Sports Media With Richard Deitsch

Episode 34 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a sports media conversation on ESPN with James Andrew Miller, the best-selling author of books on CAA, ESPN and Saturday Night Live the host of the “Origins” podcast. In this podcast, Miller discusses where ESPN is in 2019 regarding its relationship with parent company Disney and its position in the sports media marketplace; ESPN’s current relationship with the NFL and interest in future rights deals; where ESPN+ is today and where it needs to be in the future; whether ESPN will be aggressive with its journalism about the NFL heading forward; new ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro’s challenges and charter; talent salaries at ESPN heading forward; what SportsCenter is today; the future of the Monday Night Football booth; ESPN and politics; why ESPN separated with Jemele Hill; a quick examination of Get Up!; ESPN as a news-breaking engine; whether ESPN would do sports-related interviews with 2020 Presidential candidates, and much more. Plus, an apolo

Episode 33 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests: Chelsea Janes, the Washington Nationals beat reporter for the Washington Post who will move from that beat after the new year to cover the 2020 Presidential election; and Bruce Feldman, a college football reporter for The Athletic and a football sideline reporter for Fox Sports.  In this podcast, Janes discusses her upcoming move from covering MLB to the 2020 Presidential campaign; how her new assignment came to be; the challenges of covering politics and getting new sources; how she has approached social media and political opinions; how baseball is a good training ground for the political road; whether she thinks she will return to sports; covering the Nationals and specifically the specter of Bryce Harper leaving the franchise; what she thought of the Patrick Corbin signing and what she thinks of the Nationals in 2019; the prospect of covering the next President of the United States; and much more. Feldman discusses college f

Episode 32 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable discussion with three prominent NBA writers: Howard Beck, a senior NBA writer at Bleacher Report; Candace Buckner, a reporter for The Washington Post who covers the Washington Wizards, and Seerat Sohi, an NBA reporter for Yahoo Sports.   In this podcast, the group discusses what they think readers expect from them in their specific roles; the different kinds of media people covering the NBA; how to figure out what lane to pursue when it comes to an NBA media job; what it’s like for Buckner and Sohi to be people of color in the NBA media; whether there is pressure to perform for NBA Twitter;  the most media friendly players they deal with and Buckner’s praise here for John Wall is worth noting; the person in the NBA they most want to interview and why (the answers will surprise you); how where they live (Brooklyn, Toronto and Washington) impacts how they view the league and job; the NBA media person they’d most want to sit next t

Episode 31 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Tom Verducci, a Sports Illustrated senior writer, an analyst for MLB Network, and an analyst and field reporter for Fox Sports. In this podcast, Verducci discusses how reporters approach covering the Winter Meetings; which MLB organizational staffers are likely to speak to reporters at the Winter Meetings; why the Winter Meetings are often controlled by agents and their agendas; how texting has become a major form of communication for reporters covering the Winter Meetings; whether he expects Manny Machado or Bryce Harper to sign during the Winter Meetings; his thoughts on Patrick Corbin signing with the Nationals; how he views long-form baseball writing in 2018 and beyond; how MLB players feel about being profiled for a written piece versus a video one; why he is not on social media or Twitter; how he views the impact of legalized wagering on MLB; when he saw the sabermetric revolution in baseball writing; his long-term commitment to featur

Episode 30 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a media roundtable with Sports Business Daily sports media writer John Ourand and Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn. In this episode, Ourand, Finn and Deitsch discuss the Monday Night Football booth, Finn’s recent piece on analyst Jason Witten and what the feedback as been on the booth from our readers; the Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson pay-per-view event, what went wrong, and how Turner Sports viewed the enterprise; the rise of NFL viewership this season and what to expect in the final weeks of the regular season; what’s next in the sale of Fox’s 22 US-based regional sports networks (RSNs); Fox’s broadcast of Ohio State-Michigan and the overcoming adversity narrative pushed by Fox broadcasters Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt; and much 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

Episode 29 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features sports broadcasters Rebecca Lobo and LaChina Robinson for an examination of women’s college basketball coverage, and a look at this year’s top teams. Lobo joined ESPN in 2004 as a WNBA and women’s college basketball analyst and reporter and calls the Women’s Final Four annually. She is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Robinson calls games for a myriad of companies including ESPN, Fox Sports, Raycom’s ACC women’s basketball, the Atlanta Dream, and works at espnW, where she hosts the “Around The Rim” podcast.    In this episode, Lobo and Robinson offer their thoughts on Notre Dame, UConn, Oregon, Baylor, and Louisville, and dissect the biggest challenges for Notre Dame to repeat; what women’s basketball programs are the most media accessible and why; how forthcoming coaches are in production meeting with broadcasters; the U.S. media markets with a lot of coverage of women’s basketball and the markets that should be

Episode 28 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Boston sports-talk radio host Kirk Minihane In this podcast, Minihane discussed why he has not been on WEEI’s air since last September; checking himself into a hospital last August for treatment of depression and suicidal thoughts; why he took an indefinite leave from the airwaves; where is mental health his now and his current medication regimen; how he has spent the last three months away from sports talk; whether he thinks WEEI management believes him regarding his mental health issues; why he is leaving the Kirk and Callahan show;  his upcoming sports show for Radio.com and what he hopes the show will be; why he and Entercom management decided to take this new path; whether he will be on the Kirk and Callahan show as a guest in the future and if he discussed anything formal with Barstool Radio; whether his issues with depression has given him empathy for other people or at least pause about attacking others on the air as he did frequen

Episode 27 of the Sports Media Podcast features Fox Sports NFL analyst Troy Aikman.  In this podcast, Aikman discusses his first year as an analyst for Fox’s coverage of Thursday Night Football; how doing an additional game each week has changed his preparation; what an average week is like for him work-wise; how sustainable it is for a broadcast crew to work Thursdays and Sundays weekly; why Tony Romo was able to be successful so quickly where others have struggled in broadcasting; how much feedback he receives from Fox Sports execs; why he thinks NFL viewership is up; how he feels about Fox’s hiring of Skip Bayless; the NFL team that has impressed him the most this season; what it is like for him when he reads of Fox’s interest in other NFL analysts; whether he is interested in working in football management after his children graduate from high school, and much more.    You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. To learn more about listener data and our pri

Episode 26 of the Sports Media Podcast features Turner Sports and Fox Sports soccer host Kate Abdo; a media discussion with Boston Globe media writer Chad Finn on Monday Night Football’s broadcast crew and declining World Series viewership; and best-selling author and Detroit Free Press sports columnist Mitch Albom.    In this podcast, Abdo discusses her role as the studio host for Turner and Bleacher Report’s UEFA Champions League coverage; how she ended up in soccer broadcasting after leaving home at 16; the differences between working in sports media in the U.K., Germany and the United States; the sexualized coverage of women broadcasters in the U.K.; being fluent in four languages and how that has shaped her soccer work; her biggest takeaway from Fox’s coverage of the 2018 World Cup; her Muslim faith and whether she has experienced discrimination or repression in her job; how she navigated Ramadan and calling the World Cup; future assignments and much more.    Deitsch and Finn discuss the declining Wo

Episode 25 of the Sports Media Podcast features Sports Business Daily media writer John Ourand for a discussion on the latest sports media news.    In this podcast, Ourand and Deitsch discuss the current NFL viewership numbers and why they are up from 2017; whether the league can sustain the ratings through the end of the regular season; the impact of quarterbacks, competitive games, and news fatigue on the viewership; the World Series matchup between the Dodgers and Red Sox and what kind of interest there will be nationally; a look at Fox’s MLB pregame show; the NBA viewership numbers from the opening week of the season and the impact of LeBron James moving from the Eastern to Western Conference; whether the Boston Celtics can fill the TV role that Cleveland played last year with James; Ourand’s interview with ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro; the stylistic difference between Pitaro and John Skipper; Pitaro’s discussion with Ourand on the role of political talk and ESPN and the impact it had; the opposing views

Episode 24 of the Sports Media Podcast features guests Rachel Nichols of ESPN and Candace Parker of Turner Sports. Nichols is the host of The Jump and a longtime reporter whose resume includes CNN, Turner Sports and the Washington Post. Parker Is a future Basketball Hall of Famer who recently joined the NBA on TNT and NBA TV as an analyst. She currently plays for the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. In this podcast, Nichols discusses how The Jump gets put together daily; who she thinks is watching her show; women getting solo hosting jobs in the sports media; how much attention she pays to her show’s ratings; the impact of having an afternoon time slot; whether she considers NBA Countdown a competitor or complement to her show; what ESPN management has told her about the long-term prospects of her show; how her interview with Minnesota star forward Jimmy Butler came about; whether she feels Butler used her as part of a media strategy; why Mark Cuban agreed to go on with her to answer questions about sexual

Episode 23 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jemele Hill. In this podcast, Hill discusses leaving ESPN after 12 years; why she decided to leave; how one goes about negotiating a buyout with ESPN; the role of management changes at SportsCenter that led to her leaving SC6; whether ESPN management wanted her to stay or leave the company; why SC6 was not a viewership hit; the role of former ESPN president John Skipper in her career and the impact of Skipper’s leaving the network because of a cocaine addiction and the subsequent impact of that addiction; whether ESPN was too deep in political talk; her Twitter feed in the era of Donald Trump; her thoughts on the comments of Disney Chairman Bob Iger regarding ESPN swinging the pendulum a little bit too far away from sports; the culture of ESPN under new president Jimmy Pitaro; ESPN’s commitment to journalism regarding the NFL in the Pitaro era; what she will be writing for The Atlantic, where she will work as a staff writer; her role as the narrator for LeBron J

Episode 22 of the Sports Media Podcast features Yahoo! Sports senior NBA insider Chris Haynes. In this podcast, Haynes discussed why he ended up leaving ESPN; what he expects at Yahoo! Sports; how ESPN wanted him to remain a local Bay Area as opposed to a national reporter; what it was like covering LeBron James for the Cleveland Plain-Dealer; what James discusses with reporters; what it’s like to have multiple employers over the past six years; whether he feels the pressure to break news as previous Yahoo staffers Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania; addressing charges that he is too close to Kevin Durant; how reporters of color are seen in the league; graduating from Fresno State at 27 and trying to break into journalism; working as a security guard during the day and covered Trail Blazers games at night; why the Raptors might be the most interesting NBA story this year, and much more.    You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. To learn more about listener

Episode 21 of the Sports Media Podcast features Renee Young, who was recently named as a fulltime commentator on Monday Night Raw, the WWE’s flagship show. Young is the first woman to hold that position. In the podcast, Young discusses why her six-year run at WWE has worked out as well as it has; how she found about getting the Raw job from Michael Cole, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Vince McMahon; what her process is like to prepare for Monday Night Raw; how much she is aware of specific match activity versus storyline/backstory;  how NXT helped develop her as an announcer; what her WWE audition was like; how her real-life will or will not impact what viewers will hear from her if Dean Ambrose (her real-life husband) is appearing on RAW; what makes Stephanie McMahon and Paul Heyman such great performers; how Heyman has helped her since her early days with WWE; which people in the company she hangs with while on the road; her newfound love of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights; why The Shield would beat the nW

Episode 21 of the Sports Media Podcast features four guests. The first segment is a roundtable with Black Sports Online founder and editor Robert Littal and Newsday sports columnist and reporter Neil Best. In the podcast, the three of us discuss what CBS, Fox, ESPN, and NBC have in store for you this year when it comes to the NFL; the changes we are most curious about regarding the networks that air NFL games; how the networks will cover the intersection of social justice and football; our thoughts on how the Colin Kaepernick/Nike story has played out over the first few days; opportunism in the sports media and cable television regarding Kaepernick; the new ESPN Monday Night Football booth and much more. The next segment features Scott Hanson, the longtime host of of NFL RedZone, as well as co-host of NFL Network’s NFL Total Access along with Lindsay Rhodes. We discuss why people are interested in the NFL Red Zone; who he envisions is his audience; how many people watch; the changes to this year’s production;

Episode 21 of the Sports Media Podcast features three guests. The first segment is a roundtable with Sports Business Daily media writer John Ourand and Black Sports Online founder and editor Robert Littal. In the podcast, the three of us discuss Jemele Hill leaving ESPN; what it means for the ESPN brand; why it happened; how much of it the decision was tied to Hill’s suspension last October or new ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro; what it says that ESPN’s most prominent African-American female voice has left the company; Michelle Beadle leaving Get Up! to return to Los Angeles for added basketball responsibilities; Fox’s foray into Thursday Night Football; whether college football viewership will be hurt by a summer of scandal; the future of ESPN’s The Undefeated and more. The third guest is Ryan Glasspiegel of The Big Lead website. We discuss Glasspiegel’s breaking the story of Beadle leaving Get Up!; why he thinks it happened; whether there is any relationship to Beadle’s comments about no longer watching footba

Episode 20 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests: The first is ESPN insider Adam Schefter, who is the author (along with SI’s Michael Rosenberg) of a new book, “The Man I Never Met: A Memoir.” The second guest is WNBA All-Star forward Chiney Ogwumike, who works as an ESPN host and commentator away from professional basketball.    In this podcast Schefter discusses his new book, which is about how his life intersected with Joe Maio, who worked at Cantor Fitzgerald and died on Sept. 11, 2011 at the World Trade Center; why he decided to write a book about his wife’s late husband; how to write something so personal; revealing personal details about his life including the failure of his first marriage; what his wife and children, including Joe’s son who was 27 months old when Joe died; thought about the book; visiting the 9-11 site; how ESPN’s reset of its NFL relationship impacts him; what teams are the most forthcoming or transparent; the most interesting story this year in the N

Episode 19 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests: Sports Business Daily media writer John Ourand and MLB Network and Fox Sports MLB analyst John Smoltz.   In this podcast, Ourand discusses ESPN’s new weekly lineup changes and recommitment to SportsCenter; the end of SportsNation; why Ourand thinks the move to 4:00 p.m. ET is good for High Noon; the run on global soccer rights for streaming entities such as ESPN+ and B/R; whether out-of-home-viewership stats has any business significance for networks and why Fox pushed it for the World Cup; Keith Olbermann’s turn as baseball caller for ESPN; the anger from some that ESPN has employed Olbermann, and much more;   Smoltz discusses why he decided to pursue broadcasting following the conclusion of his playing career in 2009; the role of a baseball broadcast in 2018; how he prepares for a studio show versus a game broadcast and which one challenges him more; how he looks at the role of analytics for both the studio and the booth; w

Episode 18 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features guest Rebecca Lowe, the host of NBC Sports Group’s Premier League coverage, including Premier League Live, as well as an Olympic host for the network. In this podcast Lowe discusses her broadcasting comfort level as she heads into her sixth year working Stateside for NBC; how she manages the tricky logistics of her working schedule including raising a toddler in Northern California; the challenges of doing studio work onsite from the U.K.; how she approaches her future following the conclusion of her contract in 2022; navigating her attachment to the Crystal Palace football club while covering the Premier League; what she and Kate Abdo leading soccer packages in the U.S. means if anything; the impact of the 2026 World Cup in North America; why she has never seen Game of Thrones or most of the Star Wars films; how relegation would be an incredible thing for MLS; the difference between pants and trousers, and much more. You can subscribe to th

Episode 17 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features college football reporter Brett McMurphy, who this week broke a major story on his Facebook account regarding charges from Courtney Smith, the ex-wife of a longtime assistant of Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer. Smith called into question Meyer’s claims he was unaware of a 2015 allegation of domestic abuse against the assistant. In this podcast, McMurphy discusses the timeline of his reporting; how he first contacted Smith; why Smith spoke on the record with McMurphy; what Smith’s reaction was to McMurphy’s questions; the duration of those interviews with Smith, the paper trail that McMurphy tracked down for his reporting including law enforcement records; why he broke this story on Facebook, why he could not write this for another publication because of his current contractual situation with ESPN; his expectations on how many people would read his story, what breaking the story on Facebook says about the traditional mantra that subjec