Sports Media Journal

It's the time of the year when news outlets look back at the events that shaped the past 12 months.  We are no different here at Sports Media Weekly. Ken Fang of Fang's Bites and I look back at what we feel were the top sports media news stories of 2012. We are then joined by some of the most respected sports media reporters and bloggers in the country, who give us their top stories of the year and what to look for in 2013.   They are (in order of appearance): Barry Horn (Dallas Morning News) Chad Finn (The Boston Globe) Dan Levy (The Bleacher Report) Ed Sherman (The Sherman Report) Jim Williams (The Washington Examiner) John Daly (The Daly Planet) John Ourand (Sports Business Journal) Neil Best (Newsday) Richard Deitsch (Sports Illustrated) Ken Schott (The Schenectady Gazette) Matt Yoder (Awful Announcing) Joe Flint (LA Times) Happy New Year!  Here's to a successful 2013!

We have another jam-packed Sports Media Weekly program. Ken Fang of Fang's Bites and I begin the show looking back at the incident involving ESPN's Rob Parker and his comments about the Redskins QB Robert Griffin III.  Parker issued an apology on Twitter today. We also look at the news from Fox Sports Radio that it has hired Jay Mohr to serve as its midday host in the slot recently occupied by Jim Rome. Ken and I look at what has proven to be a successful season for the NFL Network in its first year of televising 13 games on Thursday Night. We end our news segment by promoting the end-of-the-year sports media column released today by Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch. Our first guest this week is Clark Kellogg, lead college basketball analyst for CBS Sports.  We talk with Clark about his years at CBS (he began nearly 20 years ago) and his previous work with ESPN.  Clark also talks about his role in CBS' upcoming series of programs looking back at the 75th Anniversary of March Madness.  The network's first set of programs in the series is set for December 29th. Our second guest is Damon Amendolara, overnight sports radio host for the soon-to-be-launched CBS Sports Radio Network.  Damon fills us in on how he views his role for the new show, as well how his work in Kansas City, Miami, and, recently, in Boston has helped shape his style as he takes his work to a national stage.

We have two guests on this edition of Sports Media Weekly. Joining Ken Fang of Fang's Bites and I for our news segment is Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report. We begin the show by looking at how differently CBS sports handled the death of Cowboys practice squad player Jerry Brown, who was killed while in a car driven by Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent.  We all agreed that CBS handled this event better than one week earlier when the network waited five minutes to discuss the murder/suicide involving Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher. We then take a look at a proposal floated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to expand the number of teams to make the playoffs, and the media implications that go along with it. We discuss how the once-mighty Big East has fallen as its seven basketball-only teams threaten to leave the conference. We examine the curtailing of ESPN's fascination with Tim Tebow and how the WWL was not alone in riding the Tebow bandwagon. We look at the end of an era as The Sporting News halts its print edition and we look back at the career of Larry Merchant, who is stepping down from covering boxing for HBO Sports. Our other guest is SMW favorite Michelle Beadle, formerly of ESPN, now of Access Hollywood and NBC Sports.  We talk to Michelle about her experience at last night's concert in support of the victims of Super Storm Sandy in New York City, her first Olympic assignments with NBC, and we get the scoop on the new daily studio show she will host on the NBC Sports Network beginning in late January...

Ken Fang of Fang's Bites and I are riding solo for this week's Sports Media Weekly. We begin the show by looking back at the sports media coverage of the murder/suicide committed by Chiefs linebacker Javon Belcher.  We examine CBS's decision not to mention the story until five minutes into its NFL Today telecast.  We also touch upon the controversy brought on by NBC's Bob Costas for using his halftime commentary during Sunday Night Football to promote tougher gun control laws. We switch to baseball and news that Fox Sports may be closer to gaining a rights deal with the Dodgers while also showing interest in buying Sports Time Ohio to secure the local rights to the Cleveland Indians.  It appears Fox is continuing to seek out more local baseball rights fees as a way to expand its national sports footprint. We move to college football looking at CBS's strong SEC ratings for the season, especially for the SEC Championship game, which was the most-watched college football game thus far this season.  We also look with a critical eye at a press release from ESPN promoting two awards to be won by members of the University of Notre Dame at the upcoming college football awards tomorrow night.  For some reason no other award winners were released by ESPN, just winners from Notre Dame.  ESPN wouldn't be using this news as a way to hype its telecast of the BCS Championship game on January 7th would they?  Hmmmmmm... We also look at how a Boston TV sports reporter has put himself out on a limb being the only one to report that the end to the NHL lockout may be near. We examine why Sports Illustrated awarded its Sportsman of the Year to LeBron James, and the news that John Kruk will be the new third man in ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball booth. We finish the show with a discussion of ESPN's inconsistency in crediting reporters who break stories who do not work at the Bristol campus.  

Ken Fang of Fang's Bites and I have recovered from our Thanksgiving hangovers and are raring to go with another version of Sports Media Weekly. We begin the show looking at the college football scene, specifically ESPN's agreement to televise the college football playoff championships when the series begins in January of 2015. We stay with college football examining the impact Notre Dame's undefeated season has had for ESPN and NBC in terms of increased ratings and the prospects for ESPN when the Irish play in the BCS National Championship game on January 7th. Ken and I also look back at the success of the NFL on Thanksgiving, with the Redskins/Cowboys match-up being the most-watched television program thus far this fall. We shift to sports radio and the announcement this week that Dana Jabobson, Tiki Barber, and Brandon Tierney have been tapped to host CBS Sports Radio's morning show when the network launches on January 2nd. We end our news segment by taking a look at the growth of original talk show programming mornings on sports networks.  The MLB Network, NFL Network, Golf Channel, and NBC Sports Network have all added morning shows during the past year. Our guest this week is Jen Royle, former sports reporter in New York and Baltimore who has moved back home to Boston.  Jen talks about her new website, Sports Reel Boston, which launches at midnight tomorrow night.  Jen discusses about how the site will focus primarily on baseball and the Red Sox.  She describes how she's been able to assemble a good roster of talent to write for the site, and how successful she's been in getting the support she needs to launch this new venture.

After two weeks away, Ken Fang of Fangs Bites and I are back with a new edition of Sports Media Weekly. Due to the short week we have no guest, but plenty to catch-up on. We start the show looking at the news today that News Corporation (parent company of Fox Sports) has purchased a minority stake in the YES Network.  The YES Network also announced that it has extended its agreement to carry Yankees baseball through 2042. Next we look at the moves by Maryland and Rutgers to leave the ACC and Big East respectively and join the Big Ten.  Both Ken and I agree this is great news for the Big Ten Network and not so good news for the Big East as it continues its negotiations for a new television deal. We then look at ESPN's domination of college football with its recent deals with the Rose Sugar, and Orange Bowls to carry their games through 2026.  The BCS PLayoffs should not be too far behind for the World Wide Leader. We shift to the NFL and talk about the piece by Richard Dietsch who speculates whether Jon Gruden will leave ESPN for another coaching job.  We then look at the Thanksgiving Day NFL match-ups, with NBC getting the holiday night game for the first time in 15 years. We move to the MLB Network to discuss the hiring of former NESN field reporter Heidi Watney and the appearance this week of Keith Olbermann on the network. We wrap up the show looking at the rumors of who may be filling the morning show slot when the CBS Sports Radio Network launches in January.

Hurricane Sandy battered the eastern seaboard but did not deter us from producing a new Sports Media Weekly. Our scheduled guest could not join us due to him being from the New York/New Jersey area, so Ken Fang of Fang's Bites and I are riding solo. We begin the program by looking at the record low ratings for Fox Sports on the Giants' four game sweep of the World Series.  Even though the viewership numbers were steady, the average rating of 7.6 was the lowest ever. We then look at the big news that NBC Sports has secured the rights to English Premier League soccer beginning next season.  We discuss what the move means for NBC as well as incumbents Fox and ESPN. We move on to the NBA season beginning tonight and our expectations for TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV this year. We wrap-up the show on the news, broken by Ken a few weeks ago, that the Dan Patrick Radio Show will be simulcast on the NBC Sports Network beginning on Monday at 9:00a.m. ET.