Colorado State University football broadcasts are moving to Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan for the 2025 season. Bonneville Denver, Colorado State Athletics, and LEARFIELD’s Rams Sports Properties made the announcement earlier this week. The move positions CSU Athletics on one of Denver’s most prominent sports radio platforms, expanding its local presence.
104.3 The Fan gives Colorado State a wider reach for live game coverage, pre-game shows, and post-game programming. The new partnership ensures Rams football will be consistently heard on one of the market’s most consumed sports brands.
“Securing a partnership with 104.3 The Fan ensures that every football game reaches fans and alumni in the Denver metro area and across Colorado,” said John Weber, Director of Athletics at Colorado State. “This delivers unmatched coverage and fan engagement as we continue to drive CSU Athletics to new heights.”
“We’re thrilled to bring Colorado State Football broadcasts to Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan — one of the most recognized sports platforms in the region,” said Amanda Brown, Program Director of Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan. “This partnership gives Ram fans across Colorado even greater access to game-day action and team insight.”
The broadcasts will be available on 104.3 FM and streamed via the Varsity Network app. Broadcast veteran Brian Roth continues as the “Voice of the Rams,” teaming with former CSU linebacker Ricky Brewer in the broadcast booth. Marty Cesario and Kevin McGlue will provide real-time updates and insights during each game from the sidelines.
Colorado State finished last season with an 8-5 record, including a 6-1 mark in the Mountain West conference. The Rams kickoff their 2025 season on August 30th facing the University of Washington.
NBC Sports will once again bring extensive coverage of golf’s oldest major, the Open Championship, to viewers worldwide.
Hosting the coverage is veteran broadcaster Mike Tirico. Meanwhile, the play-by-play duties will rotate between Dan Hicks, Terry Gannon, Mike Tirico, Steve Sands, and Tom Abbott.
A deep roster of analysts will provide expert commentary throughout the championship. Kevin Kisner, Brad Faxon, Paul McGinley, Smylie Kaufman, Curt Byrum, John Cook, and Arron Oberholser will break down the action and share insight. These analysts combine PGA TOUR experience, coaching knowledge, and past major championship play to enhance the broadcast.
NBC’s on-course reporting team will include Jim “Bones” Mackay, Smylie Kaufman, John Wood, Johnson Wagner, and Karen Stupples. These reporters will walk the fairways to offer real-time analysis and updates directly from the course. Their insights will help viewers understand course conditions and player strategies.
Cara Banks will handle interviews throughout the Open Championship for NBC Sports. Banks will bring fans closer to the players with timely questions and exclusive conversations from Royal Troon.
The 153rd Open Championship coverage across NBC Sports platforms will showcase not only the action on the course but also the stories behind the players. With experienced broadcasters, former players, and insightful reporting, NBC aims to bring fans the full drama of golf’s most historic major.
The Open Championship begins on Thursday, July 17th. Coverage for the first two days will be exclusive to Peacock and USA Network. Meanwhile, the final two days of the event will feature coverage on USA Network in the early morning hours, while NBC and Peacock will broadcast coverage from 7 AM-3 PM ET on Saturday and 7 AM-2 PM ET on Sunday.
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.
The nationally syndicated morning show “Hey Morton” has added a new affiliate. AC 105.1 WJZM, Clarksville, TN has picked up the show.. The move brings the program to a broader audience spanning from Southern Kentucky to Northern Alabama. A taps into the Nashville radio market via WJZM’s rimshot signal.
Originating from San Diego’s Z90 XHITZ-FM, “Hey Morton” airs live weekdays from 5:00 to 10:00 AM (PT). The show is fronted by Rick Morton, alongside co-host Edina Macic and producer D-Rock (Derrick Malbrough). The show is already heard in San Diego, Boise, and Key West.
“We are thrilled to be coming to Clarksville and the Nashville area,” said host Rick Morton. “D-Rock has his boots and cowboy hat ready, and Edina’s working on her line dancing! It’s a special part of America, and we love the opportunity to connect with the 105.1 WJZM audience. Huge thank you to our team at Benztown, Mark Wilson, and Fowler Media for making it happen. Tennessee—we’re comin’ in hot!”
Benztown’s Mark Wilson added, “Hey Morton is a one-stop shop for stations looking for family-friendly content that’s funny, topical, and relatable. Rick, Edina, and D-Rock bring undeniable chemistry that enhances any weekday lineup.”
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.
Smart TVs are becoming a bigger player in America’s audio landscape. New data from Edison Research and its 2025 Share of Ear study shows that Smart TVs now account for 6% of total daily audio consumption among U.S. listeners.
While AM/FM radio and mobile devices continue to dominate how Americans consume audio, televisions are emerging as an increasingly important space.
The Edison Research study highlights that YouTube has become the dominant platform for audio on Smart TVs. The platform commands 53% of total listening time on these devices among those aged 13 and older.
That figure more than doubles the combined 21% share held by streaming music services like Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, and YouTube Music.
Podcasts rank as the third most popular audio content on Smart TVs, securing 13% of listening time. SiriusXM captures 7%, while other audio sources account for the remaining 6%.
One of the more surprising findings from Edison’s data is the surge in podcast consumption via Smart TVs. Edison notes that podcast listening on connected TVs (13%) now significantly outpaces that on smart speakers (3%). The company suggests this reflects an audience shift toward content that offers both audio and visual elements, signaling a change in how media is both delivered and monetized.
Meanwhile, the once-promising growth of smart speakers appears to be slowing. Edison’s Infinite Dial 2025 shows that smart speaker ownership has leveled off at 34%, with only 18% of Americans using them weekly for audio.
In contrast, Smart TVs have now made their way into 75% of U.S. households.
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.
Chris Cuomo took direct aim at Megyn Kelly during a recent episode of his podcast, calling out the conservative commentator for repeatedly attacking him while refusing to engage in meaningful debate.
The former CNN anchor said Kelly’s success is built on outrage, not substance, and accused her of avoiding direct conversations despite frequently criticizing him.
“She keeps coming after me and says no one pays attention to me — except you, sweetheart,” Cuomo said, referencing Kelly by name.
He added that he has invited Kelly on his show, but she declined.
“She doesn’t want to (come on his show), because it’s much easier to talk about me rather than talk to me,” he said.
Cuomo, who now hosts a show on NewsNation after his controversial departure from CNN, used the moment to highlight what he sees as the toxic rise of outrage-driven media. He suggested that figures like Kelly are more interested in stoking anger than offering reasoned analysis.
“I’m not looking for a fight,” Cuomo said. “But these people exist in the podcast sphere because they couldn’t make it in mainstream media.”
Cuomo also addressed broader societal divisions, criticizing both the far right and far left for fueling extremism. He warned that media figures who “get paid for division” are deepening political divides for profit. Without naming Kelly directly in this section, Cuomo lumped her in with others who he says profit from playing on people’s fears and anger.
The personal jabs continued as Cuomo recounted how he was fired from CNN but maintained respect from his former colleagues. He drew a sharp contrast with Kelly’s much-publicized and disastrous stint at NBC News, where she was reportedly paid in full to leave following multiple controversies.
“There’s only one person I’ve heard of who was so disliked by their team, so destructive to the brand, that they were paid in full to leave,” Cuomo said. “And I guarantee she knows who she is.”
Despite his scathing remarks, Cuomo also acknowledged that Kelly was treated unfairly by some in the media when she attempted to transition to a softer news format. He admitted she lacked the skills for that role but condemned the way she was “ganged up on.”
Chris Cuomo and Megyn Kelly have a history of trading barbs. Kelly has repeatedly mocked Cuomo’s career decline, while Cuomo has taken issue with what he sees as Kelly’s performative outrage.
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.
Cryptocurrency mining is entering a new era of “no threshold for all”. Crypto Mining Firm has officially launched a mobile APP, allowing ordinary users to easily start digital mining machines with a mobile phone, participate in crypto income, and create passive income.
With just a mobile phone, you can start crypto mining and make money
In traditional concepts, cryptocurrency mining requires expensive equipment, complex technology, and stable power support, which makes most ordinary people stay away from it. CRYPTO MINING FIRM is using its innovative technology to make mining as simple as “downloading an app”.
Just visit the CryptoMiningFirm official website through your mobile phone, register an account and download the official APP (supports iOS and Android systems), and you can start your own cloud mining machine with one click. No hardware or professional knowledge is required, everyone can easily mine and make money.
A quiet revolution is reshaping the way people earn money online—and it’s called cloud mining. A simple trick using cloud mining has the potential to generate $90,900 per day, and it’s making waves across the XRP and Bitcoin communities.
Whether you’re a seasoned crypto investor or an absolute beginner, this opportunity may be your fastest path to freedom of wealth in 2025.
CRYPTO MINING FIRM, established in 2021, is a leading cloud mining platform in the world. With over 100 mining farms globally and millions of active accounts, the platform has built a reputation for trustworthiness, transparency, and profitability.
· Key advantages of CryptoMiningFirm:
· ✅ $10-100 FREE new user incentive
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· ✅ Supports several coins such as BTC, XRP, ETH, DOGE, SOL, USDT, and more
· ✅ Eco-friendly infrastructure based on solar and wind power-based mining farms
· ✅ McAfee® and Cloudflare® secure platform
· ✅ 100% uptime with 24/7 support
Management of earnings on-the-go with the official CRYPTO MINING FIRM app – App Download
The $5K/Day Cloud Mining “Trick” – How It Works
This isn’t some inflated gimmick. CRYPTO MINING FIRM offers tiered mining contracts that divide your daily earnings based on the amount of mining power you rent.
Sample Mining Plans:
· Starter Plan ($10 investment) – Earn $0.60 a day
· Enhanced Plan ($100 investment) – Earn $8 a day
· Premier Plan ($500 investment) – Earn $32.5 a day
· Pro Plan ($10,000+ investment) – Earn $1,000 – $90,900+ a day
With earnings starting only 24 hours after joining, no wonder that individuals are calling it the easiest path to crypto wealth in 2025.
Why XRP & Bitcoin FOMO Is Trending
The timing couldn’t be more perfect. With XRP showing bullish action and Bitcoin looking at $150K, more and more users are turning to cloud mining to stock up on coins before the next big updraft.
· XRP could blow up if it holds crucial support at $0.16
· Bitcoin is approaching the end of its bull cycle
· Cloud miners get paid out every day, regardless of whether the market is sleeping or not
Don’t sit on crypto — make it earn.
Earn Even More With the Affiliate Program
Want to earn even more? CRYPTO MINING FIRM‘s referral program rewards you up to $3,000 in bonuses for inviting friends. Referrals have no limit, so your earning power is unlimited.
How to Start:
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Final Words: Make This Method Work for You
If you’ve been searching for a high-pay, low-risk way to profit in crypto, cloud mining with CRYPTO MINING FIRM is your golden ticket. This simple but powerful trick is turning beginners into professional crypto earners—and you could be next.
Don’t let the next bull cycle pass you by. Start cloud mining today and join thousands of people making $90900+ per day — easily.
You click a link, awaiting headlines or video clips, and are instead greeted by an empty white page. No banner. No navigation. Just an ominous void. For media platforms, that blank page is a crisis—not because it crashes, but because it disappears: disappearing credibility, disappearing traffic, disappearing trust. The blank screen is rarely innocent. It’s an alarm.
And yes, it’s possible someone checking a live Pi coin price feed hit refresh mid-scandal and suddenly saw nothing. But before panic sets in, we need to trace the path from user to server. What breaks in between? Is the browser lying? Did the server break? Or is the content management system (CMS) hiccuping under pressure?
Common Causes for Media Platform Outages
1. Browser Breakdowns (Client-Side Issues)
News site readers use dozens of browsers and devices. A JavaScript error in a single browser version can take the whole page down. Perhaps an ad script failed to load or a plugin clashed with a video widget. That one broken element can kill the display entirely—like a crooked bolt sending a roller-coaster car off the rails.
Extensions interfere too. When readers install ad-blockers or script-blockers, they might unknowingly disable critical site functions. The result: the page loads without images, text, or navigation. The blank screen becomes a calling card of conflict.
2. Server Errors and Timeouts
Now consider the server, your digital newsroom’s backbone. A sudden rush—say, a breaking story on election results or a viral video—can push traffic through the roof. Under strain, PHP or Node.js scripts may hit memory limits. The server, failing silently, returns an empty response. Readers just see white.
SQL database failures pop up too. A server might lose connection to its content tables, leaving no articles to display. Instead of error 500, the screen is blank. Sites too polite to reveal technical failures can leave users guessing—and clicking away.
3. Content Management System Failures
Digital publishers rely on CMS platforms. They give us easy in-page editing, multi-author workflows, and plugin ecosystems. But when one plugin update goes wrong—say, a video player or analytics tool—you might lose layout elements or whole pages. Or a theme update without testing can wipe out output logic. Boom—blank.
Media sites on tight deadlines often push updates during off hours. Without staging or review, a broken plugin or faulty theme upload wipes out the front end. Editors refresh and see…the void.
These failures are silent, but they resonate. A blank page during a news cycle can mean missing a key story, losing ad impressions, or failing subscribers.
How Newsrooms Respond to Access Issues
When blank screens appear during high-stakes coverage, response speed matters more than caffeine.
1. Switch to a Text-Only Template
Some sites include a stripped-down fallback: if the main layout fails, a basic HTML template—with headline and summary—displays instead of white. It’s not pretty, but it keeps information flowing while the team investigates.
2. Use Status Pages and Social Channels
If the public site goes dark, media outlets often post updates on social feeds, or a standalone status page. “We’re aware, looking into it, standby.” A blank site with no explanation screams more loudly than a broken one with transparency.
3. Run Root-Cause Diagnostics
IT teams comb through error logs. Browser dev tools reveal client-side JS errors. Server logs surface memory or database failures. This multi-pronged approach follows the model of a tech detective: indict the code, isolate the cause, restore the output.
Ad hoc rollback plans help. If the culprit is a recent plugin or deployment, reverting can bring the site back within minutes. Reporters can then follow up with the restored page.
Preventive Measures for Digital Broadcasters
Better than reacting is preventing. Here are the guardrails teams can put in place:
Staging Environments
Every update—plugin, theme, code—should first roll out on a staging site. If it passes automated and manual testing, then it goes live. Simple, but surprisingly undervalued.
Monitoring and Health Checks
Use uptime monitors that simulate page loads from varied devices and locations. Alerts should hit the team when a blank page is detected—even if just for a few seconds. That way it can be resolved before readers notice.
Strict Plugin and Extension Vetting
Review plugin compatibility meticulously. Audit changelogs and test against all device types. A missing semicolon shouldn’t erase your layout. Yet without diligence, it can.
Client-Side Defensive Coding
Write JavaScript defensively: use try-catch blocks. Fallbacks should replace major components with placeholder text rather than fail silently. Even missing elements should leave minimal structure behind.
Server Resource Management
Ensure routing logic avoids timeout and memory bottlenecks. Increase PHP or Node memory limits when possible. Optimize database queries. Load-test under peak conditions—live events can draw thousands of users at once.
Error Broadcasting and Transparency
If a rescue template fails, show a clear message: “Issue detected. We’re working to restore the site. White is not normal.” A blank page without context is dead weight—but a frank admission builds trust.
Ensuring Site Reliability in a Fast-Paced Media World
Media outlets aren’t just delivering content. They’re delivering credibility. A blank page can erode that. Avoid it by building resilience.
TV Coverage and Media Mirrors
Some broadcasters mirror content on secondary domains. If the main site fails, a geo-aware redirect—pointing to a backup domain or light mobile app—can keep stories live. Readers get news. You retain readership.
Content Delivery Networks
CDNs protect against traffic surges and distributed denial-of-service attempts. They smooth load across servers, reducing the chance a single failure kills the page. Zip compression and edge caching can cut load time and skipped render blocks.
Regular Stress Tests and Audits
Schedule audits quarterly. Catch deprecated plugins, obsolete code, or resource-heavy scripts. Simulate breaking conditions and fine-tune your failsafes.
Clear Editorial-EQ Policies
Let editorial and IT teams run command drills: simulate a blank page event. Practice on-air or over social channels. Build muscle memory. The worst moment to rehearse is during the outage.
Facing the White Void with Confidence
Blank pages feel like failure. But they’re just clues. A fault line in the architecture, waiting to be fixed. Media sites invest in trust. Even a friendly template, an alert tweet, or a rollback can preserve that trust.
Next time a newsroom deploys an update or breaks a major story, keep one eye on uptime. Behind the headlines are tech decisions nozx less creative. They protect delivery and preserve reputation.
What helps you stand out in a challenging region like Northern Europe? iGaming is a high-stakes industry, with fierce competition in the Nordics. To attract and keep local players’ attention, marketing needs to be original. This is precisely the approach Soft2Bet is taking in Denmark, as confirmed in Divisionforeningen’s recent press release. It looks like the start of a new chapter in European sports marketing.
Technological expertise, respect for local culture, and a strategic agreement with Divisionsforeningen make Soft2Bet an excellent benchmark for any marketing specialist. Let’s take a closer look at how they do it.
Who Are Soft2Bet?
Soft2Bet is an international technology company in the iGaming industry that operates on B2B and B2C models. It has 19 licenses in 11 jurisdictions, including Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Ontario (Canada), Romania, Spain, and Sweden. Its brands, Betinia, CampoBet, and others, operate in markets where localization and compliance with all regulations are important.
MEGA (Motivational Engineering Gaming Application) is the primary engagement tool, a proprietary gamification platform. It allows you to build personalized scenarios, customize bonuses, and collect analytics to understand how to engage your audience better. This solution helps operators give players more emotion and meaning, rather than ephemeral points or scores.
Why Expand Further?
In the Nordics, audiences want to feel that a brand speaks their language. And the best way to achieve this is to become part of the local culture.
Soft2Bet has already done that. The brand is embedded in the region’s sports scene. By deepening its presence in bars, stadiums, and news stories about your favorite club, Soft2Bet continues to grow its footprint and build long-term trust.
Partnership with Divisionsforeningen: Case Study
Soft2Bet’s long-standing partnership with Divisionsforeningen, the governing body for Denmark’s three national football divisions, is the most striking part of this strategy. For the first time in Danish football history, all three leagues will receive official title sponsors simultaneously. Also, from the 2025/26 season, the league names will be as follows:
First League — Betinia Liga
Second League — CampoBet 2. Division
Third League — CampoBet 3. Division
This decision raises the divisions’ status and increases attention to previously poorly covered matches.
The choice of partners here is the result of a strategic approach. Soft2Bet already has licenses and operating projects in Denmark – Betinia and CampoBet, brands that are well known to local players. This creates an association between the platform and the football clubs, which can be developed in communications: from advertising in broadcasts to bonuses for sporting events.
The deal is for two seasons, but it is an infrastructure investment. The parties plan to launch joint campaigns with the clubs, ticket giveaways, fan promotions, and youth football support as part of the partnership. All of this helps clubs outside the top league attract fans, build a community, and gain consistent attention from the media and sponsors.
Soft2Bet supports teams, fans, and the idea that regional sports deserve the same respect as international leagues. It’s an approach based on values: responsibility, cultural sensitivity, and supporting development where it really matters.
According to Claus Thomsen, CEO of Divisionsforeningen, Betinia, and CampoBet’s involvement is a welcome step that helps promote Danish football more broadly and strengthens public interest in the national competitions. He emphasized that introducing naming sponsors for the third and fourth tiers also rewards the clubs’ work to improve the quality of the game and raise the level of professionalism.
Local Success and European Recognition
This step helps Soft2Bet strengthen its position in Denmark and across Europe. The company demonstrates how to enter new markets and immediately become familiar to users. Instead of the usual advertising noise, the brand becomes understandable, familiar, and respected.
This approach increases trust among players, regulators, and partners, and transforms Soft2Bet from an iGaming company into a player involved in the life of the regions it works with.
Strengthening Local Culture Through Real Participation
What can other brands learn from this story? The gambling industry evolves, and so do the expectations of local communities. Today, success depends on trust, relevance, and the ability to contribute to something bigger than promotion. Soft2Bet takes this seriously by supporting football, which supports a cultural tradition that unites generations across Denmark.
This is not about slogans or campaigns. It is about consistent presence, partnerships that work both ways, and initiatives that leave a trace beyond the screen. This kind of meaningful involvement becomes the foundation for companies that want to stay and grow in regulated markets. Soft2Bet shows how to build it.
Peruse the cable news landscape at virtually any time of the day, and you’ll see programs originating from New York or Washington, D.C., almost universally. And then there’s Fox News’ The Will Cain Show, which airs at 4 PM ET.
The program looks like virtually nothing else on Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, Newsmax, or NewsNation.
It much more closely aligns with what you’d see in a podcast studio or a YouTube program than what you see from the multifaceted, complex sets constructed on Sixth Avenue. The studio and production of The Will Cain Show exude Texas charm.
And that’s be design.
When Will Cain was thrust into the Fox News lineup earlier this year, he stepped into the timeslot previously occupied by longtime network host Neil Cavuto. And Cain was looking to change things up in the timeslot. He had plenty of experience after hosting his digital show — Will Cain Country, which is also available to radio stations as a one-hour program — and felt comfortable taking aspects of that program and implementing them on the most dominant cable network in the space.
Having the opportunity to change things up — and most importantly, relocate to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, near his hometown — is something Will Cain hasn’t taken for granted.
“I was just so grateful, man,” he said. “This is who I am. I was born and raised in Texas. It’s my culture, it’s my vibe, it’s my people. I get to do this from the place that I was born and raised.”
He shared that being able to be in his home state while maintaining his national platform creates a comfort he wouldn’t have found elsewhere.
“It allows me to be. I think I was no matter where I am, but it’s just so much easier when you’re really at home. It allows me to be authentic. That’s really my goal. In broadcasting in general, there’s this quest to always win, to always be right, to be some version of the Edward R. Murrow, voice of God. And I think it’s false. I think it’s fake and I think the viewer and the listener knows that. It’s the cardinal sin … My approach is to be a real human being with the audience and to be 100% transparent, honest, and authentic.
“I’m not always gonna get it right,” he continued. “And in the world that is full of information, you’re inundated with information from social media to AI and from television to radio. The real value that you can add is the trust that you are trying to get it right and that you’re a real person. So this opportunity to be at home and to do the show — not in the traditional environment of New York, or LA, or Washington, D.C., allows me personally to be much more in touch with what is authentically me. I hope, by extension, I represent a great huge swath of this country that is not represented.”
The move to allow Will Cain the freedom to host his show from Texas has undeniably paid off for Fox News. In its debut episode, The Will Cain Show averaged 3.5 million viewers. That set a cable news record for a debut program, and is slightly behind the ratings of a program like the CBS Evening News in recent months.
Certainly, there has been a learning curve for such a remote show. Cain noted that the majority of those working on his program, logically, are located in either Washington, D.C. or New York. So he’s forced to be even more communicative.
“I’m on the phone all day long and texting all day long with the staff for both shows. I think that we do a really good job of communication,” he said.
With a background akin to Will Cain’s, it would be easy to think that he’s got everything figured out. After all, he spent time at CNN as a contributor before joining ESPN and ESPN Radio, where he saw his profile grow to a daily afternoon radio show on the network and regular appearances on the popular First Take alongside Stephen A. Smith.
But Cain admitted that the process of fine-tuning his craft, especially as a major part of the Fox News lineup — is onging.
“I am comfortable on television being myself and saying what I think,” he shared. “But I try to be a really self-aware person about the way ‘This is working, or not working.’ I’ll tell you: there are times when I do something and I can sometimes be a little professorial. I don’t ever want to be pedantic. So you think, ‘Ok, how can I do that in a better way?’ And the answer is I take what I say really seriously, but I don’t take myself seriously … I’m really comfortable with who I am, but I don’t think I’ve ever had to take any time to say find my voice or certainly not to find my point of view. but continue to shape that. And I think that’s part of what you’ll see evolve over time.”
Many in the industry have said they’ve felt “Imposter Syndrome.” Whether they feel inadequate, not prepared, or question why anyone would be invested in what they have to say.
Will Cain, however, said it’s something he’s never felt.
“I’ve never worried about my credibility,” he admitted. “I don’t wrap up my identity in all this. Who I am isn’t a big part of the story to me. I know that it is, and I know that the viewer needs to connect with you on a human level. But my reputation or my credibility are not things I ever think about. And I generally think people think about their own identities entirely too much. And your identity is the way that other people view.
“Do I ever worry about the way other people see me? I don’t. I just don’t,” he reiterated. “Because my identity’s not wrapped up in how they see me. It’s actually not even wrapped up in my opinion, too much. I’m a person with a lot of different things in this world that I care about, and love, and like, and am into.”
And while Will Cain is authentic to his core, his hope for the Fox News show is to emit even more authenticity to his viewers and listeners.
“I want it to be an even more authentic experience. More spontaneous, more happening in front of your eyes for the viewer, as we evolve,” he said. “I want it to become a place where the viewer understands, ‘I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I know it’s gonna be fun, entertaining, and enlightening.’ I don’t ever want it to feel canned, I don’t want it to be scripted. And I don’t want performance. I want this to be a place for people realize ‘We’re turning to this because this is different — in a good way — and it’s an experience that we are there with him live, every day.'”
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.
Is Dan Patrick right? The veteran sports talk host and former ESPN SportsCenter anchor sat down for an expansive hour-long interview with Pardon My Take while on-site for the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe. Patrick discussed his upcoming retirement from traditional sports talk radio, what his plans are for retirement, and how he had the opportunity to be the host of both The Price Is Right and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
Patrick decided to turn down both opportunities, which is debatable if that was the right call or not.
However, Dan Patrick’s comments about how terrestrial radio ratings no longer matter in the current radio industry struck a nerve with me. While Patrick stated he still doesn’t understand how the Nielsen ratings system works, what he does know is that the metric means nothing when there are other metrics that advertisers care more about. If this is true, why aren’t more people who run radio stations listening?
Dan Patrick Is a Trusted Voice
There are few talents larger than Dan Patrick in the spoken word space of the radio industry. He consistently ranks among the top five in nearly every annual ranking and is considered one of the more respected voices in the industry.
While he may be on his last contract with FOX Sports Radio and Premiere Radio Networks, Patrick is investing in the future of broadcasting, partnering with Full Sail University in Orlando to build the Dan Patrick School of Broadcasting. He’s been honored twice by the National Association of Broadcasters with the Marconi Award for Network Syndicated Personality of the Year and was inducted into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame in 2020.
Dan Patrick’s resume speaks volumes for itself, and his words carry impact.
“I’ve been with terrestrial radio all my life,” said Patrick on Pardon My Take. “You keep thinking about those ratings, those ratings. Now, nobody cares about that. They care about social media, what went viral, and the number of people watching clips.”
Patrick continued to talk about how he still is confused by why people in radio still hold ratings in high regard.
“I don’t like being beholden to that, because you have a lot of people who are in radio who are your bosses who haven’t done radio,” said Patrick to Pardon My Take. “It’s unfair sometimes what they project—what you should be doing, or why aren’t you doing, or why didn’t you ask. When you’re in the chair, and there are live bullets, it’s just different.”
Trusting in a Broken and Flawed System
The simple fact is, for terrestrial radio stations, Nielsen ratings measurement is not a true representation of accuracy, nor exact. The flaws and gaps in the reporting collection continue to widen no matter how much they “try” to improve the system.
In PPM markets, people were asked to always wear a pager-like device during the day only to dock the hardware at night to report the data back. Who wants to wear a pager anymore? Plus, more people are beginning to listen to radio on phones, devices, and sometimes while wearing headphones, which blocks the PPM tone from reaching the pager on your belt.
Then they tried to inflate listening via headphones or earbuds, then inflate listening by online stream consumption. The latest tactic is now just needing three minutes per quarter-hour instead of five to count for measurement. Just think of that—you only need to be listening to 20% of a single quarter-hour to get credit for the other 80% of it.
Imagine if I only wrote the first paragraph and another sentence of this column but got full credit from Barrett Media headquarters for a job well done. Does that make sense? Is that fair?
Does this seem like a bona fide way to tell a radio station what their report card is, when the system itself is putting Band-Aids on a continuously open wound?
Radio Can Think Differently With Different, Impactful Metrics
Good Karma Brands CEO Craig Karmazin decided to cancel his company’s subscription as of January 1st of last year. He said the reason why was to focus on other measurements such as podcast downloads to gauge their reach. He called the Nielsen ratings system one that “doesn’t reflect the entire listening audience and viewing audience across all the different ways to consume media now.”
Podcast downloads, website traffic, subscribers, average listening time, listens, social media impressions, engagement, likes, shares, listener retention rate, ad impressions, attrition rate, reviews, and conversions are just some of the key performance indicators you can use to tell your radio station’s story and generate revenue.
Every day, more and more radio stations are being consumed not on the radio, but through streaming, podcasts, time-shifted listening, reels, social, YouTube, Twitch, Facebook (Meta), among other methods of distribution. There’s no number of pagers that can tell the complete story of how a radio station is performing.
So, why aren’t more radio companies saving the money they currently invest in Nielsen and reinvesting that money into more technology that builds up metrics that truly matter for the future?
Or maybe reinvest what you’re currently spending on Nielsen into something that can bring in added opportunity to make money: people.
Radio has never been a round-peg, round-hole type of industry. Nothing has been 100% perfect for as long as the medium has existed. The system to measure success has been, is, and always will be as flawed as the industry it serves. What I don’t understand is: why continue to invest in something lacking trust for accuracy when it doesn’t represent the total picture?
Talent Beg for Help, Will Management Listen?
I spoke this week with an anonymous radio talent who currently works in a top-ten market and shared his feelings about the current ratings system.
“I want to say this while our numbers are really good, so it’s not bitterness or anything like that,” said the anonymous talent. “The people in charge and who are responsible for this ratings system—it’s a bunch of horses**t. It’s a disservice. It’s wrong. It is an injustice to people in this business who don’t get the numbers that they deserve, and that have lost jobs because of this random horses**t lottery system.”
Why is it that talent seem to be the ones speaking out, but the ones cutting checks who continue to feed the system are nowhere to be heard?
I ask again: is Dan Patrick right?
After over 45 years in the radio industry, even one of the greatest voices in the sports radio format doesn’t believe in the system that decides the fate of radio talent all over the country.
If Dan Patrick can become one of the greatest storytellers in the format, it’s time for the format to begin telling its own story better.
By itself, and for the sake of its future.
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