WWE and Fanatics are expanding their podcast offerings with the launch of “What Do You Wanna Talk About,” a new show hosted by Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. The podcast, sponsored by Wheatley American Vodka, will debut later this month with new episodes airing biweekly.
The show will feature one-on-one conversations between Rhodes and WWE Superstars and Legends, delving into never-before-heard stories and pivotal career moments. Each episode will be served with a personal touch as guests enjoy cocktails made with Wheatley Vodka, the Official Vodka of WWE.
The new podcast builds on Rhodes’ digital franchise that launched in July 2024. That series included high-profile interviews with the likes of Randy Orton and Bianca Belair as Rhodes toured the country in his Wheatley-branded bus. Like its predecessor, the upcoming series will be available on all major audio platforms as well as WWE’s YouTube channel, which currently boasts more than 108 million subscribers.
In March, WWE announced a broader partnership with Fanatics to produce and distribute all WWE podcasts, further strengthening an already successful collaboration. The two companies have worked together across several ventures, including global e-commerce, licensed merchandise, and memorabilia.
As part of this expanded relationship, Fanatics and WWE recently launched “The Raw Recap Show,” hosted by Megan Morant and Sam Roberts. The show offers reactions to each episode of Monday Night Raw. In addition, the duo will host an instant-reaction podcast following every WWE Premium Live Event, starting with WrestleMania 41.
Fanatics first partnered with WWE in 2022 as its exclusive global e-commerce provider. Since then, the companies have extended their relationship to include management of WWE’s global event merchandise business. This partnership has contributed to record-breaking success for WWE live events, including major shows such as WrestleMania and Royal Rumble.
In 2024, the collaboration hit another milestone with the debut of WWE World, Fanatics Events’ first-ever showcase, held during WrestleMania XL in Philadelphia. The event returns for WrestleMania 41 with a five-day interactive fan experience scheduled for April 17–21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall.
WWE and @Fanatics today announced the launch of “What Do You Wanna Talk About”, a podcast hosted by @CodyRhodes.
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Audacy has added The Pat Boyle Show to the Infinity Sports Network lineup starting on Tuesday, April 15 from 2 to 6 a.m. EST. Boyle, who has held several positions at the national sports network and WFAN since 2019, is now part of the programming lineup moving into the overnight position previously held by Amy Lawrence until her departure in February.
In addition to his role with the Infinity Sports Network, which has over 300 affiliate stations in the United States, Boyle is also the co-host of Sunday’s Bets on the BetMGM Network and anchors the Gridiron Gameday NFL show.
“It’s been a dream of mine to have my own sports talk show. Now, I cannot wait to bring what I love to do most every single weeknight,” Boyle said in a statement. “You might agree wholeheartedly with me on a take, or you might disagree vehemently. Either way, you know you are getting a genuine, passionate opinion. I love to entertain, tell stories, break down the games and have fun. You better stay up late or wake up super early because you won’t want to miss a second of it.”
The Infinity Sports Network is distributed and sold by Westwood One through a partnership with Audacy and includes programming featuring hosts Rich Eisen, JR Jackson, Maggie Gray and Andrew Perloff among others. The Audacy Sports division is approaching its one-year anniversary later in the month, and it is responsible for producing the Infinity Sports Network and BetQL Network while also serving as the official audio and podcast partner of Major League Baseball. With Boyle’s immersion into the lineup, the network continues to feature original programming for its national audience on a 24-hour basis across all of its dayparts throughout the week.
“We are happy to have Pat continue to bring his passion to Infinity Sports Network, this time on a nightly basis,” Ryan Hurley, brand manager of Infinity Sports Network and WFAN, said in a statement. “He puts everything he has into entertaining his audience, keeping them informed and involving them in his show for a great listening experience.”
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The Atlanta Braves began their road trip to Toronto last night with an 8-4 win over the Blue Jays. However, the story wasn’t what happened on the field but rather off it. During a live segment on FanDuel Sports Network in the middle innings, field reporter Wiley Ballard approached two female fans in attendance at a rooftop bar in Rogers Centre. After asking if they were Braves fans, he then casually asked their names and for their numbers on air, which, in the end, he received.
Subsequently, following the lighthearted moment being posted online, feedback was quick to criticize the reporter for the action, saying it was unprofessional. In response, Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti discussed the moment on this morning’s Boomer and Gio show on WFAN and said the criticism online was unwarranted.
“I mean, this isn’t Harvey Weinstein here. You know what I’m saying,” said Giannotti. “He was just a reporter. These are young single girls at the game. They’re laughing. I mean, is he threatening them in any way? What are people talking about?”
Ballard has been an Atlanta Braves reporter for television since last season and has done several interviews with fans all across baseball for the network. Notably, his work even includes a 2024 Georgia Sportscaster of the Year award, albeit just a season into his work for the MLB team.
“Back in the day, you’d have to ask for a number, right,” joked Esiason. “Nowadays, you just got to go on Tinder to get spanked.”
Meanwhile, while a good laugh was had by all, the online criticism focused on the idea that if a woman were to make the same gesture, it would not be received as well as Ballard’s has been.
“No, I don’t think so,” Giannotti disagreed. “It was a goofy, light spot from the booth. It was stupid.”
Additionally, Esiason said that he honestly enjoyed the moment and saw nothing wrong with how Ballard approached capturing it on live television.
“I thought it was innocent. I thought it was funny. I thought that the way the girls reacted was funny,” Esiason said.
As of now, FanDuel Sports Network has not made any comment on the matter.
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FOX Nation is set to debut a new game show hosted by Fox News host Greg Gutfeld based on the actions of the first 90 days of the presidency of Donald Trump.
Gutfeld will host What Did I Miss?, a new show featuring four people who were put into isolation on January 20th, the day of Trump’s inauguration, and left with no contact to the outside world.
The four contestants on the show have been sequestered in upstate New York with no way of receiving information.
After 90 days, those participating in the show will be tested on which events actually happened during their time in isolation, and which events were created as works of fiction by the show’s team.
“Truth can be stranger than fiction and who better to help isolated Americans catch up on the headlines they missed during an unprecedented news cycle than Greg Gutfeld,” FOX Nation President Lauren Petterson said. “We are excited for FOX Nation subscribers to have exclusive access to America’s most-watched late-night host’s game show debut as he informs contestants about what really happened while they were completely off the grid and isolated from the outside world.”
“For these four contestants to learn what really happened while they were living in isolation, they’ll have to get through me first,” added Gutfeld. “Lucky them.”
The first episode of the show hosted by Greg Gutfeld will hit FOX Nation on Monday, May 12th. Additional episodes will be released on May 13th and 14th, respectively.
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Andrew “Latty” Latimer is out as the morning host at Country Kix 106 Memphis. He joined the station in May of 2022 from crosstown Classic Hits Q107.5 and Alternative i96.
Lattimer has spent his entire career in the Memphis market, including five years at Clear Channel Memphis, and hosted the video-based Pop X Podcast.
When he arrived at Kix 106, Latimer replaced Duane Shannon and Abby Summers. He had most recently been teamed with Renee Castle and Courtney Carter.
Latimer can be reached at 901.515.7327 or by email here.
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Salem Media Group has inked a pair of deals with Donald Trump Jr. and Lara Trump to purchase a portion of the media company while also creating additional content for the outlet.
Salem is set to purchase 30% of Trump Jr.’s media company, MxM News. Additionally, the son of President Donald Trump and Salem Media Group will “work together to develop a series of high-impact promotional and growth initiatives” which will see Trump Jr. be a key cog in the company’s future.
Meanwhile, the media entity will expand its partnership with Lara Trump, who already produces and hosts a show with Salem Podcast Network. She, like Trump Jr., will be key member of the company’s future as she’ll help develop the digital podcast space and advertising partnerships.
“Salem Media is positioned to become the home for fearless, unapologetic conservative content,” said Trump Jr. “I’m excited to help grow its audience and commercial footprint while building something that pushes back against legacy media with real reach and authenticity.”
“Conservatives are hungry for media that reflects their values, faith, freedom, and family,” added Lara Trump. “I believe in what Salem is building, and I’m proud to contribute content that speaks truth without apology and builds real cultural influence.”
The company believes that with its financial results in recent months, coupled with the involvement of the Trumps, it has a bright future producing conservative content.
“These aren’t just partnerships, they’re power moves. Donald Trump Jr. and Lara Trump bring credibility, energy, and the kind of megaphone that moves markets and shapes public opinion,” said Salem Media Group CEO David Santrella. “Their alignment with Salem signals a massive leap forward in our ability to lead the next era of conservative media. Donald Trump Jr. and Lara Trump aren’t just becoming business partners with Salem, they now also have significant ownership stakes in the company with a major incentive to grow shareholder value which in turn will drive the stock price. It’s definitely an exciting time to be a Salem shareholder.”
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With a mixture of live game broadcasts, event programming and studio shows, ESPN has reportedly elicited its most-viewed Q1 in the last eight years. The company is said to have averaged 868,000 viewers on the total-day basis through the first three months of the year, which is indicative of a 22% year-over-year proliferation. According to the report filed by Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal, the data is also representative of a 15% rise among adults 18-49 and featured various record-breaking viewership performances across its broadcast properties.
This past January marked the most-watched month in a decade for ESPN with an average minute audience of 1.6 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. Consumers also viewed more minutes of ESPN sports broadcasts on ABC than any month since January 2017, finishing with a total of 81.4 billion minutes of sports content viewed across both channels.
Across its Nielsen-rated networks, ESPN was responsible for 42% of sports viewership on the month, with its primary network garnering 29% in the overall category. For the remainder of the quarter, ESPN secured its best total-day audience since 2018 in February and garnered the second-best finish in this category in March.
“We carried strong momentum throughout the quarter, across signature events and our full content offering,” Rosalyn Durant, executive vice president of programming and acquisitions at ESPN, said in a statement provided to Sports Business Journal. “Experiencing multiyear high viewership and consumption growth reinforces, yet again, the strength of the ESPN brand and our content portfolio.”
ESPN averaged 2.3 million viewers in prime time during the first quarter, which spanned programming such as an NFL Divisional Round matchup and the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off. The metric was the best figure in the category since 2012 (2.36 million viewers) and up 35% from the first quarter last year.
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Following several months establishing new records, new data within the March 2025 Gauge report from Nielsen Media Research demonstrates streaming dominance with an accrual of 43.8% of television viewing. The three-tenths rise from February took place during a competitive time of year featuring several new releases and original franchises on streaming platforms, some of which include The White Lotus, Running Point and Severance, existing across different platforms.
Out of all the streaming services included in the report, Max had the largest monthly increase with a 6% proliferation on the month. Concurrent with this rise, YouTube secured a new platform record with 12% of total television watch time despite having slightly lower viewing levels from the previous month.
“This month followed the more traditional March Madness path towards the Final Four, which will conclude in next month’s interval, which primarily drove the cable category,” said Brian Fuhrer, senior vice president of product strategy and thought leadership at Nielsen Media Research. “But the tentpole event of the month was The Oscars on ABC, which attracted over 20 million viewers, nearly doubling any other title in this interval.”
The time spent watching television throughout March was down 6% on the month amid seasonal shifts, but cable nonetheless augmented its total share by eight-tenths of a point with the NCAA Division I Basketball tournaments airing across several networks. Sports viewership on cable was up 29% on the month with the most-watched telecasts taking place within the Men’s Elite Eight round featuring Alabama-Duke (9.8 million viewers, +26% YoY) and Florida-Texas Tech (7.5 million, +16% YoY). Cable news viewing also amassed viewership gains on the month, accounting for seven of the top-10 cable telecasts led by coverage of the presidential address to a Joint Session of Congress.
The broadcast television category was led by the ABC presentation of The Oscars early in the month, which averaged 20.3 million viewers on the network and simulcast on Hulu. Scripted dramas were responsible for 28% of the total viewing in the category within March, with Tracker on CBS collecting five of the top-10 broadcast telecasts. The absence of football in the month is said to have contributed to the 9% monthly decline from February and one-third drop of broadcast sports viewership. Broadcast television realized 20.5% of television usage for the month, which is down by 2% from The Gauge report at this time last year.
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Sporting KC and Sports Radio 810 WHB have announced a new two-year broadcast agreement that will keep the Major League Soccer club on the airwaves for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The extended partnership builds on a longstanding relationship between the two Kansas City institutions, with 810 WHB serving as the club’s official radio home since 2011.
Under the new deal, Sports Radio 810 WHB will continue to broadcast Sporting KC matches live, including post-game coverage on The Final Whistle. Fans can tune in on 810 AM/103.7 FM or 1510 AM/94.5 FM. Additionally, the station will feature exclusive content such as weekly interviews with Sporting KC guests during The Program with Soren Petro, and bi-weekly episodes of The Sporting KC Show.
“Sporting Kansas City has been a great partner of ours and we are thrilled to continue the partnership for years to come,” said Chad Boeger, president and general manager of Union Broadcasting. “There is an enormous amount of excitement with the FIFA World Cup coming to our hometown next year. In addition to Sporting KC competing in MLS, we know the next year and a half will be extremely memorable for soccer in our community. We are Kansas City’s sports radio station dedicated to bringing the best sports talk to the Midwest. It’s terrific to work with a locally owned and operated major league sports franchise.’’
Moreover, broadcasts will be accessible via the Sporting KC and Sports Radio 810 mobile apps, as well as on SportingKC.com and 810whb.com. Fans in the U.S. and Canada will also have the option to select the station’s commentary for Sporting KC home games through MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Calling the action will be Blake Aerni, a Mill Valley High School alum and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate, who has been part of Sporting KC’s radio team for four seasons. He will be joined by analyst Jon Kempin, a 13-year MLS veteran and former Sporting KC goalkeeper. Kempin, now in his third season as a radio analyst, spent seven seasons with the club and has been inducted into both the Blue Valley North High School and Kansas Soccer Halls of Fame.
Sports Radio 810 WHB remains the largest all-sports radio station in the country, with a powerful 50,000-watt daytime signal that covers more than 42,000 square miles across Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
The station, which is locally owned and operated, was named Media Mix’s Kansas City Radio Station of the Year in 2024. It also holds the exclusive local radio rights for live play-by-play coverage of major sporting events, including the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, NHL Stanley Cup Final, World Series, and NCAA championships.
With this renewed agreement, Sports Radio 810 WHB will mark 15 consecutive seasons as the radio home of Sporting Kansas City, dating back to the club’s first match at Children’s Mercy Park.
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The NFL Draft has been on a cross-country road trip since the National Football League decided to take the annual event on the road dating back to 2015. After eight destinations visited in the last nine years, the city of Green Bay, WI, is set to host the draft and its massive following of football fans eager to see the single biggest reality show in sports come alive.
Green Bay is home to the four-time Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, whose roots in the game of football date back over a century. The town’s population of just over 105,000 people, according to a 2023 Census Bureau study, ranks Green Bay as the smallest market to house an NFL team. With an expected attending crowd of over 250,000 people for the NFL Draft weekend, the event will serve as a great opportunity for local radio to capitalize on the uniqueness of the draft being housed in Green Bay.
For some perspective, I reached out to sports radio programmers in three previous markets that hosted the NFL Draft to gain their insights on the event and what it meant for the revenue and listening experience of the station. With less than two weeks until the draft arrives in Green Bay, I also talked with Tim Scott, who programs iHeartMedia’s 97.3 The Game, which serves as the Packers’ flagship station, to see what they have planned for the event.
“There is a buzz about it, no doubt about it,” Scott said when asked about the attention the market is getting with the draft coming to Green Bay. “People are kind of letting it sink in that this is actually happening here in Green Bay.”
The NFL Draft does a lot of things for the markets in which it calls home each year. This year the event will take place on the Lambeau Field campus and the Titletown District that surrounds the football stadium. The NFL Draft Theater will be where each of the 257 selections occurs, while an 800,000-square-foot NFL Draft Experience will be free and open to all fans in attendance.
How Local Markets Approached Coverage In The Past
Matt Fishman, who programmed ESPN Cleveland in 2021 when the NFL Draft was held in the home of the Browns, says it was important to capture the moment for a once-in-a-lifetime event like the draft.
“A city like Cleveland doesn’t always get the biggest events coming through like a New Orleans or Indianapolis does,” said Fishman. “I think it all tied together to create excitement, and it was incumbent upon us to create some special programming, sponsorships, and try to do the best we could with something that was different for us.”
While different cities aim for different things when it comes to big events, every great programmer gets creative with crafting something different to drive additional revenue with events like the NFL Draft—from added vignettes and guest appearances driving sponsorships to a schedule of added live broadcasts surrounding the big event.
“For that week we were able to be at multiple locations, and that’s the beauty of what we do,” said Q Myers, who programs the Las Vegas Sports Network, recalling the added live broadcast opportunities that the NFL Draft brought when it visited ‘Sin City’ in 2022. “We had big draft parties as well. We were at those as well at different clubs and stuff. With everything, the stars kind of lined up for us. It was a perfect storm.”
Stephen Spector, who programs 96.5 The Fan in Kansas City, said that when the NFL Draft came to the ‘Chiefs Kingdom,’ it provided a unique opportunity to spread to many different places around town, bringing the NFL Draft experience to the listeners.
“What we pivoted to on the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday was being at the draft,” Spector said. “In the past we’d obviously be in studio hosting all our draft coverage. We made it a point to try and be at all the spots around the draft.”
Spector also recalled how he was able to work out an arrangement with the Kansas City Royals—whose flagship station is 96.5 The Fan—where the Royals game on night one of the NFL Draft would air on another station, allowing The Fan to bring the action and excitement of night one to the listening audience.
“Our programming didn’t change, but our philosophy of being out in the public changed a lot,” said Spector.
Pivoting Programming In All Aspects Of The NFL Draft
While 97.3 The Game is preparing for the draft weekend, Scott detailed how his station has pivoted from deep Packers analysis to an informational outlet for fans on what to expect with the massive crowds that come with the event.
“We really have switched. Instead of saying ‘Hey, here’s who the Packers may draft,’ it’s more along the lines of ‘Here’s where to park,’” noted Scott. “Here’s where to dine, this is what’s going on. Right now, the big message is about the OnePass app. The draft is free, but you must download the OnePass app to gain admittance to the draft.”
Scott also said that the station will be adding specific traffic and information reports surrounding Green Bay, albeit the radio station itself is based in Milwaukee, about 83 miles from Lambeau Field.
“Everybody’s going to Green Bay,” said Scott. “We’ve rented a house that is two blocks off of the draft site. That’s what is cool about Green Bay—it’s a neighborhood. So we’re renting a house. Don’t ask me how much it is.”
Taking a page from his fellow programmers, Scott has plans to have his entire on-air team on the road for NFL Draft coverage beginning Tuesday of next week through the end of the event on Saturday afternoon.
“On draft night, we’re working with the Green Bay Packers. We’re going to put statewide draft coverage up on the Packers Radio Network,” Scott explained. “We will broadcast live from the inside level field. We will be on radio row. We will be at Buffalo Wild Wings, and we will be on the plaza in the midst of all the people there—about 200 yards from the main stage.”
The spectacle of the NFL Draft continues to create buzz and challenges for local media to capture the moment as their home market is broadcast to a worldwide audience. While every programmer has the highest goals in mind to capitalize on the moment, not everything can come to fruition, leaving some lessons to learn for events in the future.
“I wish we would’ve done more shows specifically at the draft or celebrating the draft somewhere,” Fishman said. Cleveland hosted the NFL Draft the year after the league held the draft off-site due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I would’ve tried to have been in more places with everything we’re doing on the air from a professional standpoint and a digital standpoint.”
Myers, recalling the draft in Las Vegas, wished for a little more collaboration with the league itself.
“I think the only thing that we could’ve done or even should’ve done a little bit more is try to collaborate with the NFL, knowing that we’re, you know, one of 32 cities that actually has an NFL team,” said Myers. “That probably could’ve given us an extra boost that we didn’t get, but it’s something to learn from and try to build off the next time that we get this opportunity.”
With every traditional radio station trying to play better in the digital world, the NFL Draft provides an opportunity to take your local following behind the curtain and show how big the spectacle is without being there.
“I wish we would’ve done more organic social content,” Spector said of the NFL Draft experience in Kansas City. “I think visually we could’ve probably done a better job. That’s a big part of video and social, and I think that was not a missed opportunity, but we could’ve been better there.”
Spector also noted that he felt the station could have had their own event instead of tying the station to several events around town with the NFL Draft. However, he noted that looking back, with the number of events in town already, he pondered if it would have even made an impact.
Excitement For Draft Weekend In Green Bay
As Tim Scott prepares his team and his station for the challenges of what’s to come next week, he noted he talked to a few people while attending this past Super Bowl in New Orleans about how they approached the NFL Draft in their market. He took notes, did the research, and is looking forward to a once-in-a-lifetime event coming to Green Bay.
“Biggest goal? To make sure that everything works,” joked Scott. “The Packers have allowed us to have access to the Packers Radio Network. They’re a strong partner of ours going into our fourth season together, and we’re really excited about that opportunity. We’re treating this like a game. It’s like a Major League Baseball playoff series—that’s kind of the way we look at this.”
As the kickoff of the NFL Draft nears for Scott and his iHeartMedia team with 97.3 The Game, they are looking forward to providing another example of how sports radio can own the experience of the NFL Draft.
“We’re just excited to get this thing going,” Scott closed.
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