Sports Media With Richard Deitsch

Episode 348 of the Sports Media Podcast features new Detroit Tigers broadcaster Jason Benetti, who also works as a Fox Sports broadcaster as well as Westwood One Audio. In this podcast, Benetti explains his thinking on moving from the White Sox to Tigers; what it’s been like to be the story; his reaction to the Tigers pursuing him; why he ultimately left the White Sox; his fondness for the city of Detroit;  the tension between someone who has a national job in addition to local; the importance of ownership buying into a broadcast; his partners on Tigers games; working for Fox Sports in college football and elsewhere; getting know Bill Walton; the value of his Wake Forest law degree and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, 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 347 of the Sports Media Podcast features two writers from The Athletic who cover women’s basketball — Chantel Jennings and Ben Pickman. In this podcast, Jennings and Pickman discuss the biggest stories of the 2023-24 women’s college basketball year; whether last year’s record viewership for the title game will be a catalyst this year; whether the women’s basketball tournament will become open to market as its own property; how accessible the top coaches and players are; the player they would most want to profile; the teams they like as of today and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, 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 346 of the Sports Media Podcast features Austin Karp, assistant managing editor/digital for Sports Business Journal and Ben Fischer, who covers the NFL for SBJ.  In this podcast, Deitsch, Fischer and Karp discuss the media-centric issues around the NFL as they head to the second half of the regular season; NFL viewership; YouTube’s relationship with the NFL and Sunday Ticket; the record-low World Series viewership; Dolphins-Chiefs in Germany and why the NFL is so high on games in that country; Colorado returning to non-record viewership coverage; NASCAR’s end of the season; how Bob Knight’s death was covered, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, 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 345 of the Sports Media Podcast features Chad Finn, sports media writer for The Boston Globe, and Jon Lewis, the editor and founder of Sports Media Watch. In this podcast, Deitsch, Finn and Lewis discuss the record-low World Series viewership; whether the Rangers-Diamondbacks numbers mean something bigger for baseball; the buffering issues You Tube’s Sunday Ticket had; Dolphins-Chiefs in Germany; The NFL Network's Rich Eisen as a play by play voice; Pat McAfee on ESPN's College GameDay; how Fox Sports has positioned itself as having a GameDay alternative; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, 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 344 of the Sports Media Podcast features Amanda Gifford, a Vice President of Production for ESPN, who oversees the company’s college football event productions (live games) and the XFL. In this podcast, Gifford discusses what her role entails; how ESPN/ABC’s college football game production happens every week; why college football viewership is up this year; where college football should be as a broadcast play five years from now; why there are so few women college football opinionists in 2023; where she sees sports audio going heading forward; what someone in an ESPN talent office does; whether there will be a women president of ESPN in her lifetime; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, 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 343 of the Sports Media Podcast features ESPN and Marquee Sports Network broadcaster Jon Sciambi, who will debut as the national radio voice of the World Series for ESPN Radio. In this broadcast, Sciambi discusses how he followed Dan Shulman and Jon Miller as the audio voice of the World Series; working with Jessica Mendoza and Eduardo Pérez in a new three-person booth; morphing between radio and television; how you get chemistry with a new partner; the Texas-Arizona matchup; the advantage of calling the Diamondbacks as often as he has; being the television voice for the Cubs and what that means; being part of a three-person booths and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, 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

Sports Media Watch editor and founder Jon Lewis and Sports Business Journal assistant managing editor Austin Karp discuss the World Series between the Rangers and Diamondbacks; the viewership trends for the World Series; the importance of star power; the NBA’s opening night; Week 7’s NFL viewership and why it was so big; ESPN saying it had its best fiscal year viewership since 2019; the change in the Top 10 U.S. media markets remain 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

In this featured clip of our longform interview with ESPN NBA analyst Doris Burke that was published on Oct. 23, the ESPN analyst gives her thoughts on learning that ESPN was parting ways with Jeff Van Gundy. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, 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 342 of the Sports Media Podcast features ESPN NBA analyst Doris Burke, who joins Doc Rivers and Mike Breen on ABC/ESPN’s NBA lead commentator team. Burke will becomes the first female analyst to call NBA Finals games on network TV with the promotion. In this podcast, Burke discusses how and when she learned she would be getting one of the lead analyst chairs; her surprise that Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were departing ESPN; her relationship with Doc Rivers; her chemistry with Breen and Rivers; why she will be nervous at next year’s NBA Finals; the power teams in the league including the Bucks, Celtics, Nuggets, and Suns; her thought on an in-season tournament; the prospect of Victor Wembanyama; the talent in women’s college basketball and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, 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://podcastch

Episode 341 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jon Lewis, the founder and editor of Sports Media Watch. In this podcast, Lewis and Deitsch discuss the start of the NBA season and viewership possibilities; the importance of the Jets being competitive for the NFL; Pat McAfee paying Aaron Rodgers and other guests; the WNBA Finals viewership; the strength of Pac-12 viewership in 2023; World Series matchups; the retirement of ESPN PR head Chris LaPlaca and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, 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

In this featured clip of our longform interview with ESPN football analyst Dan Orlovsky that published on Oct.16, the ESPN analyst gives his thoughts on the point of the season where an observer can declare that an NFL team is a legitimate Super Bowl contender.. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, 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 340 of the Sports Media Podcast features Dan Orlovsky, who has been an NFL and college football analyst for ESPN since 2018. In this podcast Orlovsky discusses his fondness for on-camera film analysis and how he breaks down film for television; how social media helped start his media career; how he has navigated ESPN professionally; his relationship with his NFL Live colleagues; at what point of the NFL season he feels comfortable saying a team is a legit Super Bowl contender; his conversations with Fox Sports before re-signing with ESPN; why he will be disappointed if he does not land one of the top game analyst jobs; the first NFL media-related thing he reads each morning; th one sporting event outside the NFL he would love to call; what he has learned about having  triplet boys and a daughter under 12; calling ESPN’s second NFL package with Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick, and Laura Rutledge and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more a

Sportico media reporter Anthony Crupi comes on to discuss where the NFL stand after five weeks; the dominance of Kansas City and Buffalo as far as NFL ratings; CBS off to its most-watched season through five Weeks since NFL returned to CBS in 1998; the start of the NHL season and viewership expectations; if there is a good World Series viewership matchup and more. Anthony will be on with other sports viewership experts for mini-pods throughout the NFL season. 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 339 of the Sports Media Podcast features Pierre LeBrun, a senior NHL columnist for The Athletic and an NHL Insider for TSN Canada. In this podcast LeBrun discusses the biggest story in the NHL in 2023-24; the most under-covered story in the league; why he is picking a Toronto-Edmonton Stanley Cup Final; how competitive the space is for an NHL insider; his fondness for wire service reporting; how much news he gets from agents versus front offices versus players; his experience working at ESPN; why so many Canadian sports media people see working in the United States as more of a destination than Canada and much more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, 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 338 of the Sports Media Podcast features two writers who were selected for The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2023 analogy. They are Ryen Hockensmith of ESPN and Sarah Hepola of Texas Monthly. In this podcast Hockensmith discusses his story (“The Secret MVP of Sports? The Port-A-Potty”) and how it came to be; the importance of the Port-a-Potty at sporting events; the challenges of reporting and writing this piece; his piece on the life of a sports gambling help worker, which was an Honorable Mention selection, and more. Hepola discusses her piece (“A Half Century of High Kicks and Hot Pants”) and how it came to be; the culture importance and history of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders; the financial exploitation of the women who were part of the group; how she came to the story; how the cheerleaders are viewed today and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/pri

Jon Lewis, the founder and editor of Sports Media Watch, comes on to discuss if Taylor Swift has made an impact on NFL viewership; NBC’s Chiefs-Jets game averaging 27 million viewers; Colorado-USC drawing 7.241 million; whether this is the end for Colorado as a viewership juggernaut; college football being up; Ryder Cup ratings down; Thursday Night Football’s postgame; the WNBA Finals viewership outlook and more. Jon will be on with other sports viewership experts for mini-pods throughout the NFL season. 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 337 of the Sports Media Podcast features three writers who were selected for The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2023 anthology. They are Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Derrick Gould of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Cassidy Randall, a freelance writer whose piece from The Atavist Magazine was selected. In this podcast Coffey discusses her story (“The Phillies’ Andrew Bellatti Made a Fatal Mistake as a Teen. A Tale of Remarkable Forgiveness Followed”) and how it came to be; the challenge of telling the story of how Bellatti, then 18, killed a man in a car accident and how the man’s window forgave Bellatti; the reporting of the piece and more. Gould discusses his story (“A New Bat, Old Friends, and Timeless Magic As Cardinals Albert Pujols Soars To 700”) and how a piece on Pujols’s historic home run came together; how to approach the endless cycle of baseball writing; the challenge of covering a team that is having a bad year and more. Randall discusses her piece (“Alone At The Edge Of The World

Austin Karp, managing editor/digital for Sports Business Journal, comes on for a mini-podcast to discuss Colorado-Oregon and Ohio State-Notre Dame’s viewership numbers;  Amazon’s big Thursday Night start; CBS’s big NFL September; Taylor Swift ratings; why MLB viewership on ESPN and ESPN2 was down; Fox moving games from FS1 to Fox to juice the viewership;  the impact on the Red Sox and Yankees struggling and more. He’ll be on with other sports viewership experts for mini-pods throughout the NFL season.  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 336 of the Sports Media Podcast features Ian Eagle, the CBS Sports/WBD/YES Network and Westwood One Sports broadcaster, and Sports Illustrated podcaster and writer Jimmy. Traina. In this podcast Eagle discusses dropping a Taylor Swift reference during the Chiefs-Jaguars game and the explosion of coverage that followed; why things go viral; how doing a Thursday Night radio broadcast helps his TV work; adjusting to so many different partners; his Nets schedule; how he feels when he reads that his son Noah, also a sports broadcaster, is a product of nepotism; his upcoming Final Four NCAA assignment; how he views Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson being replaced by Doris Burke and Doc Rivers; calling college football and more. Traina discusses Friday Night SmackDown coming back to USA Network beginning October 2024; WWE producing four primetime specials per year that will air on NBC; Fox being out of the WWE business; the financial terms of the deal; storylines involving The Rock and Roman Reigns and more. Y

Bill Shea, a longtime sports business reporter for Crain's Detroit Business, and The Athletic, comes on for a mini-podcast to discuss NFL, the Monday Night Football viewership experiment, and college football viewership for Week 2. He’ll be on with other sports viewership experts for mini-pods throughout the NFL season.  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