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Mike Bacsik Chose Television With the Texas Rangers Without Ruling Out a Sports Radio Return

Derek Futterman
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Mike Bacsik Chose Television With the Texas Rangers Without Ruling Out a Sports Radio Return

Upon the completion of the last year’s baseball season, Mike Bacsik knew that he was in a somewhat precarious arrangement that would not lend itself to long-term sustainability. Providing analysis for Texas Rangers baseball games while also co-hosting the midday show on 105.3 The Fan meant packed weeks, but he was fortunate to be working in subsets of sports media towards which he exuded passion. Yet Bacsik recognized that it was a difficult balance and has appreciation for co-hosts Kevin Hageland and Cory Mageors for adapting to the dynamic situation, sometimes anchoring shows where he would be off the air for a week or departing episodes early.

After approximately 13 years with the radio station, Bacsik bid his farewell to 105.3 The Fan in February to focus on his second season as a live game analyst for Rangers baseball. Nearly doubling his game assignments to 108 regular-season contests, he is enjoying the challenge of the greater role. There are still occurrences, however, where Bacsik wakes up and presumes that he is headed to the radio station, and he admits that there is an adjustment to the lifestyle and regular travel. In the end though, he did not view the decision to leave as difficult and capitalized on a fortuitous window.

“I was like, ‘This is it, this is everything I could have dreamed of,’ and it was a dream job of mine that I never thought was possible, so I never had it on my radar through the years of working in radio,” Bacsik said. “I assumed I was going to work in radio until retirement until I was like, ‘Okay, we have enough money. Everything is good, I’m satisfied. Move on.’ So I never thought I was leaving radio.”

In reviewing the distinctive configuration, Bacsik could discern that longtime Audacy Dallas executive Gavin Spittle did not like what was taking place. Bacsik presumes that Spittle found it too challenging from the perspective of a programmer to combat the instability, but he also acknowledged his own skills in radio. Detecting his ego in this circumstance, he found the craft to be effortless and felt he had the ability to keep the audience listening.

“There was part of me that was like, ‘That might be good that I’m kind of leaving radio’ because I got so frustrated with the rinse-and-recycle repeat of the Dallas Cowboys,” Bacsik said. “Every offseason’s exactly the same, every season’s pretty much exactly the same, they all end exactly the same, and I was just getting tired of it.”

The Move to Full Time on Television and Leaving 105.3 The Fan

Bacsik is a former pitcher who spent eight years playing professional baseball, which included a stint with the Texas Rangers. As someone with passion and vast knowledge of the game, he divulged that he had a verbal agreement with 105.3 The Fan to appear on one segment per day to talk about the latest news, developments and storylines.

Bacsik’s baseball agent helped negotiate the deal and followed up after the new year to receive a written contract for review. Concurrent with this, however, Audacy was in the midst of emerging from Ch. 11 bankruptcy as a private company and would later revamp its executive leadership team and engage in corporate layoffs. By the time Media Row at Super Bowl LIX was taking place, Spittle informed Bacsik and his agent that the deal was off.

“I think that he negotiated in good faith, we had a deal done and then the new people at Audacy were just looking at budgets,” Bacsik outlined. “Even though I think The Fan makes money and does a good job, I think they looked at it and said, ‘Oh, we’re losing his salary. No, we’re not paying another dime to just have a guy come on daily to talk Texas Rangers or Major League Baseball,’ but that’s only my thought.”

Bacsik provides a background premised on pitching to the broadcasts and tries to remember the details associated with the traditional baseball more prominent to understand. Aligning conventional thought patterns with modern analytics and perceptions, he also conveys shrewd wit and idiosyncrasies that lend to portraying his character. Play-by-play announcer Dave Raymond, who has been the television voice of Rangers baseball for the last nine years, is someone who Bacsik affirms can extrapolate his personality, and they were able to bolster their rapport on the green.

“We weren’t having tons of conversations together, so getting out on the golf course and playing golf and him getting to know me so he knows how to set me up, he knows my personality,” Bacsik said. “Yeah, I can be super serious about baseball, I can break down every pitch and the sequence and all of those things and what the hitter’s trying to do, and yeah, I think a lot of guys can do that [who] have the job that I have, but I do think I have a personality that is kind of, I’ll say, left handed and unique, and Dave knows how to get that personality out of me.”

Choosing Where to Grow Following His MLB Career

Bacsik was on the mound in 2007 when San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds hit his 756th career home run, breaking the all-time record held by Hank Aaron. In addition to interest in speaking with Bonds, media members also wanted to hear from Bacsik about his opinions on the record and what it was like to cede the momentous hit. One month later, he asked the Washington Nationals public relations staff how to reach ESPN, and later contributed to postseason coverage on Baseball Tonight.

By the time he retired, he had a job offer from The Fan to be a weekday host and an opportunity at The Ticket to serve as a producer with Norm Hitzges, who he considers to be a hero. Viewing The Fan as a startup without a defined path, he chose to work with Hitzges, who helped shape his abilities in the medium. The stint abruptly concluded though when Bacsik made a racially insensitive remark amid a string of posts disseminated on social media.

“I’ll look at it as somewhat a blessing from God because I did not think I was going to be back in any type of media capacity,” Bacsik articulated. “So after the mistake – and I apologize to this day, I still think about it to this day; it was arguably the stupidest thing I’ve done in my life – I immediately went back to college.”

Enrolling to obtain his four-year degree in universal studies from the University of Texas at Arlington, Bacsik assumed he would try and secure a teaching certificate to coach high school sports. Shortly after the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Championship in 2011 though, radio host Greg Williams reached out and implored him to meet with Bruce Gilbert, who, at the time, was a vice president for CBS Radio in Dallas. A few months later, Gilbert reached out and they met in October 2011 where Bacsik floated the idea of doing postgame shows for Texas Rangers postseason baseball for free.

“He called me up a day later and he said, ‘Mike, I like your idea. I have to pay you money though, I can’t have you do it for free,’ and so I believe he gave me $75 a postgame show, and luckily, the Rangers beat Tampa, they beat Detroit, and they played until Game 7 of the World Series and lose to the Cardinals, and so that gave me a lot of time,” Bacsik said.

Bacsik eventually joined the Gbag Nation program alongside Gavin Dawson, Chris Arnold and Jeff Cavanaugh, and the show began to make a dent in the ratings against its competition. Although he considers The Musers to be the best non-syndicated radio show in the United States, he believes The Ticket started taking notice and recognized that there was a show that could effectively compete. The Fan continued to build over the years embracing a style of radio that differentiated from other regions of the country, specifically pointing out the putative Northeast style of sports talk radio.

“If I was telling somebody that was coming here, I’d be like, ‘You got to listen to The Musers because they have this way of doing it that the audience in Dallas-Fort Worth, they won’t leave their program no matter what,’ and it doesn’t mean you need to copy them, but you need to listen the way that Dallas-Fort Worth radio is done because it is unique,” Bacsik said. “It is not like most of the other cities that have successful sports talk radio audiences.”

The show moved to afternoon drive eight years later and was followed by the departures of Ben Rogers, Jeff Wade and Kevin Turner from middays, resulting in Hageland and Mageors moving to the opening. In the first quarter of the next year, Bacsik was added to the K&C Masterpiece as a third host, a new radio domain while continuing to appear on episodes of the Rangers Live studio show on FOX Sports Southwest. While he has not been part of the show for nearly two months, he still listens to station programming and is thankful to have had supportive colleagues.

“It was challenging, but I think Kevin and Cory did a great job of handling it,” Bacsik said. “I’m friends with those guys, and look, you talk to somebody 20 hours a week, I don’t think I talk to my wife 20 hours a week, you’re going to have, at times, battles and get ticked off at each other, but I think they did a great job last year with me being kind of on and off the show and dealing with my personality.”

The Growth of Rangers Baseball Into the Future

Whereas the Rangers used to be broadcast by Main Street Sports Group, the franchise formed its own sports media and entertainment conglomerate over the offseason that oversees the production and circulation of live game broadcasts. The creation of this entity, which includes the Rangers Sports Network and REV Entertainment, enables the organization to reach its fans across platforms and expand accessibility to view the action. This all occurs amid a seemingly ambiguous future of regional sports networks as most MLB teams have introduced direct-to-consumer streaming options in recent years, but the league could potentially streamline its broadcasting strategy by 2028.

“To be part of, I think, history in the way that sports media is changing for teams on television, it’s pretty awesome that I’m on the team that I believe is doing something that other teams were too scared to do, and now we’re going to do it,” Bacsik said, “and I think within a year or two, teams are going to be looking at the Texas Rangers and saying, ‘We have to do it that way. Look at how successful it is.’”

With the first month of the regular season underway, Bacsik is working to progress in this role and hopes to be viewed as a long-term fit for the position. Being immersed in this new business enterprise, he is optimistic that it will bring in revenue and witnesses the hard work of his contemporaries in positioning itself to function as a viable and groundbreaking solution. Bacsik feels the repetition in the position is contributing to his progress, and he is firmly embedded in the blueprint while also being aware of future needs and ostensibly unforeseen possibilities.

“I wouldn’t say never with sports talk radio, but really my goals now are to work for the Rangers on television, and if it needs to be radio too if there’s ever fill in where Eric Nadel or [Matt] Hicks or whatever need a day off and somebody’s sick and they’re like, ‘Hey, can you go over there?,’” Bacsik explained. “So my goal is to be with the Texas Rangers as long as they want me.”

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.

Streaming Data Can Help Spot(ify) New Classics

Mike Stern
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Streaming Data Can Help Spot(ify) New Classics

Not many people know that this is my second time working for Jacobs Media. Early on in my career, I worked for the company as a sort of internal support person. Fred Jacobs, Bill Jacobs and, at the time, Tom Calderone went on the road to visit clients, and I stayed in the office providing whatever help they needed to make the visit successful.

One of the services the company offered back then was music testing. We would hire companies to recruit fans of the station’s music to come to a hotel and listen to the hooks of several hundred songs.

They would be handed the tried-and-true tools of the trade: a Scantron sheet and a #2 pencil. If you are too young to know what that is, look it up. After the test, the Scantron sheets would be mailed to the home office, where yours truly would run them through a machine and tabulate the results.

I’m telling you about my early days to point out that, in the 30+ years since I had graphite stains on my hands, not a lot has changed about how radio stations test music. Listeners don’t go to hotels anymore; the tests are conducted online, but the methodology is generally the same. Listen to the hook of a couple hundred songs, rate them on a scale of 1-to-5 and tell us if you are tired of hearing the song on the radio. The main difference is no more #2 pencils.

Meanwhile, the same songs continue to test well over and over again. That consistency may be a testament to the methodology, proving that the system works and the hits keep scoring well. Or it could be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Keep testing music the exact same way and keep getting the same results.

It begs the question: Is there another way to identify songs that would be suitable for Classic and Adult Hits stations?

Enter Matt Bailey and his new venture, Graphs About Songs. A radio junkie since age three, his career included time on the air at several Atlanta stations and seventeen years at Coleman Insights, one of the most trusted research firms in the industry. While he was there, Matt launched the company’s Integr8 Research callout division, which evaluates contemporary music for stations across the country.

Now, out on his own, Matt launched two newsletters: Graphs About Songs, which explores trends in popular music through in-depth analysis of Spotify data, Billboard charts, and other publicly published information, and The Hit Momentum Report, a subscription service for programmers focused on Spotify consumption.

“There’s more data than ever about music consumption, but it’s also more confusing and overwhelming than ever,” says Bailey. “I launched Graphs About Songs in February 2024 to show how music is changing and how our love of music remains timeless.”

While I highly recommend looking back over past editions of Graphs About Songs, a recent column titled 19 Oldies Young People Love caught my attention. In the post, Bailey looks at songs that ranked in the top twenty for streams during 2024 and into 2025.

He found dozens of older songs receiving as much streaming play as some of the biggest contemporary hits. Considering people under age 35 still make up more than half of Spotify users (compared to about 23% of the U.S. population), when an older song gets that type of attention, it is being streamed by more than just Baby Boomers or Gen X listeners. It’s transcending generational lines.

Some of the songs that landed in the Top 20 most streamed aren’t surprising. Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” – which took off in late 2020 thanks to a viral TikTok video – and Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” are both consistently streaming a lot and are staples on radio playlists.

Others like Hall and Oates’ “Rich Girl,” Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” and Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved” also have big streaming numbers but are still on the fringe of the format.

While statistics like these tell us what Classic songs are less likely to push away younger listeners, there are also titles to consider that might help attract them.

In a post looking at Alternative music from the nineties forward, Bailey notes that Coldplay has several titles receiving heavy streaming. One of the most musically accessible artists of the last 25 years, Coldplay receives minimal airplay at Classic and Adult Hits stations, while U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are staple artists.

Even more contemporary, the 2000s anthem “Mr. Brightside” is still not a staple at the format despite heavy streaming. A case for airplay could also be made for a few songs from after 2010, such as Vance Joy’s “Riptide” or Cage the Elephant’s “Cigarette Daydreams,” both of which have strong streaming presences.

Now before anyone opens their music scheduling program and starts going crazy, let’s be clear. I’m not positive these songs belong on your station’s playlist, nor is Bailey. He is quick to point out that any song you play needs to fit the target demographics and brand expectations of your station.

A more narrowly focused Classic Rock or Classic Hits station may have a harder time with an artist like Coldplay, while it might be easier on a Variety Hits station where the audience has broader expectations.

There is also a difference between songs with staying power and songs that are streaming in the moment due to a new viral video or other impetus. Bailey says, “The song that’s #1 on streaming isn’t the song your listeners know and love most. The big hits for radio are the songs listeners keep streaming week after week.”

To be clear. Spotify and other streaming data are not a replacement for traditional music testing. If you don’t have access to local research, try to follow the lead of stations that do. If you start freelancing, it’s extremely easy to steer a station off track.

That said, when applied properly and carefully, streaming data like Bailey writes about in Graphs About Songs may be a way to discover some secret weapon titles, engage younger audiences more effectively and spot-check the accuracy of traditional music testing—which is still essentially conducted via Scantron sheet and #2 pencil.

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.

5 Reasons for the Radio Industry to Feel Optimistic About the Future

Perry Michael Simon
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5 Reasons for the Radio Industry to Feel Optimistic About the Future

Greetings, everyone! Say, do you work in radio? Did you formerly work in radio? Do you listen to radio? There’s plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about radio’s future. Did you know that? No? Well, let’s count down five reasons to feel good about radio. Ready? Let’s go down this rabbit hole and see…

1. It’s free!

1a. So is every other medium. The competitors also have additional revenue streams, like premium tiers, ad-free versions, whatever. We do have pay radio, namely SiriusXM, but that’s optional and if you call them around renewal time, they’ll give you deals just to stay on board.

Meanwhile, you can use Spotify for free if you don’t mind ads. Okay, that’s not as much an advantage as it used to be.

2. Every car is equipped with radio!

2a. Yeah, about that… you know about the somewhat desperate-sounding “Save AM Radio” campaigns. You also know that radio is becoming increasingly hidden on car touchscreens, and streaming audio has become almost ubiquitous and pretty easy.

One saving grace: unless you’ve put it on a preset, fumbling around to find a stream is not just annoying but dangerous. Streaming music isn’t worth losing control of your car and thus starring in the latest viral dashcam video, with text splashed on top calling you an idiot. It’s one reason why there’s been some pushback and calls for bringing back actual dashboard buttons and dials instead of putting those controls on the touchscreen. (I have an older car without a touchscreen. I don’t feel like I’m missing much.)

3. Radio’s local! Streaming isn’t!

3a. That ship sailed a long time ago. Voice tracking from elsewhere isn’t “local,” even if it includes material from a local news source. On the other hand, has anyone done research on whether consumers care whether a station is local?

Does it matter? I’d guess that sports talk needs to at least offer one or two local shows – a sports station in New York better be talking about the Giants, Jets, Yankees, and Mets and not college football, while you’re talking SEC football and nothing but SEC football in Birmingham – but Sabrina Carpenter sounds the same whether her song’s being played by an automation platform in your town or someplace else.

When it comes to entertainment, at least, people probably don’t care where a host is; they only care that they’re being entertained.

4. Radio has immediacy! When news breaks, you’ll find discussion about it on the radio!

4a. You’ll find more of it on social media. The conversation moved. Besides, even live radio tends to lag in terms of the topics it covers, and tape delay is a thing, too.

Radio works best when there’s a host who’s a star, whose opinions are especially valued and trusted by their audience, in a “I wonder what (host) thinks about this” way. Are there hosts left about whom you can say that, or are they all podcasting or doing video online?

5. Radio has reach, more than any other medium! Advertisers get bang for their buck!

5a. This is still true, although it’s shrinking and reach alone as an isolated metric for advertising sales really doesn’t do it for agency buys. There is some hope here, because radio does reach older demographics very well and it seems to be the case that more agencies and clients are paying attention (although they’re buying MeTV and Antenna TV and other TV diginets, the perfect medium for pharmaceutical ads, which explains the Wegovy and Jardiance ads in every single break).

There’s some opportunity there on a local, non-agency level, too. Unfortunately, there’s probably not enough revenue there to offset the debt the big broadcasters owe Wall Street, but maybe there’s enough to keep some local operations afloat. The increasing number of stations handing in their licenses says otherwise, though.

Feeling better now? No? Well, then, there’s always podcasting, or YouTube, or TikTok, or Substack. And, well, radio – if it is dying, it’s going to take a while for it to go away, and in the meantime, despite the tinkering with AI, it’s going to need people to make it work. One of you may have ideas that will turn radio’s fortunes around. Better get working on that, bud. Time’s a-wastin’.

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: The Mark Blazor Show, 610 WTVN

Garrett Searight
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The Interview: The Mark Blazor Show, 610 WTVN

As you’re likely aware, late last week, a helicopter crashed in the Hudson River in New York, killing all the passengers aboard the aircraft. After the news broke, The Mark Blazor Show on 610 WTVN in Columbus tried to get to the bottom of what happened.

Mark Blazor helms afternoon drive at the iHeartMedia Columbus news/talk station. Despite not airing until 3 PM the day following the crash, there were still plenty of questions about the incident.

To get to the bottom of the situation, Blazor welcomed ABC News correspondent Luke Barr to share the latest details about the situation.

One of the true tests of how well an interviewer is at conducting these conversations, in my estimation, is balancing the high-wire act of getting detailed information from those who have it, while also remaining sensitive and respectful to the gravity of the situation.

So, I was encouraged by the strategy The Mark Blazor Show host utilized to begin the conversation with Barr, by simply pointing out how tragic the situation was and asking “What is the very latest?”

Because, in all likelihood, the story was the top item in the top-of-the-hour newscast on the station throughout the day and had been discussed ad nauseam. And yet, there were likely still unreported — or perhaps underreported — details of the incident. So by simply setting up the guest to be the star, Blazor got out of the way and let his guest shine. Barr has the information the listeners want. What’s the easiest way to get it to them? The path that the 610 WTVN host took.

After Barr’s answer on the latest details, Blazor stumbled into a spot that many interviewers find themselves in. He didn’t ask a question. He pointed out that there had been videos of the situation circulating, showing the helicopter sitting upside down in the water, while it appeared as if both rotors of the aircraft had been damaged and were gone. He finished by remarking “It’s incredibly odd the way this whole thing has played out.”

That’s not a question. That’s a statement. It doesn’t do anything to advance the conversation or to really draw more information out of the guest for the listener.

This is often not an issue during interviews because guest expects to respond to those remarks. And, with Barr being a pro, he knows that his job is to share information as quickly as possible, because I’m sure if I perused around the news/talk and all-news worlds on Friday, I’m sure I’d find him appearing on more than just 610 WTVN in the afternoon.

But it’s an important reminder to those conducting interviews: Ask questions. Don’t make statements and expect the guest to respond to what you have said. Especially in these hard-news interviews. It is a little more forgivable when it truly is a conversation during a talk show, because that is often how conversations just naturally evolve.

In a news situation, though, I think it is important to ask short, clear, open-ended questions.

However, that was that. It was an insanely short interview by Blazor. Which brings me to something I’ve never really touched on in this space, but I believe this situation might be the best exhibit of this.

You cannot be hurt by the questions you don’t ask. Any time you’re in a breaking news situation, it is easy to posit, make assumptions, ask wildly ineffective and borderline offensive questions. But Mark Blazor didn’t do that in this situation. He asked for the latest details, and then pointed out there were some irregularities with what usually transpires in these situations.

There were no leading questions about how government cutbacks have led to major staffing issues in air traffic controller towers. No questions about whether or not there had been some nefarious actors or if there were any conspiracy theories that needed to be addressed.

There is a time and a place for all of that hullabaloo. But, it isn’t the day after a tragedy. So I applaud Mark Blazor for handling the situation with respect and class. He had a firm grasp on the situation, on why the news was important, and what details he believed were most important to get to his audience. That deserves commendation.

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.

Meredith Marakovits Named Co-Host of ‘New York Yankees Official Podcast’

BSM Staff
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Meredith Marakovits Named Co-Host of ‘New York Yankees Official Podcast’

Meredith Marakovits, the clubhouse reporter for New York Yankees baseball on YES Network, has been named the new co-host of the New York Yankees Official Podcast. Marakovits’ addition to the program is part of a larger, cross-promotional initiative taking place between the Yankees and YES Network, which includes this podcast being available to stream on YES through The Gotham Sports App. Throughout the first two episodes of the regular season, she has been on the air alongside Yankees Magazine deputy editor Jon Schwartz.

Episodes of the podcast, which will also be featured on YES Network broadcasts, feature sit-down interviews with members of the roster, front office, coaching staff or alumni network. The first two shows of the year have featured new offseason acquisitions Max Fried and Paul Goldschmidt, and the programs also discuss analysis of the team and upcoming features in Yankees Magazine. New editions of the show are released on every other Thursday and are available to listen and download on the Yankees official website or through any podcast platform.

“I’m excited to join the New York Yankees Official Podcast for the 2025 season,” Marakovits said in a statement. “The opportunity to have in-depth and wide-ranging conversations with Yankees players in a relaxed setting provides a unique opportunity to illuminate their personalities. This podcast will truly allow fans to understand how players have gotten to where they are, how they relate with their teammates and coaches, and what motivates them toward success.”

Marakovits has been a member of the YES Network since 2012 and is responsible for reporting on the team within Yankees game telecasts, along with shoulder programming and other specials about the team on the regional sports network. Throughout her time with the network, she has won nine New York Emmy Awards and also makes guest appearances on MLB Network shows including The Rundown and MLB Now. In addition to her role on the team broadcasts, Marakovits also occasionally hosts pregame and postgame shows for Brooklyn Nets basketball.

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.

Priscilla Ornelas Moving To Afternoons At Mix 96.9 Phoenix

BMM Staff
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Priscilla Ornelas Moving To Afternoons At Mix 96.9 Phoenix

Mix 96.9 Phoenix morning co-host Priscilla Ornelas is moving to afternoons.

She posted to Instagram that,” If you missed it this morning on air, I shared that today is my last morning show on Mix 96.9. But it’s not my last show on Mix 96.9. I’m just transitioning to afternoons.”

This is where I got my start on 96.9 in the mornings 12 years ago, so it has really meant so much to me to be a part of your morning routine.”

Ornelas has been hosting the show solo since last August. Her career began as a producer on the morning show in 2011. She will take over from Lois “Double L” Lewis.

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.

Fred Toucher Takes Aim at Pat McAfee

BSM Staff
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Fred Toucher Takes Aim at Pat McAfee

Earlier in the week, Pat McAfee hosted an event amid a capacity crowd at PPG Paints Arena. The event featured special guests, giveaways and memorable moments. Fred Toucher, who has publicly railed against McAfee on his radio show at 98.5 The Sports Hub before, discussed the event on the Friday edition of Toucher & Hardy in which he recapped what took place.

Aside from a sumo-wrestling matchup to appearances from Pittsburgh athletes such as Sidney Crosby, Ben Roethlisberger and Paul Skenes, some people were reportedly disappointed about Aaron Rodgers not being part of the program. In fact, Toucher cited that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that “large chunks of the crowd were leaving” because of this after about an hour into the show.

Toucher mentioned how McAfee recently amplified an internet rumor about a college student. The subsequent report from Katie Strang of The Athletic delineated how the student intends to take action against McAfee and ESPN, along with potentially others who may have been involved. Toucher shared that he’d been sued previously by other radio personalities and lawyers often advise not to discuss the situation. As a result, he was annoyed by McAfee addressing the situation and a lawsuit previously filed by former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre.

“Yeah, this sounds good, an airing of grievances at the beginning of the arena show,” Toucher said.

“A legal dancing-around-the-edges, not really getting specific TED Talk on his latest lawsuit,” replied co-host Rob ‘Hardy’ Poole.

“This guy is just such a non-talented piece of S,” Toucher responded. “God, I wish I could swear, because that would be the time I want to say the S-word. I mean, he’s just not entertaining.”

The show proceeded to play a clip of McAfee talking about how he has gone “from political cancellation to the old-school one,” resulting in Toucher loudly imploring McAfee to make up his mind. Toucher also seemed to take issue with McAfee voicing that he does not want to hurt anyone and proceeded to deliver a diatribe against the sports talk host.

“Do you want to have fun?,” Toucher said. “Is the woke mob after you, you stupid Disney-employed son of a b***h? Don’t act like you’re alternative media jack***. You work for Disney. You’re the most corporate suit working for man in the show business. Get out of here. Just get out of here, talking about sports, ‘Oh, everyone’s trying to cancel Pat McAfee.’ They let you do whatever you want, stupid.”

After continuing the clip in which McAfee surmises that Favre did not know he was suing him and assumes that he agreed to the lawsuit because other people told him that he could do it, Toucher reiterated how this comprised the beginning of his live show. In addition, he sarcastically wondered why people had reportedly decided to leave the venue.

“So this moron, if he was to potentially get sued, it’s because he brought up someone with no notoriety who’s 18 and alleged something happened that didn’t happen on his Disney-owned show that conceivably goes out to a lot of people, at least the opportunity is there for people if they want to consume it,” Toucher said. It should be noted that The Walt Disney Company does not own McAfee’s show, but rather licenses a select number of episodes to air on its platforms. On the contrary, McAfee owns his program through his Pat McAfee, Inc. company and has creative control over the show.

“So what does he do?,” Toucher continued. “First of all, he’s walking around b******g about it, like he’s again a victim. First of all, you haven’t even been sued yet, and second of all, dumb***, if you’re getting sued for bringing attention to it, why would you double down on it? You’re not even proving a point – you’re just an idiot.”

Toucher pointed out how McAfee highlighting “Pittsburgh lawyers” who were at the show in a luxury box came off as him emitting a message to the college student about having a team that would “come back after you.” Rather than being quiet about it and having a potential lawsuit disappear, Toucher did not believe McAfee speaking about it within the public forum was a shrewd decision on his part.

“The only thing that you’re being accused of is bringing attention to a false rumor,” Toucher said. “If you stop talking about it, then you can say it was a one-off thing. Now if I’m her lawyers and I’m her, I’m like, ‘Here we go,’ and I’m playing that. His lawyers must’ve been losing their effing minds. This is his comedy monologue? Like not even turning it into something funny, just going like, ‘Brett Favre likes me. Brett Favre likes me, but he sued me, and this current thing, you know, I got good Pittsburgh lawyers.’ Congratulations. What a show, idiot. And then he brings out Jelly Roll.”

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.

WDAY Going Local in Middays With Revamped Lineup

BNM Staff
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WDAY Going Local in Middays With Revamped Lineup

WDAY in Fargo has announced the debut of two new community-based shows added to its midday lineup in an effort to produce more locally-focused content.

The station has added new one-hour programs on Thursdays and Fridays, with each airing at 11 AM. On Thursdays, Professional Launch with Roct Aladin will highlight the work to the non-profit group led by Aladin. The show will piggyback off the success of his existing podcast. The non-profit organization connects young professionals with more experienced mentors in their given fields.

Additionally, on Fridays, Rock’s Downtown Hour will feature host Rocky Schneider, the Executive Director of the Downtown Community Partnership in Fargo, to discuss upcoming events, initiatives, and downtown businesses.

The two new shows join other programs in the 11 AM window on WDAY already in existence, like Define the Fight with Mariah Prussia on Mondays and Talk of the Town with Jon Adams on Wednesdays.

“These new shows reflect WDAY Radio’s ongoing dedication to serving the Fargo-Moorhead community by providing local content that matters to its listeners,” a statement from the station says.

WDAY Radio will continue its one-hour news magazine from the 12-1 PM window with News Director Ken Duffy, who recently joined the station after previously working at WBAL NewsRadio in Baltimore.

The expansion of the one-hour shows comes on the heels of WDAY being fully acquired by the Fieldstone Group late last year.

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Former Public Radio Host Alleges Kansas City Mayor Attempted to Get Him Fired From KCUR

BNM Staff
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Former Public Radio Host Alleges Kansas City Mayor Attempted to Get Him Fired From KCUR

A former host at KCUR, the public radio station in Kansas City, alleges that the city’s mayor attempted to have him fired due to his activist work in the community.

Hartzell Gray filed a lawsuit this week that alleges that Quinton Lucas, the current mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, and a high-level aide attempted o have him fired after the radio host participated in a protest in 2022.

Gray made regular appearances with the group KC Tenants, an advocacy group for the rights of renters in the city. He attended a city council meeting in August of that year with members of the group to protest an ordinance that altered affordable housing requirements for real estate developers in the city. The group reportedly disrupted the meeting and the city council adjourned the meeting early due to the outbursts.

According to the lawsuit filed, the news director of KCUR was told that Gray’s conduct could “reflect poorly” on the public radio station and “damage how people see” the outlet. Gray alleges after the incident he was pulled from his weekend shift after the issue was broached by the mayor’s office with station management.

He ultimately departed KCUR in the fall of 2023, more than a year after the situation. An attorney for the former public radio host told The Kansas City Star that he “feels that if not for actions taken by the city, he would perhaps be in a different situation at KCUR.”

The Kansas City mayor has argued that the lawsuit is baseless.

“The claim at its core appears to be an employment suit between a former employee, Mr. Gray, and his former employer, KCUR, that endeavors to cast blame unfairly on the City and our former colleague and friend,” Lucas said. “The Mayor and the City visit regularly with the press, sharing facts, honest opinions, and feedback. We will leave it to KCUR an explanation for their own employment decisions. The claims against the City lack merit.”

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Brent Musburger: I Owe Dan Patrick, Jim Nantz and Dick Vermeil ‘Debt of Gratitude’ for Pete Rozelle Award Victory

BSM Staff
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Brent Musburger: I Owe Dan Patrick, Jim Nantz and Dick Vermeil ‘Debt of Gratitude’ for Pete Rozelle Award Victory

Brent Musburger, who served as the longtime host of The NFL Today pregame show from CBS Sports, was recently named as the recipient of the 2025 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame Musburger is going to be honored over the summer during enshrinement week, commemorating his broadcasting career that included a 17-year stint at CBS and subsequent tenure with ABC Sports and ESPN. The conversation surrounding Musburger receiving the honor was amplified two years ago at the Super Bowl when Dan Patrick and Jim Nantz both advocated on his behalf.

Patrick detailed on the Friday edition of his show that he penned a hand-written letter to the Pro Football Hall of Fame about Musburger’s candidacy for the award. A few years earlier, he had called the institution to discuss how John Facenda, the legendary voice of NFL Films, had not been named an inductee. Musburger, who appeared on the Dan Patrick Show following the announcement, thanked Patrick for his support and proceeded to detail how he discovered he had been selected through a phone call with former coach and colleague Dick Vermeil.

“I’m saying, ‘Coach, yeah this is not your cell phone. This is a different phone,’” Musburger recalled. “He said, ‘Congratulations, you’re the winner of the Pete Rozelle Award,’ and it was mind-blowing. I said, ‘Listen, Dan Patrick, Jim Nantz and you, coach, you’re the ones who put this forward, and I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

Musburger remarked how he wished Irv Cross, Phyllis George and Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder were still around to share in the honor because of how much they meant both to the program and the start of his career. Patrick added that Musburger hosting the show gave him an opportunity to dream and tangible direction for the first time in his broadcasting career. Moreover, he opined how Musburger, along with Bob Costas and Bryant Gumbel, were able to make hard jobs look easy, hence why several people want to partake in the role.

“I’m so appreciative to hear that, and so many youngsters through the years, Dan, have come up and said, ‘I really want to get into sportscasting, I love what you do,’ and I would spend some time and talk them through it, but you touch a lot of lives,” Musburger said. “I was asked yesterday, ‘Anybody ever get upset with you?,’ and I chuckled and I said, ‘Occasionally, I would get a letter, a little nasty, from a preacher somewhere who said that I was spoiling church attendance on Sunday.”

Towards the end of his interview appearance, Patrick presented a hypothetical situation asking what Musburger would say if somebody had told him in 1975 that he would be in the Hall of Fame and that gambling would be embraced by various sports. In reply, Musburger expressed that he would have surmised that they were crazy and that he never dreamed of being honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, not thinking about that having visited Canton to tape a segment early in his career. As it pertains to gambling, Musburger is happy that it is legal but forewarns people about the dangers of becoming addicted and the impossibility of beating the putative system.

“Think about ESPN, which did not exist when The NFL Today started — we didn’t have cable television like we have it,” Musburger said. “If you go up, I was watching last night, and like a lot of people, I was watching and the bottom line [and] there were NBA spreads and over-unders were coming under, and I always smile when I see it because that was so verboten back in the ‘70s, and now it’s just part of the culture. I think, Dan, that’s a good thing because I think it’ll just kind of be accepted and go on its own way down the road to tell you the truth.”

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