Sports Radio News
Under The Radar – May 8, 2017
Published
6 years agoon
The news continues to trickle in from the world of sports radio. Here’s the latest developments that might have slipped by you. As a reminder, it’s a huge help to us when you pass along your information via email. If you or your station have news worth sharing, a tip, a press release or a job related change, please let us know so we can share your story with the rest of the format. Now on to this week’s stories.
After Terry Foster announced his departure from 97.1 The Ticket‘s afternoon show, the immediate question became “how will this impact Mike Valenti‘s future?” Does the talented host stay in afternoons as a solo act? Does he add a partner? Or does he explore a change of scenery? Well, it looks like the Detroit sports talker could have his eyes on the biggest piece of real estate in the format. According to the NY Daily News, Valenti is a finalist for Mike Francesa‘s seat on WFAN. Whether it’d be as a solo act or as part of a team show is unclear, but if Mark Chernoff decides to take a risk and install Valenti into drive time in the big apple, despite not having worked previously in the market (aside from a few fill-ins), it’d certainly be seen as a big risk. Risk taking though is part of Chernoff’s DNA (Boomer & Carton after Imus, no partner for Francesa after Russo left) and his track record when making big decisions is very strong.
Well wishes go out to Damon Bruce of 95.7 The Game. The San Francisco afternoon host is recovering from a health scare. No time frame has been given for his return to the airwaves but knowing D-Bruce, expect him to be focused on getting healthy so he can get back to doing what he loves. To send a positive thought his way via Twitter click here.
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons deserves a round of applause for helping create an entertaining radio moment last week. After beating the New York Yankees, the Jays skipper dialed into SportsNet 590 The Fan‘s postgame show “Jay’s Talk” as “John in the Bronx” and proceeded to ask host Mike Wilner if he agreed that Marco Estrada is one of the best pitchers in the league. He also busted Wilner’s chops about being wrong on the pregame shows and capped off the call up by asking about free tickets and Wilner’s ratings. To hear the prank call click here.
Bob Fescoe and Mike Welch of 610 Sports conducted one of the best interviews I heard on radio last week. The Kansas City morning crew welcomed former Chiefs running back Larry Johnson to the show. It was the first time Johnson had talked to the Kansas City media in seven years. During the course of the twenty six minute interview, Johnson was extremely candid and apologetic about many of the missteps he made during his career. It’s definitely worth a listen. Click here to hear it.
Congrats are in order for Kyle Bailey and Frank Garcia who have taken over the midday slot on WFNZ in Charlotte. The duo can be heard weekdays from 10am-2pm. To learn more about the show click here.
Sid Rosenberg continues to make news. The WABC radio host announced via social media last week that he’ll be making his debut on the CBS Sports Radio Network on Saturday May 20th. Rosenberg will be on from 10a-2p ET.
Tampa sports radio legend Steve Duemig says he’s officially done with treatments and hopes to return to WDAE soon. Duemig has been battling brain cancer and has been sidelined since February.
After hearing from multiple sources that Chris Cantore‘s stint at the Mighty 1090 had ended, the information has now been confirmed by Cantore himself. The San Diego radio veteran is out after just five weeks. No word yet from 1090 on who will replace him.
Pete Sheppard has been making hosting appearances on ESPN SWFL (Southwest Florida) 99.3FM, a Beasley owned radio station. The former Boston sports radio host moved south to the sunshine state a few months ago and has been filling in from time to time.
In the Omaha sports radio winter ratings, 1620 The Zone remained the market’s leading sports radio brand. The radio station placed 5th with Men 25-54 M-F 6a-7p and 6th with Men 25-54 M-SU 6a-Mid. Local competitor ESPN 590 was 9th in both categories. The Zone was particularly strong in mornings. Sharp & Benning registered a 3rd place finish, which was best on the station for the quarter.
Congrats go out to Jason Wechsler who has been hired by 101.3 ESPN in Burlington, VT. Jason says he’ll be with the station through Labor Day helping to produce the afternoon show and provide on-air updates.
Two hours outside of Washington D.C. in Hopewell, Virigina, FOX Sports Radio 96.9FM/1340AM has made a roster addition. Dean Perretta is joining the station. He’s expected to serve in a reporter role.
Now for some bad news. The ESPN layoffs didn’t only impact television. ESPN Los Angeles anchor, reporter and host Jeff Biggs confirmed that after six years with the station he was let go.
iHeartmedia also made company wide cuts last week. Unfortunately they claimed two veteran sports radio hosts in the process. Matt Shepard was ousted from WDFN in Detroit, and longtime host and reporter Mike Jurecki was let go in Phoenix at FOX Sports 910. News/Talk 850 KOA also lost its Sports Director Mark Johnson.
Job cuts also made their way to Northeast Pennsylvania. Tom Ferguson announced that his time with Times Shamrock’s NEPA ESPN Radio and ALT 92.1 had come to an end. The elimination of his position was due to corporate restructuring.
Barstool Sports created an excellent spoof with Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett. In the video, Brett types up a blog and presents it to the Barstool staff for approval. After discovering barbecue sauce on the keyboard, the staff make the decision to deny Brett’s submission, which sends the former third baseman into a rage. It’s a well done bit playing off of Brett’s infamous pine tar incident during his playing days. To watch click here.
Congrats to Peter Mundo who has struck a deal between his Big 12 media outlet Heartland College Sports – Independent Big 12 Sports Blog and USA TODAY Sports. Mundo says that as part of the agreement, USA Today will have no editorial control over the site, but the partnership will help his brand expand into different platforms, along with receiving support on the advertising front, as well as accessibility to events, news and information.
ESPN has launched a new podcast.“The Basketball Analogy,” features a rotating lineup of NBA insiders, writers, reporters and hosts covering the latest news and analysis. Involved are Amin Elhassan, Brian Windhorst, Tom Haberstroh, Kevin Arnovitz, Tim MacMahon, Kevin Pelton and Cassidy Hubbarth. Rachel Nichols, Pablo Torre and Ohm Youngmisuk will also lend their voices and perspectives to the podcast. Episodes will be provided daily during the post-season and through the NBA Draft.
Turning our attention further north, SportsNet 590 The Fan has launched a new podcast. Point Taken will debut on May 10th and feature hosts Greg Brady and Caroline Cameron. The pair say they plan to conduct conversations with athletes, actors, musicians, broadcasters, and anyone they can bribe to appear.
A special thanks to everyone who’s listened to the BSM Podcast episode 12 featuring Michael McCarthy of the Sporting News and Bryan Curtis of The Ringer. The program was listed in the top 10 of sports media podcasts, which is remarkable given that the program is produced without the backing of a major company or distributor. My sincere thanks to everyone for listening, sharing, and supporting the program. Be sure to leave a review on iTunes and if there’s something you’d like to hear explored on a future episode feel free to pass along your suggestion via email.
Jason Barrett is the owner and operator of Barrett Sports Media. Prior to launching BSM he served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He has also produced national shows for ESPN Radio including GameNight and the Dan Patrick Show. You can find him on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or reach him by email at JBarrett@sportsradiopd.com.
Sports Radio News
Chase McCabe Named Director of Operations & Sports Programming at Cromwell
“Our owner, Bud Walters, opened the door for me almost 12 years ago as an intern and I’m honored to continue to be a key member of the Nashville leadership team.”
Published
6 hours agoon
June 2, 2023By
BSM Staff Congratulations are in order for Chase McCabe. He is adding a new title to his already full plate at Cromwell Media in Nashville. He has been promoted to Director of Operations & Sports Programming at the company.
“I’m very fortunate to have been to be able to grow into this opportunity under one roof,” McCabe said in a press release. “Our owner, Bud Walters, opened the door for me almost 12 years ago as an intern and I’m honored to continue to be a key member of the Nashville leadership team. I am forever grateful, but none of this could have happened without the great group of people we have here at Cromwell Media.”
McCabe has spent his whole career with 102.5 The Game and its sister station, now called 94.9 The Fan. He was named Program Director and Brand Manager of the stations in January of last year. He has maintained an on-air presence as well. He hosts Chase & Michelle weekdays at 9 AM on The Game.
In his new role, Chase McCabe becomes the number two man in Cromwell’s Nashville building. Shawn Fort was recently named the cluster’s general manager.
“Chase and I have developed a great working relationship in the two and half years since I’ve joined Cromwell Media,” Fort said. “We share similar visions on how to create compelling sports programming all while driving revenue growth. I’m excited to have Chase as my right-hand man as we move forward together with this new chapter of leadership at Cromwell Media Nashville.”
Sports Radio News
Mark Schlereth: People Outside of Denver Aren’t Paying Attention to NBA Finals
“There was not one group of people – they’re all in there together – that was paying attention to the NBA Finals.”
Published
7 hours agoon
June 2, 2023By
BSM Staff The Denver Nuggets took to the National Basketball Association’s largest stage on Thursday night as they defeated the Miami Heat for the organization’s first-ever NBA Finals victory. Early reports reveal that the game had a 2.21 demographic rating between people ages 18-49, attracting a total of 7.62 million viewers on ABC. The figure is considerably lower than the audience for Game 1 between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors last year – which averaged 11.9 million figures across ABC and ESPN2. Ratings for the alternate NBA in Stephen A’s World broadcast Thursday night on ESPN2 have not yet been released by Nielsen Media Research.
Sports fans in the Denver market have felt as if the play of the Nuggets was largely being neglected by the national media throughout these playoffs. Now that the team is the last one standing in the Western Conference, there is no one else to focus on and their play is beginning to be realized by basketball fans throughout the country. It is a narrative that Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan’s Mark Schlereth and Mike Evans felt was especially obvious by watching the press conferences after the game. The duo was able to deduce as such through the questions posed to Nuggets players and head coach Michael Malone by members of the media cohort.
“The national media – it’s like, ‘Oh, wow. We’re just kind of becoming aware of how these guys play,’ and they keep asking the Nuggets about their unselfishness and how everybody is willing to share the ball,” Evans said. “Nikola Jokić [is] being asked about not taking a lot of shots, and they’re all just kind of shrugging their shoulders like, ‘Yeah, this is who we are. We’ve been doing this for a long time.’
Schlereth was curious to find out the ratings from the game last night because he watched the game from a sports bar in Chicago. He is away from Denver, Colo. to help his son’s family move there for the summer and surmises there were about 50 people in the bar with him. What he noticed was that their interest was fixated elsewhere.
“I’m the only person that was watching the Nuggets,” Schlereth said. “There was not one group of people – they’re all in there together – that was paying attention to the NBA Finals.”
“Their loss,” Evans pithily replied.
Denver ranks 19th on Nielsen Media Research’s metropolitan market size list, but the Nuggets have been a contending team for the last five seasons. Most media analysts expect diminished ratings for the NBA Finals this year because of the lack of a storied franchise, even with the Miami Heat as the team’s opponent.
Sports Radio News
Nielsen Releases List of Markets Where Most People Use AM Radio
“In a recent survey, Nielsen Media Research found that AM radio still reaches over 82.3 million Americans on a monthly basis”
Published
8 hours agoon
June 2, 2023By
BSM Staff Amid concerns regarding the future of AM radio, Nielsen Media Research has unveiled a list of 141 markets where at least 20% of consumers regularly listen to programming on the medium. The list is reflective of the percentage of monthly total radio listening being funneled to AM as opposed to total radio listening as a whole. The top three markets are all in the Great Lakes region, and Westwood One has found large proportions of these listeners are derived from the upper Midwest.
Buffalo-Niagara Falls leads the list with 56% of its audience tuning into AM radio in a month. It is a figure that makes sense based on the variety of AM stations, including leading news talk outlet WBEN and leading sports outlet WGR. The city of Chicago is ranked second, complete with 670 The Score, WGN and WLS. Nearby Milwaukee, Wis. ranks third on the list, another city with various AM stations such as WTMJ and WISN.
In a recent survey, Nielsen Media Research found that AM radio still reaches over 82.3 million Americans on a monthly basis – a measurement that equates to one-third of AM/FM radio listeners as a whole. Fifty-seven percent of the audience listens to stations in the news and/or talk format, utilizing the public service the outlets provide to learn of breaking news and other concerns.
There is a wide variety in market size represented throughout the list, but a trend of markets with undulating topographies tends to have larger shares of AM listeners because of the challenges the landscape presents to FM signals.
The full list compiled by Nielsen Media Research can be found below:
| Metro market rank | Market name | Percentage of radio audience that listens to AM radio |
|---|---|---|
| 59 | Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY | 56% |
| 3 | Chicago, IL [PPM] | 48% |
| 43 | Milwaukee-Racine, WI [PPM] | 48% |
| 245 | Sheboygan, WI | 45% |
| 253 | Grand Forks, ND-MN | 45% |
| 241 | Bismarck, ND | 44% |
| 39 | San Jose, CA [PPM] | 43% |
| 33 | Cincinnati, OH [PPM] | 42% |
| 11 | Seattle-Tacoma, WA [PPM] | 42% |
| 192 | Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN | 41% |
| 187 | St. Cloud, MN | 41% |
| 160 | Lincoln, NE | 40% |
| 130 | Macon, GA | 40% |
| 196 | Danbury, CT | 39% |
| 75 | Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA | 39% |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA [PPM] | 39% |
| 137 | Youngstown-Warren, OH | 38% |
| 244 | Sioux City, IA | 38% |
| 83 | Boise, ID | 38% |
| 25 | San Antonio, TX [PPM] | 38% |
| 7 | Atlanta, GA [PPM] | 38% |
| 60 | Rochester, NY | 37% |
| 186 | Columbus, GA | 36% |
| 65 | Dayton, OH | 36% |
| 176 | Wausau-Stevens Pt (Centrl WI), WI | 36% |
| 114 | Johnson City-Kingspt-Brstl, TN-VA | 36% |
| 62 | Tucson, AZ | 36% |
| 159 | Rockford, IL | 36% |
| 55 | Louisville, KY | 36% |
| 27 | Salt Lake City-Ogden-Provo [PPM] | 36% |
| 202 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 35% |
| 34 | Kansas City, KS-MO [PPM] | 35% |
| 70 | Albuquerque, NM | 35% |
| 88 | Spokane, WA | 35% |
| 16 | Puerto Rico | 35% |
| 67 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 34% |
| 124 | Morristown, NJ | 34% |
| 204 | Duluth-Superior, MN-WI | 34% |
| 71 | Des Moines, IA | 34% |
| 53 | Richmond, VA | 33% |
| 145 | Eugene-Springfield, OR | 33% |
| 252 | Jackson, TN | 33% |
| 149 | Shreveport, LA | 33% |
| 52 | Monmouth-Ocean, NJ | 33% |
| 73 | Metro Fairfield County, CT | 33% |
| 231 | Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 32% |
| 13 | Phoenix, AZ [PPM] | 32% |
| 12 | Miami-Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood [PPM] | 32% |
| 9 | Philadelphia, PA [PPM] | 32% |
| 96 | Reno, NV | 32% |
| 28 | Sacramento, CA [PPM] | 32% |
| 209 | Rochester, MN | 32% |
| 15 | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN [PPM] | 31% |
| 178 | Anchorage, AK | 31% |
| 199 | Salina-Manhattan, KS | 31% |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA [PPM] | 31% |
| 89 | Madison, WI | 31% |
| 5 | Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX [PPM] | 31% |
| 68 | Grand Rapids, MI | 31% |
| 223 | Eau Claire, WI | 30% |
| 74 | Allentown-Bethlehem, PA | 30% |
| 86 | Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, PA | 30% |
| 20 | Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island) [PPM] | 30% |
| 249 | Brunswick, GA | 30% |
| 139 | Appleton-Oshkosh, WI | 29% |
| 14 | Detroit, MI [PPM] | 29% |
| 239 | Harrisonburg, VA | 29% |
| 30 | Orlando, FL [PPM] | 29% |
| 10 | Boston, MA [PPM] | 29% |
| 189 | Bryan-College Station, TX | 29% |
| 106 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | 28% |
| 154 | Montgomery, AL | 28% |
| 136 | Reading, PA | 28% |
| 18 | Denver-Boulder, CO [PPM] | 28% |
| 188 | Kalamazoo, MI | 28% |
| 41 | Hudson Valley, NY | 28% |
| 17 | Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater [PPM] | 28% |
| 228 | Pueblo, CO | 27% |
| 230 | Monroe, LA | 27% |
| 116 | Ft. Wayne, IN | 27% |
| 35 | Cleveland, OH [PPM] | 27% |
| 22 | Portland, OR [PPM] | 27% |
| 183 | Green Bay, WI | 27% |
| 227 | Bloomington, IL | 26% |
| 190 | Waco, TX | 26% |
| 6 | Houston-Galveston, TX [PPM] | 26% |
| 193 | Binghamton, NY | 26% |
| 201 | Topeka, KS | 26% |
| 81 | Stockton, CA | 26% |
| 54 | Hartford-New Britain-Middletown [PPM] | 26% |
| 200 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 26% |
| 175 | Sioux Falls, SD | 25% |
| 100 | Syracuse, NY | 25% |
| 44 | Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket [PPM] | 25% |
| 195 | Manchester, NH | 25% |
| 180 | Lima-Van Wert, OH | 25% |
| 1 | New York, NY [PPM] | 25% |
| 119 | Corpus Christi, TX | 25% |
| 237 | Grand Island-Kearney-Hastngs, NE | 25% |
| 51 | Memphis, TN [PPM] | 25% |
| 142 | Canton, OH | 25% |
| 151 | Ann Arbor, MI | 24% |
| 90 | Columbia, SC | 24% |
| 208 | Las Cruces-Deming, NM | 24% |
| 178 | Traverse City-Petoskey, MI | 24% |
| 111 | York, PA | 24% |
| 87 | Colorado Springs, CO | 24% |
| 218 | Columbia, MO | 24% |
| 140 | Savannah, GA | 23% |
| 163 | Evansville, IN | 23% |
| 121 | Portsmouth-Dover-Rochester, NH | 23% |
| 247 | Williamsport, PA | 23% |
| 221 | Joplin, MO | 22% |
| 197 | Charleston, WV | 22% |
| 126 | New Haven, CT | 22% |
| 120 | Modesto, CA | 22% |
| 234 | Sussex, NJ | 22% |
| 69 | Sarasota-Bradenton, FL | 22% |
| 79 | Wilkes Barre-Scranton, PA | 22% |
| 29 | Austin, TX [PPM] | 22% |
| 24 | St. Louis, MO [PPM] | 22% |
| 23 | Baltimore, MD [PPM] | 22% |
| 127 | Jackson, MS | 22% |
| 77 | Baton Rouge, LA | 21% |
| 66 | Fresno, CA | 21% |
| 206 | Chico, CA | 21% |
| 104 | Huntsville, AL | 21% |
| 205 | Santa Barbara, CA | 21% |
| 166 | Poughkeepsie, NY | 21% |
| 157 | Peoria, IL | 21% |
| 224 | Muskegon, MI | 20% |
| 63 | Honolulu, HI | 20% |
| 50 | New Orleans, LA | 20% |
| 19 | San Diego, CA [PPM] | 20% |
| 236 | Parkersburg-Marietta, WV-OH | 20% |
| 32 | Las Vegas, NV [PPM] | 20% |
| 37 | Raleigh-Durham, NC [PPM] | 20% |
| 115 | Worcester, MA | 20% |
| 207 | Laurel-Hattiesburg, MS | 20% |
| 95 | Akron, OH | 20% |
| 117 | Lancaster, PA | 20% |