recent weeks after drawing the ire of President Donald Trump. Additionally, a U.S. delegation, including Vice President JD Vance, has met with the Ukrainian leader as negotiations of a peace agreement between the nation and Russia continues.

More than 480,000 viewers in the Adults 25-54 demographic tuned into the NBC News program on Sunday, February 16th. That topped challenges from CBS News and Face the Nation (435,000 viewers), ABC News’ This Week with George Stephanopoulos (419,000 viewers), and Fox News Sunday (302,000), helmed by Shannon Bream.

The 480,000 viewers seen by NBC News represents a 25% year-over-year increase compared to the same week in 2024. Additionally, the network notes that Meet the Press has never lost a month in the local Washington D.C. market in total viewers.

In the total viewer category, the week was won by Face the Nation, which earned just under 3 million viewers. Meet the Press finished in third place behind the Stephanopoulos-led show, as ABC News featured an average audience of 2,645,000 viewers compared to the 2,637,000 viewers the NBC News show saw.

In total, Meet the Press saw a just over 2% increase in its key demographic viewership during the episode featuring Volodymyr Zelenskyy compared to the previous Sunday. In the total viewers sector, NBC News saw a 7% increase compared to the Sunday, February 9th edition of the long-running network news program.

MSNBC, CNN Slip Slightly in February

MSNBC and CNN saw a slight week-to-week dip in the ratings for the week of February 10th.

In primetime, MSNBC dropped from an average of 1.2 million viewers to just over 1.1 million. It also dropped from the second most-watched cable network in the 8-11 PM ET timeslot down to fourth behind TNT and ESPN. Those two networks featured prominent sports events as the NHL’s Four Nations Faceoff featured the best players from the United States, Canada, Finland, and Sweden in primetime matchups.

Meanwhile, CNN also saw a slight week-to-week decline. Previously, the network averaged a total primetime audience of 508,000 viewers. During the week of February 10th, it averaged 487,000. That finish earned it 11th place in the overall cable ratings, down from seventh the previous week.

Fox News continued its dominance in the cable realm, earning the top spot in both the total day (2 million viewers) and primetime (3 million viewers) categories.

Newsmax finished in 19th place in primetime, averaging 312,000 viewers. It was also 19th in total day viewers with an average audience of 215,000. NewsNation was 55th in primetime, averaging 102,000 viewers, dropping to 62nd in total day ratings with 58,000 tuning into the Nexstar Media Group-owned outlet.

For the week, Fox News garnered 60% of the primetime cable news audience, while MSNBC (22%), and CNN (10%) took home the top three positions. Newsmax earned 6% of the audience, while NewsNation finished with 2%.

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.

MLB, ESPN Agree To End Current Broadcast Agreement Following 2025 Season

BSM Staff
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MLB, ESPN Agree To End Current Broadcast Agreement Following 2025 Season

ESPN and Major League Baseball have officially announced they will mutually part ways following the upcoming 2025 MLB season. In a letter obtained by The Athletic, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said that the league was not pleased with the “minimal coverage” that the league received on ESPN’s platforms over the past couple of years outside of live play by play coverage.  

Manfred stated that MLB opted out of the contract that was set to expire following the end of the 2028 MLB season.   

ESPN released a statement following the breaking news: 

“We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN’s coverage super-serves fans,” said the network in a statement released Thursday night. “In making this decision, we applied the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that has built ESPN’s industry-leading live events portfolio as we continue to grow our audience across linear, digital and social platforms. As we have been throughout the process, we remain open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025.” 

According to the letter obtained by The Athletic, the Commissioner stated that ESPN had engaged in an “aggressive effort” to reduce its $550 million/year broadcast rights fee. Manfred stated that ESPN used the league’s other agreements with Apple, Roku as rationale for the effort being that those agreements are significantly costly less than the one ESPN had in place.

Major League Baseball released a statement Thursday night that began as follows.

“We have had a long and mutually beneficial partnership with ESPN that dates back to its first MLB game in 1990. Unfortunately in recent years, we have seen ESPN scale back their baseball coverage and investment in a way that is not consistent with the sport’s appeal or performance on their platform. Given that MLB provides strong viewership, valuable demographics, and the exclusive right to cover unique events like the Home Run Derby, ESPN’s demand to reduce rights fees is simply unacceptable. As a result, we have mutually agreed to terminate our agreement.”

Manfred said that ESPN’s reasoning was “inapt” as the network has a fully exclusive window, while Apple and Roku compete with other games on other networks. Plus Manfred mentioned the exclusivity that ESPN has the Home Run Derby and Wild Card playoffs, where the other arrangements with other streaming platforms don’t have access to any of the content.

The Commissioner didn’t stop there according to the letter stating that the league does “not believe Pay TV, ESPN’s primary distribution platform, is the future of video distribution or the best platform for our content.” Manfred pointed to decreased subscriber figures for ESPN recently and states MLB did not think it benefitted the league “to accept a smaller deal to remain on a shrinking platform.”

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.

CRS 2025: Day 2 Takeaways

BMM Staff
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CRS 2025: Day 2 Takeaways

Day two of CRS 2025 in Nashville picks up where yesterday left off, with enthusiasm spreading across the entire Country radio format. The industry’s premiere country radio conference runs through Friday February 21st. Barrett Media’s Jason Barrett and Stephanie Eads are in attendance along with hundreds of Country radio and music industry professionals. You can see a bunch of highlights from the event across social media.

Here are some of the notable items from the second day of the Country Radio Seminar.

Session Recaps:

Chuck Aly led a panel discussion with Jeff Rizzo, Keith Rothschild, Brian Michel, Rachel Whitney, and Adam Weiser. The group explored the nature of Mainstream Country Music’ and what does and doesn’t work in the radio format. Dialogue followed on what is and isn’t a hit, passion scores, the way programmers balance serving their audience and introducing new music that may push the envelope.

Leigh Jacobs and Carolyn Gilbert of Nuvoodoo Research presented a study on behavior traits of Country Radio listeners. The study looked at which platforms users use to consume Country music. Spotify led most categories with radio a close second followed by YouTube.

The research showed that most respondents who have listened over 5 years believe Country music has gotten better. Among those who feel it’s gotten worse, it was connected to the format becoming too pop focused. Radio performed well in the car, but at home and at work, YouTube and streaming were preferred. The study also showed that commercial breaks, song fatigue, and poor scheduling were the top reasons for tune out.

Leigh and Carolyn also shared that 2/3 of the audience are interested in new County songs. Half of the respondents listed radio as the go to source for finding new music. Radio was also the top choice for learning about Country Concerts. Streaming and YouTube though were considered better at providing deeper information about the artists and songs.

Lastly, 40% of the respondents were listening for the music, and less interested in the on-air talent. Hosts that were mentioned most in a positive light were Bobby Bones, Cody Alan, Kix Brooks, Lon Helton, and Big D & Bubba. The traits considered most important were funny, lighthearted and entertaining.

Attendees soon braved the cold, flocking to the Ryman Auditorium for the Universal Music Group’s special two-hour showcase. The packed auditorium enjoyed performances from Dierks Bentley, Tyler Hubbard, Brad Paisley, Brothers Osborne, Jordan Davis, Tucker Wetmore, Vincent Mason, Parker McCollum, and others. Ringo Starr made a special appearance as well, creating excitement throughout the venue.

Eric Church closed the show with an outstanding performance. Church shared how the year 2018 was the worst of his life, playing in Las Vegas the night before the largest mass shooting in US history. He then discussed the difficulty of dropping his kids off at school, the day after a school shooting took place in Nashville, a mile away from his kids’ school.

After Church’s powerful setup, he moved into an incredible presentation of his new song “Johnny”. Supported by an amazing choir, Church’s lyrics and vocal delivery produced emotional reactions across the room, Barrett Media’s Stephanie Eads among those affected.

Following the live music break at the Ryman, many returned to the Omni in Nashville for the remainder of the day two sessions. Tucker Wetmore was featured in the Cycle of a Song session. Next came a conversation on ‘How to Turn Moments Into a Career’ featuring Travis Moon, Johnny Chiang, Sarah DeMarco, Allison Laughter, and Lucy Bartozzi. Wrapping up the day before the night time festivities begin is an artist conversation with Old Dominion.

Looking Ahead:

The final day of CRS 2025 wraps up tomorrow with a variety of sessions and performances. Still to come are the Women’s Networking Breakfast, AI’s Legal Impact on the Country Music Industry, Interviewing Tips, and How to Embrace Crossover Artists and the New Audience. Other sessions include 30 Sales Ideas in 30 Minutes, How to Sound Local Everywhere, Evolving Your Playlist, and How to Break Through Voice Tracking.

Eric Church and Jelly Roll will take the stage for an artist to artist conversation to close out the conference. Immediately afterwards is a New Faces Cocktail Reception, and New Faces of Country Music Dinner and Performance sponsored by ACM and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. More details about CRS can be found here.

Gary Bettman “Gratified” How Well 4 Nations Face-Off Has Been Received

BSM Staff
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Gary Bettman “Gratified” How Well 4 Nations Face-Off Has Been Received

The inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off tournament has been a ratings success story, and now, as the United States and Canada prepare to battle for the championship this evening, excitement continues to build across all ESPN platforms. Earlier this week, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman joined ESPN Radio’s Joe & Q program, hosted by Q Myers and Jonathan Zaslow, to discuss the tournament’s impact. Reflecting on the event’s reception, he expressed his enthusiasm for how well it has resonated with sports fans across the country.

“It’s very gratifying to see how the tournament has played out and how people have reacted to it,” Bettman said on ESPN Radio. “There was a fair amount of cynicism going into it as to whether or not this was going to be a meaningful tournament.”

Since becoming NHL commissioner in 1992, Bettman has guided the league through numerous achievements, including expansion efforts and growing global interest. However, he has also navigated challenges such as work stoppages and a global pandemic. Despite these hurdles, his passion for international hockey competitions remains strong. He believes these tournaments not only elevate the level of play but also showcase the sport’s best talent on a global stage.

“The physicality, the injuries,” Bettman explained. “There’s no doubt that our players are playing all out and with passion, which they do. They love the game of hockey. They love playing for their NHL teams. They love playing for their international teams. And so, hockey players are really special when it comes to that level of passion and commitment to the game.”

Earlier this week, the tournament demonstrated its growing appeal when the United States faced Sweden in a thrilling matchup. Notably, TNT Sports recorded an average of 1.8 million viewers for Monday night’s broadcast, which aired on TNT, truTV, and Max. This milestone not only marked the most-watched non-playoff hockey telecast in TNT Sports network history but also became the highest-viewed hockey event ever on Max.

Looking ahead, Bettman remains optimistic about the future of international hockey. Given the overwhelmingly positive response to this year’s event, the NHL intends to build on this momentum. Plans are already in place to carry this level of elite competition into next year’s Winter Olympics, followed by a highly anticipated World Cup of Hockey in 2028.

“What I’m gratified by is how well this has been received, not just by hockey fans but by sports fans in general,” Bettman said. “If you’re a sports fan and you’ve taken a peek at what’s been going on, maybe we’ve got you now as a hockey fan. And if you haven’t been watching, watch tonight.”

With the championship matchup set, all eyes will be on the United States and Canada as they battle for the 4 Nations Face-Off title. The action begins tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern across all ESPN platforms.

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.

Wolfman Jack Audio Archives Returning To The Air

BMM Staff
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Wolfman Jack Audio Archives Returning To The Air

Soon you may once again hear legendary DJ Wolfman Jack on the air across the country.

SongLab’s AudioGenius has provided the Wolfman Jack Archive with tools to repurpose and uncover new monetization opportunities for shows featuring the iconic radio host. Additionally, this partnership protects their ownership and copyrights across all platforms.

“The opportunities that SongLab’s AudioGenius has created and revealed for the Wolfman Jack archive is the tip of our AI iceberg,” said Andrew Harding, Co-Founder & CEO at SourceAudio. “We’re incredibly excited to be providing the Wolfman Jack Archive and other similar clients with the ability to unlock new revenue streams and protect and monetize their content for the modern digital ecosystem.”

“Audio Genius has proven to be an invaluable service, as Wolfman Jack continues to reach audiences worldwide via radio, and we are still actively producing multiple Wolfman Jack formats to preserve his legacy,” said Tod Weston Smith, son of Wolfman Jack and President, Wolfman Jack Entertainment. “Audio Genius has significantly streamlined our process, allowing our Wolfman Jack team to access and retrieve clips from our extensive digital archives in seconds rather than spending hours searching, and we are now able to generate additional revenue from previously underutilized or unused content.”

AudioGenius is a cutting-edge tool that enhances the efficiency of audio content discovery, management, and monetization. This innovative solution automatically scans media files to accurately identify, separate, and tag each audio file with detailed descriptive metadata, streamlining the process for users.

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.

Steve Simpson to Lead FanDuel Sports Network South, Southeast Regions

BSM Staff
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Steve Simpson to Lead FanDuel Sports Network South, Southeast Regions

Steve Simpson has been appointed as the executive vice president of team partnerships for FanDuel Sports Network South and FanDuel Sports Network Southeast, granting him oversight of the regional sports networks. Simpson will be entering the position following the retirement of Jeff Genthner and have responsibility for partnerships with teams such as the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Carolina Hurricanes, Memphis Grizzlies and Nashville Predators.

“Steve’s deep industry expertise and long-standing relationships have been instrumental in driving our growth and meeting the needs of our team partners,” David DeVoe, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Main Street Sports Group, said in a statement. “In this expanded role, he will help to further elevate our presence across key markets in the South and Southeast regions and enhance our ability to deliver innovative, premium sports content for our fans and partners.”

In addition to Simpson starting the new role, the company is also transitioning its leadership titles to reflect the position and deviating away from the “general manager” nomenclature. Those who are executive vice presidents of team partnerships will play integral roles in advancing the strategic operations and growth efforts of the FanDuel-branded RSNs, which are owned by Main Street Sports Group. Simpson joins a leadership team that includes Randy Stephens and Steve Tello, all of whom are responsible for reporting to DeVoe. The company also hired former ESPN executive Norby Williamson to oversee live productions and studio programming for FanDuel Sports Network.

Diamond Sports Group recently exited Ch. 11 bankruptcy following the approval of a restructuring support agreement, and it subsequently renamed itself as Main Street in the process. The company is said to have a “significantly deleveraged balance sheet” and currently has local linear media rights for 30 professional sports teams spanning basketball, hockey and baseball across 16 owned and operated RSNs. FanDuel Sports Network content recently became available to stream through Amazon’s Prime Video as an add-on subscription, further broadening touchpoints across cable, satellite and virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs).

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.

Lou Merloni Elevated to Lead Analyst of Boston Red Sox Broadcasts On NESN

BSM Staff
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Boston Red Sox fans have something new to look forward to this upcoming season as NESN announced today that Lou Merloni will be promoted to the new primary color analyst on the network alongside play-by-play commentator Dave O’Brien. The network has been in flux with how to replace former television analyst Jerry Remy, who passed away in 2021, and the retirement of Dennis Eckersley in 2022. 

Merloni is expected to work about 100 game broadcasts this season, with Will Middlebrooks and Kevin Millar working a limited number of games to fill the season slate. Former Red Sox player Kevin Youkilis, however, will not be included in the rotation of analysts on the network. The two-time World Series champion began working Red Sox games on NESN in 2022. 

According to the network, the studio team will remain very similar to what it was in 2024. Tom Caron will once again serve as primary host, with Adam Pellerin contributing to host duties. Analyst duties will also include Jim Rice, Jonathan Papelbon, Deven Marrero, and Lenny DiNardo. Middlebrooks is also expected to contribute to pregame and postgame coverage. 

Jahmai Webster will serve as sideline reporter for the broadcasts on NESN for the eighth season after joining the network in October 2016, while Mike Monaco will fill in as play-by-play man on occasion for O’Brien.

Merloni’s increased workload comes in his third season calling games on NESN as a color analyst. He also worked nine years with Red Sox radio flagship WEEI in the radio booth while serving fifteen years as a host on the station’s midday and afternoon drive programs. As the longtime voice of the Red Sox, Dave O’Brien enters his 35th season of MLB broadcasting and tenth season as NESN’s play-by-play announcer after nine years with the Red Sox radio network. 

NESN is co-owned by the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins and serves as the broadcast home for regional coverage of both teams. The outlet reaches four million homes across nine designated market areas and is distributed on various cable and over-the-top media platforms. NESN launched a direct-to-consumer platform in June 2022, allowing fans to purchase subscriptions to view content from the network without a traditional cable television subscription through a multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD). 

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.

Dennis Prager Receives ‘Encouraging’ Update on Health and Recovery After November Fall

BNM Staff
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Dennis Prager Receives ‘Encouraging’ Update on Health and Recovery After November Fall

Salem Radio Network host Dennis Prager has been absent from his show after suffering a November fall that has hospitalized him. Those close to him are sharing more details about the injury and what his recovery looks like.

In a video published to the host’s YouTube channel, PragerU CEO Marissa Streit shared that Prager’s spinal cord had been injured when he fell at his home in November. The top of his spinal cord is where the injury took place, which also controls his diaphragm. She added that there was no injury to his brain, stating “Dennis, To this day, remains Dennis.”

Dennis Prager was hospitalized for several weeks with a strict focus on certain objectives.

“The goal was to get him to regain function of his breathing,” said Streit. “And we’ve some promising incremental improvements. He cannot move from the shoulders and below. He’s still working on physical therapy. We hope that with the reduction of the inflammation and time passing, as well as all the technology that all of the doctors are bringing to the family, we’ll continue to see improvement.”

Streit was joined by David Prager, the son of the Salem Radio Network host, added that his father is talking significantly better than he was in the immediate aftermath of the injury.

“He has one goal: to get back to all of us and to talk to the world again,” David Prager shared. “He’s talking a lot to the people in the rehab facility where he’s at right now. He’s all there, he’s 100% there. When you hear him on the radio, you’ll say ‘He hasn’t skipped a beat,’ that’s for sure. And, God willing, that will be very soon.”

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.

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