Meta’s Muse AI agent landed its first music partner this week. Ticketmaster will now recommend live events through the social platform’s newest artificial intelligence tool.
What We Know Ticketmaster users can connect their accounts directly to Muse. The AI recommends concerts and live events aligned with fan preferences. Muse displays real-time seating options and ticket pricing details. Currently, users redirect to Ticketmaster’s website for actual purchases.
What’s at Stake This partnership signals deeper integration between AI platforms and ticketing ecosystems. Major players—Google’s Gemini, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and Amazon’s Alexa+—already list Ticketmaster connectors. Music discovery through AI is becoming industry standard. Artists and venues benefit from algorithmic recommendation exposure.
What Remains Unclear Meta hasn’t enabled direct purchasing through Muse yet. The company promised purchase functionality during Muse’s initial launch announcement. Ticketmaster suggests purchasing may roll out later. We don’t know which connectors will eventually support transactions.
What It Means Ticketmaster has positioned itself at the center of AI-driven ticket distribution. Fans discover events passively, reducing traditional search friction. Music fans now expect AI agents to anticipate their concert preferences. This strategy ultimately shifts discovery—and revenue potential—toward algorithmic matching.
The Meta-Ticketmaster deal arrives amid notable irony. Muse controversially claimed the @muse Instagram handle from the British band Muse. Meta executives then accidentally tagged @museband when promoting Muse’s launch. The music industry’s humor about the gaffe remains sharp.
Audacy is rolling out a new weekly NFC North football show. Inside the Northpremieres Sunday, September 13, across four flagship markets.
What We Know: David Haugh, co-host of Haugh and Payton on 104.3 The Score, will host the program. He’s joined by ex-Bears coach Dave Wannstedt, former Packers kicker Mason Crosby, ex-Lions lineman T.J. Lang, and former Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway. The show airs Sunday mornings on 104.3 The Score (Chicago), 97.1 The Ticket (Detroit), 105.7 The Fan (Milwaukee), and 830 WCCO (Minneapolis). Video episodes drop early on YouTube every Friday night.
What They Said: Mitch Rosen, Sports Format Vice President, Audacy: “The NFC North features some of the most passionate fanbases and intense rivalries in all of football. By combining David Haugh’s signature hosting with the firsthand perspective of four iconic division figures, ‘Inside the North’ delivers unmatched context and insider access to these markets every single week.”
What Remains Unclear: Audacy did not detail if the new program will also be carried on affiliates statewide with 97.1 The Ticket and 105.7 The Fan.
What It Means: The launch signals Audacy’s push to deepen local sports-talk footprint across four major markets simultaneously. Consequently, pairing regional legends with David Haugh in Chicago strengthens credibility with die-hard fans. Additionally, the multiplatform rollout, spanning radio, streaming, and YouTube, reflects broader industry momentum toward cross-platform sports content. Ultimately, Inside the North tests whether division-specific programming can drive deeper engagement than national shows.
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Kirk Herbstreit is crediting Pat McAfee for reviving his College GameDay performance. The longtime analyst opened up about their bond in a new interview.
What We Know: Herbstreit is now in his 31st year on College GameDay. McAfee joined the show full-time in September 2022 as part of a multi-year ESPN deal, making this his fifth season as a regular. Herbstreit says the pairing has changed his outlook on the job. He points specifically to McAfee’s energy and preparation as the spark.
Kirk Herbstreit on how Pat McAfee has rejuvenated his energy for continuing on College GameDay: “He’s [McAfee] also a great teammate. What we do on College GameDay Working as a group. He does a good job in that aspect and always has from the first day he stepped into that room and to be a part of that show. It’s a great relationship. He’s kind of re-invigorated me personally in my 31st year on the show. Having him and his juice that he brings. I love it. It’s been great for me personally.”
Kirk Herbstreit says Pat McAfee brings a lot of depth to his work on College GameDay: “I knew him as a player of course but I we didn’t have a relationship. Then I would go on with him on his show. What I found out quickly was, yeah he’s fun. But super prepared and super dialed in on the subject matter. I just have a great appreciation for people when you talk with them when they are into it themselves. I live this stuff twelve months out of the year. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of other habits or hobbies. You can just tell right away when somebody’s in it. Pat [McAfee] is in it.”
Kirk Herbstreit believes people get too caught up in the McAfee’s controversies: “I think people get caught up in the controversial stuff. He takes his jacket off, and his shirt off. But what they don’t get is if he’s awake, he’s like me. He’s preparing for his Monday through Friday show. He’s preparing for College GameDay, and preparing now for Monday night. Whether you agree or disagree with his style, I happen to love it. You can always appreciate that there’s way more depth there than just him sometimes getting the attention that he gets for some of the stuff that he does. That’s what I’ve always loved about it.”
What Remains Unclear: With ESPN reportedly in discussions with McAfee about an extension of their agreement, it’s unknown whether or not McAfee will remain with ESPN for the long-term. College GameDay opened the season last week with its second best viewership in the program’s history for an opening week.
What It Means: Herbstreit’s comments suggest McAfee has become more colleague than outside hire. McAfee has been a flawless replacement for the energy that Lee Corso left behind. However, Herbstreit’s comments suggest something many of McAfee’s critics often overlook. Depth. As debate over McAfee’s style continues, Herbstreit’s endorsement carries weight internally. It signals GameDay’s veteran core has embraced the shift, not merely tolerated it.
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Janelle Rodriguez is leaving NBC News after more than a decade with the network. The executive has played a key role in several major programming changes during her tenure.
What We Know: Rodriguez joined NBC News in 2015 after previously working as an executive at CNN. During her time with the network, she helped oversee the launch of NBC News NOW and played a role in the transition from Lester Holt to Tom Llamas on NBC Nightly News. Meanwhile, Catherine Kim will move into the role of Executive Vice President of Editorial and Content as part of the leadership changes. Rodriguez said she has spent significant time considering her next step before deciding to leave.
What They Said: “I’ve spent a long time thinking about what comes next, and I’ve decided to leave now to pursue it. It’s the right moment.” -Janelle Rodriguez
“Janelle has made important contributions across our organization, playing a central role in building NBC News Now into the leading streaming news service it is today and helping lead NBC Nightly News, Specials, and some of our most significant coverage. We are grateful for all she has contributed to NBC News, and I know you join me in wishing her the best in what comes next.” -NBC News President of Editorial Rebecca Blumenstein
What Remains Unclear: Rodriguez hasn’t shared details about her next professional move. It is also unclear what led her to decide to depart the network.
What It Means: Rodriguez’s exit marks another leadership change for NBC News as the network continues to adjust its approach to television, streaming, and digital news. Her work on NBC News NOW and NBC Nightly News leaves her with a significant role in the network’s recent programming evolution.
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25 years have passed since September 11, 2001, but for a handful of Fox News anchors, the memories remain as sharp as the morning itself.
Jon Scott, Brian Kilmeade, and Eric Shawn all sat in front of Fox News cameras that day, and all three still work for the network today. Their recollections offer a rare, unbroken thread between a newsroom’s most chaotic morning and the anchors who never stopped showing up for work.
Each man built a career at Fox News long before the towers fell, and each has stayed through a quarter-century of format changes, ratings battles, and industry upheaval. That kind of tenure is increasingly rare in cable news, where talent churns through networks every few years. Yet Scott, Kilmeade, and Shawn remain, carrying institutional memory that few of their colleagues can match.
Their accounts, gathered in new interviews marking the anniversary, trace a single morning from routine to catastrophe. They also reveal how that day reshaped Fox News’ identity and, in Shawn’s case, left a lasting physical toll that only became public last year.
Before the Attacks
The morning began without warning for any of the three. Scott had an ordinary shift ahead of him, set to anchor coverage right after Fox and Friends at 9 a.m. He was reaching for the studio door when everything changed.
“My senior producer got in my ear and yelled, ‘Scott, get to the studio now,'” said Scott. Producers pulled him in early, and he ended up anchoring continuous coverage for the next eight hours.
Shawn’s morning started on foot, walking up Fifth Avenue under what he now calls the “9/11 sky.” He noticed a low, loud jet overhead and assumed it was heading somewhere else entirely.
“I thought the plane was going to hit the office building above Penn Station,” Shawn said, before watching it bank toward the World Trade Center and vanish behind the skyline. Minutes later, a crew member on the street confirmed what Shawn already suspected — that the plane he’d just watched had struck the towers.
Kilmeade, meanwhile, was on set for a lighthearted morning show that hadn’t yet found its identity. Fox & Friends was airing when word came that a plane had hit a building downtown.
“We thought it was an accident; it looked small,” Kilmeade shared.
Within minutes, that assumption would collapse alongside everything else the anchors believed about the morning ahead.
As the Attacks Unfold
Confusion defined the earliest reports across the network. Scott had an aviation-accident expert on the phone, walking through reasons a small plane might have strayed off course, when a second aircraft entered the frame.
“I saw United 175 swoop into the very lower right-hand corner of the screen,” Scott said, describing the moment he realized the crash wasn’t accidental. He mentioned Osama bin Laden’s name on air almost immediately afterward.
Shawn reached that same conclusion even faster, drawing on years spent covering radical Islamic terrorism in New York. He’d covered the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane, so the pattern felt familiar.
“I basically knew immediately. I thought of Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden,” Shawn said, noting that he ran to the assignment desk to correct an early report calling it a small plane. He was quickly rushed upstairs and put on air alongside Scott.
Kilmeade’s role shifted from anchor to field reporter within hours. He talked his way into a camera crew and headed downtown, watching the towers burn from a moving vehicle before both buildings collapsed entirely.
“I remember going down 7th Avenue, and my cameraman, Scott Wilder, said, ‘I gotta get a shot of this,'” Kilmeade recalled. By the time they arrived at Ground Zero, there was nothing left standing to reach.
Throughout the broadcast, small errors slipped through as reporters scrambled to keep pace with events on the ground. Early Pentagon reports described an explosion rather than a hijacked airliner, and confusion briefly spread about how many planes remained unaccounted for. Still, Scott believes the network largely avoided major missteps that day.
“We tried to go with what we knew and not venture too far out onto a limb,” Scott said.
The Aftermath
Kilmeade spent the day gathering tape without a clear assignment, driven by a need to help however he could.
“I felt like I was the conduit, because I kept going back to work, and I also felt like I wanted to tell an extremely important story,” Kilmeade said.
One moment stood apart from the rest.
“Some guy comes running, screaming, ‘Does anybody want to talk to President Clinton?’ I said, ‘Of course.’ … Within 10 minutes, Clinton’s limo pulled up. He got out of the car … He must have watched the show, because he knew exactly who I was,” Kilmeade shared. “I had what I thought was about a 15-minute one-on-one with him. He answered everything honestly and substantively, offering to help.”
Shawn headed downtown that night and stayed for extended shifts in the weeks that followed.
“It was — you cannot, on television, give justice — the television, the pictures, don’t give justice to the overwhelming reality of this horrific site — the pile, the girders, the smoke — it was just overwhelming,” Shawn said. “What really stays with me is the smell. There was this acrid, bitter, metallic smell … and the dust, the overwhelming dust, a thick haze. Those are the two things that will always stay with me.”
Scott, anchoring from the studio, described the emotional discipline the broadcast demanded of him.
“We had a floor director who was looking at the images on our monitors, and she just broke down and started bawling. I can normally keep myself pretty well composed in most situations, but when I see other people crying, it’s hard for me not to get emotional,” Scott said. “I decided that if I got emotional, it wasn’t going to help get the story out, so I tried to buck it up, and I think I pretty well succeeded.”
Shawn’s Cancer Diagnosis
Last year, Shawn revealed he had developed cancer, a diagnosis he believes stems directly from his prolonged exposure to toxic dust at Ground Zero. He’s since become an outspoken advocate for the World Trade Center Health Program.
“I had just received, a couple of weeks earlier, my certification from the World Trade Center Health Program … I mention it only to shed light on the fact that I don’t think most people realize the widespread extent of the illnesses related to 9/11, from the dust and the chemicals,” Shawn said. “There are 350-something toxic chemicals in the dust, and the widespread impact has been enormous — 50,000 people have been diagnosed. I think it’s up to 63,000 now. There are 190,000 people in the World Trade Center Health Program.”
Shawn described the scope of illness as a legacy still unfolding decades later.
“9/11 was one day, but for many people it’s every day, because there are 70 types of cancers that have been diagnosed related to 9/11,” Shawn said. “I know reporters who have died — my colleague from Channel 5 died of 9/11-related prostate cancer. Steve Edwards of The National Post died of kidney cancer related to 9/11. I wanted to raise awareness of the illness and the deaths, which now have surpassed the number of people who were killed that day, and I don’t think many people realize that.”
He framed the ongoing toll in stark terms tied directly back to the original attack.
“In my view — and this may sound dramatic — people are being killed by Al Qaeda today. These are all the people who are in their homes sick with horrible cancers and illnesses, and those who have died,” Shawn said. “That’s what’s in my heart and in my thoughts.”
What Stands Out Now
Kilmeade returns often to a single image from Ground Zero — firefighters regrouping after losing their unit, then heading back in anyway.
“They’re going back and forth: ‘Who’s left? He’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone.’ ‘So what do we have?’ ‘We got each other.’ ‘I have a car.’ So the next thing, emerging from the parking garage, was this small pickup truck, and four other guys got on the back — firefighters, full gear — and they went back in,” Kilmeade said. “I thought, this is as close to a war zone as I could be without being in a war zone.”
Shawn holds onto a more recent memory tied to how the anniversary itself has evolved.
“I’m grateful that this year, for the first time, they’ve added a new moment of silence at 12 noon — the new moment of silence at the site is to pay tribute to those who have grown ill and died from 9/11-related illnesses,” Shawn said.
Scott still visits the memorial, and the weight of it hasn’t faded with time. “I still walk by the 9/11 memorial and read some of those names, and I can’t believe all those people were just snuffed out in an instant,” Scott said. “It’s hard to believe it was 25 years ago. I still remember it like it was yesterday. That really is all I can say. It was just an awful day, and it was a tragedy for the nation.”
Fox News’ Ascension After the Coverage Concluded
Scott believes the sustained coverage that followed 9/11 — including the network’s early reporting from Afghanistan — helped establish Fox News as a serious competitor.
“We were kind of a fledgling news operation in those days — we’d only launched in ’97, so we were four years in,” Scott said. “I remember we hired Steve Harrigan while he was in a bunker in Afghanistan. I think those events helped propel us to number one, and I’d like to think my coverage was part of that.”
Shawn frames the shift in broader, more ideological terms.
“I see 9/11 as an attack on our soul, the American soul. The radical Islamic terrorists … want to destroy our values, the Western values, what we represent: freedom, liberty, the freedom to choose, to live the way you want,” Shawn said. “I think the Fox News Channel understood that immediately, and I think that was the sense of the average American.”
Kilmeade credits the network’s underdog culture over any single editorial decision.
“They’d always tell us other networks pay more, they have more people, but you can do more,” Kilmeade said. “This company, this news station, was built on the thought that it’s not about you, it’s what you can do to make the team better, the show better … I think that played into the story.”
Looking back a quarter-century later, Kilmeade still marvels at how consistently the tradition of remembrance has held.
“I’m in awe that 25 years later, we can actually say that every year those names have been read,” Kilmeade said. “I think it’s something the country should truly be proud of.”
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The recent Labor Day holiday marked twenty-seven years hosting mornings for Elliot Segal at iHeartRadio Rock 101 WWDC in Washington D.C. — better known as DC 101. After that many years of sustained success, plus already being inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, you might think he would be resting on his laurels. But Segal remains as passionate about doing a great show today as he has ever been.
“I love hockey and I always remember a buddy of mine who played saying something to the effect of how he didn’t know what’s worse, never winning a Stanley Cup or only winning it once,” Segal says. “Because once you win it, all you want to do is have that feeling of lifting the cup one more time.” That sums up Segal’s mindset almost three decades into hosting mornings in one of the country’s most competitive markets. Indeed, he’s hoisted the ratings cup many times, but he wants more.
The Difference Between Change and Evolution
Over the length of his career, you might think his approach to hosting a morning show would have changed. However, Segal draws a distinction, preferring to think of it another way. “What happens break to break and day to day has evolved. I don’t like saying it’s changed because there wasn’t a moment where it was, ‘we need to do something different.'” Importantly, he is glad the show has developed over his career. “Radio styles evolve over time, and they should. That’s healthy,” Segal says. “People’s lives change, perspective grows, hopefully for the better. I don’t want to be doing the same show I was doing 27 years ago. None of us would have grown.”
What hasn’t changed, or evolved, is the central tenet of his show. “Everything that we do is listener focused,” Segal says. “Not just from an interactive standpoint and a participatory standpoint, but in the sense that listening is the number one thing that’s important to me — growing an audience, serving an audience, and interacting with them.”
That listener-focused approach shows up in the show’s ratings profile, of which he is understandably proud. “I love that our adult numbers are big. It’s not a male-driven show. It’s not a female-driven show. It is a person-driven show.” While that may be less common on rock stations, which tend to lean male, it makes sense for Segal. He learned under two legendary Top 40 talents — John Lander and Scott Shannon. “My energy is very Top 40,” he says. “And it was never a male-dominated show. I wanted anybody to be able to listen.”
The Difference Between Funny and Entertaining
Much like he prefers to think of his show as evolving over time, he also prefers to see it as entertaining rather than funny. “Entertaining can be funny. It can be serious. It can be sad,” Segal says. “I do think you want to lean toward being funny — people’s natural desire is to have fun. But I don’t think that’s the sole element.” If somebody said they really liked the show because it’s entertaining, that matters just as much to him as somebody saying it’s funny. “I do want us to have fun, and I do want people to find laughs during the show. I mean, it’s fun for us. Who doesn’t love laughing?,” he says. “But I don’t think that’s the sole element.”
A big part of what drives the show’s entertainment factor is Segal’s curiosity. “Lander was probably the most curious person I’ve ever met. So, I learned a lot of that from him, but I think that probably also existed in me somewhere,” explains Segal. “I love hearing from somebody who’s had a life experience that I haven’t or offers a different perspective than what I, or anybody on the show, may think.” This type of interaction with the audience keeps the conversation and the show moving forward. That means incorporating a lot of callers.
“If I bring up a story and somebody’s experienced it, that’s way more interesting to me than my guessing what it’s like. If it’s somebody who can add something new, I’m interested in what they have to say,” Segal says. “Getting to hear somebody’s story or somebody’s experience or somebody’s heartbreak is interesting to me.”
The Difference Between Producers and a Team
When it comes to curiosity, Segal isn’t alone. “Everybody on the show is pretty curious by nature,” he says. This includes long-time co-host Diane Stupar-Hughes, Producer Tyler Molnar, and Second Producer Krysten Warnes. But be careful assuming anything about how the team works — titles can be deceptive.
“To say Diane does news and entertainment is a slight to Diane. To say Tyler is the producer of the show is a slight to Tyler,” Segal says. “Everybody’s a prep machine. Everybody’s an idea machine. Everybody is as much a behind-the-scenes person as they are a performer on the air. They all have the freedom to interject, to improve the quality of the show, and they’ve all earned it.”
Much like in Segal’s beloved sport of hockey, everyone is focused on the team. “Everybody has the same mission every day. To put out the best product that we can. No matter where it comes from, no matter who says it, no matter who does it. Everybody’s on the same page and pulling for each other,” he says. “And trust me, I’ve been around shows where that’s not the case.”
The Difference Between Interaction and Community
While a high volume of phone calls is a hallmark of many radio shows, Segal sets himself apart by enjoying meeting the audience. “I love being around people. That part’s great.”
For example, he recently hosted a magic night with area magicians performing. “It was so much fun. I love magic,” he says. “We learned that there happen to be some very talented magicians in D.C., so we decided let’s do a magic night.” He partnered with a sponsor who has a brewery with a private speakeasy room. Listeners had to win their tickets from Segal in the morning. The result was approximately one hundred people having drinks and watching a magic show. “It was a great night. And it was built out of the idea that I love magic, which led to the question, what can we do?”
This underscores Segal’s willingness to create opportunities that include spending time with listeners. He does Tiki Takeovers at a friend’s Tiki Bar with bands like The Head and the Heart and Switchfoot. Additionally, if no bands are available, he’ll just host a happy hour.
“I don’t want to call it a glorified meet and greet, but it’s a glorified meet and greet,” he says with a laugh. “We get access to things I hope I never take for granted. And I’d much rather go watch a band with a hundred people who are all there for the same reason, than go do it alone.”
The variety of types of events and bands is intentional, to help deliver on the idea of a show for everyone. “I hope there’s something for everybody. It’s the same way I approach doing the show in general. I hope that the listeners trust us enough to know that if what we’re doing right now isn’t for them, something is coming that hopefully is.”
The Difference Between Pain and Healing
While he remains steadfastly focused on the audience, Segal realizes not everybody in the industry has that luxury. Many hosts are facing the need to focus more on revenue than ratings. “I don’t feel a pressure of, oh my God, I’ve got to generate revenue. I am first and foremost about the audience. Generating revenue for the company will always be important for me, but the audience always comes first.”
He credits that ability to focus on the audience to his situation. “I’m very blessed to have a market manager that understands the way that I think, and that by doing it that way, we can generate a lot of revenue, which we do. But I’m also smart enough to know that not everybody’s my market manager. At some point I’m a line on an Excel spreadsheet and somebody could wake up and decide, ‘he doesn’t generate enough revenue, so goodbye.'”
Unlike many in radio who love to pontificate about the industry’s state and how it can be fixed, Segal won’t second-guess the decisions being made by people like iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman or Cumulus Media President and CEO Mary Berner. “It’s very easy for me to sit here and go, well, here’s what I would change. But I don’t sit in that chair.”
While he doesn’t think the industry is doomed, he does think radio has to hit a breaking point before it can rebound. “There’s an old expression — at some point you have to break the bone and heal. I hope we’re close to breaking the bone.”
In the meantime, his suggestion for other people in radio is to not get discouraged. Keep doing your best to create a great product. “Don’t just do it for money. Find a way to be successful and the money will follow.”
That’s why after twenty-seven years hosting mornings, Segal is still striving to do a great show every day. He’s following his own advice, working harder, and focusing on the audience. But he knows things aren’t perfect in the industry. “I don’t feel bulletproof, but I’m not going to sacrifice the audience being the singular most important thing to me, in hopes that whoever’s looking at a spreadsheet doesn’t call my number.” Segal says. “So, I hope the bone breaks soon. And if not, I hope whoever does mornings at DC 101 next loves it.”
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I have spent much of this week watching Australian coverage of the NFL and scrolling through social media posts as the 49ers and Rams prepare to play the first regular-season game in Australia. The coverage has been entertaining, enthusiastic and occasionally educational. There have been explanations of the rules, breakdowns of the equipment and attempts to introduce American football to a country that already has a sport called football.
The Aussies are excited. Nearly 100,000 people are expected to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Moreover, the NFL has taken over the city. The Jonas Brothers will perform at halftime, and Tourism Australia has built an advertising campaign around the game featuring wildlife conservationist and television personality Robert Irwin. He’s the son of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin. In addition, Netflix will distribute the game globally.
It should be a spectacular event. I’m just not convinced it proves football has become a global sport.
This season, the NFL is staging nine regular-season games in seven countries outside the United States. That represents an extraordinary expansion from the occasional London game of the past. The league is no longer simply testing international markets. Moreover, overseas games have become an important part of its schedule, television strategy and marketing machine.
However, more games in more countries don’t automatically mean football has developed deep roots in those places.
Fanfare vs Support
I have covered NFL games in London, and the experience was fantastic. Iconic Wembley Stadium was packed. The atmosphere was loud, and the crowd included jerseys representing nearly every NFL team. It felt like a combination of a football game, convention and international holiday for fans who had waited years to see the league in person.
There was no question the event worked. Yet, the tricky question was whether the sport worked.
There is a difference between selling out one game and supporting a franchise for an entire season. Bring two NFL teams to London, Melbourne, Madrid or Munich once a year, and fans are going to attend. It is rare and different. In addition, people plan vacations around it and arrive wearing whatever NFL jersey they own. Even when neither team represented on it is playing.
That proves the NFL knows how to create demand for an event, but it doesn’t necessarily mean those markets are prepared to support eight or nine home games. Or follow a team through a 5-12 season, or spend three months demanding the offensive coordinator be fired.
Football remains different from basketball, baseball and hockey. Those sports have genuine international foundations. Basketball produces stars from around the world. Baseball has deep cultural roots in Japan, South Korea, Latin America and the Caribbean. Not to mention Hockey has been established for generations in Canada and throughout Europe.
Those sports aren’t merely touring internationally. Moreover, they live there.
American football is still overwhelmingly an American game. There is a considerable gap between watching the NFL and building an organic football culture. The equipment is expensive, and the rosters are enormous. Plus, the sport requires specialized coaching and positions.
Plant The Flag
The NFL recognizes that challenge. Flag football has become an important part of its international strategy and is now being played in more than 500 Australian schools. Its inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics could provide the NFL with something international games alone cannot. Kids playing a version of football rather than simply watching it on television.
Until then, the league’s greatest international strength may be its ability to turn a football game into an entertainment event.
Australia isn’t simply getting the 49ers against the Rams. In addition, it is getting concerts, celebrity appearances, tourism campaigns and a week of surrounding content. This isn’t just Week 1. It is a miniature Super Bowl with a much longer flight.
That creates an interesting opportunity for the media covering it.
Beat reporters become travel correspondents. Sports anchors explain jet lag, Australian rules football, and the cultural significance of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Radio shows discuss flight schedules, meat pies and whether arriving early gives the 49ers an advantage over the Rams.
That is the reality of modern sports media. Reporters are no longer simply attending practice, interview players and write a story. In addition, they shoot video, host podcasts, appear on radio, and produce social posts. They bring the audience along for the trip. An international game provides a bottomless supply of material.
Passport? Check.
Microphone? Check.
Portable lighting kit? Check.
Understanding of the Rams’ defensive front? Helpful.
Willingness to eat Vegemite on camera while pretending to enjoy it? Mandatory.
I’m not criticizing that coverage. I’ve been consuming it. The location is a large part of the story because the NFL intentionally made it part of the story. Moreover, that may be the real brilliance of the league’s international expansion. A normal regular-season game controls the sports conversation for a day or two. An international game can create content for an entire week.
Multiply that by nine games in seven countries, and the NFL has created a season-long global marketing campaign disguised as a schedule.
Netflix makes Australia an even better example. The NFL isn’t simply exporting a football game. It is creating a global television event. Moreover, it’s designed to generate highlights, social clips, tourism promotion and coverage from media outlets that normally wouldn’t spend much time discussing the 49ers or Rams.
Enjoy The Spectacle
The MCG will look spectacular on television. In addition, the crowd will be loud, the halftime show polished, and everyone involved will declare the NFL’s Australian debut an overwhelming success.
They’ll probably be right.
We should be careful about what that success means. It will prove Australia can host an NFL game. It will prove American football can attract a massive crowd when presented as a rare international spectacle. Nine games in seven countries will prove the league can repeatedly export that spectacle.
It won’t necessarily prove Australia needs an NFL team or that any of these markets are ready to support one for an entire season.
The NFL understands the modern sports-media business better than any league in America. A football game lasts three hours. Moreover, a global content event can dominate an entire week.
The NFL has unquestionably built America’s greatest traveling show. Whether it has built a truly global sport is still a much tougher call.
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The NFL is back! While fans will be focused on the field of play, I’ll be paying just as much attention to the broadcast booths. There are essentially seven major television and streaming outlets carrying the NFL this season. They bring with them an assorted collection of play-by-play announcers, color analysts and sideline reporters.
Some have been doing it for decades. Others are just beginning to make their marks. Regardless, the 2026 NFL season promises to be interesting not only on the field, but also on the air.
Prime Video
Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video features the inimitable Al Michaels on play-by-play, Kirk Herbstreit providing analysis and Kaylee Hartung working the sidelines.
This crew is growing on me. I am certainly not breaking any news by saying that Al Michaels is an absolute legend. At age 81, he remains one of the most recognizable and accomplished voices in sports broadcasting history.
(Photo: Amazon Prime Video)
While I still categorize Herbstreit as a college football guy, he has transitioned well to the pro game and definitely does his homework. Ironically, Herbstreit’s college background actually gives him an advantage over his peers. He has seen just about every NFL player develop through college. That gives him a perspective that NFL-bred analysts simply do not have.
Hartung is an experienced and competent reporter. Her style is that of a quiet assassin. She brings a pleasant style, but still asks meaningful and direct questions of coaches. Even if she does not always get similarly deep responses.
Netflix
The NFL’s other major streaming partner is Netflix. For the 2026 season, the network has assembled one of the most interesting broadcast teams in the business. Play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle is not a rising star anymore. The star has firmly risen.
I am really excited to see Luke Kuechly grow as a color analyst. The former Carolina Panthers star, Boston College legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer brings something very unique to the booth. He combines the intellectual with the instinctual. Kuechly understands the game at a high IQ level, but he was also a down-and-dirty, hard-nosed linebacker. His analysis is intelligent yet uncomplicated.
The Netflix crew also features reporter MJ Acosta-Ruiz, who brings energy and enthusiasm to her reporting in a fresh and entertaining manner. This might just be the most fun broadcast team to watch this season.
NFL Network
While now bound to ESPN, NFL Network will still air select games this season with a pair of top-tier broadcast teams.
One crew features Dave Pasch on play-by-play with Kurt Warner and Jason Kelce as analysts. Pasch is truly overlooked as one of the best play-by-play announcers in the business. He understands and implements the three P’s of play-by-play: personality, preparation and pacing. Pasch is truly adept at recognizing the drama and tempo of a football game and communicating that to the viewer.
ESPN has re-signed Dave Pasch to an exclusive multi-year agreement
Continuing his two-decade-plus run as one of ESPN’s signature play-by-play voices
Warner and Kelce are broadcasting’s version of The Odd Couple. The dapper and staid Warner is the prototypical NFL quarterback turned broadcaster. He brings knowledge, a sense of calm and serious analysis.
Meanwhile, Kelce is the veritable love child of Oscar Madison and Grizzly Adams. He is a wild card. You never quite know how he is going to dress or what he is going to say. With Kelce, there is no neat script. The broadcast booth is an absolute adventure.
The other NFL Network team features play-by-play announcer Bob Wischusen, analyst Louis Riddick and superstar sideline reporters Molly McGrath and Peter Schrager. Wischusen is a carbon copy of Pasch — just a highly watchable and listenable play-by-play announcer who lets the action on the field unfold and dictate his vocals.
Simply put, Riddick is one of the top five football analysts in the business, whether he is working in the studio or high above the gridiron. The guy brings real talk in a classy, stylish and polished manner.
It will also be fascinating to watch McGrath, in my opinion the best college football sideline reporter on television, transition to the pro game and to see Schrager continue building his résumé as an all-around talent.
CBS Sports
Change is the watchword at CBS as the 2026 NFL season begins. With Tony Romo dealing with the aftermath of his OWI arrest in Milwaukee on July 23, J.J. Watt steps into the primary analyst role alongside iconic play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz. The consistently great Tracy Wolfson will work the sidelines.
We all know about Nantz. His decades of excellence put him in the same class as Al Michaels in the annals of sports broadcasting. He remains one of the most revered voices in sports. Wolfson is darn near equally experienced and solid in the sideline role. She has developed into one of the most prepared and accomplished reporters, working across multiple sports.
Watt will definitely be the CBS broadcaster most under the microscope as this season unfolds. He has hit the ground running almost as well as Romo did during his rookie CBS season in 2017. Watt is insightful, straightforward and thorough in his knowledge of the game.
More importantly, he has demonstrated an ability to communicate with viewers in a down-to-earth manner. We knew Watt had a great personality from his playing days. What we didn’t know was how effectively he would package that personality for television. He has done an excellent job.
Nantz helped Romo quite a bit back in 2017 and will do the same for Watt. In fact, there probably is not a better play-by-play announcer for a relative newcomer to work alongside. Over the years, Nantz has mentored the likes of Romo, Phil Simms and Dan Fouts, all of whom blossomed into terrific color commentators.
NBC Sports
We saw NBC’s No. 1 NFL broadcast team in action during the NFL season kickoff game featuring the Patriots at the Seahawks. Mike Tirico has firmly ensconced himself in the upper echelon of contemporary football play-by-play announcers. He is very straightforward, with no unnecessary wizardry or forced emotion. The guy simply calls a great game.
The wait is OVER. The Patriots strike for their first TD of the year. 😤
There may be no more in-sync broadcast team in football than Tirico and Cris Collinsworth. Their pacing and knowledge of when to speak and when to remain silent are exceptional. Collinsworth’s preparation is legendary. He effectively uses the telestrator to show key aspects of the game and is unafraid to bring biting opinions into his analysis.
I’ve been a huge Melissa Stark fan for a long time, going back to her days as a young reporter working on Monday Night Football. She has also done memorable work for NFL Network as a reporter and host. Stark’s ability to share interesting tidbits of information during a game is terrific. She brings depth and context to all of her reports.
ESPN / ABC
The only broadcast team that truly rivals NBC in terms of television experience is the star-studded duo at ABC/ESPN. When you talk about the greatest football broadcast partnerships of all time, you think about Pat Summerall and John Madden on CBS and FOX, Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and Don Meredith on ABC’s Monday Night Football, and Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen on NBC. It might be time to add Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to that group.
I’m not sure any play-by-play announcer and color commentator bring more majesty to the table. Let’s start with the fact that both of these dudes look like celebrities with time-defying, square-jawed auras. They both possess an authoritative mien similar to Cosell, Gifford and Summerall. Buck is always willing to throw in a little humor, while Aikman is a straight-up, no-nonsense analyst. That’s a nice combination.
When I see Joe Buck and Troy Aikman calling a football game, the word that comes to mind is time. Buck’s voice has seemingly been the soundtrack to every significant football and baseball moment for the last 30 years. He has earned his legendary status through decades of performance.
Courtesy: Jose Alvarado, Disney
Aikman has made the transition from Dallas Cowboys quarterback to frontline NFL analyst look remarkably natural. Like Collinsworth, he is known for his voluminous game preparation. He makes it look easy, but it is anything but. With Buck and Aikman, you are simply talking about two men who have been at the height of their respective professions for a very long time.
The celebrity aspect of today’s Monday Night Football is only increased by the presence of sideline reporters Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge. This duo has very different styles, but they are similar in their ability to bring pertinent information and storylines to the broadcast.
FOX Sports
Speaking of celebrities, there is no doubt that the most famous personality broadcasting NFL games in 2026 is FOX’s No. 1 analyst, Tom Brady. Just as he did as a player, Brady has not rested on his laurels as a household name. The seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback has absolutely worked at his craft.
Brady has learned to slow down and not try to analyze a play before it finishes. He has truly benefited from working alongside Kevin Burkhardt, who is building his own résumé as one of the most versatile and consistently solid play-by-play announcers on television. I see Burkhardt as a contemporary version of Bob Costas.
While Salters and Rutledge are a tough sideline reporter team to beat, FOX’s Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi are right there with them. Both Andrews and Rinaldi have been doing this for a while, and I think what separates them from other sideline reporters is their work outside of sports.
Rinaldi became famous at ESPN for human-interest stories that had a connection to sports but were about much more than X’s and O’s. Andrews remains the best co-host in the long history of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Both bring a non-sports sensibility to the football field.
It is indeed an eclectic group of broadcast teams for the NFL in 2026, but across the board, there is a shared characteristic. All of the networks have play-by-play announcers who never put themselves above the game. They all employ analysts who have worked to become good commentators rather than simply parlaying a few Pro Bowls into a television gig.
In addition, all of the teams include actual reporters working the sidelines, gathering information and telling stories rather than simply looking good in a chic hat and glove combination during a December game with playoff implications. All of those factors make the 2026 NFL season worth watching.
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On the morning of September 11, 2001, my wife and our one-month-old daughter were scheduled to board a flight to Seattle. We were not living on the East Coast at the time, so as we woke up early to prepare for the airport, the news was just beginning to break.
I remember sitting there holding my infant daughter in my arms as the events unfolded. My mind raced with one instinct: how do I keep my family safe? As all commercial air traffic was grounded, the sky over our military town went completely silent. Honestly, it was eerie, heavy, and unforgettable. Meanwhile, the activity on military installations nearby created both safety and unease.
Understanding How Generations Experience Tragedy
That one-month-old baby girl in my arms is now a 25-year-old adult. Recently, asking her what September 11 means to her generation gave me insight into a perspective every Program Director and air talent needs to hear today.
She began with genuine humility, acknowledging that her distance from the tragedy is a privilege compared to those who lost loved ones. Specifically, she noted that for those who experienced the towers, September 11 is an open wound that reopens every single year.
What she offered instead was an inside look at the world left behind: “To a 25 year old listener today, September 11 is not something they look back on. It is something they live inside of. They do not experience it as history; they experience it as infrastructure.”
She described absorbing instincts without knowing where they came from: noticing an unattended backpack, feeling unease around tall buildings or dense crowds. Furthermore, she heard the term “homeland security” long before she understood what a homeland was supposed to mean. From school lockdowns and airport security to having her bag checked before every concert, she pointed out that 9/11 shows up constantly in her life — not just as a date on a calendar.
History Versus Infrastructure
As she powerfully put it, “her generation never knew the room before it was already built this way.”
This insight should absolutely shape how we coach our air talent and handle our shows today. When we open the microphones throughout the day, our audience is listening through two very different lenses. For listeners over thirty, today is a living memory of shock and heartbreak. In contrast, for listeners in their twenties, today represents the permanent architecture of their daily lives.
If we simply replay news clips from 2001 or read solemn historical timelines, we risk treating the day like a textbook exercise. For a huge portion of our audience, this misses the mark entirely. Instead, we can use our platform today to build real connection.
Bridging the Generational Gap Behind the Mic Today
Consider acknowledging the daily weight: recognize that younger listeners carry vigilance they never asked for. Validate their experience of growing up in the shadow of this infrastructure.
Additionally, highlight how we came together: younger generations grew up with tragedy’s aftermath, but many missed experiencing the unprecedented national unity that followed. Share stories of neighbors helping strangers, endless lines to donate blood, and a country standing shoulder to shoulder.
Next, invite open dialogue: give talent across all dayparts the freedom to share where they were. Then, invite younger listeners to call in and share what their parents taught them about that day. Help them articulate how they navigate the world today.
Finally, reinforce radio as a sanctuary: on September 11, 2001, millions turned to local radio hosts simply to feel less alone and stay informed. Therefore, remind your audience that local radio remains that same warm, human refuge today whenever life feels uncertain. More importantly, actually do the work behind the mic to prove it.
Holding Community Memory Together
Whether your listeners remember the world before that crisp September morning or only know the room that was built after, local radio remains the bridge that connects us.
We are the storytellers who hold community memory. As we go through today, honor the lives lost and respect the deep wounds that reopen. Listen to the younger voices living inside the infrastructure. Ultimately, remind every generation listening why standing together still matters.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
One of the most important lessons in radio is also one of the simplest: know your audience.
It’s a lesson we preach to advertisers. It’s a lesson we use when building clocks, choosing topics and developing programming strategies. Understanding audience behavior is fundamental to everything we do.
That’s why I’ve been scratching my head over the RNC Midterm Convention being scheduled during the opening two nights of the NFL season.
A Collision With Fan Habits
To be clear, this isn’t about whether football is more important than federal elections. It’s not. And this isn’t a criticism of the people who put these events together. Organizing conventions is difficult, venues are expensive and calendars are never perfect.
But it does raise a larger question: If the GOP, which is more male and working class than it’s been in generations, prides itself on connecting with its base voters, why would the party schedule one of its major gatherings directly against the NFL’s opening week?
I was at the gym on Labor Day and, not surprisingly, the men aged 25 to 54 weren’t talking about politics. They were talking about the Seahawks and Patriots. The 49ers and Rams. They were talking about fantasy football, sports betting and the return of the NFL. They weren’t talking about a manufacturing speech in Dallas on a Wednesday night.
The NFL isn’t just another television show. It’s arguably the closest thing America has left to true appointment viewing. And opening week isn’t some random game in November. It’s the return of a cultural ritual that millions of people have been anticipating for months.
So when the GOP puts a convention up against NFL opening week, it feels less like an outreach strategy and more like a collision with one of the strongest habits their voters already have.
Attention Matters
And in news/talk radio, there’s a lesson here.
Attention matters.
As hosts, programmers and sales professionals, we understand this concept better than most industries. A conference can have a healthy turnout and still lose the battle for engagement. If half the audience is mentally somewhere else, that’s a problem no matter how many registration badges are handed out.
We know audiences have rituals: Election Night. Thanksgiving travel. March Madness. The Super Bowl.
NFL opening week has become one as well.
Successful brands don’t fight those habits. They acknowledge them and plan around them.
In fact, radio has historically been at its best when it understands audience occasions. Great programmers know when to lean into a major cultural event, when to capitalize on it and when to simply get out of the way.
That’s the bigger lesson here.
Audience Behavior Always Wins
The takeaway isn’t that football should dictate every decision. It shouldn’t.
The takeaway is that audience behavior almost always wins.
No matter how important we think our event, message or cause may be, people still make decisions based on the habits they already have. The best broadcasters understand that reality because we deal with it every day on the air.
And that’s why scheduling a major political gathering against the opening week of the NFL feels so odd. At a time when many Americans are exhausted by the constant political noise, asking them to choose politics over the biggest entertainment release valve in America feels like a fool’s errand.
Maybe November will prove otherwise. But if there’s one lesson radio has learned over the years — one it can impart to our friends in politics — it’s that fighting audience habits is usually a losing proposition.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
