Sports Media With Richard Deitsch

Episode 145 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Kavitha Davidson, a sports and culture writer for The Athletic and the host of Culture Calculus podcast. She is followed by Sports Illustrated writer Jimmy Traina, the host of the SI Media Podcast. In this podcast  Davidson discusses the hiring of Wayne Gretzky by Turner Sports; Kenny Mayne leaving ESPN and what that means heading forward; the challenge of covering the Tokyo Olympics; how NBC will navigate issues of COVID in Japan, athlete protest and other news detrimental to the IOC;  how the American public would react to an athlete protesting on the medal stand, and more.  Traina discusses the massive amount of sports gambling money in sports media right now and what that means; whether the majority of sports writers will be working for places such as Draft Kings one day; if we are headed for gambling addiction issues; Adnan Virk’s exit from WWE; streaming services for sports fans; the challenges for WWE and AEW as media properties;

Episode 144 of the Sports Media Podcast features three guests. First up are ESPN feature producers Lauren Stowell and Jenna Contreras, the directors of  “144” a behind-the-scenes documentary on what unfolded on and off the court over the tumultuous two-and-a-half-month 2020 WNBA season. The second guest is Julie Stewart Binks, who hosts Drinks with Binks on Fubo TV and NHL Twitter Live. In this podcast, Stowell and Contreras discuss how the project came about; how producer and ESPN on-air personality Chiney Ogwumike helped make the access possible; whether they got any internal pushback on the topics at hand; how they decided on who would be at the center among the league’s players; how they got beyond-the-scenes conversations of the players; dedicating the season to Breonna Taylor and getting her family on film; where the WNBA goes next, and more. Stewart-Binks discusses how to do a show from home; the challenge of getting press in a crowded sports media space; getting people to drink on-air; her reaction to

Episode 143 of the Sports Media Podcast features a conversation with James Andrew Miller, the best-selling author of books on CAA, ESPN and Saturday Night Live and the host of the “Origins” podcast. In this podcast, we discuss Kenny Mayne departing from ESPN; what Miller thinks of Mayne being asked to take a 61 percent pay cut; what the market is for former ESPNers; Miller’s thoughts on ex-ESPN-ers in the marketplace at other places; Miller’s upcoming HBO book and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 142 of the Sports Media Podcast features a conversation with Sports Media Watch founder and editor Jon Lewis and Sports Business Daily managing editor/digital Austin Karp. In this podcast, we discuss the three days of the NFL Draft averaging 6.1 million viewers and what that means; how the opening round’s 12.5 million average should be judged against the overall number; why Day 3 of the NFL Draft was down on viewership; analyzing NBC’s Kentucky Derby viewership numbers, which drew 14.5 million viewers for the race portion; what can be learned from the Derby in relation to upcoming jewel events; what Karp and Lewis’s expectations are for the NBA postseason and NHL postseason; whether the NBA Finals will be up over last year; the recent increase in NASCAR ratings; the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo and why both Lewis and Karp think the numbers will be down from 2016; what NBC can do to try to juice the Olympic viewership and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitch

Episode 141 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Steve Kornacki, an NBC News and MSNBC national political correspondent who will serve as an insight analyst for NBC’s coverage of the Kentucky Derby. Kornacki previously analyzed NFL playoff probabilities for Football Night In America. He is followed by Tashan Reed, who covers the Las Vegas Raiders for The Athletic. In this podcast, Kornacki discusses how he landed assignments with NBC Sports including the Kentucky Derby; how he felt his Football Night In America experience went, and whether he expects to be back this fall; whether a knowledge of sports helps with understanding politics and elections; the notion of horse racing coverage within a political context; growing up as a horse racing and Patriots fan in Massachusetts; how is analyzing the Derby for viewers; whether he will place bets at the Derby; the feedback he has received from his sports segments; how conscious he is that some viewers will autonomically wonder or question wh

Episode 140 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests — ESPN staff writer David Purdum and soccer writer Grant Wahl, the host of the Football With Grant Wahl podcast. In this podcast, Purdum discusses where the U.S. and Canada are regarding the number of places where sports gambling is legal; the interest in non-NFL betting; where legacy media outlets are today regarding sports gambling content on air and where they will be in a couple of years; how big players such as DraftKings are hunting for media entities; how he covers his beat and what he thinks are interesting stories; the limited value of pick segments on air beyond entertainment; whether Jake Paul-like events have a big gambling future; the NFL partnering with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and FanDuel and what it means, and much more. Wahl discusses the collapse of the Super League; what the Super League might have commanded in the open market as a media play; MLS going to market for a media deal and what it means; whether Fox still has lo

Episode 139 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests — Sports Illustrated writer Jimmy Traina and Boston Globe columnist Chad Finn — for a roundtable discussion on various sports media topics. In the podcast we discuss Paul Pierce and ESPN parting ways and why the decision was made; did ESPN make the correct decision with Pierce; the ascendency of Kendrick Perkins; Alex Rodriguez working for ESPN and Fox Sports and whether that constitutes a conflict of interest; why none of us think Rodriguez is good in his ESPN role; when the NHL’s second media rights package will be signed; baseball fans being shutout with Hulu and YouTube TV among other carriers;  the role of sports gambling in sports media in 2021 and forward; the plans for Meadowlark Media; why Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman are great at what they do, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Audacy, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 138 features Paul Heyman, a longtime WWE performer — he currently is the special counsel for Universal Champion Roman Reigns —and sports entertainment impresario. In this podcast, Heyman discusses how doing press has changed for wrestling performers from the 2000s to current day; how much the public should the media know about the private lives of performers such as Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch or Charlotte Flair; whether he would let a media outlet go behind the scenes for WrestleMania; the freedom to ad-lib as opposed to being tightly scripted; the upcoming Wrestlemania 37 in Tampa; the ease of booking  Becky Lynch in next year’s WrestleMania; the challenge of performing the last calendar year in front of no crowds; his comfort level in taking bumps; his time in ECW; how he has been able to work with people who are main event stars; the status of his WWE contract, which is set to expire; whether he would consider hosting a podcast about wrestling; perpetually changing greatness, and much more. You can

Episode 137 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests. First up is NFL Network reporter Stacey Dales. She is followed by ESPN national baseball reporter Marly Rivera. In this podcast Dales discusses her journey from Canada to becoming an All-America basketball player at the University of Oklahoma to playing professional basketball to landing a job at ESPN; the challenges of navigating a high-profile media job in her 20s; how she ended up at the NFL Network after leaving ESPN; the challenges of focusing on an entire league; how to get better as a reporter; her duties and responsibilities at the NFL Network; why offensive lineman are excellent interviews; the state of women’s college basketball and the NCAA’s leadership’s attitude toward its most prominent women’s sport; and much more. Rivera discusses the major stories the baseball media will focus on to start the season; what kind of access MLB reporters will have this year; the challenge of covering amid COVID and more. You can sub

Episode 136 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch examines the NFL media deals. The guests are Jim Miller, James Andrew Miller, the best-selling author of books on CAA, ESPN and Saturday Night Live and the host of the “Origins” podcast, and Anthony Crupi, the sports media reporter for Sportico. Miller focuses on the ESPN deal and what it means for that network including getting in the Super Bowl rotation; more flexibility for games; and the historical nature of the deal. Crupi discusses the deals made by CBS, Fox, NBC and Amazon including why each outlet decided to focus on what they did; why the NFL wanted to keep the traditional broadcasters; what it means for Amazon to get exclusivity for Thursday Night Football; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 135 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sean Shapiro, an NHL reporter for The Athletic who specializes in the business of hockey, and Ryan S. Clark, who covers the NHL and Seattle Kraken for The Athletic, for a discussion on ESPN’s seven-year television, streaming and media rights deal. The new agreement will run from the beginning of the 2021-22 season through the 2027-28 season. In this podcast, the panel discusses their impressions of the ESPN-NHL deal; what the deal means for the popularity of hockey in the U.S.; the impact of streaming on the deal; whether it will create more NHL talk on ESPN platforms; the prospect of NBC or Fox getting the other package; whether the NHL should re-align next year and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 134 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Conrad Thompson and Jim Ross, the duo that make up the popular “Grilling JR” podcast. In this podcast, Thompson, the host of six immensely popular wrestling podcasts, and Ross, one of the iconic voices in the history of professional wrestling and a current broadcaster for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), discuss how they formed their partnership; their initial impressions of each other; what expectations they had for the podcast; how they format shows and select topics; the importance of podcast momentum; how they have marketed the podcast and found ancillary revenue sources; their pre-show process; Conrad’s wish-list for future co-hosts; the impact of COVID on the podcast; how each view their roles; the number of downloads per podcast; how the revenue share works; the next evolution for the podcast, and much more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast

Episode 133 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a conversation with Sports Business Daily media writer John Ourand on the NFL media rights. In this podcast, Ourand and Deitsch discuss where things stand between the football-airing networks and the NFL regarding a rights extension; why John believes CBS and NBC are the furthest along in the deal; the money gap between Disney and the NFL and whether that can be bridged; why some ESPNers believe they have more leverage today than they did in 2011; what ESPN would owe distributors if it jettisoned the NFL; what ESPN would look like without an NFL rights contract; Amazon’s role for Thursday Night Football; the change in Disney leadership impacting the NFL deal; how much of an increase the NFL is likely looking at for its rights; ViacomCBS using the NFL to drive subscriptions to Paramount+; whether there will be a gold rush for soccer rights on streaming and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher

Episode 132 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features longtime ESPN Monday Night Football play by play broadcaster Steve Levy. In this podcast, Levy discusses calling Monday Night Football this season; the challenges of broadcasting during a pandemic; what management has told him about returning to the booth along with partners Louis Riddick and Brian Griese; whether he believes their group has earned the right to come back; reading about others rumored to be getting the MNF job; the differences between calling hockey and the NFL; thoughts on ESPN getting part of the game rights to the NHL; navigating ESPN over three decades and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 131 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable on Super Bowl viewership with Sports Business Daily media writer John Ourand and Austin Karp, the Managing Editor/Digital at Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, Deitsch, Ourand and Karp discuss the Super Bowl averaging 96.4 million viewers across all platforms, the lowest since Super Bowl 41 on CBS in 2007; why viewership was down; the declines in the 18 to 49 demographic; the broader context of jewel sports being down during the pandemic; the long-term impact on the NFL; the prospect of post-COVID sports viewership, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 130 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests: Chelsea Janes, a national baseball writer for the Washington Post who previously covered the 2020 U.S. Presidential election. She is followed by Donnovan Bennett, a host, podcaster and writer for Sportsnet in Canada (where I work as well in addition to The Athletic). In this podcast, Janes discusses her professional path of covering the Nationals as a beat writer to covering the 2020 U.S. Presidential campaign to becoming a national baseball writer; the challenges and advantages of moving from sports to political reporting; what the Washington Post newsroom was like on January 6, 2021; the most interesting story in baseball right now; how to report baseball in a pandemic; how many women reporters have a story that tracks the allegations against Mickey Callaway, and much more. Bennett discusses how the sports media has approached the nexus of sports and COVID with regard to daily coverage; the possibility of the NBA All Star game

Episode 129 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a conversation with Sports Business Daily media writer John Ourand. In this podcast, Deitsch and Ourand discuss NBCSN shuttering at the end of the year and assets moving to Peacock; what the end of NBCSN means for the NHL upcoming media rights deal; the future of Dan Le Batard and John Skipper’s Meadowlark company; potential Super Bowl viewership; the WWE Network morphing to Peacock in the U.S.; the prospect of a canceled Olympics for NBC;; what sports TV PR departments should pitch, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 128 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features three guests for a roundtable discussion on the Jared Porter story and sexual harassment of female sports reporters: Rhiannon Walker, a staff writer who covers Washington football team for The Athletic; Jane McManus, the Director of the Marist's Center for Sports Communication, a Deadspin sports columnist and the co-host of “Ladies Room” podcast with Julie DiCaro, and Britt Ghiroli, a national MLB writer for The Athletic and an MLB Network contributor. In this podcast Ghiroli, McManus and Walker discuss how they processed the Porter story; getting sent penis pics from sources and potential sources they covered; how often sexual harassment happens in the business; Ghiroli’s piece in the Athletic and the line of “if you’re too nice, you are asking for trouble and if you aren’t nice enough, you’re a bitch”; the exhaustion of dealing with this during your career, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, S

Episode 127 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests. First up is Noah Eagle, who called Nickelodeon’s first-ever NFL broadcast and is also the radio voice of the L.A. Clippers. He is followed by Ryan S. Clark, who covers the NHL and Seattle Kraken for The Athletic. In this podcast, Eagle discusses the Nickelodeon NFL broadcast; what made the broadcast unique and the planning for it; how he got the assignment; navigating having a well-known father in the sports media business;  how he feels about criticism of being gifted jobs; calling the Clippers; being interviewed by Steve Ballmer, and more. Clark discusses covering a team that exists but does not yet play on the ice; what kind of Kraken stories he does today; the interest in the NHL in Seattle; the most interesting stories in the NHL right now; how COVID has impacted coverage; what NHL teams have said about media coverage heading forward; how Clark evaluates diversity and gender among those covering the game; whether those numb

Episode 126 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features James Andrew Miller, the best-selling author of books on CAA, ESPN and Saturday Night Live and the host of the “Origins” podcast. In this podcast, Miller and Deitsch discuss a dark day for American democracy and Miller’s time working at the U.S. Capitol; what ESPN’s 2021 will look like; the importance of the NFL to ESPN; will they get a Super Bowl; how staffing will look at ESPN; whether ESPN still has the swag as a company; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices