Sports Media With Richard Deitsch

Episode 492 of the Sports Media Podcast features Alex Bazzell, the president of Unrivaled Basketball. The 3x3 women's basketball league that aired on WBD's networks recently completed its inaugural season. In this podcast, Bazzell discussed the first year of the league and if they met internal aspirations for reach and visibility; averaging 221,000 viewers on TNT and TruTV and how Bazzell evaluated those numbers; the advantages and disadvantages of playing at a centralized location in Miami; Paige Bueckers having equity in the league and what she has said about plans to play for Unrivaled; the prospect of getting great college players down the road including Flau'jae Johnson; how realistic it is for Caitlin Clark to play in the league one day; the relationship with the WNBA; his wife, the WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier, and her view of the league; having brand name investors such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Geno Auriemma and JuJu Watkins, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, a

Episode 491 of the Sports Media Podcast features a roundtable discussion with Donnovan Bennett of Sportsnet (Canada), Chad Finn of The Boston Globe and Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch. In this podcast we discuss how networks will cover upcoming international events such as the Olympics, the World Cup and soccer matchups given the changing United States relationship with former allies; J.J. Watt joining Ian Eagle on CBS's No. 2 NFL team; Charles Davis taking over for Gary Danielson in 2026 and Danielson's announcement to retire from college football broadcasting; ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball final year; LeBron James' interview with Pat McAfee; Stephen A Smith's response to that interview; ESPN no longer pretending the E is not their most important letter; Smith legacy's and the legacy of attention getting in sports and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Le

Episode 490 of the Sports Media Podcast features Lisa Bluder, the former University of Iowa women’s basketball team coach and one of the most accomplished basketball coaches of her generation. Bluder led Iowa to the national title game in 2023 and 2024 and won 528 games at the school. In this podcast, we discuss how she approached the massive amount of media attention Caitlin Clark received at Iowa; how Bluder and her staff thought about interactions with both the national and local media; the number of media requests for Clark; how she advised players when it came to social media; her thoughts on Clark being on the 2028 U.S. Olympic Basketball team; Bluder’s work this month as an analyst for the Big Ten Network’s coverage of the women's basketball tournament coverage and why she hopes to continue with Big Ten Network; the injury to USC star JuJu Watkins; people wanting Clark to be what they want when it comes to how she answers questions; the women’s basketball final between Iowa and South Carolina in 2024 a

Episode 489 of the Sports Media Podcast features Brian Lawlor, the President of Scripps Sports. As the owners of ION and TV stations around the U.S., Scripps airs both the WNBA and NWSL, as well as a number of local teams including the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. In this podcast, Lawlor discuses ION's foray into the WNBA and NWSL; ION's WNBA Friday night doubleheaders strategy; the impact of Caitlin Clark being on ION eight times this year; the Las Vegas Aces deal with Scripps Sports; ION recording an average audience of 145,000 viewers across 50 NWSL matches last year; the importance of studio programming around live games; his optimism at continuing with the WNBA heading forward; ION's Saturday night NWSL double-header; how he looks at ESPN and others when it comes to women's sports; having the rights to the Big Sky Conference and the great Montana-Montana State showdown; Netflix's foray into live sports and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To le

Episode 488 of the Sports Media Podcast features three guests — Rebecca Lobo, Holly Rowe and Ryan Ruocco of ESPN. They are the lead broadcasters for the Women’s Final Four as well as the WNBA Finals. In this podcast the trio discusses calling the NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament; reflecting back one year later on the title game between South Carolina and Iowa being watched by 18.9 million viewers; what will be unique about this year’s women’s tournament; the growth of interest in women’s basketball at ESPN; why their are a legitimate half-dozen teams that can win a title this year; a lightning round of questions featuring whether Caitlin Clark be on the 2028 U.S. Olympic team; whether JuJu Watkins be on the 2028 U.S. Olympic team; whether Paige Bueckers will be on the 2028 Olympic team; whether Clark will win a WNBA MVP in the next three years; whether the Indiana Fever will win a title in the next three years; who they would build a team around between  JuJu Watkins or Caitlin Clark, and more. You can subs

Episode 487 of the Sports Media Podcast features Sports Media Watch editor and founder Jon Lewis. In this podcast we go deep into the women's and men's basketball tournaments; why we are seeing more women's basketball content than ever before; why viewership will be down for the women's Final Four and title game but what will be interesting is the early rounds; the addition of Jalen Rose on the men's tournament; the title game potential for viewership; Cooper Flagg as a television draw; the prospect of expansion on viewership; ESPN hires a new director for Monday Night Football and the media coverage around it, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, 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 486 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jane McManus, the author of “The Fast Track: Inside the Surging Business of Women's Sports.” In this podcast, McManus discusses her new book on how the economics and surges in viewership contradict the myths about disinterest in women’s sports; why she wrote her book; how she sees the new-age athlete such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Trinity Rodman as far as economic power; why the WNBA has not yet made money; the speed at which we will see women’s sports specific-content and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, 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 485 of the Sports Media Podcast features Ben Fischer, who covers the NFL and all other professional football news for Sports Business Journal; Sean Keeley, the Managing Editor for Awful Announcing, and Austin Karp, the managing editor/newsletters for SBJ. In this podcast were discuss why NFL free agency has become such a media event and where can it go heading forward; ESPN signing of Stephen A. Smith for five years 100 million; X versus Bluesky; goodbye for Around The Horn; viewership for March Madness and the Clark/McConaughey debate.You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, 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 484 of the Sports Media Podcast features Conrad Thompson, who has created an immensely successful set of wrestling podcasts including ones with Eric Bischoff, Bruce Prichard, John Layfield; Jeff Jarrett, Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross. In this podcast, Thompson offers insight about the growth of his podcast network; the advantage of begin a first mover in the space; how his podcasts are monetized; the lucrative business of putting on a wrestling podcast convention; why Jim Cornette and Brian Last have been successful podcasters; why Paul Heyman and Tony Khan are the white whale gets to host a podcast; being friends with Cody Rhodes; why wrestling wants to avoid politics; the John Cena heel turn; the Netflix and WWE partnership and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, 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 483 of the Sports Media Podcast features author and adventure writer Cassidy Randall, whose latest book is "Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All Women’s Ascent of Denali." In this podcast, Randall discusses her book that chronicles the first ever all-female ascent of Denali, the tallest peak in North America; the void in the canon of adventure/exploration stories featuring women; why she is drawn as a writer to women who achieve these remarkable adventure feats; what makes Denali so tough to climb; how you research a story that happened 55 years ago; the challenges of book promotion and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, 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 482 of the Sports Media Podcast features a sports media roundtable with Jon Lewis, the founder and editor of Sports Media Watch, and Ben Koo, the owner and editor of Awful Announcing.Int this podcast, Lewis, Koo and Deitsch discuss the place men’s and women’s college basketball currently occupies in the sports media landscape; the viewership for men’s college basketball in 2025; why the men's tournament provides good viewership no matter the teams; the state of women’s college basketball as it relates to viewership; why we are all bullish on the sport as a media play; what a realistic final featuring Paige Beckers and Juju Watkins could draw; how the Home Run Derby would play on Netflix; whether it matters where the NFL Draft airs; how media companies that air sports should approach playing the national anthems of the U.S.. and Canada; why the anthem talk will be monetized and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our priv

Episode 481 of the Sports Media Podcast features Chris Cuthbert, the lead play by play voice for Sportsnet's coverage of the NHL. In this podcast Cuthbert discusses calling the amazing 4 Nations Face-Off final between Canada and U.S. for a Canada audience; comparing it to his call of Sidney Crosby’s “golden goal” for CTV from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games; the 16 million+ North American viewers who watched the game; the nexus of geopolitics and hockey for this event and what it meant to Canadians; what he recalled about Connor McDavid's game winner; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, 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 480 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jon Lewis, founder and editor of Sports Media Watch, and Austin Karp, assistant managing editor of Sports Business Journal. In this podcast we discuss ESPN's massive 9.3 million viewers for the 4 Nations Face-Off final; whether there will be a carryover to NHL viewership; ESPN's opt-out with MLB; where the Home Run Derby might air next; TGL and Unrivaled audiences, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, 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 479 of the Sports Media Podcast features Sean McDonough, ESPN's lead play by play voice for hockey, and one of ESPN's top play-by-play commentator for ESPN college football and basketball games. In this podcast McDonough discussed calling the 4 Nations Face-Off final between the U.S. and Canada; why it was one of the greatest events he's ever been part of as a broadcaster; what the pregame and postgame was like for him; how he wanted to approach the nexus of geopolitics and sports; whether there will be an interest carryover to NHL games; expectations for the 2026 Winter Olympics; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, 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 478 of the Sports Media Podcast features MLS Season Pass match and studio analyst Taylor Twellman. The broadcaster will call the inaugural Sunday Night Soccer matchup between the league’s newest franchise, San Diego FC, and reigning MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy on February 23 at 7 p.m. ET on Apple TV. In this podcast, Twellman discusses the third season of MLS Season Pass on Apple TV; where the partnership is from his perspective; the debut of Sunday Night Soccer; San Diego FC as the MLS’ 30th club; MLS Productions moving to WWE Headquarters in Stamford, Conn; what is reasonable to expect from Leo Messi at age 38; whether Miami FC are the favourites again; the form of the U.S. men national team; how Twellman expects the lead up for the World Cup to me, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, 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://podcastcho

Episode 477 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jake Rogal, the director of Netflix's "Court of Gold" terrific docu-series on the 2024 Paris Olympic basketball tournament. The documentary is currently steaming on the service. In this documentary, Rogal discusses his six-part series on the 2024 Paris Olympic men's basketball tournament; the decision to follow four Olympic men’s basketball teams — USA, Canada, Serbia, and France; how the production got incredible access; remarkable footage such as Nikola Jokic at halftime of the game against the U.S. diagramming a play involving Steph Curry and Joel Embiid and LeBron James drinking beer with his coaches; remarkable interviews with Kevin Durant, Curry, Nicholas Batum, Bogdan Bogdanović, and Dillian Brooks among others and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, 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://pod

Episode 476 of the Sports Media Podcast features Indiana Fever coach and ESPN broadcaster Stephanie White. A longtime basketball analyst for ESPN and the Big Ten Network, she will call college games for ESPN throughout February and March. In this podcast, White discusses how broadcasting and coaching can complement each other, as well as the challenges two jobs present; being on the air for ESPN the day she was named Fever coach; how she got into broadcasting while working as an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky; whether the Fever can be a title contender in 2025; coaching Caitlin Clark, Alyiah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, DeWanna Bonner, and Natasha Howard; how she wants her team to play this season; managing the extraordinary fame of Clark; what kind of jump Clark should make from her rookie year to Year Two; the need for the Fever to improve collectively as a defensive team; the prospects for free agents wanting to play for the Toronto Tempo franchise and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podc

Episode 475 of the Sports Media Podcast features TNT Sports broadcaster Brian Anderson. The play by play voice will call the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. ET — simulcast across TNT, TBS and B/R Sports on Max. In this podcast, Anderson discusses calling this year’s NBA All-Star Game and all the format changes; how one calls a game such as this; WBD losing the NBA; why he decided to  signed a multi-year contract renewal with TNT Sports last year; calling Brewers games; calling the French Open next year; the passing of broadcasting legend Bob Uecker and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, 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 474 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jon Lewis, the founder and editor of Sports Media Watch, and Chad Finn, the sports media writer for The Boston Globe. In this podcast, we discuss the Super Bowl broadcast; the pregame show; how Tom Brady did as a first-time Super Bowl broadcaster; was Brady helped by the game not having a signature moment; the commercials; Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance; will it set a viewership record; what no Aaron Rodgers means for the Jets as a national team. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, 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 473 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is broadcaster Kevin Harlan, the lead play by play caller for Westwood One’s Super Bowl coverage. He is followed by ESPN Vice President of Production Linda Schulz, the point person for the company’s NHL coverage. In this podcast Harlan discusses the Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl being his 15th consecutive Super Bowl for Westwood One Radio; what his weekend in New Orleans will be like; where the radio booth is located in the stadium; his call of a streaker during Super Bowl LV; where things stand with his contract negotiations with Amazon to do NBA games; his reaction to the Luka Donic-Anthony Davis trade, and more. Schulz discusses the 4 Nations Faceoff production; how ESPN looks at major hockey events; what makes best on best hockey an opportunity for the sport; the challenge of getting other ESPN entities to buy into the NHL; the longterm market for college hockey and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more