Episode 401 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features CBC Sports senior contributor Shireen Ahmed and Toronto Star NBA columnist and reporter Doug Smith. In this podcast we discuss Toronto being granted an expansion franchise with the WNBA; our impressions of the franchise’s initial press conference; whether the WNBA can succeed in Toronto and how that can be done; Shireen breaking the story of the league coming to Canada; how the team will be covered and where the sports media ecosystem in Canada is for it; whether the Raptors will be involved in any structural way; what the next two years should look like for the franchise; how WNBA players would feel about playing in another country; the 2027 WNBA Draft 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 400 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features ESPN Monday Night Football lead broadcaster Joe Buck. In this podcast we discuss the Monday Night Football schedule including the opening game between the Jets and Niners; how to navigate things Aaron Rodgers says away from football; the expectations placed on Tom Brady as a broadcaster; calling baseball again as a one-off; how much he is thinking about Super Bowl LXI in 2027, discussing gambling on air; how he chose his broadcast agent; the value of having an agent at Buck’s level; whether he could have done is ESPN deal without representation.  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

This episode of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck. Both are Motorsports reporters for The Athletic and the co-hosts of The Teardown podcast. In this podcast, Gluck and Bianchi discuss the confrontation between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch,  following the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday night at North Wilkesboro Speedway; the events that led up to that; how Jordan got viral footage of the fight; how they prepare for fights as reporters; how NASCAR views this regarding publicity; NASCAR’s new media rights deal, beginning with the 2025 season; new partners Amazon Prime and Warner Bros. Discovery; NASCAR’s first foray into streaming; the CW’s exclusive rights to 33 Xfinity races; the Miami Grand Prix setting a new Formula One viewership record for its live U.S. TV audience; will NASCAR race outside of the U.S. 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

This episode of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Austin Karp, managing editor/newsletters for Sports Business Journal and Ben Fischer, who covers the NFL and all other pro football news for Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, Karp and Fischer discuss the NFL’s schedule and which media partners did well; the importance of the 4:25 p.m. ET window; the Monday Night Football schedule; the power of the Chiefs for broadcasters; Netflix’s moving into the NFL; the international games for the NFL including Brazil and what it means for the future; Caitlin Clark’s WNBA viewership debut 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 399 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Bryan Curtis, the Editor at Large at The Ringer and the co-host of the Press Box Podcast with David Shoemaker. In this podcast we discuss the NBA rights and what a future featuring ESPN, Amazon and NBC might look like; Charles Barkley as a free agent; the best place for Barkley; why ESPN can't figure out its NBA pre and postgame show; Netflix potentially acquiring the NFL and what that would mean for Netflix; the upcoming WNBA season as a media play; whether the NBA would benefit from more or less media rights partners; whether journalism can make money; if words still have profit; becoming a lifestyle brand for survival 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 398 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Kevin Egan, the lead host for MLS 360, the weekly whip-around show on MLS Season Pass. In this podcast, Egan discusses the premise of MLS Season Pass; how a whip-around show for soccer works; his on-air colleagues Sacha Kljestan, Kaylyn Kyle, and Bradley Wright-Phillips; the transition from calling MLS matches to hosting; the challenge of maintaining a career in the US as a soccer broadcaster; what Leo Messi has meant to MLS; working for WWE for three years; the challenges of calling pro wrestling; why he left WWE; advice from John Cena; how welcoming Becky Lynch, Edge and others were to him 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 397 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two writers from The Athletic who cover women’s basketball — Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman. They are also panelists on The Athletic’s Women’s Basketball Show podcast. In this podcast, Merchant and Pickman discuss what they are seeing as far as local and national WNBA media coverage in 2024; what the preseason has been like covering; the upcoming WNBA national schedule; how they anticipate Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese and other rookies will do in Year One; the dominance of the Las Vegas Aces; the people in WNBA media are doing under-promoted good work, 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

This episode of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jon Lewis, the founder and editor of Sports Media Watch. In this podcast we discuss viewership for the NBA playoffs and NHL playoffs; why the Knicks might not be as great a viewership draw as you might think; whether people will tune in specifically to see Anthony Edwards; the Bruins as a viewership draw; what the NHL would like to see for the finals; the F-1 Miami rating; the last NBA media rights package up for grabs between NBC or WBD 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 396 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sportsnet (Canada) anchor Evanka Osmak, the author of a new children’s book, “Ali Hoops!." The book encourages girls and boys to be involved in sports in any role regardless of skill level. In this podcast Osmak discusses the challenges of writing a children’s sports book; how to come up with characters and a story; the challenge of selling a children’s sports book; the fate of the sports television highlight show in 2024; how SportsCenter-like shows can stay relevant 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 395 of Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Lindsay Schanzer, NBC Sports’ senior producer of horse racing and its college football studio coverage. Schanzer will also co-produce the gymnastics coverage of the Paris Olympics. In this podcast, Schanzer discusses navigating appealing to the hard core horse racing fan and the far bigger audience of casual fans who watch one horse race per year; producing a sports event with an audience that is 50 percent female; how much attention gets placed on the morning-line Kentucky Derby favorite Fierceness; the biggest challenges before the show and then show day; a feature on the underdog story of Larry Demeritte, trainer of West Saratoga, among the Derby’s biggest long shots; the best cameras for the race; the challenges and opportunities of producing gymnastics for the Paris Olympics; the prospect of Simone Biles competing 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