ESPN reached more than 194 million unique users across ESPN Digital, YouTube and ESPN-branded social platforms throughout the month of March, representative of 69% of the adult population in the United States, according to data recently released by Comscore. As the company continues to maintain its stellar presence across these platforms, ESPN Social accrued 793 million engagements in a month for the 45th consecutive first-place finish. This equates to approximately 25.6 million engagements per day as ESPN covered seminal events throughout the month, such as the NCAA basketball tournaments, MLB opening day, among others. Furthermore, both ESPN Digital and Social registered No. 1 rankings in the U.S. Sports Category for the month.
Compared to the statistics from the previous month, the total number of unique users reached was down by 3%, and social engagements were down 23% reaching a still impressive 25.6 million engagements a day.
The ESPN App garnered 28.4 million unique fans throughout the month of March, a metric more than four times its closest competitor along with the next seven non-ESPN apps combined. The ESPN Fantasy app also amassed 5.8 million unique fans throughout the month, as the ESPN Tournament Challenge App reached 3.1 million unique fans for the month involving both the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments.
Last month, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro conveyed that there would be significant enhancements to the ESPN App as the company aims to have users authenticate their credentials through the medium to utilize these experiences. Some of these features include personalized editions of SportsCenter, a “Catch Up to Live” functionality and “Rivals Mode” that will allow users to see scores of other teams without having to select them as their favorites. These alterations will be instantiated as the company prepares to reveal a direct-to-consumer functionality later in the year that will allow users to subscribe to ESPN without a traditional pay television plan.
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FOX & Friends co-host Steve Doocy announced Thursday that he has co-hosted the show from the Fox News studios in New York for the final time. But that doesn’t mean he’s leaving the program.
Doocy shared that after more than 30 years, he will be relocating to Florida, but will continue to host the popular morning show three days per week, remotely.
“It is a great job, but the hours suck,” Doocy said during his announcement. “Ainsley (Earhardt) and I have talked about this for years, about how hard it is to dash back from wherever we are on the weekends, to be live on this couch at 6 AM on Monday, but we have to, because the curvy couch is an important part of the show.”
Doocy went on to point out that he is not retiring, just that he’s trading driving into New York at 3:30 AM for a remote role in Florida.
“I’m not retiring and I’m not leaving the show,” Doocy continued. “I’m still a host, but it’s time for a change. Suzanne Scott — the CEO of Fox News Media, and a friend of mine for over 30 years — and I have been trying to figure out what a guy who’s been getting up at 3:30 for two generations should do next. And Suzanne gave me a great option to keep working on the show, just not every day. So from now on, I am working three days a week.”
The 68-year-old Doocy has worked at Fox News since 1996. He began co-hosting FOX & Friends in 1998.
He added that his location in Florida is a strategic one “because it’s going to make it easier for me to report from Florida and other parts of America that don’t get a lot of network air time. I’ll be going from the Carolinas to the Keys, from Middle America to Mar-a-Lago. So, call me the coast to coast host.”
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NBC Sports is gearing up to embark on the first year of an 11-year media rights deal that it signed with the NBA and WNBA beginning this year. With the flagship Sunday Night Football agreement already in place with the network for several more years, there are questions surrounding whether NBC would be interested in working a deal with Major League Baseball for the rights to broadcast Sunday Night Baseball.
Earlier this year, ESPN and MLB announced a mutual end to their broadcasting rights agreement, which included Sunday Night Baseball, the MLB Wild Card series, and the MLB Home Run Derby. Subsequently, NBC Sports president Rick Cordella joined CNBC’s Alex Sherman and discussed how the network is looking at potentially doing business with Major League Baseball.
“I think with any league that brings their product to market, we have a deck on it,” said Cordella. “We do analysis on it. We look at through those various things I mentioned at the very top about how much value we can drive off Peacock, linear, distribution, and advertising. Does that economic reality make sense with what another group is asking for in return? Sometimes there’s a match and sometimes there’s not. With baseball or any other sport that’s out there, we’ll see.”
Furthermore, earlier this year, NBC Sports president of acquisitions & partnerships Jon Miller revealed at the SportsPro conference in New York City that the network was exploring a bid with Major League Baseball. He noted that NBC had rights agreements with MLB twice before and pointed out that it is not uncommon for leagues to return back to the network.
While Cordella said he had no new news about the discussions, he was asked by Sherman if he felt there were any progressions in the conversations.
“We talked to everyone,” said Cordella. “There’s a few different deals that are up at this time, including MLB. We look at all of them and we’ll make an assessment and a decision.”
Moreover, Cordella then agreed with Sherman’s assumption that having a Sunday night baseball package to go along with an NBA and NFL package would make sense for the network, saying that “there would be some symmetry to that.”
Finally, the current agreement between ESPN and MLB, which ends following the conclusion of the World Series, is arranged where ESPN pays out $550 million dollars a season.
This week’s CNBC Sport videocast guest — the head of NBC Sports Rick Cordella.
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There’s reason to celebrate for Remote News Service as the company has surpassed 120 affiliates nationwide after the addition of four more stations.
With the addition of stations like Results Radio in Yuba City/Marysville, California; Regional Radio in Saratoga Springs, New York; Basin Mediactive in Klamath Falls, Oregon; and WTAQ at Midwest Communications in Green Bay, the company founded by Lesley Lotto has surpassed 120 stations.
“I continue to be blown away by our continued growth, but simply said, hard work does pay off,” said Lotto.
“You would never know their anchors aren’t sitting in our newsroom,” WTAQ General Manager Jason Hillery said of Remote News Service. “The local news coverage is incredible, and custom to what we need each day. On top of that, it’s wildly affordable!”
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The Radio Hall of Fame has announced its comprehensive list of nominees for induction in the class of 2025.
The 24 nominees were chosen by the Hall’s nominating committee, with the help of radio industry leaders and listeners.
“What an amazing list of talented broadcasters that have been nominated for induction to the 2025 Class of the Radio Hall of Fame,” said co-chair of the Radio Hall of Fame Dennis Green. “This will be the 37th Radio Hall of Fame class inducted and it is an honor to recognize broadcasters that have made an impact on the radio industry and in many cases continue that work today. Congratulations to all the nominees!”
“Congratulations to this year’s nominees for induction,” added fellow co-chair Kraig Kitchin. “To receive this recognition for your on-air talents and audience connections is special, particularly given the number of suggestions received for nominations, and the Nominating Committee’s extensive deliberations. I look forward to seeing the industry voting results in late June.”
Voting will begin on Tuesday, May 27th, and conclude on Monday, June 16th. Of the 24 nominees, the top six vote-getters will be inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Two additional inductees will be selected by the nominating committee to make up the eight-person class.
The following are the nominees for the Radio Hall of Fame Class of 2025:
Alice Cooper
Bert Weiss
Big D & Bubba
Bob and Sheri
Bob Sirott
Bob Stroud
Colin Cowherd
D.L. Hughley
DeDe McGuire
Enrique Santos
Funkmaster Flex
Joey Reynolds
John Garabedian
John Kobylt & Ken Chiampou, co-hosts of The John & Ken Show
Kevin Matthews
Kid Leo
Larry Elder
Laurie De Young
Mark “Hawkeye” Louis
Martha Quinn
Mojo in the Morning
Raul Brindis
Scott Simon
Shelley Stewart
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NESN has announced that seven-time Emmy Award-winning journalist Alanna Rizzo has joined the network as a general sports reporter and analyst.
Rizzo, who will debut on NESN this month, will take on several roles. Her responsibilities include co-hosting the network’s alternate Red Sox broadcast, Unobstructed Views, along with occasional duties as a host and sideline reporter for NESN’s Red Sox coverage. She will also contribute general sports reporting across the network.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Alanna to the NESN team,” said Matt Volk, NESN’s chief operating officer. “Her impressive track record as a sports journalist and reporter, combined with deep knowledge of baseball and energetic storytelling, will continue to elevate our coverage across platforms and enhance our baseball coverage on the network.”
With more than two decades of experience in baseball journalism, Rizzo currently is a contributor to Foul Territory, and has also appeared on Blue Jays Central for SportsNet and hosted TBS’s alternative baseball programming during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Between 2021 and 2024, she served as a regular contributor on MLB Network’s High Heat, where she worked alongside Christopher Russo to interview players, coaches, and league insiders while analyzing major storylines from across Major League Baseball.
Previously Rizzo spent seven seasons with SportsNet Los Angeles as an in-game reporter and host for the Los Angeles Dodgers. She was part of the original broadcast team during the network’s 2014 launch and covered the Dodgers’ World Series appearances in 2017, 2018, and 2020. Her work during that time earned her the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association’s TV Reporter Award in both 2019 and 2020.
“I’m beyond excited to bring my passion, energy, and storytelling to such a historic and respected network,” Rizzo said. “NESN has an incredible legacy, and I can’t wait to be a part of sharing Red Sox baseball with some of the most passionate fans in the world.”
Rizzo’s career began at ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain, where she covered the Colorado Rockies as a host and in-game reporter from 2007 to 2011, including their 2007 World Series run. She joined MLB Network in 2012, appearing on programs such as Intentional Talk and Quick Pitch and covering the 2012 and 2013 MLB All-Star Games.
Outside of broadcasting, Rizzo is also the founder and president of Guidry’s Guardian Foundation, a New England-based nonprofit she launched in 2019. The organization is dedicated to rescuing dogs from high-kill shelters and the streets, funding medical care, and supporting fostering and adoption efforts nationwide.
"I'm beyond excited to bring my passion, energy, and storytelling to such a historic and respected network."
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Audio industry veteran Chris Corcoran has announced the creation of In The Arena Studios, a new multimedia podcast content studio that is going to be centered around franchise verticals featuring a variety of talent. These content verticals are going to be expanded into multiple brand and distribution extensions for the company as well.
The company is looking to become a “first-class studio destination for premium talent and world-class creatives,” and it is debuting with strategic branded verticals with focuses on leadership and mindset that will initially commence in the world of sports.
Geno Auriemma, the 12-time NCAA champion who has garnered the most wins by a NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Coach in history, will be hosting an original series through In The Arena Studios. The show, which is titled LESSONS with Geno Auriemma, will focus on leadership and grant listeners the perspective of the legendary head coach. In addition, the COACH platform brand will feature skiing champion Mikaela Shiffrin and WNBA superstars Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Plum as creative and strategic partners. This platform will share human experience under the aegis of performance and mindset through the lens of star athletes.
“It’s called the creator economy for a reason, and there’s never been a better time to bet on yourself as a creator in this space where podcasting is the new TV,” Corcoran said in a statement. “I’m so excited to collaborate with such incredible talent on these franchise brands and to build a studio that has a real emotional and influential connection to its audience – at In the Arena Studios our collective goal is to make a differentiating and lasting impact.”
Corcoran previously served as a founding partner and chief content officer of Cadence13 where he helped design the podcast company and various shows within its oeuvre. Furthermore, he led the Cadence13 Studios, C13Originals and C13Features endeavors, along with co-creating the Ramble premium digital influencer network. Some of the talent with whom he has worked includes Stephen A. Smith, Adrian Wojnarowski, Dana Karvey and David Spade.
Corcoran is preparing to bring other content verticals to the market under the studio that will take place in sports, pop culture and news-making genres. Media journalists Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino will be under the STATUS umbrella through a partnership, providing the audiences with views into the dynamics of media and the societal impact it yields. Chris Witaske will also be part of a show titled Midwestern Goodbyes featuring conversations with tastemakers creating a vibe that combines a classic midwestern with nostalgia.
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Meet The Podcasters is a special 9-week series created in partnership with Point to Point Marketing. Our final feature is on the ESPN Senior Vice President, Sports Studio & Entertainment, Mike Foss. Revisit former conversations by checking out the entire category.
Foss joined ESPN in 2017 and was named senior vice president, sports studio & entertainment in August of 2024. In his role, he oversees numerous ESPN studio shows including all SportsCenter editions, Get Up, First Take, The Pat McAfee Show, Pardon The Interruption among others. Foss is a graduate of George Mason University and joined USA Today immediately after college eventually becoming the first managing editor of the For The Win sports vertical for the publication.
In this final edition of our ‘Meet The Podcasters’ series, we explore how Foss juggles his responsibilities, ESPN’s massive growth across digital and social, working directly with the Pat McAfee Show, and if the podcasting space has become too saturated.
Mike Foss spoke with Barrett Media from ESPN headquarters in Bristol, CT.
*Editor’s Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.*
John Mamola: What’s a typical day like in the world of Mike Foss at ESPN?
Mike Foss: I don’t think there is such a thing anymore. Because of the nature of the role, you’re prioritizing the needs of the day. That can be different based on the show or the platform. I like to think of myself as the janitor on the team, or the equipment manager. I’m there for everybody else. Whatever folks need on the day-to-day, that’s what I’m going to do.
John Mamola: How many people do you have on your staff?
Mike Foss: I have six direct reports, vice presidents across various platforms. Overall, the team is about 600 people.
The cleanest way to think about it is content and distribution. I have someone that oversees the 7 a.m. SportsCenter, First Take, and Get Up. I work with The Pat McAfee Show directly. I have another person that oversees the 2 p.m. and weekend SportsCenters as well as PTI.
Justin Craig oversees radio, podcast, and digital production. We have someone who oversees the night-side SportsCenters and Scott Van Pelt. Another person oversees the creative content unit and SportsCenter feature edits in that group.
John Mamola: There’s a ton of items you need to keep your thumb on the pulse of every day. You’ve been with ESPN since 2017. What’s been the biggest advancement when it comes to content strategy with the company from when you first started?
Mike Foss: It’s direct-to-consumer and the way we think about delivering content directly to our audiences. Jimmy Pitaro and Burke Magnus — we owe a tremendous amount to both of those guys in shaping that vision.
In 2017, we didn’t have ESPN+. I launched the ESPN YouTube channel that year. Katiee Daley had just begun to pioneer our social strategy. Everything now is built with this notion of a one-to-one relationship with individual audiences, however they’re consuming our content. The big lesson since I’ve been here is you can’t control how people choose to consume the product that you’re offering.
Whether it’s Get Up, First Take, or SportsCenter, we’re building those as linear TV offerings. The reality is audiences are also watching them on YouTube, consuming them on social, and listening to them as podcasts. The challenge is balancing the fact that we want to make the best TV show that we can, but also making sure that we are relevant and engaging however people choose to consume us.
The next iteration is Flagship — making sure that we’re building something that is relevant to people when they consume us on that platform as well.
John Mamola: ESPN has so many programs that are producing content for a podcast consumer. How do you work with talent to ensure all these programs can continually cut through and be impactful?
Mike Foss: It’s a challenge that is very unique to ESPN. The ubiquity of both our shows and our talent is a tremendous asset. When you think of it specifically through the lens of podcast, it can be challenging. If you are getting Adam Schefter on SportsCenter, and Get Up, then on First Take — you need to love Adam Schefter to then seek out The Adam Schefter Podcast.
Fortunately, a lot of people love Adam Schefter and Ty Schmit from The Pat McAfee Show was a great addition to that. You want to make sure that Adam and Ty are taking an approach that showcases their expertise and offers a new angle that you haven’t gotten on ESPN throughout the day.
If that was the only outlet to consume those two people, the perception might be that show is cutting through more. The reality is the show is cutting through nicely and resonating very well. Because you see Ty and Adam for three hours a day on television, you almost get lost in the ubiquity of it all.
John Mamola: ESPN uses their talent a lot to market their own podcasts instead of the brand. Can you explain how vital it is for the success of a podcast to be marketed by the talent producing the content?
Mike Foss: Podcasts are a very intimate thing. It’s an intimate one-to-one relationship with the listener. It makes sense to lean so heavily on the talent when you’re marketing and presenting it.
We are effectively building the relationship between the talent and the individual listener, which runs a little bit counter to how we would approach something on television or a video product. We’re trying to build this close personal relationship between these two parties, so it makes a ton of sense to have the talent be the focal point of our marketing.
John Mamola: You work directly with The Pat McAfee Show for ESPN. How would you describe your role working with Pat?
Mike Foss: Pat McAfee is the executive producer and lead talent. He runs his show, and we license the show on ESPN. It’s been a fantastic relationship over the past two years.
My role with that show depends on the day and the need. He might ask to have someone on the show that works for ESPN or outside the company, and I help facilitate that. There are a bunch of different roles that I fill, but it’s 100% Pat’s show. I support what those guys are doing, and they’re doing great stuff.
John Mamola: When it comes to the relationship with Pat’s program and ESPN in regards to posting content from his show on ESPN social platforms, what’s the strategy in choosing which content from the program is housed and pushed on ESPN branded platforms?
Mike Foss: What we’re trying to do is thread the needle of relevance and resonance for the largest audience possible. Pat going to WrestleMania is an incredible opportunity for a couple of different things. First, about 15,000 people were there live watching the show, giving Pat an opportunity to connect with his fans. For ESPN, to be part of one of the biggest sporting events on the planet — not one night, but two nights. There’s absolutely an advantage to us being in those spaces where we aren’t traditionally.
You find the balance of wrestling coverage with everything else that we do. It goes back to the depth of ESPN — we’re able to do that. We can speak to the NFL Draft, NHL, and NBA playoffs on the ESPN YouTube channel hand-in-hand with an interview with John Cena.
People that are Pat McAfee Show YouTube channel subscribers consume Pat not just on his show, but also across his other ventures like WWE. Having a Paul Heyman interview on The Pat McAfee Show channel would make sense for that audience.
John Mamola:The Pat McAfee Show began as a podcast. The show is a visual product now streaming on YouTube and ESPN. How do you keep a podcast consumer satisfied with the product when the product is so visual?
Mike Foss: You see a ton of podcasts doing the reverse-Pat right now. The Pat McAfee Show was a podcast that also had a massive YouTube following. You see very prominent podcasts that are just now moving to YouTube.
People gravitate towards compelling conversations when they’re listening to the podcasts. Pat has compelling conversations every single day. The people that he has on his show — regardless of who they are — they are going to be on for good lengths of time. Can you watch those conversations on ESPN, YouTube, ESPN+, Disney+, TikTok, Instagram or any of those places? You absolutely could, but it’s also just as relevant to a podcast listener.
The conversation Pat had with LeBron James — that conversation had the number one podcast on Spotify. It’s still resonating with people in the podcast space just as much as it resonates with folks on YouTube.
John Mamola: The podcast space is a very crowded content market. ESPN has a ton of content produced each day in that space. Do you feel the podcast space is too saturated?
Mike Foss: I don’t think it is too saturated. The more people that try podcasting, the more likely we will find someone who is truly innovative and disruptive.
Pat was truly innovative and disruptive when he launched his show. Anybody who believes that they want to have a podcast — swing away. The most successful podcast brands and talent all share a similar quality: they are obsessive. The people at the top of the charts on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts — those people are obsessive about their product.
Is it a hard thing? Absolutely. Normal people won’t be successful in that endeavor. People that are supremely driven with doing their show how they want to do it will get results. Only the top 5% cut through, but those top 5% are awesome. They’re excellent, and it’s not just ESPN. You see those examples across the board. The most successful podcasts are done by the most driven, competitive people that really want to deliver something awesome.
John Mamola: ESPN social and digital has had a great start to 2025, topping the U.S. Sports Category in both January and February according to Comscore data. What drives the consumer to just continually check out ESPN content?
Mike Foss: Our foundation is built on the backs of giants in the industry. ESPN has been around for more than 40 years. There’s a foundation of excellence that was laid well before I got here.
Our mission is to take that reputation and ensure that when people come to our product, it is as excellent as the first time that they consumed us. What you see is an accrual of that audience and that credibility. We’ve had tremendous success, but that success doesn’t happen just because of what we’re doing now.
It’s happened because of what we’ve done in the past, and we can’t be comfortable. We can’t take that for granted. We must continue to spin it forward.
We’re so laser-focused on Flagship because that is the next innovation, the next foray. If we don’t nail that, if we are not excellent there, we will certainly lose some of that equity.
ESPN Digital & Social kicked off another year on top!
Jan. '25 accolades ⬇️ ☑️ ESPN Digital | 209.3M unique fans ☑️ ESPN App | 29M unique fans ☑️ ESPN Social | 978M engagements, 43rd consecutive month at No. 1 among sports properties
John Mamola: What is something you know now that you wish you knew when you started at ESPN?
Mike Foss: We just spoke so much about direct-to-consumer, so I wish I had the last eight years of getting kicked in the teeth on a number of direct-to-consumer ideas that I personally have had here.
You see it in SportsCenter+, which we launched two months ago. That show is built on all the very hard lessons and failings that I’ve had with other things that I launched here that didn’t work out.
All the lessons learned on YouTube, direct-to-consumer, off-platform — and failures. I wish that I could’ve had those before I got here, but you needed to have them in the course that they came so we could deliver the goods now.
To learn more about Point-To-Point Marketing’s Podcast and Broadcast Audience Development Marketing strategies, contact Tim Bronsil at tim@ptpmarketing.com or 513-702-5072.
It’s going to take some getting used to next NBA season, when Turner (TNT, TBS) is no longer scheduled to carry games. That means fans of the show Inside the NBA are going to have to look elsewhere for their favorite crew. Ernie Johnson Jr., Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal are headed to ESPN.
Johnson will be in a new home for the first time since 1990, when he first started to host the show. Johnson has been the mainstay on the show and the guy that keeps it all together. More on that in a moment.
Johnson was born in 1956 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended high school at the Marist School, a private Catholic school in Brookhaven, Georgia, and graduated in 1974. He then went to the University of Georgia and majored in journalism. Johnson played first base on the Bulldogs baseball team his freshman year. He graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude.
Road To Turner Sports
While at Georgia, Johnson got his first sportscasting gig, serving as the news/sports director at WAGQ-FM in Athens.
In 1979, Johnson was hired as a news anchor at WMAZ-TV in Macon, Georgia. He spent a couple of years there before moving on to WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 1981. Johnson then worked in Atlanta at WSB-TV as a general assignment news reporter in 1982, and became the station’s weekend sports anchor and reporter in 1983. He held those jobs until 1989, when he left to join Turner Sports.
From 1993 to 1996, Johnson called Atlanta Braves baseball games for SportSouth (now FanDuel Sports Network South) with his father, Ernie Johnson Sr.
What Makes ‘EJ’ So Good?
He’s so consistent. That’s the highest compliment I think you can pay a studio host. Consistency in delivery of information, in presentation, and in command are vital to a show like Inside the NBA. You see Johnson and you know you’re going to be entertained. It’s a challenging job, dealing with personalities that are larger than life, but Johnson understands how important he really is to the show’s success.
“I think the key is always to know your role, know your material, know how to prepare, and know that the show is not about you,” he told me in 2020. “Working with Kenny, Charles, and Shaq is about as much fun as you can have in this job. You just have to keep in mind that they’re the ones who played the game at the highest level. Nobody in the audience cares what I think is going on in a team huddle with a second and a half to play, but these guys have all been there. We need to hear from them,” Johnson said.
I’m sure Johnson knows the answer to most of, if not all of, the questions he asks the panelists during the course of a show. But trying to prove you’re the smartest person on the set doesn’t get the results you’d think it would. Knowing the answers makes your questions better, and in turn, the audience gets to hear from the guys that played the game. Everybody wins.
He could teach a master class in the art of hosting. Smooth, prepared, and knowledgeable. Those are words I’d use to describe him. Plus, it’s all about flow, and getting the show moving in the right direction.
“My role is to move the show along from point A to point B to point C, and be armed with the latest information from around the league which will spark conversation,” Johnson told me back in 2020. “That information can be anything from a key stat to a quote from a player or coach which begs a response from our trio of NBA players. I think the reason our show has been successful through the years is that no matter how ‘high profile’ the personalities may be, nobody has tried to make the show about themselves.”
Part of the reason the guys on the panel respect Johnson is that it shows.
What makes Johnson such a good broadcaster is his versatility. He’s a ‘plug and play’ guy—put him in a situation and he succeeds. Johnson’s career also includes hosting Turner and CBS’s coverage of NCAA March Madness. He’s also been the lead play-by-play announcer for Turner’s MLB coverage, and he’s handled calling the PGA Championship, The British Open, Wimbledon, and the Olympics. Not a bad little résumé.
Johnson is very relatable. There is a genuineness about him. He is a warm and seemingly friendly face on your television. Whether it’s handling serious topics in the world, a personal tragedy, or just backing up his colleagues, Ernie shows empathy without making it about him.
He lets the audience in as well. When Ernie’s adopted son Michael, who had muscular dystrophy, passed away in 2021, the TNT crew honored Michael with love and respect. Johnson opened up to his audience, sharing personal stories during a very difficult time. He gave viewers a look at who he is—a family man first, a broadcaster second.
The Future Of ‘Inside The NBA’
Change is on the horizon for Inside the NBA. Once the NBA Playoffs reach the Finals, Turner Sports will no longer broadcast games. Johnson and the rest of his crew will continue to do the show, but will move to ESPN starting next year. So, the show in its original orientation will be no more.
In July of last year, the NBA announced its new 11-year broadcasting agreements with ABC/ESPN, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video. Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) tried to match Amazon’s offer, but it was rejected. WBD filed suit against the NBA to rule that TNT’s offer, in fact, did match Amazon’s deal.
Both parties reached a settlement, allowing WBD to continue operating the NBA’s digital properties. WBD also entered into a sublicensing agreement with The Walt Disney Company to broadcast Inside the NBA on ESPN and ABC beginning in the 2025–26 season, with TNT Sports continuing to produce the show with its existing personalities.
Johnson, always one to take the road less traveled, approached the last regular season show by just saying thank you.
“No time for bitterness,” Johnson said on the final season show. “It is time for appreciation, it’s time for gratitude, and it has been my pleasure to be one of your co-workers, one of your teammates, and a part of this family. Love you.”
"It has been my pleasure to be one of your coworkers, one of your teammates, and a part of this family" ❤️
The crew even had a little fun with the final regular season telecast, ending things in true TNT fashion. Photoshop was used to place the host and panelists’ faces on the characters from the HBO show The Sopranos, mimicking the end of that series.
The whole Inside the NBA production will continue at TNT’s studios in Atlanta, and is set to move from Thursday to Saturday. The schedule and network change are the only differences from the past, with TNT set to continue operations after mastering the show. Johnson signed a long-term deal with Turner.
Did You Know?
Johnson is an author, having written a book in 2017 called Unscripted, the story of his life when the cameras aren’t rolling.
“If there’s one thing life has taught me, it’s not to fear the unscripted but to embrace it,” Johnson says on the website promoting the book.
His father, Ernie Johnson Sr., was a Major League Baseball player. Johnson Sr. later became a television sports commentator.
Johnson is a devoted Atlanta Braves fan. Though he was born in Milwaukee, his family moved to the Atlanta area when he was nine, as his dad retired from playing. He considers Atlanta his hometown.
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.
These days, most Rock and Alternative brands work hard to develop a product or show they can be proud of. Research has been done; the sales team has one-sheets that will light up conference rooms, and the digital assets are mind-bending.
This is it; our time is now; boxes are checked. Order a round of doubles, $how us the money.
Research
Product
Sales
Digital
Great, but I’ve never heard of you.
That’s reality.
Don’t get deflated. The hardest and necessary first steps have been taken. Without them, one may as well hit up LinkedIn for jobs. Now it’s time for three more critical steps.
Understanding
Patience
Method(s)
In Rock and Alternative spaces that rely on a Nielsen report card, having a clear understanding of an always-fluid ratings puzzle can’t be overlooked. Weeks, months, or quarters can be up or down for no rhyme or reason.
A brand can make exactly zero changes from April to May, yet the ratings report card can tell different tales. The whys of this are best left for another day, but one month, a show can save the day, and then get slaughtered without warning.
And decoding year-over-year numbers for the GM can sometimes be like explaining wave-particle duality. Often, it may be better to reschedule that meeting for a few weeks from now, when champagne might be served.
Nielsen panels are guaranteed to change, just like marketplace conditions. If there is a true understanding of how it all works, it means patience will come easier, as hard as it is.
Whether Radio or TV, the law of averages always applies and eventually aggregates to tell us what we’ve really got. Heading south or being lackluster nine out of 12 months means there’s likely trouble, so start digging in. Riding high from Summer to Christmas means something is going right, so don’t fix what isn’t broken.
Patience also prevents knee-jerking, which can ruin brands. Here’s an example many can relate to:
The morning show had a solid year, but the calendar turned, and soon came a memo from the corner office: “Q1 ratings looked terrible. We need a new show NOW.”
Not so fast.
Even the best brands have down quarters. When it comes to knee-jerking, there’s an ironic and common occurrence in radio: one’s last book ends up looking great. Maybe change was really needed; maybe it wasn’t. Trusting the law of averages helps create enough patience to really know the answer.
Lastly, it’s easy to identify situations where understanding and patience are in play. Turnover is rare, and product changes usually aren’t drastic. These are brands that understand how the ratings game works. Now, add the right methods and success will come in a reasonable amount of time.
By methods, I mean, how to create buzz, word of mouth, marketing, awareness, and tune-ins? The good news is that there are dozens of ways to market for budgets of all sizes, but being good isn’t always enough.
Media brands often assume everyone will hear about them because the signal covers the market. “Everyone uses Radio, they’ll find us.” They assume subtle changes will be quickly noticed. “If we add one more current per hour, the market will finally see us as the New Rock leader.” Those assumptions are wrong.
It’s proven every year. Research studies from the North, South, East, West, and even Canada dispel assumptions. They show that the target audience had NO IDEA a new brand signed on, that so-and-so crossed the street, that station A flipped formats, or that many had no clue a heritage morning show retired years ago. The right methods weren’t in place, or at all.
In the ‘70s, the average American was exposed to approximately 500 marketing messages per day. Today, it’s anywhere between 4,000-10,000, depending upon where one lives, their career, commute, and how much time they spend online or with media of various types. Everyone reading this has forgotten most of the billboards they saw on the way to work today.
I love pizza. The world’s greatest pizza place could open in Los Angeles and unless it’s right down the street or along my normal traversing patterns, I’ll never know about it unless a message is delivered to me – somehow. And it usually needs to be delivered more than once.
The methods to try and deliver these messages will determine whether Jumbo’s Pizza will expand to more locations or be left to languish in the strip mall next to the massage parlor you’ve never seen anyone enter.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all blueprint for exposing one’s madness. Every brand deserves its own unique playbook of methods, whether traditional mass marketing, geo-targeted, niche, grassroots, guerrilla, social, digital, or smoke signals.
Follow the steps before you decide what the creative methods will be, but if you don’t follow the steps and then incorporate some methods, well … there’s always LinkedIn.
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