Fang's Bites

Sports Media Weekly No. 115 — Joe Tessitore, ESPN College Football

The latest podcast is with the great Joe Tessitore, college football play-by-play and studio host, boxing host and all-around Jack of All Trades for ESPN. Check out the podcast on iTunes or find it here.

Sports Media Weekly No. 114 — John Ourand, Sports Business Daily/Sports Business Journal

It’s a return visit from Sports Business Daily/Sports Business Journal sports media writer John Ourand. If this were the old Larry King Live on CNN, I would say, “Our guest for the full hour! John Ourand!” However, this podcast rarely goes that long, but trust me, John is the guest on Sports Media Weekly with Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal for the full podcast.

We spent a good portion with John talking about his trip to London to over the first week of the Games of the XXX Summer Olympiad. John talks about covering the Olympics for the first time in a city where he used to live. He also discussed the sport he enjoyed attending the most and the sport that surprised him the most.

We also asked John about NBC’s reaction to the social media phenomenon, #NBCFail that took off during the first weekend of the Olympics, plus whether the tape delays that were prevalent will be a thing of the past in the next Olympics.

John also opined on the legacy of former NBC Sports Emperor Dick Ebersol who worked his last Olympics for the network.

We moved on to the strange story that broke last night that several Comcast SportsNet affiliates quietly dropped all Fox Sports Net programming as of July 31. And we talked about how the NFL preseason snuck up on all of us.

A fun podcast and one you should download from iTunes after doing a search for “Sports Media Journsl”. Or just go here and listen now.

Doing Our Friday Megalinks

Haven’t been able to provide the Friday megalinks in a while. Let’s do an edition today.

Normally I include a link to the Weekend Viewing Picks, but I’ll be doing that tonight so you can find it on my site when it’s posted. If you follow me on Twitter or have an RSS feed, you’ll be updated as soon as it posts. If not, you can find it later.

Let’s do the links.

National

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand wonders what effect the gold medal win by the US Women’s Soccer National Team will have on the sport in the long run.

Michael also live blogged Thursday’s Olympic Primetime on NBC.

Jeffrey Martin of USA Today looks at the grand experiment that’s known as the Pac-12 Networks.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch talks with NBC Sports Chairman Mark Lazarus about the NBCUniversal’s handling of the 2012 Olympics.

At the Sports on Earth blog, Joe Posnanski chronicles his day in covering the Olympics.

Austin Karp of Sports Business Daily says with NFL preseason games airing in many local markets on Thursday, NBC Olympic overnight ratings took a hit.

Bill King of SBD says CBS Sports is forging ahead with a show featuring the professional debut of several US Olympic boxers despite their poor performance in London.

Ryan Baucom of SBD writes that several Olympic athletes are getting a boost in Twitter followers after their success in the London Games.

Tripp Mickle of SBD says Universal Sports broke out an ad on NBC Thursday trying to promote its Olympic sports programming. Good luck with that.

Eric Fisher of SBD says Yahoo is declaring victory over NBCOlympics.com for unique pageviews.

Sohrab Amari of the Wall Street Journal reviews an NBC News documentary fronted by Tom Brokaw which will air on NBC’s Olympic coverage on Saturday.

Sarah Kwak of Sports Illustrated talks with Lolo Jones about the media firestorm that swelled just before she ran her 100 meters hurdles race.

In the Sherman Report, Ed Sherman talks with outgoing Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan about his first job. Ryan will be missed in the pages of the Globe.

Sports Media Journal’s Keith Thibault and I have an Olympic-themed podcast with Richard Sandomir of the New York Times and Bruce Beck of WNBC-TV.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that Today Show host Matt Lauer had an icy reunion with former co-host Ann Curry on NBC’s London Olympics set.

John Eggerton at Broadcasting & Cable writes that the FCC has already denied a Comcast request to stay its decision requiring the cable provider to give space to the Tennis Channel.

Christopher Heine of Adweek says Olympic marketers have failed to medal in their social media campaigns.

But Simon Dumenco of Advertising Age looks at the Olympic sponsors that managed to get a boost through social media.

Michael Learmonth of Advertising Age says NBC and the International Olympic Committee have to fix the Olympic business model before it breaks down.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life notes that NBC’s ratings for Wednesday Olympic Primetime show drew better viewership numbers than Atlanta in 1996.

Brandon Costa of Sports Video Group says CBS Sports is preparing for all type of weather conditions for this weekend’s PGA Championship.

Karen Hogan of SVG looks at NBC New York Olympic operations.

Ken Kerschbaumer at SVG says Denmark TV has a floating barge studio for the London Olympics. Now that’s pretty cool.

And Birgit Heidsiek of SVG says Eurosport TV is producing the Olympics in 3-D.

Jason Fry of the Poynter Institute and writing as the ESPN Ombudsman investigates a plagiarism incident at the Alleged Worldwide Leader.

Ronnie Ramos at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center writes that the Pac-12 Conference is readying an aggressive digital strategy that will go along with its television distribution.

Ty Duffy at The Big Lead goes after former NBC Sports Emperor Dick Ebersol for being out of touch in defending the tape delayed Olympics.

The Big Lead looks at the Pac-12 being in the forefront of digital distribution after being marred for years of being behind the curve.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says the Miami Dolphins will take advantage of the NFL’s relaxed TV blackout policy this weekend.

Emmett Jones of Sports Business Digest notes that Buffalo Wild Wings has purchased naming rights for a college bowl game. Looks like it will be going to overtime every year.

Sports Media Watch says with NBC committed to the Olympics this year, the NFL Hall of Fame preseason game was aired on NFL Network and naturally suffered a big viewer dropoff.

SMW reports that NBC got another ratings increase for the Olympics.

TVNewsCheck says Gannett is declaring victory saying three of its stations are the top-rated local NBC affiliates in key demographics.

Alex Weprin of TVNewser looks at NBC’s Today Show operations in London.

At TVSpy, Alex tours NBC’s operation center for its local affiliates in London.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe talks with Celtics TV voice Mike Gorman who’s been calling Olympic handball off a monitor for NBC.

At SB Nation Boston, Bruce Allen discusses Golf Channel’s meteoric rise and its plans to cover the PGA Championship this weekend.

Jane L. Levere of the New York Times writes about ESPN’s new ad campaign for Monday Night Football.

Verne Gay at Newsday notes that a long-time NBC Sports director is retiring after the Olympics.

Newsday’s Chris Serico wonders if NBC’s Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera will be a bit more subdued during the Olympic Closing Ceremony on Sunday than their talkative performance during the Opening Ceremony two Fridays ago.

Neil Best of Newsday catches up with ESPN’s Ron Jaworski who’s filling a new role at the network after being in the Monday Night Football both.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post is in another one of his moods today.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes a local radio station’s high school football schedule.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says Pac-12 Networks will be seen on Time Warner Cable locally.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says despite a lost season, the Philadelphia Phillies TV crew still has plenty to talk about during games.

Tim Richardson in Press Box looks at the business of fantasy football as leagues get ready to hold their drafts soon, if not already.

Sarah Kogod of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that more people were watching the DC NFL Team in area sports bars last night as compared to the Nationals.

Dan Steinberg of the DC Sports Bog says the Nationals radio team tried to explain the term “ball bag”.

South

Greg Cote of the Miami Herald reviews HBO’s Hard Knocks on the Dolphins.

Craig Davis of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel says the Dolphins have announced their TV blackout policy today.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman says a local high school sports TV show expands to a new market.

Midwest

The Cincinnati Enquirer says ESPN’s College GameDay could be visiting the Queen City in February.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel looks at Dick Ebersol’s latest comments on tape delaying Olympic events.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch talks with a local sports radio host who’s perturbed at a former employer.

Dan notes that the Olympics and the St. Louis Cardinals ratings have been hurt by each other.

West

Patrick Finley of the Arizona Daily Star says the Pac-12 Networks are ready to launch next week, but without a few major cable and satellite providers.

John Maffei of the North County Times talks with a former NBC Olympics analyst who was fired on the spot after calling a race.

To the Ventura County Star where Jim Carlisle talks about the increased spotlight on the Pac-12 through its new TV networks.

Jim says Twitter has become an Olympic event.

Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times has the Irish radio call of boxer Katie Taylor’s victory giving the country its first gold medal of the Olympics.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says this is a critical time for beach volleyball as the sport is in transition now.

Tom has some Olympic TV notes in his blog.

And those are your supersized megalinks for today.

Sports Media Weekly, No. 113, Olympic Edition — Richard Sandomir & Bruce Beck

In ramping up for these Games, it had been my goal to get someone from London covering the Olympics for this podcast. Luckily, I achieved this goal in this podcast. And I’m proud to say that this is one our best editions.

This week, Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I made this edition an Olympic theme and why not? We have two guests for you and it worked out that this is a New York theme, Richard Sandomir, the sports media and business writer for the New York Times and Bruce Beck, the sports director of WNBC-TV of New York.

We began with Richard and we spoke about his thoughts about NBC’s Primetime coverage of the Games and its familiar formula that goes back to 1992. Richard gave us what he thought was good about NBC’s coverage and what he felt was missing. He also opined on former NBC Sports Emperor Dick Ebersol’s interview with Joe Posnanski about how the Olympics are broadcast on US television. And we also discussed how NBC kept the Olympics in its stable through 2020.

Our second guest, Bruce Beck of News 4 New York joined us from London where he’s covering the Games for NBC’s flagship owned-and-operated affiliate in New York. Bruce gave us the flavor of the Games, this being the 5th Olympiad he’s covered. He explained the local angles he’s reported to viewers in the tri-state area and some of the more interesting stories he came across over the years. Bruce also told us of some of the sacrifices he’s made in covering he Olympics, plus he talked about the broadcasting camp that he and CBS’ Ian Eagle run for young teens.

This was a fun podcast to do and I hope it came across. Lots of good stuff in a 30 minute podcast so you can listen on that short trip in the car, on the bus or during your morning workout. You can find it on iTunes by searching for “Sports Media Journal” or go directly to the site.

Sports Media Weekly No. 111 — Drea Avent, NBC Olympics

Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I are back for another edition of the Sports Media Weekly podcast.

As usual, Keith and I begin with the news of the week. We start with ESPN announcing that Samantha Steele will be the new host of College GameDay’s first hour on ESPNU. And we talked about her rise from Fox College Sports to Fox Sports Net to Longhorn Network and then to the ESON Mothership.

We moved to NBC releasing its Olympic mobile and tablet apps.

We also discussed ESPN’s Open Championship coverage and the August premiere of a new late night entertainment and talk show on ESPNU.

Our guest on this podcast is the very delightful Drea Avent who will be part of the NBC Olympics team. She’ll be covering the Women’s soccer tournament on MSNBC and NBC Sports Network.

We asked Drea how she got the gig, how she rose from working in local markets in Texas and Southern California to working the sidelines for the NFL on Fox last season.

Drea told us what her role in covering the US Women’s National Soccer Team for NBC and she gave us the storylines she’ll be reporting on during the 16 Days of Glory in London.

We’re going to have Drea on again. She was a fun interview. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by doing a search for Sports Media Journal, or you can listen to it right now by clicking here.

Sports Media Weekly — Edition No. 109: Jim Williams, Washington Examiner

In this edition, Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal have a guest for the entire podcast and that is the always distinguished sports media writer Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner and Bleacher Report.

For this edition, we had Jim on to discuss the news of the week and that began with Erin Andrews’ departure from ESPN for a bigger role at Fox. Jim told Keith and I about his friendship with the Andrews family going back to when Jim worked with Erin’s father back in the 1980′s. He also made reference to ESPN not wanting bigger than the brand and Erin was getting bigger than ESPN’s brand. And we also talked about Erin’s entertainment projects.

Then we moved to the Olympics and NBC’s ever-expanding list of announcers for the London Games later this month. We looked at some of the names calling the events and Jim mentioned how half of the announcers will be calling their sports off a monitor in New York rather than being in London.

We then talked about the New York Times article written by Richard Sandomir on the MLB TV rights negotiations. Jim and I felt NBC will be a huge player for baseball and how MLB will get rich from TV money.

Our next topic was Wimbledon and ESPN’s live coverage of the event. Jim yearned for Radio Wimbledon which is no longer providing audio coverage of SW19. Jim and I made reference to ESPN’s live tennis as compared to NBC tape delayed coverage.

And our last subject was the move by the National Football League to push its late Sunday afternoon doubleheader to 4:25 p.m. ET. Jim said it was a good move to reduce the overlap from the 1 p.m. regional games. I said it would cause a few problems for CBS as it would have to drop its 10 p.m. ET show, the Mentalist on doubleheader Sundays to ensure affiliates’ late local news will begin on time. I also mentioned NBC’s Football Night in America’s first half-hour would be killed going opposite the late games.

There you have it. A very good podcast. I pretty much told you everything that happened so you don’t have to listen now. Actually, do listen. Find it on iTunes by searching for “Sports Media Journal” or you can listen right here.

Sports Media Weekly No. 107 — Boston Sports Blogapalooza Review

This edition of Sports Media Weekly is an extended podcast. We have four, count ‘em four guests this week and each guest serves a very good purpose. And each guest provides some interesting insight about Boston Sports Blogapalooza, a networking event for sports bloggers in the New England area. I’ve had the privilege to attend all four incarnations since they began in 2010. But we’ll get to the guests shortly.

Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I discussed the news of the week. That included a look at the ratings for the NBA Finals on ABC and the U.S. Open on NBC.

We also discussed the Jim Rome-David Stern tussle that happened last week.

We also opined on NBC News’ strange decision not to air the entire Jerry Sandusky interview with Bob Costas that originally aired on Rock Center with Brian Williams.

Boston Sports Blogapalooza was held last Saturday at The Place in Boston. It was an opportunity to bloggers to network and talk. It also allowed media members to talk with regular fans.

The interviews conducted for this podcast were with Joe Gill, the organizer of Blogapalooza and the webmaster of Boston Sports Then and Now.

The second interview was with Kat Hasenauer of Sports Girl Kat and she tells us how she has grown from having an interest in lacrosse to writing about college hockey and finding work with the Boston Herald through her contacts from Blogapalooza.

Our next interview was with Mike Petraglia from WEEI.com and he talks about the immediacy of the internet and how newspapers are being left behind.

And Jessica Camerato of Comcast SportsNet New England is our last interview and her experiences of being a Celtics reporter for CSNNE.com and the TV side.

A very good podcast if I do say so myself. Quite enjoyable and I hope you stay with the entire podcast. You can find it on iTunes under “Sports Media Journal” or listen right now right here.

Sports Media Weekly No. 106 — Joe D’Ambrosio, UConn Radio Network/WTIC-AM

After a week off to tend to family matters, I’m back with Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal for our regular Sports Media Weekly podcast.

Since I wasn’t able to participate in and post last week’s edition, No. 105, I’ll link you to a very good interview Keith conducted with the legendary sportswriter Frank Deford of Sports Illustrated, NPR and HBO’s Real Sports. In that podcast, Keith discussed Frank’s career with SI, his new book, sportswriting in general, how women have advanced in sports reporting and the late, great sports daily newspaper, The National, which Frank was an editor. Really give it a good listen.

Now for this week, our guest is the Voice of the UConn Huskies, Joe D’Ambrosio. We’ll get to him in a moment.

In our regular news segment, Keith and I talked about the ratings for the NBA Finals and Conference Finals, the NHL Stanley Cup Final and the Belmont Stakes. We also talked about the good numbers for EURO 2012 on ESPN and the development that ESPN UK lost the rights to the English Premier League which could be a big blow for the Alleged Worldwide Leader’s British division.

Then we talked about ESPN’s upcoming coverage of Wimbledon later this month.

Joe D’Ambrosio of WTIC-AM and NBC Connecticut was the guest. In addition to his duties of hosting a nightly sports talk show on WTIC, formerly known as “the Pulse of New England”, and anchoring sports on NBC Connecticut, he has called UConn football and basketball dating back to 1992. Joe talked about calling UConn sports at a time when the basketball program for both the men and women were on the rise and calling multiple championships for both.

Joe gave us some insight into hosting sports talk in an area that is split between Boston and New York sports teams. And Joe also discussed how the Constitution State is a basketball-crazy state in a region that rarely gives college sports the time of day.

Keith and I asked Joe about the Connecticut sports media and how it used to blanket cover UConn sports to the point where just one reporter could be covering a basketball game. And Joe previewed both the Huskies football and basketball teams in what will be a transition year for the Big East Conference.

Definitely enjoyed talking with Joe and it was a very good interview.

Keith and I wrapped up talking about Boston Sports Blogapalooza this week, an event where New England sports bloggers network and get to know each other.

Head to iTunes to subscribe to the podcast under “Sports Media Journal” or you can listen right now by clicking here.

Sports Media Weekly No. 104 — Steve Lepore, Puck The Media

This week on Sports Media Weekly, the guest is the hard-working Steve Lepore from the NHL media blog, Puck The Media.

As usual, Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I discussed the news of the week. It started with a talk on the ratings for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on NBC and that transitioned into the ratings for the NBA Conference Finals on ESPN and TNT. We also looked at the numbers of last Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600.

Then, we moved to Hard Knocks settling on the Miami Dolphins for this season after looking for teams and being rejected plus we talked about the return of the Pro Bowl.

And Keith and I talked about Hawk Harrelson and how “homers” can actually be a service to fans as long as they don’t forget about the other team.

Steve Lepore from Puck The Media was our guest and Keith and I congratulated him on his site’s move from WordPress to a section on SBNation. Steve talked about the genesis of Puck The Media through the last five years.

Then we talked about the ratings for the Stanley Cup Final, NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

And Keith and I discussed what Steve is doing for SB Nation at the Stanley Cup Final. Finally, we ended on the scenario if CBC lost Hockey Night in Canada to either of its rivals, Rogers or CTV.

You can find the podcast on iTunes by searching for “Sports Media Journal” or you can listen right now by going here.

Next week, I will not be part of the podcast, but Keith will have a guest and conduct the interview solo. You can head to Sports Media Journal next Wednesday for the next edition of the podcast.

Sports Media Weekly No. 103 — Ed Sherman, The Sherman Report & Michelle Beadle, NBCUniversal

This was quite the action-packed podcast. Very newsworthy as Michelle Beadle, soon-to-be departing ESPN and soon-to-be joining NBCUniversal is one of our guests. The other is Ed Sherman, formerly of the Chicago Tribune and still writing for Crain’s Chicago Business, but now is the editor and lead writer for the Sherman Report. Ed is still based in Chicago and bases the Sherman Report from the Windy City.

Ed joined Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I for our news segment.

We began talking about Michelle Beadle and her impending departure from ESPN2′s SportsNation for NBCUniversal and what her role will be with the Peacocks.

That transitioned to Erik Kuselias becoming primary host of NBC SportsTalk on NBC Sports Network.

Then we discusssed Pam Ward being taken off ESPN’s college football coverage.

That led to a discussion of ESPN extending its contract with the ACC and subsequently sublicensing ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 games to CBS plus the upheaval in the conferences for money and where it could lead.

Keith, Ed and I moved to baseball and TBS picking up the new Wild Card playoff games while giving two League Division Series games to MLB Network. And we wondered if MLB Network’s penetration would leave fans in local markets out in the cold without access to the games when the postseason rolls around.

Then focused on NBC’s extensive coverage of the Olympics and then talked about Chicago as a market to cover.

Our second guest, Michelle Beadle came on to talk about signing her deal with NBCUniversal where she will work both in sports and entertainment.

We asked Michelle about why she decided to leave ESPN and what opportunities NBC provided to lure her away from the Alleged Worldwide Leader. And Michelle reviewed the speculation on her decision from blogs and newspapers.

Then Michelle told us about what she’ll be doing at NBC Sports and Access Hollywood plus being based in New York for NBCUniversal.

This was a quite fun podcast and once again Beadle gave us a lot of laughs. You can find it on iTunes under “Sports Media Journal” or you can go here to listen right here.

Sports Media Weekly, No, 102 — Ian Eagle, CBS Sports/Tennis Channel/NBA TV/YES/Dial Global Radio

The multifaceted Ian Eagle joins Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal for this edition of Sports Media Weekly.

As always, Keith and I discussed the news that developed up until the time of our taping.

Keith and I talked about NBCUniversal’s distribution of Olympic events to four cable channels, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC and Telemundo. We also talked about the hosts for three of the channels.

Then we moved to Fox Sports’ foray into primetime with eight consecutive weeks of baseball starting this Saturday night. That turned into a transition into Fox Sports Media Group’s coverage of the final day of the English Premier League season which turned into some exciting action.

Keith and I also discussed some ESPN personnel moves with Michelle Beadle and Michelle Bonner departing and Scott Van Pelt and John Buccigross staying in Bristol, CT.

Then, we highly approved of ESPN’s announcement on the return of the documentary series, 30 for 30.

And finally, I had a comment on the demise of Boston alternative rock station, WFNX.

As mentioned, Ian Eagle of CBS Sports/NBA TV/Tennis Channel/YES/Dial Global Radio was the guest and the first-ever three-timer on the podcast.

We discussed the truncated NBA season and what it meant for him as a local broadcaster for YES. And we went into his “gobbledygook” incident with analyst Mike Fratello.

Ian talked about the upcoming French Open and the new broadcast format for Tennis Channel at Roland Garros this year.

Then we talked about his preparation for the NFL season and how many of the NCAA Tournament teams he called this year he had seen previously.

As always, Ian is a great guest and provides some interesting insight. Find the podcast under “Sports Media Journal” at iTunes or you go right here and listen immediately.

Sports Media Weekly Edition No. 100 — Darren Rovell, CNBC/NBC Sports Network

We’ve finally reached a milestone, 100 editions of Sports Media Weekly. Imagine that, 100 podcasts. And Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I have enjoyed bringing every single one to you. We began back on September 17, 2009 and continued consecutively for the most part until August 25, 2010 when we took a brief hiatus. We returned in earnest on March 17, 2011 and haven’t looked back since. Keith and I thank you for listening and downloading the podcast. It’s been quite fun bringing you guests from the world of sports media whether it from a national or regional (New England) standpoint.

Our guest is the great Darren Rovell of CNBC. But before we spoke to Darren, Keith and I discussed the news that occurred since our last podcast two weeks ago.

We talked about the NFL Draft and how ESPN and NFL Network will no longer spoil draft picks before Commissioner Roger Goodell reaches the podium. I also took the opportunity to take a shot at Chris Berman.

We also talked about the NHL Playoffs and how NBC Sports Group is handling the coverage by airing all games on CNBC, NBC Sports Network and NHL Network on weeknights.

And we looked at the ratings success of the NBA on ABC and NBA TV.

Then we turned to NBC’s plans to stream all Olympic events online while not archiving those that will air in primetime until after they have been shown on the network.

And we gave our Sports Emmy Award picks.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell joined Keith and I for our milestone podcast. We asked Darren about how he began covering sports business originally for ESPN and then CNBC. We discussed the genesis of his CNBC Sports Biz: Game On! show that has been airing on NBC Sports Network since last year.

We also asked Darren about his Twitter feuds with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch, the New York Times’ Richard Sandomir and Bomani Jones.

We then moved to discussing ballpark food and which Olympic athlete might be the most marketable this summer.

This was a fun podcast and one of our longest without multiple guests. Almost an hour long, but well worth your listen. You can subscribe to “Sports Media Journal” on iTunes or just go here to download it.

Again, thanks for listening and we hope to bring the high quality you’ve come to expect in the next 100 podcasts.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 99 — Bob Ley, ESPN

The Sports Media Weekly Podcast is just one away from a major milestone, but that doesn’t make this edition any less special. We have a very good podcast in store for you.

Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I go over the news of the week and that included the ratings for the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Championships on CBS and ESPN, respectively. We talked about the new round of MLB Wild Card playoffs that will either go to ESPN, Fox, TBS or MLB Network. Keith and I discussed the NFL national preseason TV schedules and the downfall of the mtn.

Our guest today is anchor of ESPN’s Outside the Lines and World Cup host Bob Ley. We talk about how ESPN has grown from its inception in 1979 to now. Bob discusses how the network helped to make the NCAA Championship and the NFL Draft into huge cultural events. We asked him about Outside the Lines and how the show has grown from a monthly program into a daily strip.

And we talked with Bob about some of the storylines for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and I asked him about his love for Bruce Springsteen.

Bob is a great interview and you should give it a listen. I say this about every podcast, but I really mean it. Download the podcast at iTunes by searching for Sports Media Journal or go right here to listen right away.

Sports Media Journal Weekly Podcast No. 97 — Ken Schott, Schenectady Gazette

A new edition of the Sports Media Weekly podcast is up. This week, Ken Schott, college hockey and sports media writer of the Schenectady Gazette is the guest.

As usual, Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal have our news segment and we discuss CBS/Turner’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament and how we think the networks have the games down to a science in the second year of their partnership.

We also talk about the crazy day for the NFL on Wednesday with suspensions being handed down by Commish Roger Goodell to the New Orleans Saints over Bountygate and the coverage over Tim Tebow leaving the Denver Broncos. At the time of the recording, Tebow’s fate had still not been decided.

Then we touch upon the Sports Emmy Award Nominations and neither Keith nor I were thrilled to see ESPN’s Skippy Bayless getting a nod in the Studio Analyst category.

And we also discussed NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup races going online on Sirius XM online, mobile and tablet apps, plus the new partnership between Fox Sports and MLB Network for a new pregame show.

College hockey was mostly the topic with Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette. As the local paper is gearing up to cover Union College in the NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Tournament, Keith and I asked Ken about the paper’s plans to cover the games as Union hopes to advance to the Frozen Four from the Bridgeport, CT region.

We asked Ken about the lack of television coverage for the recently completed ECAC Hockey Tournament and how the venue in Atlantic City was more of a hindrance for TV instead of an attraction.

In addition, Ken talked about the coverage of Union by the other local newspapers and TV stations. Plus, we discussed Time Warner Cable picking up local college hockey games in the Capital Region of New York.

Finally, we talked about ESPN’s shuffling of the NCAA Hockey Tournament to ESPNU and ESPN2 and the poor treatment of hockey by the Alleged Worldwide Leader.

Ken was a great guest and I hope you think so as well. The podcast is available on iTunes under Sports Media Journal or you can listen right away by going here.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 95 — Chad Finn, Boston Globe

Today, our guest for the entire Sports Media Weekly Podcast is Chad Finn, the sports media and sometimes Boston Red Sox writer for the Boston Globe. This is the second time that Chad has been the guest on the podcast and it’s nice to have him on.

Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I discussed a plethora of topics with Chad including the recently announced NCAA Tournament coverage for the CBS/Turner Sports consortium, the plans for the Globe to cover new Ivy League champion Harvard University in the Tournament, the recent announcement of Bob Ryan to cut back his schedule after the London Olympics this summer, ESPN’s potential to smother the Peyton Manning story as it did with Brett Favre, Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin, the Boston sports radio wars and how local sports media has been a great beat to cover.

A fun podcast and a shorter edition than in recent weeks, but I think you’ll like it. Find it on iTunes by doing a search for “Sports Media Journal” or go here to listen right now.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 93 — John Daly, The Daly Planet

The Sports Media Weekly podcast is back on its regular night, posted on a Wednesday night.

Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I had an action-packed news segment where we discussed the ESPN.com mobile site slur on Jeremy Lin which cost its editor his job and the same line used by ESPNews  anchor Max Bretos who was suspended for a month as a result. I give my opinion on the disciplinary action from a personal point of view. Keith talks about the heightened sense of PC over issues like this.

We also discuss the Jeremy Lin effect on the ratings for MSG Network on Knicks games and how they forced an agreement between MSG and Time Warner Cable last week.

Keith and I talk about some NCAA Tournament including the new confusing $3.99 charge for viewing games if you aren’t a cable subscriber and the CBS Sports/Turner announcing teams for this year’s tourney.

And Keith and I opine on ESPN’s move to remove Ron Jaworski from the Monday Night Football booth leaving Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden to form a two man team.

John Daly from the Daly Planet NASCAR TV blog is our guest. With the Daytona 500 just on the horizon, we talk with John with what we can expect from Fox Sports this weekend. Keith and I asked John about the upcoming TV negotiations and whether we could see one of the existing partners go by the wayside in favor of two incumbents or possibly see a new partner come in altogether.

John tells us about NASCAR taking over its digital rights in 2013 and whether it will lead to online streaming of the Sprint Cup.

Another topic discussed was the reduction of programs for Showtime/NASCAR Media Group’s Inside NASCAR and we eventually ask John his pick for Daytona.

The podcast can be found on iTunes doing a search for “Sports Media Journal” or listen right here.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 92 — Dave Sims of Dial Global/Westwood One Radio & Root Sports NW

Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I are back a day early with our regular edition of the Sports Media Weekly podcast. Our guest this week is Dave Sims, voice of Sunday Night Football and NCAA Tournament for Dial Global/Westwood One Sports, and TV voice of the Seattle Mariners on Root Sports Northwest.

But before Keith and I talked to Dave, we did our usual news segment. We led off with a report in this week’s Sports Business Journal that the NFL has changed its mind (again) on selling off a package of Thursday Night Football games (for now) and keeping an expanded schedule of 13 games on NFL Network.

Keith and I also talked about Jeremy Lin and the media coverage of #Linsanity. Keith wonders if the story is overblown. I talk about about the story as it affects me as Asian-American.

Then we talked about NBC Sports Group signing a contract with Colonial Athletic Association and whether it could lead to more college sports on NBC Sports Network.

Dave Sims is a repeat guest. And he joined us from a New York restaurant where he was gracious to give us some of his time.

We talked about the recently completed NFL season and the playoff run where he spent most of the time mostly in the Northeast and close to his New York home. In addition, we talked about the upcoming 2012 Mariners season and how he’s preparing for some of the stories in the American League West plus having to call games off a monitor when the M’s head to Japan in March.

And we also asked Dave about him calling the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time in his career.

A fun podcast. You can find it on iTunes doing a search for “Sports Media Journal” or you can find it right here.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 91, Jen Royle

With our regularly scheduled podcast, Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal are back to discuss the sports media news of the week.

Having already discussed the Super Bowl earlier this week, Keith and I put a wrap on the Big Game by noting the record online numbers for the first-ever legal online stream of the Super Bowl and the amount of people listening to the Giants-Patriots on radio.

We also talked about the myth that NFL TV analysts are supposed to forget about their former team loyalties and be totally objective. Our examples are current WEEI and WBZ-TV Patriots analyst Steve DeOssie and Fox NFL Sunday’s Michael Strahan pointedly showing their Giants tendencies this week.

And we also looked at ESPN’s response to the discovery that it had a comment section on a viewer response form for female commentators, allowing people to leave negative comments about the network’s female on-air staff.

Our guest this week is Jen Royle who recently returned to Boston after leaving Baltimore’s 105.7 ESPN Radio. We got an update on what she’s doing now, her departure from the Charm City and how the Baltimore Ravens gave her a nice sendoff. And we discussed the Project Cupid charity event that Jen will be taking part in this Saturday in Boston.

We had fun on this podcast and it certainly comes across. You can find it on iTunes doing a search for “Sports Media Journal” or listen to it directly right here.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast, Super Bowl XLVI Edition

Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and yours truly are in for a special edition of the Sports Media Weekly podcast. We talk about the record ratings and viewership for Super Bowl XLVI.

We go from discussing NBC’s production to the inaugural online streaming of the Big Game. Keith and I talked about the announcing of Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth. We reviewed NBC’s pregame show and we also opined on the Super Bowl ads.

Take a listen. It’s a quick 25 minutes. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching for Sports Media Journal or listen right here.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 90 — Super Bowl Edition, Neil Best & Kevin Harlan

Yes, we have two guests on the Sports Media Weekly podcast this week. No news segment just guests and that is good for you.

Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and yours truly begin with Neil Best of Newsday. Neil is in Indianapolis covering the Super Bowl for Newsday. Unlike the last time he covered the Super Bowl when the New York Giants were in the Big Game, Neil is covering this having seen several Giants games. Neil gives us a taste of the atmosphere in Indianapolis and how this Super Bowl is different for him in terms of covering 11 previous games. And I asked Neil the very important question of whether he had ridden the Super Bowl Village zip line.

Then Keith and I talk with the great Kevin Harlan of CBS Sports, Dial Global/Westwood One Radio and TNT. This week, is a busy week for Kevin and he tells Keith and I about his schedule, first calling the Chicago Bulls-New York Knicks for TNT on Thursday, traveling to Indianapolis to do radio interviews for the Super Bowl, heading to South Bend, IN on Saturday to call the Marquette-Notre Dame game on CBS and then calling Super Bowl XLVI on Dial Global/Westwood One on Sunday.

Kevin also talks about the differences about calling play-by-play on radio and TV as he does the NFL on CBS on Sundays and then Monday Night Football for Dial Global/Westwood One. He also describes working with Boomer Esiason on radio.

Kevin tells us about his preparation for the Super Bowl, and he can count on one hand the occasions he has used his famous “No regard for human life” line.

The first time we’ve had two live guests on the podcast in one program. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did taking part. You can subscribe at iTunes by doing a search for “Sports Media Journal” or you can listen right here.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 88 — John Collins, COO of the NHL

Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I are back with another edition of our podcast.

In our News of the Week  segment, Keith and I looked at yet another record rating for the NFL, this time for Divisional Playoff Weekend as the New York Giants-Green Bay Packers viewership helped to pace the numbers.

From there, we looked at the antiquated NFL blackout rules which are being reviewed by the FCC and how both Keith and I hope they will be repealed.

We talk about the unveiling of ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball schedule and how it’s Red Sox and Yankees laden (as always).

Then we exchange our thoughts on the 70th birthday of “The Greatest,” Muhammed Ali and his influence on the sports media in his prime.

Our guest this week is the Chief Operating Officer of the National Hockey League, John Collins. Mr. Collins oversees the NHL’s business and media operations and there’s none better to discuss the league’s television and content strategy.

We began by talking about the NHL Winter Classic and how John felt the event went in the league’s eyes.

Keith and I asked about the league’s new TV contract with NBC Sports and how fans will have access to every game nationally during the NHL Playoffs.

Plus, we asked Mr. Collins about HBO’s involvement with its 24/7 series and what it means to have NHL Original Productions in tow.

And John also looked ahead to the NHL TV rights negotiations in Canada. Overall, a very good podcast. Find it under “Sports Media Journal” on iTunes or go here to listen right away.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 85 — Best of 2011 Featuring James Andrew Miller, Michelle Beadle, Ian Eagle & Curt Menefee

This is a special Year-in-Review podcast. Keith Thibault and I look back at some of our best interviews from 2011. Over the past year, we interviewed quite a few guests and some heavy hitters in the Sports Media world.

Keith and I chose four of the best podcasts and some are run again in their entirety, others we join in progress.

For this podcast, we chose interviews with James Andrew Miller, co-author of the book, “Those Guys Have All Fun: Inside the World of ESPN”; Michelle Beadle, co-host of ESPN2′s SportsNation; Fox NFL Sunday host Curt Menefee; and Ian Eagle from CBS Sports/Tennis Channel and YES Network.

Give a listen and go back in time as Keith and I interview our guests regarding the issues that were prevalent at the time of each podcast.

Download it at iTunes or find the podcast right here.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 84 — Ken & Keith’s Year in Review

This particular podcast with yours truly and Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal was a two man discussion on the Year in Review in Sports Media. The issues discussed are culled from my Big Dozen Sports Media Stories of 2012 which will be published at the end of December.

It’s a good talk. Among the issues we reviewed, NBC’s successful bid to keep the Olympics, the NFL’s embarrassment or riches from its TV partners to keep the sport into the next decade, Free Bruce, UFC to Fox and so many other stories.

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching for “Sports Media Journal”, or you can go here directly to listen right away.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 83 — Robin Carlin, Mile High Sports

In a very busy podcast, Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I brush on two major topics in the NFL, the new TV contracts and Tim Tebow.

In our news segment, Keith and I talk mostly about the new NFL contracts with CBS, NBC and Fox. We summarize what each network will receive over the span of the 9 year deals and how much they’re going to be paying (a lot).

And then Keith and I briefly discuss the move by ABC/ESPN to assign NBA voices Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy to two different games in two time zones on Christmas Day.

Our guest this week is the lovely Robin Carlin, writer for Mile High Sports magazine in Denver. With Robin, we talked about how big a story the rise of Tim Tebow has become in Denver as he continues to win games as the starting quarterback of the Broncos. We also broach how the media coverage has become saturated with Tebow stories and how the national media has made Tebow coverage a priority.

It’s a very good podcast and quite an enjoyable listen. Download it on iTunes by searching for “Sports Media Journal” or you can bypass all that by listening right here.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 81 — James Andrew Miller, Co-Author of ESPN Book

This week, Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I spent half an hour interviewing writer James Andrew Miller, the co-author with Tom Shales of “Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside The World of ESPN”. It was our second interview with Jim as the book comes out in a paperback version today. Our first podcast with him was in May.

Keith and I did a brief segment discussing ESPN’s handling of the Syracuse/Bernie Fine story and its holding of a tape with his wife, Laurie talking with accuser Bobby Davis for 8 years. I criticized ESPN. Keith was more cautious siding ESPN.

We then moved to our interview with Jim and we broached many topics with him including some of the things that were added to the paperback edition including one story about Hannah Storm receiving an extra $500,000 in her contract. We also talked about some of the developments that have occurred at ESPN since the book was published in May including #FreeBruce (the Bruce Feldman suspension and subsequent departure), the Olympic and World Cup bidding, the Longhorn Network and a movie option for the tome.

We also talked with Jim about ESPN’s influence in college athletics and how ESPN compares with the subject of Jim’s previous book, NBC’s Saturday Night Live. I really enjoyed this and I hope you will as well. You can download the podcast on iTunes doing a search for “Sports Media Journal” or go here directly to listen.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 80 — John Daly, The Daly Planet

Can’t believe we’ve hit podcast number 80! And we’ve had plenty of good guests throughout the time. This week, we have John Daly of the Daly Planet NASCAR TV blog.

As usual, Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal talked about the news of the week. We led with the move by ESPN to boot President George Bodenheimer upstairs to a Chairman’s position and replace him with Executive Vice President of Content, John Skipper.

We moved to NASCAR and the exciting finish of the Sprint Cup finale in Miami and the big numbers for ESPN.

Both of us wondered why ESPN would program the MLS Cup against Sunday Night Football.

We then talked about the crisscrossing the country that Fox college football announcers Gus Johnson, Charles Davis and Tim Brewster will do in calling the Pac-12 and Big Ten conference championships on successive nights.

I broke in with the development that NFL Network could receive more games next season.

And we gave our Sports Media Turkeys in anticipation of Thanksgiving this week.

As mentioned, the great John Daly from the Daly Planet was the guest. With John, we asked him how NASCAR TV partners Fox Sports, TNT and ESPN have done over the life in the current contract. We also asked him about the always evolving SPEED channel, plus John handicapped what could happen in the next TV contract.

Good podcast. Download it on iTunes doing a search for Sports Media Journal or you can go right here and listen.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 79 — Eric Deggans, St. Petersburg Times

This week’s podcast once again focused on the Penn State story and the media coverage surrounding the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Our guest is the media critic of the St. Petersburg Times, Eric Deggans. Eric also contributes to the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center with a weekly column.

In the first segment, Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I discuss the news of the week and we lead off with the continuing coverage of the Penn State story. We exchanged thoughts on the media coverage including Bob Costas’ excellent interview of Jerry Sandusky on NBC and contrasted that with CBS’ overhyped short Q&A session with the man who allegedly saw Sandusky with a ten year old boy in the PSU locker room, Mike McQuery. We also talked about ESPN’s handling of the Nebraska-Penn State game which was the first for the Nittany Lions without Joe Paterno as head coach dating back to the 1960′s.

We moved to the UFC on Fox debut from last Saturday and its killer ratings in the target demographic. I reviewed the production as Keith chose to ignore the broadcast (he’s not a fan of UFC, go to his site to complain).

Next on the agenda was the season premiere of NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football and another debut, this one of the new announcing team Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock. We were both positive on their work.

In our second segment, Eric Deggans of the St. Petersburg Times was brought in to discuss the Penn State media coverage. He also gave praise to Bob Costas for his interview of Jerry Sandusky on NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams. Eric also talked about the local newspapers leading the way on the coverage and how in-depth reporting is needed in a story like this. And we discussed the fine line ESPN has had to walk as both a rightsholder to Penn State’s home conference, the Big Ten and a news organization. Plus, we talked about Eric’s writing for both the Times and the National Sports Journalism Center.

I say this every week, but it’s true! This was a very good podcast and well worth the time spent listening. Head to iTunes and subscribe to “Sports Media Journal” so you can download each podcast as they’re published. Or you can take a shortcut and go right here to listen.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 78 — Gail Sideman, PUBLISIDE

On this week’s podcast, Southern New England Media Mogul Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal speak with Gail Sideman, owner and publicist of PUBLISIDE, a public relations and media consulting firm on the Penn State story, but before I describe what was discussed in the guest segment, Keith and I talked about the news of the week.

As expected, the Jerry Sandusky story and his alleged molestation of as many as 20 young boys at Penn State led the discussion. Keith and I talked about the media coverage and how newspapers like the Harrisburg Patriot-News and Daily Collegian are leading the way.

We moved to the season premiere of Thursday Night Football on NFL Network and also talked about the ratings for LSU-Alabama on CBS. Also, Bob Costas’ new role on NBC Sports Network was discussed. And we talked about the death of boxer Joe Frazier and the 10th anniversary of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption.

Gail Sideman of PUBLISIDE was our guest to discuss Penn State University’s handling of the sex scandal in the early stages of the story and how it slipped into a nightmare. Keith and I asked Gail about how coach Joe Paterno went above the school to release statements on his own and the failure of Penn State to control the message as the story mushroomed in the early part of this week.

A very good podcast and one you can find on iTunes by searching for “Sports Media Journal” or you can go here and listen right now.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 77 — Rich Eisen, NFL Network

Back with the Sports Media Weekly podcast and after I failed to show up for last week’s podcast, I’m back on the wagon this week. And our very special guest is the great Rich Eisen of Hanging at the Courtyard and NFL Network, host of NFL GameDay Morning and Thursday Night Football. Before we go to Rich, Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal and I talked about the news of the week.

We began with the NBA Lockout and the alternative programming ESPN, NBA TV and TNT will have to provide to fill holes left by canceled games.

We also talked about Fox’s ratings for the World Series and how Games 6 & 7 helped to raise the numbers. And Keith and I debated Joe Buck’s plagiarism of his father’s “We’ll see you tomorrow night” call in Game 6.

We briefly touched on the upcoming negotiations for Major League Baseball and potential TV partners as Commissioner Bud Selig is hoping to cash in.

Last week’s story of World Cup rights going to Fox and Telemundo were also discussed and we ended with a discussion on ESPN Films presentation of “Unguarded” on Chris Herren, whose life was a downward spiral until he got it back on track.

Rich Eisen of the NFL Network was the very special guest on our podcast. We talked about the upcoming Thursday Night Football schedule, his time at the network being the host of NFL Total Access, GameDay Morning, Thursday Night Football and the Rich Eisen Podcast.

We asked Rich about some of best Thursday Night Football games he’s seen over the five seasons. And Rich gave his thoughts on having to anchor for several days straight during the NFL Lockout.

A very good and very special podcast. Rich hit this one out of the park and we’ll definitely have him back again. You can find this edition on iTunes doing a search for “Sports Media Journal” or you can listen right now by going here.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 75 — Ian Eagle, CBS Sports/Tennis Channel/YES

The Sports Media Weekly Podcast is back and we have one if our rare return guests, Ian Eagle of CBS Sports, Tennis Channel, YES Network and Westwood One Radio. Before Ian’s segment, Keith Thibault of Sports Media Journal discussed some of the sports media news of the week.

We led with the start of the 107th World Series and the projected low ratings the Fall Classic could receive.

Continuing with baseball, Keith and I opined about the sad sack saga of the 2011 Boston Red Sox and the TMZ-like coverage of the September Swoon that left the team out of the playoffs. We also took the Boston media to task for carrying agendas and allowing itself to be played by a drum by Red Sox ownership.

Keith and I also talked about ESPN signing Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden to a new five year contract and discussed the NFL’s flat TV ratings through 6 weeks of the young NFL season.

And we handicapped the bidding for the US rights to the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cups in a repeat of this year’s Olympic bidding between ESPN, Fox and NBC.

Ian Eagle of CBS Sports, Tennis Channel and YES Network returns for his second appearance on the podcast. We talked about the NBA Lockout and how that has affected the usually busy schedule for Ian and not just the league’s owners and players, but the TV and radio broadcast crews, arena staff and surrounding businesses which are dependent on the games being played.

Ian talked about being in a holding pattern and not picking up extra work in case the lockout is resolved.

We then went to the NFL on CBS and how Ian assessed the season to date. He also talked about working with Dan Fouts going into their second season together.

We also broached whether Ian will get an expanded role on CBS’ U.S. Open coverage Dick Enberg’s departure from the network and the Sports Broadcasting Camp that Ian operates with New York sports anchor Bruce Beck.

Overall, a fun podcast and a very enjoyable listen. You can head over to iTunes and search for Sports Media Journal or you can go right here and listen.