ESPN has made the name of the company’s first direct-to-consumer product official. On Tuesday morning, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro announced the new DTC service will be called ESPN. Speaking at an event earlier today ahead of Disney’s upfront presentation later this afternoon, Pitaro explained a simple reason as to why the company decided to go with the name ESPN.
“We kept coming back to our four letters,” said Pitaro. “There’s power in our name. There’s trust in our name.”
Furthermore, the new service will give fans more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN via the enhanced ESPN App, the plans will cost $29.99/month for the unlimited package and $11.99/month for a select option. There will also be bundling opportunities for the ESPN unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu, including a special offer at launch for $29.99/month for the first 12 months. An annual ESPN subscription for the unlimited DTC service will cost 299.99.
The other options for the ESPN unlimited bundle that include Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) is $35.99/month, and with no ads $44.99/month.
The other options for the ESPN+ select bundle that include Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) is $16.99/month, and with no ads $26.99/month.
According to a release, existing ESPN+ subscribers will automatically become subscribers to ESPN’s new service, based on their current subscription level. Standalone ESPN+ subscribers get the ESPN select plan, and Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ bundle subscribers get the ESPN select bundle. As for subscribers to the Disney+, Hulu and ESPN bundles will be able to watch ESPN content within Disney+ seamlessly alongside Disney and Hulu entertainment and family programming.
“We are providing everything ESPN has to offer directly to fans and all in one place,” Pitaro said. “As we thought about the name, we kept returning to the fact that, across every generation, ESPN is the most trusted, loved and recognized name in sports, and that we should keep it simple and double down on the power of ESPN. Our straightforward approach to name and pricing will help fans cut through the clutter, and provide them compelling options to access all our content within the enhanced ESPN App. It will be the ultimate sports destination for personalized experiences and features, and, on top of that, fans will be able to choose to bundle ESPN with the industry-leading Disney+ and Hulu streaming services.”
Moreover, the ESPN unlimited package will include all of ESPN’s linear networks – ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes – in addition to ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX.
Both bundles will receive access to content that is currently available on the ESPN+ platform, which includes live game broadcasts, original series and on-demand replays. Furthermore, ESPN+ subscribers will automatically become ESPN Select subscribers upon the launch of the new service, and the ESPN+ service itself will be offered through the Select plan or within the Unlimited plan.
The company announced that additional details including the specific launch date will be made available later this summer.
. @espn makes it official: The company's first DTC product will be called……
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Following a delay in a soft deadline to decide if they could work out an extension for their media rights agreements with FanDuel Sports Network, five NBA teams have now decided to opt in on keeping their current agreements for the upcoming 2025–2026 season. According to a report in the Sports Business Journal, the contracts for the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, and Minnesota Timberwolves have all been renewed. Consequently, these teams have chosen to return to the network instead of searching for a new agreement with another RSN.
Previously, a report last month noted that the five NBA franchises delayed a soft deadline of April 1, following an extension from another deadline last December to finalize the arrangement. Diamond Sports Group, which owns FanDuel Sports Network, emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January under the new name of Main Street Sports Group. As a result, the company will continue to hold broadcast media rights agreements with a total of 13 NBA franchises for the upcoming season.
“FanDuel Sports Network is excited to continue to deliver exceptional broadcasts for our 13 NBA team partners through a flexible, multi-platform offering that fans can easily access and reaches 100% of the teams’ local markets,” said a Main Street Sports Group spokesperson to the Sports Business Journal.
Meanwhile, the news comes as the NBA continues to work on a potential national streaming option. For example, the option would provide teams a choice to return to FanDuel Sports Network, work on their own RSN agreements, or alternatively, choose to adopt a more linear, over-the-air model like what the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, and several other teams have done in recent years. Looking ahead, the likely start of a national streaming RSN option for teams will arrive no later than 2027. In the meantime, the league will continue discussions with Apple, Amazon, YouTube, and potentially Roku and ESPN’s new DTC app, which will be announced today.
As of last month, Sports Business Journal was reporting that the NBA is informing team executives that the streaming RSN deal for the league is not imminent. Therefore, executives are being advised to stay patient with the ongoing negotiations.
In related news, FanDuel Sports Network announced last week that since the start of the 2025 MLB season, the network’s streaming platform has averaged 250,000 unique daily users and nearly 1 million unique monthly users. Impressively, in just eight weeks, the network has doubled its paid subscriber base to nearly 650,000 and is on pace to reach 1 million direct-to-consumer (DTC) subscribers by the end of the year.
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The Philadelphia 76ers returned to the NBA Draft lottery for the first time in seven years last night, as the annual ping-pong ball extravaganza caught the attention of the basketball world. With the 76ers back in the lottery, it was also the first opportunity for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez podcast, featuring Spike Eskin and Mike Levin, to host their annual lottery party when the Philadelphia basketball team was eligible.
Since 2016, the wildly popular 76ers podcast has held a lottery party every year the franchise was eligible to earn the first overall draft pick in the NBA Draft. This year, a sold-out Franklin Music Hall celebrated as the 76ers drew the third overall selection in this June’s NBA Draft.
The event was hosted by Eskin and Levin. Moreover, it also included guest appearances from The Rights To Ricky Sanchez alum Pablo Torre, singer Tim Hause, 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele, and remote appearances by 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and 76ers rookie Jared McCain, who represented the team at the NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago.
As the crowd erupted in cheers with every team that was selected before Philadelphia, there were also plenty of jeers as players from other teams represented at the draft lottery were shown on the screen. Meanwhile, the storyline of whether the Dallas Mavericks would somehow earn the first overall selection following a tumultuous season trading superstar Luka Doncic led to chants to “rig it” as the night went on.
Before the lottery began, The Rights To Ricky Sanchez hosts Eskin and Levin welcomed all those in attendance to throw ping pong balls at the stage in a public stoning of a “human sacrifice” for the event. Additionally, the crowd enjoyed a performance of “Imagine the Process” performed by Hause.
Following the lottery, Eskin and Levin hosted a live episode of the podcast for the sold-out crowd featuring Torre, where he was inducted into the podcast’s “Process Hall of Fame,” playing off the term “Trust the Process” which came from Torre during an appearance on Around The Horn years ago. Furthermore, the live performance also included a sit-down interview with Yabusele to wrap up the night.
Tickets for attendees were priced at $25, with a VIP package sold for $100. Importantly, sales benefitted Mama-Tee Community Fridge in Philadelphia, which helps families in need who are food insecure, and Providence Animal Center, a nonprofit organization providing adoption, medical care, and training for companion animals.
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iHeartMedia has revealed its first-quarter financial figures. The company was one of the rare radio groups that reported a revenue increase.
During the quarter, iHeart saw a 1% increase in revenue compared to the same window last year, up to $807 million. The biggest driver of that revenue increase was digital audio, as that sector increased by $38.3 million during the quarter. That figure represents growth of 16% compared to the first quarter of 2024. Digital Audio revenue accounted for $277 million, with podcast revenue equaling $116 million of that figure.
The company’s Multiplatform Group saw a decrease of 4.2% — $20.5 million — during the quarter, while its Audio & Media Services division also saw a reduction of 14.2%, down $9.8 million during the first quarter.
“We are pleased with our Q1 results given the uncertain environment in which we are operating now, and we think these results demonstrate the resilience and relevance of our products and the tremendous growth opportunity we have with our podcast business in particular,” said CEO Bob Pittman.
iHeartMedia reported an Adjusted EBITDA of $105 million, which is flat compared to the first quarter of last year. Operating expenses decreased during the quarter. However, the company reported a net loss of $281 million due to a $135 million income tax expense. The company reported $168 million in cash at the end of the quarter, $559 million in total available liquidity, and a net debt of $4.6 billion.
“In the first quarter, we generated Adjusted EBITDA of $105 million, flat to prior year, consistent with our previously provided guidance, and our consolidated revenues for the quarter were up 1.0% compared to the prior-year quarter, above our guidance of down low-single digits, driven by the Digital Audio Group revenues and Adjusted EBITDA growth of 16% and 28% respectively,” iHeartMedai President, COO, and CFO Rich Bressler said.
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 University or Oregon has announced a partnership with Learfield, a leading media and technology company in college athletics, utilizing SportsBug to introduce a first-of-its-kind, no-delay play-by-play radio streaming experience for fans attending live sporting events.
The Ducks will serve as the launch partner for the new technology, which is set to debut Aug. 30 during the Oregon’s football regular season opener. Fans inside Autzen Stadium in Eugene will be able to stream Learfield’s home radio broadcasts in real time — with less than one second of delay — using the Varsity Network App or by tuning in through local radio affiliates including KUGN Newstalk 590.
“We are excited to launch this partnership with SportsBug. At Oregon we take pride in providing the best fan experience both in the stadium and on the airwaves,” said Kelly Schukart, vice president and general manager of Oregon Sports Properties. “This is a great way to bring it all together for Duck fans.”
In addition to football, the real-time audio experience will be available for Learfield’s home broadcasts of men’s and women’s basketball and baseball throughout the year next season.
“This partnership is launching at the perfect place,” said Chuck Bortnick, chief operating officer of SportsBug. “The University of Oregon has one of the most passionate fanbases in the country. With Learfield’s comprehensive coverage across multiple sports, Oregon fans will now get the added bonus of listening to their favorite play-by-play broadcast teams — with no delay.”
Unlike traditional streaming play-by-play, which can lag behind live action by 30 seconds or more, SportsBug’s proprietary technology utilizes 4G and 5G networks to deliver audio with virtually no delay. As a result, fans can experience every play in real time while watching the game live in person — eliminating the frustrating disconnect common with standard streaming services.
The initiative marks a significant step forward in enhancing the in-stadium fan experience, combining the energy of live sports with seamless, synchronized audio coverage.
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In my column yesterday, I promised a big addition to the 2025 BNM Summit lineup. Today, I am excited to share the news with you. The great Glenn Beck will join us in the big apple for this year’s Summit.
Glenn Beck has been a force of nature in the news media industry. He’s left his mark on everything he’s touched from radio to television to digital. He is a leading voice for conservatism and a staunch defender of the Constitution, traditional values, individual liberties, and free markets. His radio program is heard across hundreds of radio stations daily courtesy of Premiere Networks. He’s additionally consumed digitally through TheBlaze, the 24/7 news, information and opinion network which he owns and launched in 2011.
Known for his quick wit, candor, and commanding on-air presence, Glenn has generated large audiences across all mediums, delivering high ratings and revenue in the process. In addition to possessing strong views on politics and everyday issues, he is also well versed in every aspect of the media industry. I’m eager to sit down down with him at 1:30pm on Day 1 of the Summit, and pick his brain on a variety of issues.
The 2025 BNM Summit presented by Newsmax is going to be a big event. After two years of growth in Nashville and Washington D.C., we’re excited to bring the conference for the first-time to NYC. Eight partners have already signed on, and additional opportunities are available. For more details, contact Stephanie Eads at Stephanie@BarrettMedia.com.
Unlike our past two events, this year’s event will be shorter. The Summit festivities begin with the Kickoff Party at the Park Central Hotel on Tuesday night September 2nd. Day 1 of the Summit then takes place on Wednesday September 3rd from 9a-5p inside The Ailey Theater on West 55th Street. Immediately after Day 1, we’ll host an After Party from 6-8. We then cap it off on Thursday September 4th with 2-hours of content inside The Ailey Theater from 10a-12p. The Premiere Networks Awards ceremony will close the show.
In addition, this is a special year for our brand as September marks 10-years in business for Barrett Media. To celebrate the occasion, we are throwing ‘The Barrett Bash‘, a special invite-only anniversary party on Thursday September 4th from 5p-8p. All attendees to the 2025 BNM Summit will receive a ticket to attend the private event. The Bash will unite professionals from all areas of the industry including news, sports, music, and more.
Another big speaker announcement will be made tomorrow morning regarding the 2025 BNM Summit. This one is a top ranking executive. Keep an eye out for it.
To join us in New York for the 2025 BNM Summit, log on to BNMSummit.com. Tickets are discounted thru June 30th. Details on hotel room reservations are also posted on the site. We look forward to seeing you there.
Four weeks back, Rory McIlroy was marching down #18 at Augusta National on his way to what professional golfers call “The Career Grand Slam”.
This elusive “Slam” – winning all four of golf’s major tournaments – The US Open, The PGA Championship, The Open Championship and The Masters – is a feat achieved by only five players in golf’s history.
On this Master’s Sunday, Rory McIlroy would be the sixth.
And – while approaching the 18th green, McIlroy still had not said anything to his playing partner, Bryson DeChambeau, the entire round – four and a half hours of golf.
Not. One. Word.
Why?
Dr. Bob told Rory McIlroy not to say a word – or break his focus.
It worked.
Rory McIlroy has a Swing Coach, a Nutrition Coach, and a Personal Training Coach. Plus, a guy named Bob Rotella – his MENTAL coach.
Dr. Bob Rotella is widely regarded as the leading mental coach in the world of golf, assisting the world’s best to perform under pressure.
His “Rotella’s Rules” – 10 rules that are often referred to as the standard when building mental fitness in competition.
While Rotella’s Mental Coaching is golf-centered, much of what he preaches translates to radio, especially Adult Formats.
Here’s a sample:
Don’t be seduced by results.
Just over 35 years ago, the Kevin Costner film Field of Dreams landed in theatres with the central theme – “If You Build It, They Will Come.” If you have a great product, people will find you.
You’ve built a great Adult Contemporary product—a solid Music Matrix, the market’s best talent and community promotions. Celebrate your victories and move on. Setbacks will come, along with more victories.
Get ratings off your desk. We’ve encouraged programmers to ignore weekly ratings, even monthly reports. It takes half a year to detect trends. Results weighing on quick decisions can quickly lead you off course.
Beat them with patience.
A sister idea to being seduced by results, patience is a virtue, especially with Adult Formats. Research shows by the time people reach their 30s, their brand loyalties are set. Resist change, as change potentially will disrupt your core.
Music shifts with Adult Contemporary will take several seasons to indicate the success of your music moves. Patience with changes pays dividends.
Talent changes require extreme patience. Even in metered markets, a new Morning Show or personality change is ‘new’ for 12 to 18 months. Set expectations with your team—manage expectations UP also—that success with new talent for your listeners takes time to bake in.
Embrace your personality.
Through the years, we’ve found that Adult Contemporary brands are linear in presentation. That is, personalities are often coached to read liners, imaging has little or no life, and promotions offer little beyond ‘caller #9’.
We often recruit and coach programmers to put their personality into the presentation effort. You entered this rocky road we call ‘a radio career’ because of the FUN it brought into our lives. Even with Adult Contemporary, we’re in Show Business!
Avoid the Social Contagion of emulating the ‘sound’ of another Adult Contemporary brand, even though that brand may experience success. Your vision and personality should be reflected in the sound you create for your station.
Find someone who believes in you.
We’ve preached this for years: Find a mentor to bounce your ideas off. This could be someone highly successful in your format, a morning show talent to add to your network, or a programmer within your company.
As outlined above in the Rory McIlroy case, he has several categories in which he finds support. A mentor doesn’t need to have all the answers and don’t shy away from switching your mentor network throughout the years.
This will build confidence in yourself and the decisions you make for your brand. Mentors who believe in you come in all forms – spouse, a friend, a teacher or reading what psychologists have to offer.
Have a routine to lean on.
Related to point #2 – Patience – is routine. Build a disciplined Music Matrix with a sense of predictability – mornings that place solid benchmarks at the same scheduled time each day – interesting but easily followed promotions.
Adult Contemporary fans take the same daily route to work, have a Sunday Morning regimen, and eat the same two to three things for lunch each week. Expectations when they come to you for the same experience each listening occasion should be routine.
Often programmers get bored with music rotations and promotions, feeling the need to ‘tinker.’ We coach stations to repeat contesting throughout the year, as learning a NEW mechanic for a giveaway takes listeners a week or so just to learn how to play. Don’t allow boredom to break your routine.
Custom brand building is a messy process. Somewhere on your journey, wheels are bound to loosen, bringing you off course. Having a framework to guide you brings you closer to achieving daily excellence.
Dr. Bob Rotella’s best-selling book, which is ageless, is Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect. It is a solid and quick read that can be applied to radio and life.
One of Dr. Rotella’s rules not covered above:
Believe You Can Win.
Belief is powerful and contagious, and it might be the most powerful of Rotella’s 10 for your staff.
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.
I’ve just returned from my first BSM Summit held last week in Chicago. It was an excellent conference. Jason pulls together great content, and unlike some other conferences I’ve attended, he keeps the trains running on time. OK, maybe Ozzie Guillen was an exception, but he was entertaining. Regardless of where the BSM Summit is held next year, if you’re involved in any way with sports media, plan to go. Even if it is to learn plenty more about research and ratings information from Nielsen.
Whenever I attend a conference like this, my goal is to jump-start the brain cells. That happened the first day during the “Mid Majors” panel. Andy Roth, the PD of 680 The Fan in Atlanta, made some pertinent comments about Nielsen and crediting. Brad Carson from 92.9 ESPN in Memphis echoed them but then professed his love for Nielsen, tongue firmly planted in cheek. They argued that Nielsen is 20 or 30 years behind, and they have a point.
Having been around for a long time, I always start with history. Let me take you back to the days before PPM when every market used the Arbitron diary. Streaming of radio stations was becoming popular and it raised a conundrum as more stations put content on the internet but in some cases, sold the stream separately from the air signal.
The old Arbitron Radio Advisory Committee met three times a year back then, and the meetings could get testy. In this case, the issue was that if a diarykeeper wrote down “WXXX on the internet”, editors were instructed to give credit to the air signal.
The cry of “fraud” was heard in the meeting room, mostly from one member. The rest of the group didn’t go that far, but understood that Arbitron would be giving credit when the spot could not have been heard. The advertiser was not getting all of the audience they had paid for. As a result, Arbitron promulgated the simulcast rules for streams that have been in place ever since with little, if any, modification.
It’s been 15 years since the PPM rollout was completed to the 48 metros which caused even more twists and turns with respect to the rules, none of which make a PD’s job easier. As stations go increasingly digital, it’s time to revisit the rules.
Andy’s request was a simple one: give me credit for wherever my content is heard, which can also mean viewed on YouTube and elsewhere. That makes sense to me and if you’re a PD in just about any format but especially spoken word (and that includes all-talk morning shows on music stations), I’ll bet you agree.
Talent does, too. One talent in the BSM Summit audience asked about how this affected his bonus. He’s bonused on Nielsen, but what about all his other audience coming from digital platforms? Shouldn’t talent get credit for the audience they bring to the station, however that audience consumes the content?
I’ll save my proposals for next week because we first need to understand how the competition is measured, especially digital.
One BSM Summit presenter noted how flimsy the crediting system is for digital. If you start checking online, you’ll find some amazing things. For example, a Nielsen document from 2023 states what is needed for a digital ad to count as an impression: Current digital media viewability guidelines to qualify an impression stipulate that an ad must be at least 50% in focus on the user’s screen—not hidden behind another window, for example, or playing in the background—for at least 1 second for display ads and 2 consecutive seconds for video ads.
You read that correctly. One second and 50% in focus for display ads or two seconds for video ads. It takes me at least two seconds to find the “X” to cancel out the ads that show up on my screens! I can’t tell you the names of the advertisers but because I find the ads to be annoying when I’m trying to read something, I look for the “X” which typically appears in the upper right corner. Nonetheless, I’m another impression.
Now let’s talk about ad fraud, digital’s dirty little secret. It’s not the pseudo-fraud of the incredibly loose viewability standards, but rather outright fraud. In 2023, Juniper Research released a study suggesting that over 20% of all digital advertising spend worldwide was wasted due to fraud. In dollar terms, that’s $84 billion. Further, this could double by 2028. Here’s Juniper’s chart:
Let’s see: digital advertising is taking over, but better than 20% is fraudulent, and the criteria for counting an impression are pathetic. If you owned a business and got wind that over 20% of your money was being stolen, I’ll bet you’d do something about it and quickly. The Juniper report is not unique if you start searching the web for similar reports. But be careful because you’ll no doubt hand over a batch of impressions to our digital competition.
And we have trouble getting advertisers, agencies, and even local direct stores to not just buy, but even consider radio.
What digital does have going for it is attribution. When it’s not fraudulent, you can track that someone saw an ad and took action, such as visiting the advertiser’s website. However, while useful, that works for fast actions. What if I visit the site three days later, after multiple messages across multiple media? It’s a tough one to measure.
Next week, I’ll make some suggestions about how we can ensure that radio, whether OTA or digital, can get full credit for all listening, tracking the evolution of the medium and perhaps better compete with digital.
Let’s meet again next week.
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The Friday following the NFL Draft is a massive day for sports radio. Fans flock in to hear reaction about the next great superstar prospect for their hometown NFL team, and what to look forward to over the next two days as rosters continue to be built for the upcoming training camp season. For Tyrone Johnson, it wasn’t the usual Friday following the NFL Draft, as it would be his last with 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Johnson wrapped up his program, was walked into the offices at Beasley Broadcasting, and told his services were no longer needed.
“I had sensed there were people in town that weren’t normally in town. There were a few tells that things weren’t so great,” said Johnson. “They brought me into the office. They said they have to make difficult decisions. I said okay. They said they were going another direction, and I said okay. That literally was it.”
In less than three years after launching The Best Show Ever? with Johnson, Ricky Bottalico, Hunter Brody, and Jennifer Scordo, 97.5 The Fanatic had made the decision to move on. After nine years of devotion to the radio station both as a producer and host, Johnson said he felt a strong sense that he knew his exit was near with just months remaining on his contract.
He admitted that as the lead talent on the program, he felt the responsibility of meeting the expectations management had for the program in the coveted afternoon drive daypart on 97.5 The Fanatic. However, when asked if he felt he received everything he needed from management in order to succeed, Johnson noted that not every request was met.
“It was a situation where obviously it was fluid and what was needed from me changed fairly often, but if you’re going to be the lead person on the show, it’s your job to respond to that,” noted Johnson. “I don’t think failure was a certainty, but I didn’t get everything that I asked for.”
The Battle To Beat The Competition Included Constant Hurdles
A radio lifer, Johnson calls his relationship with the medium “toxic.” With 25 of his 45 years on Earth devoted to the media industry, he has a deep passion for the business and still strives to be successful at his craft. Living in a passionate sports market like Philadelphia, Johnson knew going up against 94WIP would be a challenge with its rich history in the market. However, he didn’t see the challenge of beating WIP as unreasonable.
“Their brand at 94WIP is extremely strong, and that is a hurdle,” said Johnson. “If you provide content that people want, and you execute that content to the highest level, you can still win there. I didn’t always do that. Now, there were challenges along the way that made it more difficult, but I don’t think it’s impossible.”
When Johnson began The Best Show Ever?, it was live-streamed locally on NBC Sports Philadelphia as a partnership between the network and 97.5 The Fanatic dating back to 2018. Following Mike Missanelli’s exit in 2022 due to a contract dispute, the partnership with NBC Sports continued with Johnson and The Best Show Ever? showcased their product to viewers on the network.
Johnson was no stranger to the television side of the daypart as he served as Missanelli’s producer previously, but he feels that because the program was streamed on NBC Sports Philadelphia, it impacted the ratings he received on the radio product.
“TV was a blessing and a curse. TV did make a huge impact, and we trained people more or less to consume it that way,” said Johnson. “It was a good thing for my personal brand, but I do think it affected the habits of our audience.”
When asked if NBC Sports Philadelphia shared viewership data for the program either with The Fanatic’s management or himself, Johnson declined to answer. He did note that because of the simulcast of the program on NBC Sports Philadelphia, he had to close out each segment mentioning the television channel in every tease.
“I think there was an audience there that was difficult to measure because the way they were consuming the product was not by the radio,” Johnson said. “Every single segment I’m saying both 97.5 The Fanatic and NBC Sports Philadelphia. As more people work from home, why wouldn’t I just watch it on TV? Why would I turn on the radio when I can see it? That absolutely played a role, but I don’t want it to come off like I’m making excuses.”
Leaving 97.5 The Fanatic With No Regrets
Johnson announced his departure from The Fanatic with a tweet on his personal X account that simply read: “It was a good run. I regret nothing.” While the messaging was short and to the point, Johnson took to his personal YouTube account the following Monday to discuss his exit, saying he knew that day would come and he was not shocked that it happened.
When asked if he regretted not having a final sendoff program at a radio station he devoted his passion to for the last nine years, Johnson said he didn’t earn that opportunity.
“Very rarely do people get to do that. I am not a legend,” explained Johnson. “I absolutely didn’t earn a final show. It would have been nice, but I didn’t earn a final show because I’m not a legend.”
Radio Is Still Playing From Behind
Now removed from the radio industry he has been a part of for many years, Johnson’s outlook for the health and success of the terrestrial radio landscape is filled with many questions and few answers. He says that radio is still playing catch-up to all its competitors and has been for many years.
“I don’t think the industry itself has innovated to the level that they needed to. I think we branded things wrong for many years across the industry, and that really bothers me,” Johnson said. “As an industry, we shot ourselves in the foot by not embracing where people were consuming the content.”
Not only does Johnson feel that the industry has been slow to move where the audience is going to consume content, but the monetization model of how people are consuming is also lacking in the radio industry.
“I don’t care how they consume my product. I just want them to consume the product. Then once we have the data, we should be able to monetize that product,” said Johnson. “Radio as a whole has done a horrid job, frankly, just following that simple thing—by pushing against the current rather than going with it and trying to innovate along with it. Everybody that was working in the industry at that time was better than any podcaster, because none of the podcasters had any experience. I just think that was a huge loss. I do wonder if it’s too late to make up for some of those mistakes industry-wide.”
Johnson says he is unsure of his next steps following his departure from 97.5 The Fanatic but would be open to the idea of getting back into the business if the right opportunity presented itself. However, because of his “toxic” relationship with radio, his view on what his next steps could be includes much more than ever before.
“I’m much more open to other things. For years I could have done other things, and I didn’t because I loved it so much. I still love it to that degree, but I have to just be realistic,” Johnson explained. “I still think that if it’s done correctly with the proper support, it can still work. It takes a lot of commitment from people to really do it right, and it takes a lot of work ethic from the talent. Any other job in the world—not everybody has the same work ethic. At this point, it must be a spot where everybody’s pulling in the same direction, and it feels almost impossible if everybody isn’t.”
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Sports fans are predisposed to craving gossip. Think about the information we look to ESPN for every day – salaries, locker room relationships, who may be in danger of losing their job. That would all be considered gossip in every other walk of life.
There are times when things get a little more salacious. Just look at any bit of information we have learned about Bill Belichick since he was hired as the head coach at North Carolina. Nationally, everyone is talking about his love life. Locally, we’ve been fascinated by the idea that there is a succession plan to install his son Steve as the Tar Heels’ next head coach. It’s all classic TMZ or Page Six stuff.
You’ve no doubt heard the phrase that “sex sells.” It’s true in all forms of entertainment, including sports radio. Scores and stats will always be the lifeblood of what we do, but gossip is really good for our business.
We talk a lot about how sports radio can cast a wider net. We are a niche format after all.
No one is suggesting that a sports station’s afternoon host should be pulling content from the same prep sheet as a CHR station’s morning show, but gossip has a place on sports radio.
In fact, it may be our best tool for casting a wider net and attracting new listeners.
Remember Taylor Swift?
Very few entertainment properties captivate Americans the way the NFL does. Even at the peak of the brand’s popularity, Marvel movies didn’t have the cultural penetration that football enjoys.
Think about that and then remember that ratings for Kansas City Chiefs games went up when news of Taylor Swift’s relationship with Travis Kelce became public. It wasn’t just Swifties that had never thought about football before coming to the sport. Even the people that would rather calculate quarterback ratings than listen to 1989 had opinions on the pop star, her relationship with the Chiefs’ tight end, and the way networks were talking about her.
Hi @taylorswift13 long time friend. If you decide to come watch a certain TE play in Minnesota on 10/8 I can get you into a suite. Maybe even the broadcast booth, wanna call the game with @PAOnTheMic ? We can make that happen. Pretty sure I’m your oldest radio friend in MSP…
No one took better advantage of the story and the conversation than Paul Allen. On his KFAN show, Allen declared that the door to the studio is open and there will be a mic available for Taylor Swift if she wanted to sit in with him on the radio call of the Chiefs’ visit to Minnesota.
Allen turned it into a week of content. He asked his bosses at iHeartMedia how they could make it work. He answered questions from the media about how serious the offer was. He heard from listeners that were angry at the very suggestion that a pop star, let alone a girlfriend of one of the opponents’ biggest stars, would be allowed to take over the Vikings’ radio broadcast.
Taylor and Travis created a runaway train. Allen couldn’t upend it, nor could he become the main character in the story, but he recognized a unique way he could connect it to himself and his audience and it probably did more for his show than any amount of conversation about how the Vikings and Chiefs matchup ever could have.
Private People Get Private Lives
Everyone has had an awkward encounter with someone they are interviewing. Maybe it’s because of something you say directly to them. Maybe it’s because of something you said about them that they either heard or heard about from people in their inner circle.
Remember in 2018 when Tom Brady sold an all-access documentary to Facebook called Tom vs. Time? He invited fans to see how he went about preparing for a new football season after turning 40. Since he was the biggest star in the history of Boston sports, naturally WEEI offered their opinions on the show each week.
That included Alex Reimer, who went on the station’s then morning show and called Brady’s daughter “an annoying little pissant.” Brady, who called into the morning show weekly, heard the comment and took hosts Kirk Minihane and Gerry Callahan to task over it.
Reimer got suspended. Certainly, his commentary was over the top and unwise, but it can be argued that the private lives of public figures are fair game. Particularly when those public figures are putting their private lives on TV…or the internet in that case.
Has the internet made everyone a public figure? Mary Kate Cornette, the Ole Miss student at the center of an internet rumor that dominated sports media for a couple of days back in March, might say that.
A rumor about her sex life turned into content for Barstool, for Pat McAfee, and so many others. Only one local radio personality got called out in Katie Strang’s story about the incident at The Athletic, 101 ESPN’s Doug Vaughn.
Sex sells and gossip is good for business, but you’ve gotta use your brain. When you’re in your 60s and you’re talking about a college freshman no one has ever heard of, you aren’t casting a wider net. You’re being a creep and turning off some of your own listeners.
It’s Okay To Be The Gossip!
Sometimes, a host finds themselves embroiled in a feud that gets others talking. Take Mike Bell for example. The 92.9 The Game host found himself in the middle of a Twitter beef with Trae Young, who didn’t like the way the afternoon drive co-host on the Atlanta Hawks’ flagship station was talking about him.
Bell wasn’t new to the business when this happened in 2023 and he was far from the first host to be in that situation. He knew exactly what to do. He kept the conflict going and then took it to the air. Being on in the afternoon meant that Bell’s colleagues at the station had all day to build up what it was that he was going to say when he and Carl Dukes finally came on the air.
Mike Bell didn’t mince words when he cracked the mic either. He had heard what his colleagues had to say and what their callers had to say. He had read comments from faceless Twitter handles all day long. None of it convinced him to back off. He came right out and said that the Hawks’ best player and biggest star didn’t like to be held accountable.
The conflict may have started with conversation about what Young was or wasn’t doing on the court, but it quickly turned into a he said/she said back and forth. Listeners are bound to be curious about what comes next.
It’s just like when Craig Carton returned to WFAN and he and Boomer Esiason were trading jabs back and forth. Good natured or not, there was intrigue to hear what two former partners were saying about each other. Same with ESPN New York rushing to get Chris Carlin on The Michael Kay Showafter he was fired by WFAN.
If a host is good at what they do, their listeners feel a bond with them and they want to know all the dirt about those people that they never get to hear on the air.
Don’t let sports fans tell you they don’t care about gossip. We may call Adam Schefter and Shams Charania “insiders,” but they are no different than anyone working for TMZ. They cover a particular beat and they report what well-placed sources are telling them. If there is no official press release or signed contract to back it up, it really isn’t that much different from gossip.
Listeners can handle more than they say they can. They do and think about more than programmers and consultants sometimes give them credit for.
It doesn’t mean I think every sports radio show should go seeking out gossip, but when a gift like Taylor Swift dating Travis Kelce or Bill Belichick trying his damndest to ruin his football legacy for the benefit of a girlfriend young enough to be his granddaughter, don’t run from it. Cast a wide net and embrace it!
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