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Pat McAfee Needs To Return To What Made Him Special

Demetri Ravanos
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Pat McAfee Needs To Return To What Made Him Special

If you ever needed proof that the Walt Disney Company of 2025 isn’t the one that Walt envisioned when he started drawing a little cartoon mouse, look no further than Pat McAfee. Forget fitting the family friendly image the company cultivated for decades. The guy lives for conflict and is downright adversarial to anyone he perceives as not being on his side. Maybe it plays for his audience of 20 and 30 somethings, but at 43, I kind of find it exhausting.

Not that long ago, I was one of McAfee’s loudest champions on this website. Even if the content wasn’t always for me, I appreciated his wit and admired his connection with his audience and his success as a pirate in a very corporate industry. But I have to admit, over the last few weeks, I have lost a lot of respect for Pat McAfee.

He did not start the rumors about an 18-year-old college student cheating on her boyfriend with his father, but he gave plenty of oxygen to that fire. Of course, he’s not the only one. After the young woman began telling her story and explained the damage a rumor, that all involved say is false, has done to her life, Dave Portnoy and other Barstool employees issued apologies for the role they played in turning gossip from a social media platform you’ve never heard of into headline news in the so-called manosphere. 

McAfee hasn’t. Instead, he rambled on at his Big Night Aht event last week, never outright naming “that whole thing that’s happening.” He promised that he wouldn’t be afraid of cancel culture, made some vague threat about having “Pittsburgh lawyers,” and then said he hoped “a silver lining” could come out of “a very terrible situation.”

McAfee Needs To Know His Role Before It’s Too Late

I’m not the first to say this. I know I won’t be the last, but Pat, buddy, you’re almost 40. You look like a loser right now.

I don’t mean a loser in the sense that he will come out on the bottom in this situation. There will be no professional consequences for him. Disney’s top brass have shown they don’t have an issue with appearing to work for McAfee and as I’ve written before, ESPN has bent to his culture since his arrival. 

When I say that Pat McAfee looks like a loser, I mean that the whole obsession with this story from Ole Miss and the amount of content he generated from it makes him look like an old man. He’s the 20-something that still goes to his old high school’s football games wearing his letterman’s jacket. Maybe a few of the people younger than him are in awe. The rest of us think it’s kind of pathetic. 

Pat, you didn’t peak in high school. Why the hell are you acting like someone who did?

Refusing to acknowledge that even if he never mentioned the woman by name, he clearly contributed to the torture his target demo has put her and her family through, makes Pat McAfee look heartless. It makes him look like he knows he is absolutely in the wrong, but rEaL mEn DoN’t ApOlOgIzE!

McAfee will almost certainly be contacted by this woman’s lawyers, if he hasn’t been already. I would guess that despite the plea that runs multiple times during his show on ESPN, those lawyers are going to tell his lawyers that they will sue him if he doesn’t make this right with their client.

Whatever version of Pat McAfee saying “I was wrong and I am sorry” happens can stay between him and the woman at the center of these rumors for all I care. Apologies from McAfee are meaningless. He proved that with the way he handled Aaron Rodgers suggesting that Jimmy Kimmel was a pedophile. 

Going Back To What Worked, Will Work Again

As someone that writes about this industry, I just want McAfee to acknowledge his position. If this were a one-time thing with McAfee, maybe I would be less put off by the situation, but his desire to be “naughty” and push the boundaries of what he can get away with is so transparent and inauthentic. I compare him to FOX News hosts that still rail about “the deep state.” 

My friend, you’ve won. In any significant way you want to talk about this, you’ve won. Relax. 

The inauthenticity is what is so hard to sit with here, because sure, Pat McAfee and his crew are immature, but I don’t think any of them are bad guys. I don’t think they are so dead inside that the stories of people calling this woman’s grandfather in the middle of the night to tell him that his granddaughter is a slut doesn’t bother them. 

I get it. The Pat McAfee Show was not created with people like me (dads in their 40s that have seen everything the sports media has to offer) in mind. That would be a very small target. 

But, Pat, guys like me see through the hustle. I don’t think I am particularly smart, and young people have a much better detector for try-hards. If I see through the hustle, trust me, a lot of them do too.

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.

Adult Contemporary Stations Risk Losing Credit By Not Identifying Themselves

Kevin Robinson
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Adult Contemporary Stations Risk Losing Credit By Not Identifying Themselves

Why is this even a question? We see it mostly in formats that identify themselves as ‘background’ formats. Adult Contemporary, Christian AC, AAA and Soft Classic Hits all fit the bill. Yet valuable audio real estate is open for the taking if we keep ignoring (or deploying) this.

The Silent Segue

That is, especially in music sweeps, stations drop station identification rather than grasp the opportunity to let the audience know where the brand is found and its proper name. The reasons are many and come from intelligent, successful veteran programmers:

“(a) During long music sweeps, ‘The Silent Segue’ allows the station to ‘breathe’. It takes a break from rapid identification.”

“(b) Our listeners KNOW who we are and where to find us on the dial.”

“(c) Listeners are tired of being over-sold, over-promoted and over-marketed to.”

  1. If you create an experience that attracts satisfied listeners to your product, let them know who gave that experience to them – clearly and often.
  2. Listeners – even your most ardent fans (P1’s) struggle to find your dial location and say your station name correctly. This is reflected in hours of perceptual and focus study tests.
  3. While ‘overselling’ is a real problem, especially in younger demos, the average American is exposed to up to 10,000 sales messages daily. Selling less of YOU of your brand makes less sense.

The lack of station ID at every opportunity is a headscratcher especially in the light of:

  • Stories of programmers toiling over lost meters and another family of meters gained as every minute counts. Further enlightened with Nielsen switching from a five-minute to a three-minute quarter-hour classification.

Digital audio measurement, Nielsen Audio Portable People Meter, has been deployed in the Top 48 Radio Markets for two decades. Certainly, the methodology has flaws, but data gathered from people using the meter teaches us lessons.

The average occasion of listening, whether you’re an Adult Contemporary, Christian, or Country is somewhere between 11 and 15 minutes. Why risk programming a sweep with an ID gap in it? Listeners need to know the frequency that gave them a great experience in music sweeps.

  • Other Nielsen measured markets employ total recall of radio brands. If you’re not convinced listeners are fuzzy on which frequency their first, second, and third favorites are, look at the electronic diary in Nielsen Markets 49+ in population. In focus groups, respondents struggled with dial positions for their favorite station and forget about the .5 after the primary frequency.

Recall is frequency first, station name second, large talent third, with your slogan (which we covered earlier in the month) a distant 4th.

  • Eastland Ratings also utilizes total unprompted recall when qualified respondents are interviewed on the phone. Armed with a slew of frequencies, station names and benchmarks provided by stations, researchers unwind the rat’s nest, which is a total 100% recall on the limitations of a phone.

We’ve coached clients to create in-sweep IDs without interrupting the flow so the MUSIC never stops.

  1. Whisper IDs—These quick–filtered station identifiers use a high-pass filter without production, as automation slips them between songs in sweeps. They are often voiced by air staff or even local celebrities.
  • Music Aural Activators—We’ve discussed the Aural Activator before. That discerning sound is only heard on your brand. Mature bands often use their long-running jingle signature audio ID.
  • Dry, Unproduced IDs from High-Profile Talent – Placed between songs for an effortless transition without halting the music.

Seek other opportunities to promote your brand, station personalities and a simple ID.

Why not your own stop sets? While watching the CBS Lineup for a weeknight this week, CBS promoted five other shows that night or later next week. This did not include their 10-second cross-promotion of The Masters, underway on their sister properties.

As a quick check, this past weekend, a few Audacy legacy brands, one that hugs the Mississippi and another cozied up to Lake Michigan, produced six silent segues, and four silent segues per hour, respectively.

If you’re an Adult Contemporary station dropping station IDs in prime throughout the week, you are statistically forgoing over 200 weekday opportunities to stamp your brand in the audience’s brain.

Wrapping this up, you may wonder why we’d invest several hundred words to articulate a simple point. To winning brands – details matter.

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.

Backstage Country’s Elaina Smith: Ask For Forgiveness, Not Permission

Charese Fruge
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Backstage Country’s Elaina Smith: Ask For Forgiveness, Not Permission

Elaina Smith is a global radio star based out of Nashville. She’s the newly named host of “Backstage Country,” the syndicated Country Music show on Beasley Media Group and Key Networks.

Smith took over for Kelly Ford, who left the show in February 2025. She is also the two-time voice of “The People’s Choice Country Awards”, a fan-based awards show that has aired on NBC for many years. Smith previously hosted Westwood One’s “Nights with Elaina,” which aired on 150+ stations nationwide.

Elaina began her radio career as a promotions assistant at KFMB-FM San Diego while attending San Diego State University, interning at Entertainment Tonight/The Insider. She says it cost a lot of money for a college student to do both. Having to drive back and forth from San Diego to Los Angeles, she got her feet wet on air by filling in on the “Dave Shelly and Chainsaw Show.” The experience sealed her fate with radio.

After graduation, Cumulus Media offered her a morning show gig at WAOA Melbourne, FL: “Timmy and Elaina in the Morning.” A year later, she got a call for a new syndicated NASH Network that Cumulus/Westwood One was building. She stayed there for over ten years.

“It’s funny because when I was a child and we moved to San Diego from LA, it was all about Channel 933, STAR, and KSON for me. My mom wouldn’t let me listen to ‘Dave Shelly & Chainsaw,’ which is hilarious now. But because I would always choose radio over the CD player, I quickly realized, WOW, I’m in love with radio!’

“The connection, the empathy, the hilarity, the realness, the music. And I was WAY more excited to meet Geena the Latina than Nancy O’Dell from ‘Entertainment Tonight.’ Both exciting but come on. Working in radio just felt right and lit my fire like nothing else.”

“Backstage Country” is uplifting, with positive vibes only, insists Smith. “Of course, we discuss serious topics, but I’ll never leave a conversation or break on a sour note. People who listen to me can always rely on that.”

“They can also rely on the fact that I’ll bring them closer to Music City and their favorite Country stars. We have an artist join us every night. And while we cover their current projects, we also just talk about the human experience.”

Smith also hosts her podcast, “Women Want to Hear Women.” “I may have gotten in a little trouble in the beginning, but it was one of those ‘ask for forgiveness, not permission’ situations that actually turned out great,” she says. “Carrie Underwood wanted to join in to talk about the lack of female artists on Country radio. That was a huge highlight and a full circle moment when they featured a clip on ‘Entertainment Tonight.’”

Smith says radio has changed a lot since she started in the business. “There are certainly fewer resources, which can be wildly overwhelming,” she admits. “I feel like I’m seeing burnout much more often with everyone wearing a million hats, and it breaks my heart.”

“I’ve had many talented friends leave the industry, and radio needs them! As a syndicated show, I try to be as easily accessible as possible to each affiliate and hope that I can make their lives as easy as possible. I know we’re all doing way more than we were 12 years ago in order to survive. But I do love seeing how social media has given personalities their own platform to continue growing their brand beyond the airwaves.”

“I do think that what we are missing, though, is the next generation. Not to say we don’t have talented people entering the game right now; we absolutely do. But with the overwhelming amount of hats everyone is wearing, there may be a lack of time to nurture new talent and help them grow,” Smith says.

“I love mentoring and would encourage any new talent reading this to reach out any time. Getting the next generation (and keeping this generation) excited about radio and the unique connection it offers, is CRUCIAL to the industry’s continued growth and success.”

Follow Elaina Smith on Instagram & TikTok: @elainaDsmith

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.

How to Use Nielsen Ratings Data to Prove Every Minute Counts in 2025

Dr. Ed Cohen
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How to Use Nielsen Ratings Data to Prove Every Minute Counts in 2025

While those of you in Nielsen PPM markets are aware of the new three-minute rule, you already knew that every minute counts. Let’s look at an analysis that may help you reel in some more minutes and as a result, more quarter hours.

I’ll start with the basics: what do listeners want to hear and what don’t they want to hear? The former category is easy: entertaining content, their favorite songs, useful information, etc. What don’t they want to hear? Commercials, for one.

I won’t get into stopset length here, rather the placement of the stopsets based on Nielsen data. Obviously, if you put your stopsets in the wrong place, you’ll lose audience that you could easily maintain for longer.

When I was at Cumulus, we did SWATs on stations that were either underperforming in Nielsen or had outright crappy ratings. I’d put together a multi-slide PowerPoint and Ralph Cipolla would do the same with respect to the music if it was a music station.

My presentations had the typical long-term trend charts (love those long term trends!) looking at the station in question and the direct competitors using standard sales demos the station was chasing. I’d also split the demos down to smaller breaks to see if anything strange appeared. So far, so good despite the small PPM sample sizes.

As I’ve often said in this column, the PPM Analysis Tool (AT) from Nielsen can do many things. One is minute-by-minute data. If you click on “Audience Analysis” and then select “Audience Flow” you have an option to see “minute by minute” data for each day of a measurement period at the individual meter level. It can be overwhelming to the average programmer, but as you can imagine, I took on the challenge to make something understandable from it.

Without going into the gory details here, you can take the data, move it to Excel, and after a minor calculation or two, push it into PowerPoint. The result looks similar to an electrocardiogram and in a way, it is the Nielsen ratings heartbeat of a station.

There are two good reasons to use this analysis:

  • You can find the station’s highs and lows. When does the station have the peak number of meters? Is there a weak hour or daypart beyond what the aggregate estimates tell you?
  • The Y axis of the chart is designed to scare PDs and talent. Only in rare circumstances does the number of meters hit double digits. With some poor-performing stations in smaller PPM metros, the Y axis would go from 0 to 1. In other words, your station may have just one or two meters listening at any time! Don’t find reasons to drive them away!

Here’s a slide from eight years ago (beyond the statute of limitations) with the calls deleted (if you check the lower right-hand corner, it was slide 57. I’m nothing, if not thorough):

A graph showing the Nielsen radio ratings from an unidentified major market station.

This was a major market station targeting women 25-54. The lines were an average of all 20 weekdays (M-F 6A-7P) in the survey month and as mentioned earlier, look at the Y axis which goes from 0 to 8 meters. Yes, the peak number of meters in any minute was around seven.

Presenting this in PowerPoint lets you hover over the line to get the discrete peak minute. In March 2017, the peak minute was 7:51AM. In February, it was 7:50AM. When asked about it, the PD said the morning show had a benchmark bit that ran at that time. 

The next question was why the meter count dropped precipitously right after the benchmark. Guess what? The benchmark was followed by a stopset! In other words, the peak meter count was given what they didn’t want to hear right after what they came to enjoy. The stopset was quickly moved.

Let’s bring this forward to 2025. A disclaimer about using this analysis is that all of the listening is included in the Audience Flow option. Some minutes in the Audience Flow report may not end up in the ratings because the listening occasion didn’t make five minutes in the quarter hour. Now that we’re down to three minutes to earn the quarter hour, fewer of these minutes are superfluous.

I’m sure some of you know about this analysis or have seen something similar. I liked it because a PD could understand it at once (if the PD just couldn’t get it, the search for a new one should begin shortly after the meeting). Talent could understand it as well if they were in the room. It can be run for any time period and just about any demo as well. And it’s actionable: if you see something as glaring as this instance, you can make changes quickly, because more than ever, every minute counts.

Let’s meet again next week.

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.

Manda Factor Has Seen Her Career Come Full Circle by Joining KIRO Newsradio 97.3 for Seattle’s Morning News

Garrett Searight
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Manda Factor Has Seen Her Career Come Full Circle by Joining KIRO Newsradio 97.3 for Seattle’s Morning News

Last week, for the first time in more than 20 years, Manda Factor drove to a different office to have her voice heard on a different station. After more than two decades at Northwest NewsRadio, Manda Factor is now the morning co-anchor of Seattle’s Morning News on KIRO Newsradio 97.3.

For Factor, she said the move was the culmination of a longtime dream.

“I am just thrilled. It’s an honor to be here,” she said. “I started in news radio 35 years ago, moved around a bit, and I’ve been lucky enough to be in the market for 23 years. But KIRO Newsradio was where I’ve always wanted to be. The fact that I am sitting in the same chair with really legendary journalists and broadcasters? I don’t take it lightly. It’s a big responsibility and I’m just thrilled.

“I started listening when I was probably seven or eight years old and so it was a little bit young to be a news junkie but that’s when I started and I knew that I always wanted to land a KIRO Newsradio,” Factor, who grew up in nearby Olympia, continued. “I mean, it’s legendary not just in Seattle, but across the country.”

The longtime Seattle radio journalist noted that situation just “fell into place” between her and the Bonneville International news/talk station. When Dave Ross announced he would retire from the morning show after spending the past 48 years working at the station, his co-host, Colleen O’Brien, also exited the station.

When KIRO tabbed News Director Charlie Harger to take over for Ross, it set out to find a suitable replacement for O’Brien, too.

But, as many have heard or learned in the broadcasting business: it’s a small world. You see, when Manda Factor first came to Seattle at Northwest NewsRadio — then KOMO Radio — her first board op? Charlie Harger.

“When I walked into KIRO Newsradio for the first time, I saw Charlie. He got up, gave me a big hug, and I thought ‘You know what? I’m in good hands. This feels right.’ It’s very exciting to be working with a friend.”

Factor joked that despite her familiarity with her co-host and the market, she’s focusing on plenty of things to improve her craft as she makes the move to Seattle’s Morning News.

“I am thinking a lot,” she said with a chuckle. “I have a lot of the old habits that need to be broken after doing the same thing for 23 years. But I find I’m looking at things through a different lens, obviously much more mature than when I started in Seattle 23 years ago. It’s a lot of focusing and following the lead of Charlie Harger … so, it’s comfortable. It feels like home. I know a lot of people here and they have just made me feel so welcome.”

Manda Factor shared that she hopes the morning program helmed by her and Harger is able to impart a fun, upbeat presentation to its audience.

“We want to just reassure people in this beautiful city of Seattle that the world is still spinning, that we’re gonna be ok, and get through everything together,” she said. “We just really want to be friends and have great respect for our listeners in this community. I hope that shows through.”

She added that the challenge of presenting hard-hitting news while still allowing her personality to shine through isn’t as difficult as one might think, because she isn’t defined by her career.

“When it comes down to it, I’m a person with a job,” said Factor. “It happens to be as a broadcast news journalist, but when it comes down to it, we’re all just people. So you can’t take yourself too seriously. Obviously, I have deep respect for the people around me and I love the job I do. But we’re all just people and I don’t think that you need to always take yourself too seriously.”

Seattle’s Morning News — anchored by Charlie Harger and Manda Factor — airs from 5-9 AM on KIRO Newsradio 97.3.

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.

How News/Talk Radio Hosts Should Choose ‘Topic A’

Peter Thiele
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How News/Talk Radio Hosts Should Choose ‘Topic A’

The biggest thing that people are discussing is kind of our thing. Listeners depend on us to be focused on the biggest stories. Obviously, you are hosting a three to four-hour radio show every day. How much is too much?

There was the Terri Schiavo case. It dominated the news cycle 20 years ago. The case was this: The woman, Terri Schiavo, was in a persistent vegetative state for 15 years and her husband successfully sued to have her feeding tube removed. Terri Schiavo’s family fought her husband about starving Mrs. Schiavo. The husband won the case and his wife’s feeding tube was removed. There was no living will, and the husband sued to starve his wife. Yes, this really happened and it was the biggest story for over a month.

In the Terri Schiavo case, my morning show was totally focused on her starvation for seemingly months. The ratings book came out and the radio station took a major hit. All of my shows were on this story and you could feel radios being turned off. It was literally beating a dead horse. There was nothing that the audience could do. The conversation has zero ambiguities.

If you weren’t supporting Terri Schiavo’s life, you were in favor of court-ordered starvation. It was a really uncomfortable topic. It was the biggest story of the day. Sometimes there are these huge storylines that go on for days, weeks, or even months. If there is no conversation around the gray edges of the topic, what do you do? You sometimes need to walk away.

After the 2020 election, there was much weeping over Donald Trump’s loss. Due to COVID-19, there were no election observers in some locations like previous elections. The turnout of the election caused much concern over the actual legitimacy of the election. There were many news/talk radio hosts chasing down the conspiracy bus. There was a lot of unfair targeting of Dominion Voting Systems. I want to state right now: “Dominion Voting Systems provided a fair and just election platform.” (I just wanted to make sure that Barrett Media and yours truly don’t get sued.)

But from election day 2020 until Joe Biden’s inauguration, many news/talk radio hosts were focused on the legitimacy of the election. This was death to talk shows. There were supposed pictures that showed carted-in ballots. It was tedious and just a waste of time. Was the election irregular? Hell yes. Everything about 2020 was unusual. People were locked into their houses for days at a time. COVID certainly had an impact on sanity. There was a large amount of conflicting medical advice from the guy who claimed that he was the science, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Many hosts went down that rabbit hole. There were hosts who became experts in infectious diseases. These two stories were day-by-day balls and strikes. No one cares about the day-to-day developments. The people were concerned about their health, their jobs, elderly family members, the kid’s education, family finances, lack of available medical services, and so much more. Very few shows were talking about those things. As Walter Sabo says, “Eye Level Topics.” Sure, 2020 was filled with amazing storylines. But hosts missed the boat.

A lot of hosts are mired in the day-to-day shenanigans at state capitols all over the USA. The only people who care about such things are the few insiders, legislators, the staff at the capital, and perhaps the governor. Your audience only cares about what affects their lives. A vote in the state education committee is so granular that literally no one cares about it. A listener-focused experience is about what interests your listeners.

I have a bunch of niche hobbies. I’ll give you an example: I am a fan of the rebound of the California Condor. I can speak about this for hours and I even run the California Condor Recovery Group on Facebook which was co-founded by me and a condor biologist at the Los Angeles Zoo. Many Condor biologists are members of this group. Literally, no one cares about this except my Condor buddies and myself. The group has 3,100 people. The education subcommittee meeting has few people interested in the vote. The city council meeting will have less than 30 citizens attending it. Why are you discussing these things? No one cares. Your audience cares about the things that impact them.

I can give you a myriad of examples of these topics that dominated the news cycle. Topic A is essential to discuss the biggest story of the day. Most often, the host’s weakness is in understanding what the biggest story is. I get it. I have done a daily show for a great deal of my career. We discuss serious things. What does this mean for your listeners? If it is a national story, how is it important to your listeners and community? Not everything is serious. There are almost daily stories that are, shall we say, fun. These stories can inspire stories and ideas from your listeners. Bringing your audience into the conversation, what a concept.

Are you focusing on the biggest thing that impacts your audience today? That is Topic A. Also, realize that you are a source of entertainment for your listeners. Being topical does not mean that you are breaking down the intricacies of tax policy. Being topical means that you are meeting your audience where they are at.

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.

CBS Sports Averages 13 Million Viewers for Final Round of Masters Tournament

BSM Staff
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CBS Sports Averages 13 Million Viewers for Final Round of Masters Tournament

The CBS Sports broadcast of the final round within the 2025 Masters Tournament from Augusta National Golf Course averaged 13 million viewers on Sunday, according to fast national and out-of-home market data from Nielsen Media Research. This marks the most-watched final round of the tournament since 2018 as several golfers were competing to win the major tournament. On top of that, the presentation was the most-watched golf telecast on any network in the last seven years and represents a 35% year-over-year proliferation in average viewership.

Coverage of the Masters Tournament peaked with 19.54 million viewers during the 7 to 7:15 p.m. EST quarter-hour, which coincides with when Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose battled in a sudden-death playoff to determine the champion. McIlroy became the sixth golfer in history to achieve a career Grand Slam, securing the coveted green jacket in his 11th attempt of completing the feat. Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman delivered the commentary as McIlroy garnered this seminal victory and further cemented his golfing legacy.

With coverage of the Masters Tournament leading the way, Paramount+ attained its largest non-National Football League sports day in history. On top of that, the Masters was also the most-streamed golf event in the history of Paramount+ and had triple-digit viewership growth compared to the previous year. In addition to its main coverage of the tournament, the company also offered Masters Live coverage on Paramount+, the CBS Sports website and on the CBS Sports app for mobile devices.

This iteration of the Masters Tournament marked the 70th consecutive year in which CBS has broadcast the event, and it comes shortly after the company averaged 18.1 million viewers for the National Championship Game between Florida and Houston within the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, a 22% year-over-year rise in this regard. David Berson, the president and chief executive officer of CBS Sports, led coverage of both tournaments for CBS Sports in his first year occupying the new role.

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.

How to Secure a Safe Online Experience 

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How to Secure a Safe Online Experience 

The online world offers plenty of opportunities. This is where you can learn, play, shop and even connect with friends and family all over the world. However, it’s also important to be aware of the risks that come with using the online world. This is the only way to ensure a safe experience. So let’s take a look at 3 of the ways you can secure a safe online experience for yourself.

Choose reliable websites 

Not all websites are the same. Some are more reliable and secure than others. It’s important to only use websites that prioritize protecting your personal information. Before entering any sensitive information on a website, you should make sure the connection is secure by looking for HTTPS in the URL and a padlock icon next to the website address. Taking a few minutes to ensure a page is secure before making a transaction could end up saving you a lot of trouble down the line. 

For websites that provide a service like shopping or casino sites for example, online reviews can also help you to avoid risky websites and platforms. This is also the best way to get recommendations on the best platforms and find out if a platform is right for you. You can also check to see if a site is licensed and regulated, which is particularly essential when online gaming. 

Use secure payment methods 

Regardless of how secure a website is. It’s important to choose a secure payment method when it comes to preventing fraud and protecting your financial details. Opt for trusted payment options like credit cards, digital wallets and cryptocurrencies. These methods can help to ensure the safety of your finances, as well as coming with other benefits like faster transactions. 

Cryptocurrency in particular, can offer enhanced security, thanks to blockchain technology. The digital currency is becoming more popular with more options becoming readily available, thanks to the best launchpads crypto. As the digital currency evolves, so do the security and benefits that come with using it. 

Protect your software and devices 

Whenever you’re online, your devices are vulnerable to malware, viruses and cyberattacks. If you’re not properly protected, you could be putting your data at a huge risk. That’s why it’s important to keep your software and devices up to date. As well as investing in internet security and anti-virus software. This will both your software and devices are fully equipped to protect you online. 

By setting up security features on your online accounts, you can also add that extra layer of protection. This includes enabling multi-factor authentication, which requires you to complete another step before logging in. This acts as another obstacle for anyone trying to access your account. 

By following these tips, you can ensure your safety online. Staying informed about the latest cybersecurity threats and practices can help you to be more aware of the threats out there and how to avoid them. By following these tips, you can ensure a safer and more enjoyable online experience. Whether you’re enjoying some online gaming, shopping, or checking out the latest viral videos. You can ensure a positive and enjoyable experience for yourself.  

5.2 Magnitude Earthquake Doesn’t Rock 97.3 The Fan Host Braden Surprenant During Live Show

BSM Staff
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5.2 Magnitude Earthquake Doesn’t Rock 97.3 The Fan Host Braden Surprenant During Live Show

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake near San Diego rattled Southern California on Monday morning. At around 10:08 a.m. local time, the earth began shaking near the epicenter of Julian, CA, which is located just over 50 miles from San Diego. In response, local authorities were quick to get out an emergency alert as the tremors wobbled the surrounding area.

Meanwhile, the ripple effects were felt on 97.3 The Fan as The Braden Surprenant Show was in the middle of discussing the Padres’ upcoming series against the Chicago Cubs. The unexpected shaking left Surprenant lost in his words mid-sentence.

“Should be a full crowd tonight, and we’ve heard it multiple times,” Surprenant said as the tremors began. “Yeah, thanks. Wow. This building is swaying. I’ve never gotten an earthquake alert on my phone before. 5.2? Geeze!”

Nevertheless, the broadcast continued without interruption, both on air and via video streaming. Surprenant even joked that the alert he got on his phone before his producer received the alert was a benefit to having an Android over an iPhone.

“I I don’t feel earthquakes a lot, like hardly ever,” explained Surprenant. “I think the only other time I felt an earthquake was actually in this building. It was when the Padres were playing the Dodgers in LA, and you could see it on TV. Then all of a sudden, we felt it like a couple minutes later just swayed just enough. I was wondering is that get a phone call right now and then all of a sudden, bang, building moved.”

According to the USGS, the earthquake had the intensity of IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale – strong enough to wobble cars and rattle windows, with a sensation like a “heavy truck hitting building.” For Surprenant, who remained calm through the matter, it was ultimately an opportunity to use the earth-moving event to highlight just how important this early season series was for the Padres.

“This series is so big that it’s moving the earth in California,” said Surprenant. “That’s how big this series is, between the Padres and the Cubs. Huge series. It is earth moving. That’s how much of the big series this is between San Diego and Chicago.”

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Brandon Tierney, Sal Licata Believe Rory McIlroy Drama Did Not Match Jim Nantz’ ‘Masterpiece’

BSM Staff
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Brandon Tierney, Sal Licata Believe Rory McIlroy Drama Did Not Match Jim Nantz’ ‘Masterpiece’

Jim Nantz has been a part of The Masters broadcasts on CBS for the past forty years, but Sunday was the first day in which he was on air for Rory McIlroy winning the green jacket in Augusta. After sinking a birdie putt on the first playoff hole, Nantz called the moment, saying McIlroy has his masterpiece, then allowed the sounds and sights to tell the story of the victory.

Meanwhile, Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata discussed the finish of the tournament on WFAN this morning and how Rory McIlroy didn’t exactly meet the description that Nantz provided with his final call.

“I wouldn’t even be saying this if he played clean on 18. If he hit that putt and won The Masters, that would be it,” said Licata. “Even with the early round struggles behind him, even with the score being similar, but if he made that and didn’t have to go to the playoff, it would have felt like a win that could be celebrated more, especially using the terminology Rory has his masterpiece.”

In fact, McIlroy forced himself into a playoff with Justin Rose, who was six strokes behind McIlroy through the 10th hole on Sunday, only to win on the first playoff hole.

“The fact that hole 18 you had a chance to hit that putt and win The Masters, and he blew it,” explained Licata. “That’s the putt you have to make if you want to be Masters champion.”

Additionally, Tierney noted that even some of the greatest players in the game of golf struggled while still winning The Masters, but his issue was more with the storytelling of the broadcast during the tournament.

“I think Jim Nantz is great,” said Tierney. “But he was laying it on a little thick yesterday, I’ll even admit that.”

Furthermore, Licata noted he was a fan of the visual presentation of how the tournament was portrayed on CBS Sports, but what he characterized as the over-emphasis of Nantz was a bit too far.

“I’m just not one for the corny, overly dramatic like oohs and aahs,” mimicked Licata. “Whatever. That’s the thing for the golf. I’m clearly not the audience he is targeting. I am the opposite of whatever elitist golf people watching and getting wet about the idea of ‘oh here we go, look at this drama.’”

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