Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

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 NFL; which current players have a career in media ahead of them; working as an NBA sideline reporter and much more.    Ogwumike discusses how she broke into broadcasting while playing; how to navigating being a professional athlete and working in the sports media; the importance of Stanford in pushing her to a career in media; being part of SportsCenter Africa and what that division covers; her first appearances on ESPN linear shows like First Take and The Jump; how working in the media has changed her perception of the media; what WNBA athletes deal with on social media; her long-term broadcast aspirations; whether WNBA players will ever earn enough domestically not to play overseas, 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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; what is different about calling a World Series game versus another game; how he judges on-air success; why he does not watch replays of his work; where he stands on players getting involved in the media who were not cooperative with the media; how forthcoming managers are in production meetings; the type of questions one can ask to get more candor from baseball personnel, 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 subjects will turn to big media; how Meyer forwarded the story with his responses duringBig Ten Media Days; why he finds Smith believable; whether McMurphy had lawyers vet his piece; why he didn’t reach out to Shelly Meyer; his concern about a negative backlash among some in the Ohio State fanbase; his thoughts on being laid off by ESPN in 2017; why he decided to appear on ESPN properties after they let him go; what his next for him professionally and this story 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 16 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features three guests: First, a candid conversation with longtime NBA writer and broadcaster Frank Isola, who was let go this week by Tronc after 25 years of working at the New York Daily News. The second guest is Clifton Brown, an enterprise reporter at the IndyStar and the author of Bearing the Cross: My Inspiring Journey from Poverty to the NFL and Sports Television. The final guest is Sports Illustrated senior writer Ben Reiter, the author of a new book, Astroball: The New Way To Win It All.   In this podcast, Isola, the co-host of SiriusXM NBA Radio’s “The Starting Lineup,” and an ESPN TV contributor, discusses how he learned he had lost his longtime job with the Daily News; the impact off the decision on his family; why he feels it happened; what management has said and not said to him; how he feels about the newspaper business in New York City; what it has been like working at a paper with significant financial troubles; his years covering the Knicks and the NBA; praise for Jeff Van Gundy; his analysis of the Kawhi Leonard-Demar DeRozen trade; his professional relationship with Carmelo Anthony; why he enjoys working for ESPN’s Around The Horn and PTI group; his desire to keep writing; and much more.   Brown discusses the life of Irv Cross, the first A­frican-American sports analyst on national television; what it was like for Cross when he was first hired by CBS; how he came upon Cross’s story; racism that Cross faced in television; why Cross left the sports television business; how Cross’s health is today, and much more. Reiter discusses how he came up with the concept for his book; how much cooperation the Astros afforded him; how he and his agent created and shopped the book proposal; his reporting and writing process for the book; learning about book promotion and why it is no crime to be shameless pushing your book; the importance of doing book readings at book stores; advice for first time authors, 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 15 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests: First, a sports media conversation with James Andrew Miller, the best-selling author of books on CAA, ESPN and Saturday Night Live. The second guest is Conrad Thompson, the host of three immensely popular wresting podcasts: Something to Wrestle (with Bruce Pritchard); 83 Weeks (with Eric Bischoff) and What Happened When (with Tony Schiavone)   In this podcast, Miller discusses ESPN’s current relationship with the NFL under new president Jimmy Pitaro versus its relationship under former President John Skipper; the role of the ESPYs in the ESPN universe and why criticism might be unfair; whether journalism at ESPN will be supported by Pitaro or whether ESPN reporters should be concerned; the future of Outside The Lines; whether Pitaro would do a content deal with Barstool Sports or a company such as Barstool; the futures of Keith Olbermann and Chris Berman at ESPN; and much more. Thompson discusses the process of how he does each podcast weekly; how the Bischoff podcast came together; how he approaches distribution of each podcast; creating show extensions beyond the podcasts; how he and Pritchard developed the live show business; how that business is now worth six figures for each of them; the potential opportunities for the archives of the podcasts; his relationship with longtime wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer; the return of Hulk Hogan to the WWE; whether Hogan would commit to a weekly podcast; the impact of Ronda Rousey on WWE’s business; what we can expect from Rousey heading forward, 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 14 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests: Sports Business Daily media reporter John Ourand and women’s basketball broadcaster and podcaster LaChina Robinson. In this podcast, Ourand discusses his reporting on the deal ESPN signed for UFC rights and the deal Fox signed for WWE Smackdown; how each deal came together; why ESPN was interested in UFC and where the programming will run; whether UFC has growth potential as a broadcast property; whether ESPN will examine the UFC with a journalism eye or merely as a promotional partner; how and why Fox came to get the WWE; whether Fox will use its FS1 debate shows to promote WWE; the economic calculations of both deals; how the World Cup viewership declines should be analyzed; the 2026 World Cup deal for Fox, and much more; Robinson discusses her myriad of jobs in women’s basketball including working for ESPN, Fox Sports, Raycom’s ACC women’s basketball, the Atlanta Dream, and espnW; the challenges of forging a career broadcasting and reporting on a niche sport; why women’s basketball and women’s basketball players face heavy sexism on social media; why some men have issues with women’s basketball; the genius and legacy of Pat Summitt; the struggle to get listeners for her podcast; working as a public speaker, 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 13 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features three separate guests: Tania Ganguli, who covers the Lakers for the Los Angeles Times; Sports Illustrated national NBA writer Lee Jenkins, and Dave McMenamin, an NBA reporter for ESPN. The theme of the podcast is the media impact of LeBron James moving from Cleveland to Los Angeles.   In this podcast, Ganguli discusses how James coming to the Lakers impacts her job and why; how she learned of James coming to the Lakers; whether there is added pressure now in her role; her previous contact with James as a beat writer; the added interest in James content among her bosses L.A. Times; how competitive she expect the beat to be now with James there; whether the Lakers will make additional moves later this summer, and much more. Jenkins discusses how he viewed the manner in which James announced this move; the most interesting part of James’s move nationally; whether access will change now that James is in L.A.; attempting to contact James after the news was announced; what the signing of DeMarcus Cousins means league-wide, and much more. McMenamin discusses where he learned of the news and whether he expected it; what it will be like covering the Cavs next year; how this might impact his job; the national interest in the Cavs over the next three years; whether Kevin Love will become the defacto player spokesperson for the team; his advice to reporters covering James fulltime, 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 12 of the Sports Media podcast with Richard Deitsch features Molly Sullivan, the popular television sideline reporter on Philadelphia 76ers games who was unexpectedly let go last week by NBC Sports Philadelphia after six years on the job. In this podcast, Sullivan describes in frank terms what happens when you lose your sports media job unexpectedly; what NBC Sports Philadelphia told her about its decision and what they didn’t tell her; how Sixers fans have started a petition on her behalf; covering a team for years that was the worst in the NBA and the challenges of covering a losing team; her on-air relationship with Sixers star Joel Embiid; Sixers coach Brett Brown reaching out to her after he heard she was let go; what she expects from the Sixers heading forward; what she hopes to do next; her thoughts on the Bryan Colangelo story; competing at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in distance swimming, and much more. The second part of the podcast is a roundtable with Sports Business Daily assistant managing editor Austin Karp and Black Sports Online founder Robert Littal. Karp discusses the Word Cup viewership numbers so far and what they mean for Fox Sports and Telemundo; the viewership numbers to expect later in the World Cup tournament; Littal discusses ESPN’s NBA Draft coverage and what worked and what didn’t; Karp discusses MLB’s current ratings regionally and nationally; Littal and Karp discusses the state of ESPN and FS1’s daytime talk shows, 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 11 of the Sports Media podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests. First up is ESPN Adnan Virk, who hosts multiple studio shows in multiple sports and is the host of “Cinephile: The Adnan Virk Movie Podcast.” In this podcast Virk goes deep into how an sports broadcaster in his position deals with a contract negotiation; at what point his agent started negotiating an extension at ESPN; the anxiety of not getting an offer prior to the end of a contract; how to get a sense of what money to ask for; the role of broadcast agents and their importance; how to know what to ask for in terms of salary and beyond; the impact of what others at an organization have on your contract negotiations; the role of relationships with your bosses when it comes to contract negotiations; how he ended up getting tennis opportunities into his new contract; the impact of Mo Salah on the Muslim community; being mistaken for former NHL All Star Chris Chelios, and much more. The second guest is Calvin Watkins, who was recently hired to cover the Dallas Cowboys for The Athletic Dallas-Fort Worth. Watkins discusses the challenges of covering the Cowboys; why Jerry Jones is the most important person for a media reporter; the differences between covering the New York Jets and Cowboys as a press person; where he thinks the newspaper sports section is today and where it might be tomorrow; the influence of his grandfather who worked for Ebony and went on to produce a monthly African-American newsletter called Negro Heritage; working for ESPN’s city sites; what he would say to young people of color who want to get into the business 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices