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Why Steve Czaban Believes the NFL Draft in Green Bay Will Be a Once-in-a-Lifetime Event

Derek Futterman
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Why Steve Czaban Believes the NFL Draft in Green Bay Will Be a Once-in-a-Lifetime Event

There are thousands of football fans who are hoping to immerse themselves amid the frozen tundra at the NFL Draft this week in Green Bay, Wis., possessing an insatiable yearning for competition on the gridiron. Steve Czaban is looking forward to the event, as the smallest market in the National Football League will be hosting the marquee league event of the offseason as 32 franchises seek to shape their futures with a new generation of stars entering the domain.

Czaban hosts morning drive programming on 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee, which is located approximately two hours away from Green Bay. As the NFL Draft commences later this week, personalities from the sports talk radio station will be staying together in a rented house and have a prominent presence at the three-day event itself. The conversations surrounding the selection strategy and overall event have proliferated in recent weeks on 97.3 The Game, and there is excitement and anticipation for the tentpole occurrence to take place.

“It’s the biggest event that Green Bay will host regarding the NFL ever because they know they’re not going to get a Super Bowl for obvious reasons, so this is going to be huge and I think the turnout’s going to be spectacular,” Czaban said. “I think people are going to come from all over to be there at the event.”

The football universe will soon be situated at Lambeau Field, which is considered hallowed ground for the sport and the second-oldest stadium in the league. Top college athletes such as Cam Ward, Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter are widely reputed to be chosen early in the proceedings, and Czaban and his colleagues will be on hand to document all of the action and conversations for listeners.

“The NFL is such a monster,” Czaban said. “It’s like, ‘Who would have ever thought the Draft would be an asset that they shop around city to city, and they build these massive campuses and stages for outdoor events?’ We’re still so far away from actual football, but they’re going to get a huge crowd, and so yeah, there’s a lot of buzz for it for sure.”

Embracing the Partnership With the Packers

Over the last three seasons, 97.3 The Game has been the Milwaukee flagship radio station for Packers football. Garnering the distinction after the Packers concluded a 93-year run with 620 WTMJ, Czaban has recognized how the franchise does not regulate what is said by hosts on the airwaves. Rather than exercising putative authority or engendering a chilling effect regarding content, he feels collaborating with the organization has been helpful as the station appeals to fans throughout the region and beyond.

“They have been working with us directly as the station for the lead-up to the Draft, taking us to New Orleans [for] the Super Bowl where they had a beautiful set that looked like the facade of Lambeau Field,” Czaban said, “and we’re going to be there front and center at the Draft itself for all three days.”

Operating in a marketplace replete with professional and collegiate sports teams, Czaban seeks to discern the topics towards which the audience has a vested interest in order to safeguard against his program rendering itself irrelevant and obsolete. There are instances where he hears feedback from consumers at bars and on golf courses, and he always remains alert and receptive to resonate with the listening public. Yet the show rarely takes calls and instead focuses its remit of listener engagement on texts, encapsulating the verve and avidity of fans through this communication.

“I think having a text line is a very efficient weapon for a show because you’re getting constant feedback, and then you can just pick and choose what texts you want to get on the air,” Czaban said. “There is still value in having the voice of a listener on air, but you really have to coach them into, ‘Okay, when we say you’re on the air, get right to your point, don’t belabor it, and get it in there,’ and some callers are better than others at doing it, but it usually takes a fair bit of coaching.”

Czaban tries to position his show to align with that of an FM radio morning show, presenting a conversational and lighthearted look to the airwaves with co-host Brian Butch. Challenging himself to answer why things are taking place, he seeks to discover the genuine stories surrounding the games and going beyond superficial headlines. Although rising early can be challenging as games end with the moon near its apex, Czaban values the timeslot and ability to disseminate his thoughts.

“I like to say you’ve got the freshest powder on the ski slopes every day, so the news that happens, the games that happen, the highlights that happen, you’re the first ones to get out there and have your opinion on it,” Czaban explained. “Afternoon drive, a lot of the times because things move so fast, you feel like, ‘Okay, everyone’s already been over this all day long,’ because you’ve been listening to sports radio probably either your station or someone else all day long.”

Playing the Face of The Game for Milwaukee

Czaban works under the direction of market manager Jeff Tyler and program director Tim Scott, bonafide professionals who have facilitated the sustained presence and growth of the station. Scott offers creative ideas surrounding the programming aspects of the station, Czaban explained, and he is also someone who is not afraid to change his mind. In possessing on-air experience, he knows the grind associated with hosting, including devising ideas to create a strong program that amasses a loyal audience.

“Ratings are obviously a big part of it, and you can’t control them, although they’re the scoreboard that’s used to sort of judge how you’re doing,” Czaban said. “But as the station, the only real scoreboard is revenue, and so you have to make up good ratings with good revenue and sponsorships and everything else, and that’s where you have to have a sales team that works well with you on the programming side to convert what I call the yards between the 20-yard lines, which is ratings, into touchdowns, which is sales inside the 20.”

Despite being considered a mid-market metropolis, Milwaukee has three terrestrial FM radio stations broadcasting in the sports talk format owned by different media conglomerates. iHeartMedia flipped the 97.3 frequency to sports talk five days after the Thanksgiving holiday in 2018, but three weeks earlier, Good Karma Brands had launched ESPN Milwaukee upon its acquisition of the 620 AM and 94.5 FM frequencies from the E.W. Scripps Company. This past autumn, Audacy officially relaunched The Fan simulcast on 105.7 FM and added to the competition on the dial.

“To be really successful, you got to wrap in casual sports fans, and I think one of the biggest things that we do in the business, those of us on this side of the microphones, is we overestimate just how into sports everyone is and how much they follow and they are aware of,” Czaban said. “Most guys, they like sports, they’ll watch a game or two, but they got a family, they got a job, they got things they got to do, they got other hobbies – they hunt, they fish, they go to concerts – so don’t overestimate how much they might know because you’re in the business.”

Czaban considers sports in Wisconsin to be an interesting collage that spans across different towns and cities, remarking how the Packers and Brewers tend to have statewide appeal. Interest in the Bucks, he averred, tends to occur within the city itself, while the Badgers football team has more gravity in nearby Madison. Czaban became more acclimated with the sports nuances in the area over a 24-year stretch discussing sports within the popular Bob and Brian morning talk radio show on 102.9 The Hog.

“It was supposed to be a 15-minute segment, it turned into 45 minutes by the time I was done, and we just had a great time, and those guys really shaped and influenced my style because they are FM DJs, and so therefore they knew enough about sports,” Czaban said, “but they weren’t obsessive sports fans, sports AM, sports radio, ‘Who’s the best left-hander in the bullpen for the Mets?’-kind of sports fans, so they helped influence me in that way, and it was great.”

From the Nation’s Capital to the Nation’s Dairyland

Czaban had been hosting at The Team 980 for 19 years, and he continued with the station despite joining 97.3 The Game in May 2019. The chance to host a sports talk radio program in the market was an opportunity he could not pass up, and he balanced ventures in both locales for 19 months before departing the Washington, D.C. station. While Czaban knew that assisting with the growth of 97.3 The Game would be akin to joining an expansion team, he valued being in charge of his own show and took on the job without forsaking his other work.

“It wasn’t so much of a challenge as it was just, it was refreshing to be able to kind of put on a different hat and know what each market was more interested in the other obviously,” Czaban said. “All local radio is the local fans want to know about their teams, and they don’t mind dabbling in the national stuff if it’s a big enough story, but they don’t really care other than their own team, so I was able to talk D.C. sports and Milwaukee/Wisconsin sports simultaneously.”

Towards the end of the year, iHeartMedia made considerable layoffs to its workforce that affected various formats in markets around the country. John Kuhn, a former Packers fullback who had been hosting middays with Billy Schmid and Armen Saryan, was laid off after more than four years with the outlet. Despite the job cuts, Czaban remains confident in the future of the outlet and the dedication to sports talk radio demonstrated by the company, underscoring the prompt nature of the medium.

“Even podcasts that record as close as they can to the end of the week, you’re still getting information that is not as immediate and visceral,” Czaban said. “So in that regard, iHeart has really stepped up, and they were once really just the music, primarily the music conglomerate in the radio business, but they have quietly acquired quite a few markets’ NFL rights because they understand actually that the NFL drives the bus and that sports talk radio isn’t going anywhere, and it’s the one thing that cannot be replaced by podcasts and other stuff like that.”

As the start of the NFL Draft approaches, Czaban is excited by the augmented levels of access to teams and discovering the inner workings of specific franchises. Working with good colleagues and making a living talking about sports is an imprimatur he does not take for granted, and he seeks to justify the investment from the company and the audience through an unrelenting dedication to the craft. With the Packers looking to make a deep playoff run, Czaban hopes that general manager Brian Gutekunst selects a wide receiver in the NFL Draft, but regardless what transpires, he is looking forward to the distinguished offseason event and continuing to grow the program.

“We’re right on the verge of being No. 1 in the mornings, and I would love to be able to plant that flag, and I think we’re close and I think that’s attainable the next couple of years,” Czaban said. “I would just love to be able to be on the air doing sports radio for a Super Bowl championship.”

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.

Matt Sneed Rises Above Life’s Rough Start to Make His Mark in Radio

Jeff Lynn
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Matt Sneed Rises Above Life’s Rough Start to Make His Mark in Radio

Like far too many others in radio, Matt Sneed’s life was upended recently when he was told that his hours would be drastically cut at Audacy’s New York cluster and WCBS-FM. Sneed was not let go, but with the reduced hours, he’s looking for what’s next.

“I’m caught up in all of the Audacy layoffs, and budget cuts that came down last month. I made it through the initial round in March when so many people were let go. I thought I was safe.”

“For the next month, it was status quo. And then just a couple of weeks ago, I got the word that those budget cuts were happening. I had hosted Saturdays and Sundays on CBS FM for the past six and a half years, along with swing stuff during the week.”

Sneed worked for five years at New 102.7 WNEW in various shifts before returning to weekends and swing.

That led to an interesting moment when he got a call.

“There was an issue at CBS FM. There was an emergency. I think Scott Shannon was stuck in Florida after the holidays. There was a problem with his flight or something like that. Dan Taylor, who was hosting middays then, was filling in on mornings. I got a call; can you do midday tomorrow on CBS FM?”

“I’m like, huh? Me? I’ve never even set foot in their studio before. And of course, you say yes. I was nervous as hell.”

And of course, there had to be a complication.

“I was late, which is never a good thing in radio, but the guy on my train, two cars in front of me, had a heart attack. The train was stopped, and emergency services were called. I’m texting people left and right, saying ‘sorry, I’m going to be late. There’s nothing I can do’.”

“I was 20 to 30 minutes late. And I just remember huffing it from the one city block from Houston Street to the studio, booking it to the elevators, getting up there, getting in the studio. There’s a board up there. He says, “You have two minutes until your next break. Do you want to bag it?”’

“I do the first break and it’s admittedly a very basic break. And it took off from there.”

Travel was even more of an issue when Sneed performed two live weekend shows: one in New York and one 100 miles away in Philadelphia.

“I thought, this is the coolest thing ever. Two major markets on the same day. It’s amazing. And I guess it was about three months where I was like, holy hell, this day is so long.”

“I was up at 4:30 to catch a 6 am train. It was a 90-minute train ride, and 25-minute car ride to the train station. Once you’re in the city, it’s another 10 to 15 minutes on the subway to get to the station, and do a five-hour air shift.”

“Now I’m leaving New York City, another 10 to 15 minutes on the subway back to Penn Station, another 90-minute train ride back, then back to the train station, and another 25-minute ride home.”

“I would be able to come home for maybe half an hour. Then I’m on my way to Philadelphia, a 45-minute car ride for another five-hour air shift. Then you’re coming home, another 45 minutes, finally there around 1:15 in the morning after being up at 4:30. It was a 20-hour day.”

Sneed has a very active social media presence, and recently opened up about his personal life. He shared how his childhood framed who he is today.

“When I post on Facebook about being abandoned by my father when I was 17 and the deep hurt that caused me and how far I’ve come in life, it’s because that is the thing I am most proud of. All the troubles I had in my teen years and my twenties were because my father abandoned me when I was 17.”

“I found that some people like you to show a bit of vulnerability. Others say, ‘dude, you’ve got to stop doing this, man. You’re talking way too much’.

“Somebody told me you’re never going to get hired posting about these stories. My thing is, this is who I am. I’m a fighter. I’m a survivor. I’ve made it this far in life after having a hard childhood. I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished. So, I’m going to post about it because it helps me. I hope somebody else reads it and it helps them.”

Radio led Sneed to the Rock & Roll stage, albeit just for one song and one night. But he made the best of it.

“So I’ve always been a huge Bon Jovi fan. Island Def Jam was in with the new Bon Jovi album at the time, and they found out. I immediately told them, ‘God, I’m such a huge fan’. They were doing a showcase with the band in New York City. They’re going to perform the new album. It’s a family and friends’ event.”

“We got there early and were right up next to the stage. About halfway through the songs, Jon says to Richie (Sambora) off mic, ‘I really got to pee.”

“I’m 25, I probably have two or three beers in me. I said, ‘Hey Jon, go pee, I’ll sing’. He looks at me and says, ‘You want to sing? C’mon up’. I go on stage and he says you want to sing ‘Born To Be My Baby?”’

Photo Courtesy Matt Sneed

“Jon says this is our version of ‘American Idol.’ He kicks off the song with the two, three, four and leaves the stage to go pee.”

“I sang the whole thing. It was the coolest experience of my life.

Courtesy Matt Sneed

Another involves a full-circle moment with none other than Scott Shannon.

“I was an intern at PLJ in 1996. I was outside the studios in the hallway. We had a giant vinyl PLJ banner that was dirty from an event. The interns had it spread out on the floor. We were on our hands and knees scrubbing it. At the end of the long hallway was the exit from the studio. All of a sudden, that door opened, and here came Scott Shannon with his bag and everything.”

“He was leaving for the day, and he walked by and saw us all scrubbing this thing. And he says, ‘That’s a lot of PLJ stuff.’ Cause the promotions closet was spilled out everywhere.”

“I’ll just never forget being on my hands and knees looking up and going, that was Scott Shannon. I was 19 at this time. I was starstruck.”

And the full circle?

“I get to be on the same air staff with the guy. Okay. And I started hearing that he really likes me. Jim (Ryan) would tell me ‘you’re becoming Scott Shannon’s favorite on the station’. I said, ‘get the hell out of here’.”

“During the pandemic, I was sitting home one night, watching TV, when my phone rang. It was a New York number and unfamiliar, but I said, ‘well, it’s probably something work-related. I should probably answer it’. “I picked it up, and he said, “Matt, it’s one of your DJ friends.” 

“And I said, ‘Scott’? He goes, ‘yeah. What’s up? I just wanted to call you and say thank you for all you’re doing for us during this difficult time. You sound great. You sound like I trained you, but I didn’t. Where the hell did you come from’? You’re the perfect blend of brevity and personality’.”

“We talked for about half an hour, trading radio stories and stuff. At the end of the call, he says, ‘all right, you got my number now. If you need anything, use it. I’ll talk to you later’. He hangs up. I was shaking when it was over.”

Matt earned Scott Shannon’s respect, and hopes to earn yours too. He is looking for his next opportunity and can be reached by email here.

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.

Why Radio Needs to Embrace a Complete Reconstruction of the Industry

Perry Michael Simon
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Why Radio Needs to Embrace a Complete Reconstruction of the Industry

The easy part, when you’re talking about radio, is to opine that the industry needs to change, soon. We were saying that when I got into the business (redacted) years ago.

I’m proud that I got to work on some unusual radio projects and the early stages of podcasting, but today we’re at the same things-gotta-change position as we were back then, only worse. Years of limited growth, increasing debt, and a few bankruptcies thrown in for good measure and you get… this.

But you know that already. It just, for me, raises another question: Now what? If we call for radical change to revitalize the radio business and get some growth happening, what kind of change are we talking about? A new slogan isn’t enough. More and better marketing when the product isn’t ready for what won’t work. Format changes, maybe, but only if you can come up with a format nobody else has tried. It’s clear, however, that the way things have always been done isn’t the answer.

How radical do you want to get? This is where you get to do the exercise I wrote about years ago at the other website, when you start with a blank slate and reinvent the radio business. Here, I’ll start: Maybe localism isn’t the answer anymore. Maybe we should join the rest of the world and have mostly national stations, the same (except maybe for local news/weather/traffic inserts) everywhere.

Do it like the BBC, with the programming grouped on the FM dial so you can find the format you like in roughly the same spot no matter where you are. Make it not only easier to find your favorite music and talk, but easier for agencies to buy, too. Leave AM to specialty and foreign language stations.

More radical? How about tackling the problem of long stop sets driving listeners away by eliminating the idea of stop sets and prerecorded spots altogether? Make all radio advertising live reads, dropped in organically, one at a time, priced higher due to scarcity and talent fees. Yeah, it’s a steal from podcasting, but it’s new for radio.

New music formats are tough because you need new kinds of music for that, and they don’t come along all that often. Mostly, it’s just a variation on an existing musical genre. There hasn’t been a truly new musical form for decades – it’s been a long time since rap/hip-hop and electronic music came along, and it may be a long time until we get something newer.

In the meantime, music radio is at the mercy of the music industry, and public taste. Maybe you can screw around with playlists, combine genres, I don’t know. Hey, I can’t do all the work here.

Talk radio? Create a format that doesn’t talk about politics. Create others that talk about nothing but politics, but from different perspectives for different audiences. Public radio? Fund it. Drop the political grandstanding and just ensure that we always have public radio and television.

Yeah, I don’t have all the answers. I may not have ANY answers. Honestly, I don’t care if I have the answers – I’m semi-retired anyway. If the entire radio industry hits an iceberg and sinks, it wouldn’t affect me. (Although this column would be toast, but I wouldn’t complain much.) It’s just that I don’t think everything that can be done to save the business has been tried or even devised yet, and there’s always been a fear of trying something new.

What are you waiting for? Let your imagination run wild, then try it out for real. Maybe it’ll bomb, maybe it’ll be a hit. Can’t tell unless you try.

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 Interview: JR Morning with Lloyd Jackson and Jamie Edmonds on WJR 760

Garrett Searight
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The Interview: JR Morning with Lloyd Jackson and Jamie Edmonds on WJR 760

Last week, WJR 760 announced that JR Morning host Guy Gordon was exiting the station, with Lloyd Jackson and Jamie Edmonds remaining to host the daypart.

It was quite a surprising announcement, given that Gordon was viewed as the key figure of the trio that took over for venerable morning host Paul W. Smith in 2023.

So, with the news that Gordon has departed the morning show, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to hear how Lloyd Jackson and Jamie Edmonds sounded during an interview — on a rather interview-heavy morning show — after seeing the WJR 760 morning show go from three hosts down to two.

I picked out an interview from last week when Jackson and Edmonds welcomed a reporter from The Detroit News to the show to talk about the large class sizes being faced by Michigan schools. Generally, I try to explain why I picked the interviews that I did. For this one, I’m not all that interested in the subject matter, truthfully, so I feel like that will help focus my attention on the interview style of the JR Morning hosts more than anything.

Edmonds began the segment as the driver, pointing out some of the data shared by the Detroit News investigation. She opened up the interview with by being stuck in what I labeled the “‘talk about’ trap.” By starting a question with “Talk about”, first of all, you’re not even asking a question. But secondly, that’s a demand. And a leading demand at that. Is it the simplest way to get information out of someone? Absolutely. “Do this,” isn’t hard to discern or decipher. But a question can be, which is why I’ll always advocate for the most succinct questions possible.

However, Jamie Edmonds was able to pull her proverbial interviewing foot out of the talk about trap quickly. After using “talk about” to set up her question, she did ask, “What was the most egregious” thing that the investigation found. It’s a nice save. And it’s also a nice place to start the interview. Of the things I want to know as a listener, the juiciest, most salacious and potentially controversial findings are what I’d want to hear about most, right? So that’s a good save by Edmonds.

After the answer from the reporter, Lloyd Jackson jumped in with a good question for contextualization. He pointed out that the reporting shows that the issue wasn’t strictly limited to certain socioeconomic situations. He then asked, “What does the geographic spread tell us about how widespread this is?”

I love contextualization questions, especially when discussing data. Because while numbers never live, people do. And people can use numbers to paint a picture or a narrative that looks like it is data-driven, but can be misconstrued. But that data can’t be misconstrued when you’re asked to put it into perspective. So, I thought that was another win by the WJR 760 morning host.

The good interview continued when Edmonds asked Craig Mauger of The Detroit News about the reaction to the story from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). To me, this is the next logical step in the discussion by the JR Morning hosts. Lay out the data, contextualize the data, then figure out what the reaction to the problem has been by elected officials. Now, that reaction part is important because it is coming from the top elected official in the state. As a listener, if I’m in tune to this discussion, and I want to know what is being done to rectify this problem, I want to know how the governor responded. So it’s another great query by Jamie Edmonds.

After the guest laid out Whitmer’s reaction, the next question from Lloyd Jackson was music to my ears: “Is the state legislature ready to act?”

I don’t know the last time I was this giddy listening to an interview for this weekly feature. Succinct, one-sentence questions are as rare as Bigfoot sightings in news/talk radio interviews. But the WJR 760 morning host just knocked that question out of the park, because — again — it’s the perfect question at the perfect time.

The only argument against that question you could make is that it’s a closed question. And while I disagree slightly, I can hear that argument. Because if the answer is “no”, that tells the listener all they need to hear about the situation and the failings of government officials. On the flip side, if the answer is “yes,” the guest is going to expound upon the point anyway. So while I will almost universally decry closed questions, I think this one is situated perfectly.

The final question of the interview came from Jamie Edmonds, who asked what educators are saying to The Detroit News about the topic. It’s another contextualization question, because if those people who are directly affected by the situation don’t view it as a five-alarm fire, why should anyone else? So it’s another important question to ask.

Overall, I genuinely think the conversation by the WJR 760 hosts deserves a ton of praise. One, for asking fantastic, brief, mostly open-ended questions without toiling on details that didn’t matter. Secondly, because the JR Morning show underwent a pretty dramatic shift in recent weeks. But you wouldn’t be able to know that by listening to the work that Lloyd Jackson and Jamie Edmonds did during this interview.

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.

Shannon Sharpe Contract Expires at The Volume, Has Received Multiple Offers and Expected to Sign Deal for Over $100 Million: Report

BSM Staff
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Shannon Sharpe Contract Expires at The Volume, Has Received Multiple Offers and Expected to Sign Deal for Over $100 Million: Report

Shannon Sharpe signed a multi-year deal with The Volume two years ago in which he brought his podcast, Club Shay Shay, to the platform founded by Colin Cowherd.

In addition, the transaction implemented Sharpe’s independent media venture, Shay Shay Media, with content offerings from the network and the production of new programming. According to a report from Ryan Glasspiegel and Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Sharpe’s deal with The Volume is up, and the former NFL tight end has received multiple offers. Sharpe is reportedly expected to sign a deal that would exceed $100 million.

The report explains that the new deal would encompass all shows taking place on the Shay Shay network, some of which include Nightcap, the Club 520 podcast, Bubba Dub and Humble Baddies. In addition to his work with Shay Shay Media and The Volume, Sharpe has been making weekly appearances on First Take for the last year-and-a-half and signed a multiyear contract with ESPN last June.

As part of that deal, it was said that his role with the company would expand across other ESPN programming to be announced at a later date.

Aside from Sharpe’s podcasts and others under the Shay Shay Media banner, The Volume includes programming hosted by Colin Cowherd, John Middlekauf, Draymond Green and Baron Davis. Cowherd founded the platform in 2021 and valued the venture at around $100 million two years ago. Earlier in the year, the platform brought on an entertainment-focused show featuring Rory Farrell and Jamil “Mal” Clay. Sharpe and Cowherd used to be colleagues with one another at FS1, appearing on Undisputed and The Herd respectively, programming that aired consecutively ending mornings and leading into afternoons.

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.

Lucy Rohden Launches YouTube Channel

BSM Staff
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Lucy Rohden Launches YouTube Channel

Meadowlark Media on-air talent and producer Lucy Rohden has launched a YouTube channel where she will be creating her own content, she announced in a video earlier in the week. Rohden, who has worked for Meadowlark since 2023 making appearances on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and traveling the country to cover different sporting events, confirmed that she is still doing work for the company. Although Rohden divulged that she is no longer living in Miami, she talked about how she is grateful for the job and that beginning the YouTube endeavor is a smart move for several reasons.

Rohden has primarily focused her content on college football, and she discussed how while she enjoys creating videos for TikTok, it does not reward users for what they are doing. While she conveyed that she will continue to make TikTok videos and loves the app, she proceeded to mention how she genuinely misses the art of creating.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve really sat down and had the chance to do something really longform, so I’m excited to get back to doing that,” Rohden said. “Obviously that includes me editing and filming and doing all the jobs, which you’ll find I’m not a very good editor and I’m not a very good filmer and my grammar is not too good either, but we’ll get through it together.”

Rohden articulated that another aspect of this decision comes in potentially creating another source of income, citing a penchant towards novelty jewelry and how it is not cheap. With her acknowledgement of everything becoming more expensive, creating videos and eliciting subscriptions, comments and shares could be something that assists her in this sense. While Rohden is not committing to a number of videos she will create or specific topics, she is open to viewer suggestions and what would interest the audience.

“I really want this to be a platform where I can talk about what I want to talk about and really put some time and energy into creating some more produced pieces where  I haven’t done that in a long time, and I really miss doing it, and sometimes I think I get stuck in the wheel of I’m on the road all the time, so I’m really tired, plus you just become so TikTok-focused that sometimes you kind of get pushed into that box, and I don’t want that,” Rohden said.

“I still want to talk about the college football and the sports and the life things that I really give a s**t about, and so I hope you’ll subscribe and follow along because I’m really enjoying doing this so far.”

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.

Dan McNeil: My Second Stint at 670 The Score Was the ‘Worst Culture’ I Ever Worked At

BSM Staff
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Dan McNeil: My Second Stint at 670 The Score Was the ‘Worst Culture’ I Ever Worked At

Dan McNeil was a staple of the Chicago sports radio scene for over 25 years. Between his successful stops at both 670 The Score and ESPN Chicago, McNeil is considered one of the most influential voices in the market, while also being one of the most controversial as well.

Recently, McNeil was a guest on The Stretch podcast featuring Barstool Eddie and White Sox Dave, where he discussed his lengthy resume in the Chicago sports radio market. In a wide-ranging interview that touched on nearly every topic, McNeil noted that his second stint with 670 The Score was one of the worst environments he ever worked in during his tenured career.

“I wound up going back to The Score in 2009 for a second run with (Matt) Spiegel in mid days. That was a pretty comfortable run, that was a good time on our show. That was the worst culture I’ve ever worked at any radio station in my life,” McNeil said. “The Score was an absolute disaster. From a culture standpoint, every show was on an island.”

Furthermore, McNeil explained that he enjoyed working on his show—specifically with co-host Spiegel, and producers Jay Zawaski, Nick Shepkowski, and Dave Miska. However, he also noted that there was a conflict with The Score’s morning show at the time, which was hosted by Mike Mulligan and former co-host Brian Hanley.

“The Morning Show wanted nothing to do with us. I should say ‘Mully’ (Mike Mulligan) wanted nothing to do with any of the rest of us,” said McNeil. “Didn’t want to do transitions at nine o’clock for ten minutes. He took offense to me making a joke about him being a ‘Eurofile.’”

In addition, the former Score host said that Mulligan once threatened to quit over having to do transition programming between shows. McNeil also mentioned the cultural shift that former Score personality Dan Bernstein was beginning to create, especially in relation to the evolving political landscape.

“Terry (Boers) wasn’t around very often. ‘Bernsey’ (Dan Bernstein), he was really putting his signature on the radio station right around 2011-2012,” McNeil noted. “I think Penn State had a lot to do with that. The old frat house became something different. It became a think tank.”

Ultimately, McNeil left The Score in 2014 over a contract dispute but returned for a third time in 2018. However, he was fired from The Score in 2020 after posting and then deleting sexist and misogynist comments about ESPN reporter Maria Taylor. McNeil stated that he regrets how his career came to a close at a radio station that he helped launch in 1992.

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Cumulus Makes Format Changes Ahead Of Westwood One Changes

BMM Staff
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Cumulus Makes Format Changes Ahead Of Westwood One Changes

Cumulus Media is flipping station programming ahead of the discontinuation of the seven Westwood One formats.

In Youngstown, OH, Good Time Oldies affiliate Z104 will pick up Westwood One’s AC 24/7 format. While retaining the Z104 brand, the new positioner is Today’s Hits and Yesterday’s Favorites.

In Fayetteville, AR, Rocker 98.3 The Keg is shifting away to just 98.3 KKEG and positioned as NWA’s Classic Hits. The station will pick up the Westwood One Classic Hits 24/7 format.

Seven formats were eliminated from Westwood One’s 20 format offerings in March. Those include Variety Pop Hits, Variety Hits Rock, Hits Now, Classic Hits Gold, Classic Rock X, Rock 2.0, and Good Time Oldies.

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Auburn University, Playfly Sports Agree to 10-Year Multimedia Rights Deal

BSM Staff
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Auburn University, Playfly Sports Agree to 10-Year Multimedia Rights Deal

Auburn University Athletics and Playfly Sports have announced a 10-year multimedia rights agreement that extends their partnership through the 2034-35 academic year. The two entities will continue working together with an augmented focus on innovation, enhanced campus integration and revenue generation strategies customized to position Auburn Athletics for elevation in the next decade and beyond. Playfly is going to expand its on-campus Sports Properties team as part of the agreement to better serve the higher-learning institution and corporate sponsors. This team will be building connections between the athletics programs and brand partners while supplying value for key stakeholders, such as fans, student-athletes and members of the Auburn community.

Auburn will also be utilizing Playfly Max, the proprietary and fully integrated revenue-generation platform, amid the new era of deals based on name, image and likeness (NIL). Playfly is going to bring a strategy specific to Auburn that incorporates such technologies with revenue concepts, revenue-generating events, engagement programming for alumni and donors and marketing specialized merchandise and memorabilia. The efforts are said to help drive incremental value and create benefits for the student-athletes in the dynamic NIL epoch.

“We are thrilled to expand our longstanding partnership with Playfly Sports through this new agreement,” John Cohen, athletic director for Auburn University, said in a statement. “Christy Hedgpeth and Craig Sloan have a clear vision for how Playfly can generate revenue and enhance Auburn’s position in the new era of college athletics. Thank you to Christy, Craig and their team for their support, partnership, and their commitment to supporting Auburn and our student athletes.”

Playfly Sports has operated the Auburn Sports Properties team since 2016, and the company currently represents over 65 collegiate athletic departments across the United States. At the time of the agreement, Auburn had signed with Fox College Sports Properties, but those rights were passed to Playfly upon its purchase of select FOX Sports assets in 2021. The partnership between Auburn and Playfly has paid dividends through sponsorships, fan engagement and integrated media as the marketplace undergoes key paradigm shifts. Playfly has announced new agreements with several schools in recent years surrounding multimedia rights, including Texas A&M, Penn State, Butler and Appalachian State.

“This new 10-year agreement reflects our deep belief in Auburn—its leadership, its brand, and its future,” Christy Hedgpeth, president of Playfly Sports Properties, said in a statement. “We’re fully aligned with Auburn’s vision to propel athletics into a new era—one rooted in innovation and strategy. With the integration of Playfly Max and a larger on-campus team, we’re unlocking revenue potential and delivering even more value for Auburn’s key stakeholders.”

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Hits on Horizon: Songs to Consider Across Six Music Radio Formats

Jim Ryan
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Hits on Horizon: Songs to Consider Across Six Music Radio Formats

Quick disclaimer right from the jump, this week. I have spent a good portion of the week packing and moving from one house to the other!  One thing that I can certainly say, without a doubt, 1000 percent, MOVING STINKS! 

Sure, it’s exciting to think about a whole new place, a chance to make it more to your liking…but the process of packing and moving is exhausting, even if you hire someone to do the heavy lifting! Anyway, here are some songs I think you should pay attention to if you program these formats.

For Top 40 and Hot AC, Rose / “On The Ground” has no streaming story yet, but it sounds like a HIT!  Shaboozey & Myles Smith / cool collaboration and sounds like a winner…nice hook!  Myles Smith / “Nice To Meet You” is already top 20 at AAA with 3 million plus streams this week.  Post Malone / “What Don’t Belong To Me,” 15 million streams to date, worth a listen!

From the AAA/Rock/Alternative world, two songs to mention this week.  Sleep Token / “Caramel” 11 million plus streams this week, this could actually get a POP mix and be something for Top 40 / Hot AC to consider because both formats could use a rock record.  Green Day / “Smash It Like Belushi” is another fun-sounding record from the iconic trio!

From the Country world this week, I have two suggestions, both without streaming stories to speak of yet, but sound really good: Timothy Wayne / “That Be You” and Morgan Wade / “East Coast.” She has a great voice, and the hook on this is catchy.

That’s it for this week. I need to go unpack more boxes. Happy listening, and Happy Passover and Easter to those who celebrate.

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.

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