Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Austin Karp, managing editor/digital for Sports Business Journal and Jon Lewis, founder of Sports Media Watch, come on for a mini-podcast to discuss sports viewership. They offer their thoughts on Week 1 of the NFL season, season predictions, and the college pregame shows. They’ll be on with other sports viewership experts for mini-pods throughout the NFL season. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 332 of the Sports Media Podcast features Kevin Clark, who launched a digital show (“This is Football”) this week with Omaha Productions and ESPN. In this podcast, Clark discusses leaving The Ringer to join Omaha Productions and ESPN; creating a digital show and podcast called “This Is Football”; what he hopes to do with his new show; potential guests; the value of having an agent at this point in his career; his pick of a Bengals-Cowboys Super Bowl; Peter King’s predictions for an Eagles-Bills Super Bowl; thoughts on the Chiefs, Jaguars and Niners; why a Las Vegas Super Bowl is going to be incredible and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 331 of the Sports Media Podcast features Ty Schmit, a producer and on-air personality of The Pat McAfee Show, a live weekday sports talk show that launches on multiple ESPN platforms on Sept. 7. In this podcast, Schmit discusses his job for The Pat MacAfee Show; how guests and story ideas are selected; the challenges and frustrations of booking guests; how much he and the staff were kept in the loop when McAfee was meeting with potential employers for his next move; why ESPN can be a good fit for the show; using non-ESPN people; why he decided to apply to work for McAfee as an intern; moving to Indianapolis fulltime without having a guarantee that McAfee would keep him on after his internship; his ability to do a Lou Holtz impression on demand; the possibility of booking Iowa women’s basketball standout Caitlin Clark, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 330 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night lead analyst Todd Blackledge. Blackledge’s first call will be West Virginia at Penn State on Sept. 2 at 7:30 on NBC and Peacock. Big Ten Football will air each week on NBC and stream live on Peacock. In this podcast, Blackledge discusses why he left ESPN for NBC; how NBC made him feel wanted; being the lead of a college football package; his opening weeks of the season and how he is preparing for them; how he’s trying to find chemistry with new partner Noah Eagle; whether he views ABC’s Saturday Night Football as competition; his upcoming Big Ten podcast with Eagle; whether he can separate someone hating to see the Pac-12 dissolve with the reality that the new Big Ten teams strengthens NBC’s schedule; the loudest stadium he has been to as a broadcaster, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 329 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Kendall Baker, a senior writer for Yahoo Sports who is heading up the company’s newsletter initiative. His first newsletter for Yahoo Sports debuted Aug. 28. He is followed by Jenni Carlson, the longtime sports columnist for The Oklahoman who has moved to Sellout Crowd.com, a new sports digital startup which starts Sept. 1. In this podcast Baker discusses why he joined Yahoo Sports and what he plans to bring for readers; his view of impactful sports curation; the choice to add or not add opinion for a newsletter; the importance of newsletters for sports outlets; his time at Axios; the ideal time a sports newsletter should drop; who else is doing well in the space; whether individuals should have their own newsletter and more. Carlson discusses why she left The Oklahoman after 24 years; the impact a general sports columnist can have on a city or state; what Selloutcrowd.com plans to offer for readers and why it is not subscription-based; the amount of staffing needed for the startup; what kind of runway the new site has to succeed; what they will cover and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 328 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features ESPN play by play broadcaster Chris Fowler. In this podcast, Fowler discusses his role as ESPN’s lead tennis game-caller; his preparation for the upcoming U.S. Open; the Alcaraz-Djokovic Wimbledon final; how he sees the immediate future of the men’s and women’s game; the challenge of calling tennis off a monitor; his August and September college football schedule with Kirk Herbstreit; his new agreement with ESPN; being assigned the Saints-Panthers; Rams/Bengals and the Week 4 Falcons at Jaguars game as part of the NFL’s International Series at Wembley Stadium in London; working with Dan Orlovsky and Louis Riddick; his love of the Olympics; working in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup; why he enjoys podcasting and using social media to offer short-form thoughts, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 327 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Marc J. Spears, senior NBA writer for Andscape and one of the prominent NBA voices in the country. In this podcast, Spears discusses being awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game of basketball; the experience of being honored in Springfield, Mass; joining ESPN in 2016 as a senior NBA writer with the Undefeated, now known as Andscape, and how ESPN has changed from 2016 to 2023 from his perspective as a writer; writing about race and culture and how people react to that; how NBA players feel about playing in Toronto; why players have given him access over the years; LSU women’s basketball; the role of agents in NBA stories; hosting and producing a new show about food and wine that will air on Hulu on August 28, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 326 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features an extended conversation with Burke Magnus, the president of content at ESPN who has oversight of ESPN’s live events, studio shows, newsgathering, original content/ESPN Films, the Talent Office, as well as audio, digital, and social media. In this podcast, Magnus discusses how aggressive ESPN will be in retaining the NBA; the interest ESPN would have if the NCAA women’s basketball tournament went up for open bid; ESPN’s interest in future World Cup rights; how Magnus sees the upcoming College Football Playoff package; the disbandment of the Pac-12; the reporting that ESPN once offered $30 million a team for the Pac 12 which the Pac 12 turned down; whether it is fair to blame Fox and ESPN for mass realignment in college football; if former Pac-12 teams going to the Big Ten hurts ESPN; the market for ESPN outside of the cable bundle; the expected price point when ESPN goes over the top to direct to consumer; whether there will be more layoffs this year at ESPN; the decision to let go of NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy; whether the NBA was involved in that decision; ESPN’s deal with Penn Entertainment; the rules covering ESPN employees on sports betting; Sage Steele settling her lawsuit with ESPN; how much ESPN fears Apple as a competitor for rights; how ESPN views the WWE rights; why ESPN wanted Pat McAfee’s entire enterprise; if non-ESPN people can come on McAfee’s show and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 325 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features three guests. First up is Men in Blazers co-founder Roger Bennett and USWNT midfielder and podcaster Sam Mewis, who have combined forces with longtime USWNT center back Becky Sauerbrunn to broadcast on Twitch during the Women’s World Cup. Bennett and Mewis will be live on the Men In Blazers’ Twitch feed for the Women’s World Cup semifinals and final. In this podcast, Bennett and Mewis discuss how they approach a second screen experience for soccer fans; why they have had audiences of more than 500,000 viewers on their Twitch feed; Mewis on watching the WWC coverage this month and how that differed from how she consumed media as a player; the next evolution of Men In Blazers; Mewis’s post-playing interest in working in the media and more. Dodd discusses his new book with Mark Dent, “Kingdom Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs, and How a Once Swingin' Cow Town Chased the Ultimate Comeback”; the roots of Kansas City and how it is Everytown USA; why Mahomes has succeeded; how Dodd views Mahomes historically; why Kansas City is unique as a sports town; why Dodd sees Mahomes as similar to Steph Curry; New York City sports versus Kansas City sports and how media coverage differs in each city and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 324 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features the Editor In Chief for college football at The Athletic, Stewart Mandel. In this podcast, Mandel discusses the impact of Fox and ESPN on the Pac-12 no longer existing as we knew it; his reporting on Apple’s offer to the Pac-12; college sports administrators wanting linear television despite the declines in viewership and households; the Pac-12 title game as a PPV play?; Oregon and Washington in the Big Ten; why realignment content draws significant page views; what will happen with Stanford and Cal; how this impacts non-college football sports such as women’s college basketball; what this will look like five years from now, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 323 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Chad Finn of The Boston Globe and Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, the group discusses ESPN’s decision to let go of Mark Jackson; the likely new NBA Finals booth of Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Doc Rivers; how much influence the NBA has in selecting broadcasters; viewership for the Women’s World Cup; Carli Lloyd’s commentary and the blowback for it; Nickelodeon hosting the first ever alternate Super Bowl telecast; the declining subscriber numbers for cable sports nets; the Pac-12 and media; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 322 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features WWE star Becky Lynch. In this podcast, Lynch discusses how she views getting mainstream attention versus traditional wrestling press; how she decides on what media interviews she wants to do; whether she is a different interview depending on the media outlet; how she processes what is written about her; navigating interviews where some people want her in character and storyline, and then other interviewers want you to talk about the business of wrestling or her career; how she looks at social media big picture and why she needs to be judicious with how much she reads about herself online; her upcoming autobiography and the process of writing it; whether she would consider broadcasting as a post in-ring performer; how she believes one can connect with an audience; and more. (Note: WWESummerSlam will air live at 8PM on this Saturday on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network everywhere else.) You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 321 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features ESPN and SEC Network host, analyst, and reporter Andraya Carter. In this podcast, Carter discusses her journey from playing basketball at the University of Tennessee to ESPN and the SEC Network; navigating multiple assignments including women’s college basketball, the WNBA, college football and the NBA; how she landed an NBA Draft assignment and what kind of prep is needed to prepare for that assignment; Maria Taylor’s role in helping Carter get a break; owning a pet snake; what she learned when her comments about colleague JJ Reddick went viral during the Draft; becoming an amateur boxer and finding competitive outlets post-playing; what she hopes to heading forward at ESPN and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 320 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests — The Athletic national soccer reporter Paul Tenorio and Sports Business Journal soccer and hockey reporter Alex Silverman. In this podcast we discuss how the Apple/MLS partnership is fairing; the business of Messi; how many subscribers Apple has for MLS Season Pass; how they will judge success for MLS/Apple; covering Messi; who could eventually get the World Cup rights post-Fox and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 319 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Michael Nathanson, the co-founder and senior managing director of research firm SVB MoffettNathanson. In this podcast, Nathanson, one of the top analysts in the country when it comes to the media sector, discussed Bob Iger’s comments on CNBC about looking for strategic partners that could help with distribution or content; CNBC reporting ESPN has held early talks about strategic partnerships with the NBA, NFL and MLB that could include the leagues taking an equity stake in the business; Disney discussing selling its linear network such as ABC; the prospect of people cutting a DTC ESPN seasonally; how companies and networks with strong sports-rights portfolios will do in the near-term; Adam Silver’s thinking in terms of NBA media rights; Warner Bros. Discovery interest in the NBA; on Netflix getting into live sports; how he sees the Hollywood Strikes impacting sports; Messi’s impact on Apple/MLS media; the interest in women’s sports; the U.S. television ad market and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 318 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features The Daily Northwestern staffers Alyce Brown, Nicole Markus and Cole Reynolds. The three student journalists detailed hazing allegations and allegations of a racist environment within the Northwestern Football program. In this podcast, Brown, Markus and Reynolds discuss their reporting process; how they came across the whistleblower for their initial story; how they approached interviewing former players; the editing process of the story; seeing the story get shared on social media and being mentioned by major outlets; the speed at which the news cycle happened; whether this has increased their desire to do this as a profession; why they enjoy journalism and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 317 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features the longtime SportsCenter anchor and Portland Trail Blazers television host Neil Everett. In this podcast, Everett discusses his departure from ESPN; how he has been preparing for this moment for a couple of years; how he is approaching his future; being part of the Blazers’ television broadcast; Damian Lilliard’s impact on Portland; how living in Hawaii shaped him as a person and thinker; conducting the last TV interview of John Wooden; his SportsCenter commercial with Roger Federer; figuring out what to do with his Lew Alcindor rookie cards; his work Heroes’ Movement, a non-profit for veterans that helps bridge the gap between physical and mental hurdles, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 316 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features director Rob Ford and Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza on Showtime’s three-part documentary series examining the life, career and impact of Wilt Chamberlain. The film makes its Showtime debut on July 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. In this podcast, Ford and Espinoza discuss why this was the right time to explore Wilt Chamberlain’s life and legacy; how the project was conceived; the research that goes into this kind of examination; using AI to recreate Wilt’s voice so he could narrate his own story with archival footage provided by the Wilt Chamberlain Estate; the narrative of how Chamberlain was portrayed during his playing years and why that should be reexamined; his claims of having sex with 20,000 women and how that was approached in the film; his years in Kansas and how that impacting him; how Showtime and Ford will determine success, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 315 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features The Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn and Sports Business Journal assistant managing editor/digital Austin Karp. In this podcast, we discuss the NHL Draft viewership; J.J. Watt joining CBS as an NFL studio analyst; the biggest sports media stories of 2023 so far; what sports media stories to pay attention to over the next six months; the NBA Draft, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 314 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features James Andrew Miller, the best-selling author of books on CAA, ESPN, Saturday Night Live, and HBO. In this podcast, Miller discusses ESPN’s recently senior management moves and how that impacts viewers and listeners; the emerging power of Norby Williamson and Dave Roberts; the ESPN layoffs; how Jim anticipates the Pat McAfee show will fit into the ESPN ecosystem; whether this is ESPN’s management. Group heading forward; long-term changes for ESPN’s business and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 313 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Washington Post sports columnist and feature writer Sally Jenkins. Her latest book is “The Right Call: What Sports Teaches Us About Work And Life.” In this podcast, Jenkins discusses the precepts in her new book; studying greatness; decision-making as a mechanism that can be trained like anything else; failure as a precondition for success; talking with Peyton Manning, Steve Kerr, Laird Hamilton, Jill Ellis, Muffet McGraw, and others for the book; what Jenkins learned from Pat Summit; the importance of conditioning, practice, discipline, candor, culture, failure, and intention; where Novak Djokovic stands alltime in tennis; why the PGA Tour-LIV Golf story really matters and what sports-washing really is; the future of sports journalism and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 312 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Apple/MLS lead analyst Taylor Twellman and Sports Media Watch founder and editor Jon Lewis In this podcast, Twellman discusses what Messi coming to America means for MLS; how MLS/Apple will attempt to capitalize on Messi’s arrival; why Twellman thinks this is bigger than Pele playing in the U.S; the broadcasting challenges surrounding Messi’s arrival; what kind of access Messi will provide sports media; what is realistic in terms of Messi’s health and form; how Messi will be covered by other outlets; his impact on the 2026 World Cup; the MLS broadcasting experience for Twellman so far, and more. Lewis discusses the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final viewership; wha trends we think are notable and worth thinking about medium term; the impact of the 18-49 demo; the impact Messi can have on MLS and media. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 311 of the Sports Media Podcast features CBS Champions League host Kate Abdo. In this podcast, Abdo discusses why she decided to sign with CBS Sports/Paramount+ exclusively for the long-term; how the deal with CBS Sports came together; what is unique about covering the Champions League; why the four-person studio team of Abdo, Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, and Micah Richards has worked so well; the show’s ability to morph from light topics and tactics to racism and security issues in soccer; how Abdosees her role on that show;Manchester City's immediate future; Messi coming to play in MLS; covering boxing at the highest level; working the 2023 Concacaf Nations League Finals and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 310 of the Sports Media Podcast features a roundtable discussion with Sports Media Watch founder and editor Jon Lewis; and Austin Karp, managing editor/digital of Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, we discuss the Heat and Nuggets series matching the average audience from last year’s Celtics-Warriors series; the upcoming media rights for the NBA; the top-down view of PGA Tour agreeing to partner with Saudi-backed LIV Golf; any viewer backlash; Leo Messi to Miami and what that means for MLS/Apple; Stanley Cup Final viewership; the first time the Stanley Cup Final has aired entirely on cable since being on ESPN in 1994; Chris Licht getting removed by CNN; MLB viewership for the first third of the season, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 309 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests. First up is Kevin Van Valkenburg, the editorial director of No Laying Up and a former ESPN and Baltimore Sun staff writer. He is followed by Chad Mumm, the executive producer of Full Swing, the PGA Tour series for Netflix. He is the chief creative officer of Vox Media Studios. In this podcast, Van Valkenburg discusses the seismic news on The PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour announcing they would merge commercial operations under common ownership; why this happened; morally squaring how PGA Tour officials recruited the 9/11 families to be part of their fight, only to cut them loose when a better deal became apparent; the PGA Tour media rights deals through 2030 with CBS, NBC and ESPN and what this means; what future TV opportunities could exist under this framework; how he sees this being covered, and more. Mumm discusses the seismic news and how he views it as both a fan and filmmaker; having cameras rolling at both a players’ home and the RBC Canadian Open when the announcement was made; not being given advance warning; how this will change the story arc; the impact of “Drive To Survive” on his show; the number of hours they have shot for the show; how potential episodes will exist for Season 2; what a Season 3 might look like and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 308 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features ESPN Women’s College World Series broadcasters Beth Mowins and Michele Smith. The two (along with Jessica Mendoza and Holly Rowe) will call the Women’s College World Series on ESPN and ESPN+ this week. In this podcast, Mowins and Smith discuss the evolution of women’s softball coverage; the biggest challenges for a broadcaster covering the women’s World Series; Mowins calling her 29th WCWS and Smith in her 19th year; the challenge for Smith in finding a post-playing career in softball; how the production has increased over the years; the chemistry between the announcing group; the dominance of Oklahoma Softball and what that means for the sport; the challenge of getting softball talked about away from game windows; whether the WCWS finals should be on ABC and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 307 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Caitlin Thompson, the co-founder of Racquet, a tennis-focused media company with a flagship quarterly print magazine, and the co-host of The Racquet Magazine Podcast with Rennae Stubbs. In this podcast, Thompson and Deitsch discuss the most interesting players today; whether tennis needs a 1-2 rivalry at the top such as Iga Swiatek versus Aryna Sabalanka; how Thompson formed Racquet and the challenges of running a tennis media brand; how she views coverage of tennis today from the broadcast end to the lack of legacy publications covering the sport daily; the nightmare of watching the French Open because of multiple broadcast entities; her biggest issues with ESPN as a dominant tennis career; the sport hurting itself by who it doesn’t credential and limiting highlight access; what tennis Twitter is like and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 306 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features ESPN/ABC NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy. The broadcaster will call the NBA Finals, starting on June 1 on ABC. In this podcast, Van Gundy discusses the new NBA Finals tipoff time; the changes he would make to speed up the game; calling games for ESPN for 16 years; how people view the Nuggets, and how an NBA appearance will impact that; chatting with Dave Chappelle in L.A; his assessment of Victor Wembanyama; the future media rights for the NBA; the growth of the WNBA, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 305 of the Sports Media Podcast features The Athletic senior NBA writer Sam Amick and ESPN WNBA analyst LaChina Robinson. In this podcast, Amick discusses his recent piece “Could LeBron James actually retire? Seems unlikely, but the leverage game may have begun”; what a post-LeBron NBA universe looks like far as content; the Nuggets in the NBA Finals; Mike Malone’s us-against-the-world-view; LeBron as the most successful 21st century athlete given social media, and more. Robinson discusses the increased WNBA coverage in 2023; people in the space who are covering the league; the next steps for the WNBA as a content play; potential cities for expansion carving out a career covering women’s basketball; being represented by powerhouse agent Nicole Lynn and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 304 of the Sports Media Podcast features Rolling Stone chief TV critic Alan Sepinwall. In this podcast, Sepinwall discusses his writing process; the importance of a series finale; how he puts together recaps for shows such as “Succession” and “Barry”; the value of seeing the show in advance; whether it is smart to predict what happens to characters when writing recaps; writing about “The Sopranos” and “Mad Men”; whether he wants to hear from the people he writes about; dealing with PR people; how he thinks about the Star Wars universe and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 303 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features The Ringer Editor At Large Bryan Curtis and Ben Strauss, sports media reporter for The Washington Post. In this podcast, we discuss The Pat McAfee Show move to ESPN will his show will air live weekdays on ESPN, the ESPN YouTube Channel, the ESPN App and ESPN+; why ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro brought McAfee to ESPN; how McAfee’s show might or might not change; morale at ESPN amid layoffs; why politics won’t be any issue for McAfee’s show but other things might be; whether McAfee will continue to use non-ESPN insiders, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 302 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Mark Shapiro, the President and COO of Endeavor, the Hollywood entertainment and sports giant. In this podcast, Shapiro discusses what makes someone a differentiator in sports media talent in 2023; why WWE was the right property for Endeavor; the domestic rights deals for WWE’s Raw and Smackdown programming coming up in 2024; how the WWE can expand within the Endeavor ecosystem; working with WWE CEO Nick Khan; how Mark sees the legacy companies heavily into sports streaming; Netflix becoming part of the sports ecosystem; the nexus of sports gambling and media; the strategies Apple, and Amazon have used in sports; why Adam Silver is in such an advantageous position with the upcoming NBA rights negotiation; the upcoming college football playoff negotiation; how ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro recalibrated ESPN’s relationship with the NFL; the explosive growth for women’s sports and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 301 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Media Watch founder and editor Jon Lewis. In this podcast, Lewis and Deitsch discuss the NFL schedule release; a look at each network’s schedule; how we think it impacts viewership; potential mega-games; the Christmas, Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day games; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 300 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features NBC Sports NFL writer and broadcaster Peter King. In this podcast, King discusses covering pro football for 39 years; the NFL schedule release; how the league puts the release together; Amazon Prime’s Black Friday game; flex scheduling; the Eagles as a prohibitive favorite and why Peter is so high on the Lions; Tom Brady as a Fox NFL analyst; California and New York’s attorneys general launching a joint investigatio into allegations of employment discrimination and a hostile work environment at the NFL; the NFL’s navigation of sports gambling and why a disaster may be looming; starting the MMQB at Sports Illustrated and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 299 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features The Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn and Sports Business Journal assistant managing editor/digital Austin Karp. In this podcast Karp and Finn discusses the NBA’s best first round playoff viewership in nine years, averaging 3.4 million viewers over 43 game telecasts across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT and NBA TV; the Warriors-Kings Game 7 drawing 9.8 million viewers for Game 7, the best first-round game since 1999 (24 years); best teams in the finals for viewership; the NHL’s average viewership of 914,000 viewers for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT and TBS, up 19% from last year and what should we extrapolate from this; best matchups; on three months after the Super Bowl, Fox finding out that it set a viewership record; media layoffs; interest in the Kentucky Derby; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 298 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah. In this podcast, Jeremiah discusses covering the 2023 NFL Draft; how he prepares for his role on the NFL Network; correctly predicting prior to the Draft that the Texans would trade up for the No. 3 pick; what the upcoming post-Draft weeks are like for him; whether he would consider working again for a team; calling the Chargers as a radio broadcaster; hearing from NFL people during the Draft; finding a work-life balance; self-analysis of his work; getting peed on by a puppy at this year’s NFL Draft, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 297 of the Sports Media Podcast features NBC Sports senior writer Tim Layden and The Athletic senior writer Dana O’Neil. In this podcast, Layden and O’Neil discuss covering the Kentucky Derby; the differences in covering horse racing versus traditional sports; how the Derby Week precedes for them; their favorite Derby memories; Forte being a big favorite in the 2023 Derby; other horses to look for in the Derby; whether horse racing writers should bet on horse racing and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 296 of the Sports Media Podcast features CBS Sports NFL analyst Amy Trask and Washington Post staff writer Ben Strauss. In this podcast, Trask, the former CEO of the Raiders, discusses the growth of the NFL Draft; how she watches the NFL Draft today; how she thinks NFL front offices feel about the mock draft; teams giving out NFL Draft misinformation; the search for quarterbacks; Dan Snyder’s tenure; gambling suspensions in a league filled with gambling deals; Wrexham’s incredibly journey, and more. Strauss and Deitsch discusses the ESPN layoffs that were announced this week; why they are happening now; how this will impact high-salaried employees; longtime public relations staffer Mike Soltys announcing that he was part out of the layoffs and why that was a brutal decision; Ben’s piece on how cable changed sports and what happens when fans cut the cord; the local sports TV model; how consumers will be impacted; a potential price point for an all-inclusive direct-to-consumer product and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 295 of the Sports Media Podcast features ESPN national NHL reporter Ryan Clark and Austin Karp, managing editor/digital of Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, Clark discusses the league’s biggest storylines for the postseason; how a national writer decides on what to cover for the postseason; how much the ESPN name carries weight in hockey; being based in Seattle; the teams that are press friendly; how the war in Ukraine has impacted the season; Pride Night; Stanley Cup predictions; and more. Karp discusses the second season of the media rights deal the NHL has with Warner Bros. Discovery and ABC and ESPN; ABC/ESPN averaging 583,000 viewers for its regular season; how that number jumps when you exclude NHL vs. NFL windows; ABC’s NHL viewership; TNT averaging 364,000 viewers for its regular season games; what the numbers mean in context; the best Final matchup based on viewership, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 294 of the Sports Media Podcast features Michael Nathanson, the co-founder and senior managing director of research firm MoffettNathanson. In this podcast, Nathanson, one of the top analysts in the country when it comes to the media sector, discusses the health of sports rights deals writ large; what the floor is on the number of pay-TV households in America; how 2023 TV advertising spending will impact sports spending; the media rights future of the College Football Playoff; why Michael thinks Fox could be a player for the NBA; why Adam Silver might want to expand reach by going with a broadcast network as one of his upcoming media partners; the rights future of the women’s basketball tournament; how the WWE sets up for media rights; sports as a driver of consumption and consumer spending; the short and medium term outlook for Fox as it relates to sports; whether the YouTubeTV-NFL deal makes sense; why Netflix is likely to enter the sports space; Premier League clubs collectively agreeing to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of clubs’ matchday shirts and what it might mean for the U.S. and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 293 of the Sports Media Podcast features Alan Shipnuck, a longtime golf writer who is a partner and executive editor at the golf media company, the Fire Pit Collective. He is also the author of “Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar.” He is followed by Howard Beck, the longtime NBA writer whose work can today be found at GQ.com. Beck has written for the New York Times and Bleacher Report among other publications. In this podcast, Shipnuck discusses how challenging it is to cover the Masters; how a writer functionally covers the event; the LIV media deal; the future of Tiger Woods, and the sport as a TV play without Woods; the new TGL league, which will take place on Monday nights and has major stars signed up; forming a golf media company; and more. Beck discusses his recent piece, “Why NBA MVP “Voter Fatigue” Is (Mostly) a Myth”; what it’s like being an awards voter; whether writers should vote for league awards; what we expect from viewership in the NBA Play-In round and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 292 of the Sports Media Podcast features ESPN play by play announcer Ryan Ruocco, who calls both the Women’s Final Four and the WNBA for ESPN, and the Yankees and Nets for the YES Network, and Chantel Jennings and Sabreena Merchant, national writers for The Athletic covering the WNBA and women’s college basketball. In this podcast, Ruocco discusses calling the most-watched women’s college basketball game of alltime as the voice of LSU-Iowa; why the women’s basketball growth has happened; the impact of Caitlin Clark; the footage of Angel Reese taunting Clark; the terrible officiating in the title game; his WNBA and Nets schedule; the MLB pitch clock and more. Jennings and Merchant discuss covering the Women’s Final Four in Dallas; the record viewership; the upcoming women’s tournament media rights; why trash-talking and taunting are good for women’s basketball; Sabreena’s women’s college basketball too-early top 25 with LSU at No. 1; our No. 1 bet, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 291 of the Sports Media Podcast features a roundtable discussion with The Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn and Sports Business Journal assistant managing editor/digital Austin Karp. They are followed by Alex Sherman, a media reporter for CNBC. In this podcast, Karp and Finn discuss LSU’s win over Iowa in the NCAA women’s basketball championship– the most-watched women’s college basketball game ever; what the viewership numbers mean in context; the future of women’s basketball as a media play; Jim Nantz signing off from the Final Four; the men’s tournament viewership number; the shortening of MLB games thanks to the rule changes; news-breakers on Sports Twitter; and more. Sherman discusses the WWE merging with UFC to form a new publicly traded company controlled by Endeavor Group; why Endeavor wanted this deal; why WWE wanted it; whether there are legit synergies between the two; the valuation of the deal; the upcoming media rights for ‘Raw’ and ‘SmackDown,’ and UFC; the WWE’s intellectual property; Vince McMahon’s future in the new company; where things stand with the NBA's upcoming media rights negotiations, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 290 of the Sports Media Podcast features WWE announcer Michael Cole, who has been one of the signature voices of WWE since 1997 and also works as the company’s Vice President of Announcing. In this podcast, Cole discusses working with Pat McAfee and how McAfee has helped rejuvenate his day-in passion for calling the product; his preparation for WrestleMania 39 from SoFi Stadium, which airs April 1 and April 2 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Peacock in the US and WWE Network elsewhere; covering Presidential campaigns for CBS Radio prior to working at WWE; why he believes members of the Bloodline storyline should be nominated for an Emmy Award; how the hours leading up to WrestleMania for him are very mundane; the prospect of people gambling on WWE matches; how one approaches a job when performers are breaking tables next to you; what he is looking for regarding broadcasters he hires; why he will not work on-air after a certain age, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 289 of the Sports Media Podcast features ESPN broadcaster Holly Rowe, who is covering the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four in Dallas this month. In this podcast, Rowe talks about the growth and evolution of the women’s basketball tournament; why viewership numbers are up; the title game being on ABC; the uniqueness and star power of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark; the impact of South Carolina’s success; why women’s basketball coaches are unlike other coaches when Rowe interviews them at the half or quarter breaks; how she prepares for the trophy ceremony; signing a long-term deal with ESPN to continue to have prominent roles on ESPN’s College Football Playoffs, college football regular season, NCAA Women’s Final Four, NCAA Women’s College World Series and WNBA coverage; being named a 2023 Curt Gowdy Media Award Winner (for electronic media) for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; how her health is following a diagnosis of stage 4 desmoplastic melanoma, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 288 of the Sports Media Podcast features ESPN investigative reporters Nicole Noren and T.J. Quinn. In this podcast, the two reporters discuss their reporting over a four-year period on University of Utah athlete Lauren McCluskey a 21-year-old heptathlete who was murdered in 2018 by a man she briefly dated; the institutional failure by the university campus police and other institutions; how to report this kind of story and get public records; the resources they were given for the story; using surveillance videos to tell a story; how you navigate getting publicity for this without being exploitive; what has happened since at the University of Utah, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 287 of the Sports Media Podcast features a conversation with Fox Sports lead MLB broadcaster Joe Davis and Britt Ghiroli, a senior writer for The Athletic covering MLB. In this podcast, Davis discusses calling six games of the World Baseball Classic including the semifinals and finals; what it was like to call Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout to give Japan the title; how he prepared to call the event; calling on Stephen Nelson to help with pronunciations of the Japanese team; where he would play the WBC heading forward; how the rule changes will impact him as a broadcaster; potential places for Ohtani in 2024 and more. Ghiroli discusses what will make the WBC a better event in 2026; the international interest in the event; MLB’s plans to fix the RSN mess; the city and team best for baseball when it comes to Ohtani’s future home and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 286 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Kevin Harlan, the CBS Sports, Warner Bros Discovery Sports and Westwood One Audio play by play broadcaster. Harlan is calling the NCAA Tournament this month. He is followed by Jeff Pearlman, the best-selling author of ten books, the writer of the “Jeff Pearlman's Journalism Yang Yang Substack” and host of the “Two Writers Slinging Yang” podcast. In this podcast, Harlan discusses his now-viral call of Furman’s upset of Virginia; why he was uncomfortable with that video getting out; how he prepares to call four games in a single day; calling NCAA Tournament games in Las Vegas; calling the Super Bowl on radio; working with his daughter, Olivia Harlan Dekker, and more. Pearlman discusses his column on journalists not paying sources, how he looks at things such as reporters taking subjects out to dinner; whether we were complicit at Sports Illustrated attending parties where subjects were invited; reporting for his upcoming book on Tupac Shakur and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 285 of the Sports Media Podcast features The Boston Globe sports media columnist Chad Finn. In this podcast, Finn and Deitsch discuss CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery’s plans for the NCAA Tournament; NBA analysts working the Tournament; Ian Eagle replacing Jim Nantz next year; what Aaron Rodgers on the Jets would mean for league schedules; whether Rodgers changes viewership numbers as a Jet; ESPN’s management changes; Diamond Sports declaring bankruptcy; officials to accept bets; the WWE’s potential plans to get gaming officials to allow people to bet on scripted matches and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 284 of the Sports Media podcast features WWE star Rhea Ripley and CBS Sports senior writer and college basketball analyst for CBS Sports HQ Matt Norlander. In this podcast, Ripley discusses how a WWE performer navigates interviews where some people want her in character and storyline and other interviewers want to talk about the business of wrestling; being part of a major media and cultural event in the calendar — WrestleMania — which takes place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on April 1 and April 2; how to promote her brand; what kind of media training she has received; how she determines whom or with what outlet she will speak to; navigating social media; scripted vs. improvisation, the rush of an arena of fans hating you; and more. Norlander discusses the most challenging part of covering the NCAA Tournament; the access he receives; why there are more national writers covering college football than college basketball; how basketball coaches and administrators feel about college football dictating their schedules; the best player and coach interviews in the sport, and why this year’s tournament is wide open. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices