Awful Announcing Podcast

Host Brandon Contes interviews Anish Shroff, ESPN play-by-play commentator and radio voice of the Carolina Panthers. Brandon and Anish discuss a wide range of topics including calling the Duke's Mayo Bowl, being on "Dream Job," working lacrosse for ESPN, being the voice of the Panthers, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:54: Being the voice of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl-2:15: Anish’s reaction to finding out he was working Duke’s Mayo Bowl-7:13: Having lots of mayo at home-8:21: Anish eating Oreos and macarons dipped in mayo-9:35: Mike Golic Jr. leaving ESPN and Brock Osweiler joining on to eat foods dipped in mayo-10:45: Being on “Dream Job” for ESPN-13:54: Was “Dream Job” an honest judge of talent?-14:56: Was the goal to be an anchor or play-by-play entering “Dream Job?”-15:58: Getting into lacrosse-19:05: Cadence of calling lacrosse compared to other sports-20:16: Continuing to call lacrosse after college-21:04: Calling a big game in lacrosse-23:16 Being the radio voice for the Carolina Panthers-27:18: Traveling for college football on Saturday and NFL on Sunday-30:06: Making pregame meetings for multiple games on the same weekend-30:51: Prepping for multiple games on the same weekend-32:16: Reaction from Panthers fans-33:57: Announcers Anish wanted to emulate growing up-36:33: Panthers fan expectations for this upcoming season-37:55: Best and worst calls-39:29: Future goals and aspirations-42:51: Having a creative outlet Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Adam Schein, host of "Schein on Sports" on SiriusXM, "Time to Schein" on CBS Sports Network, and the "Rise and Schein" podcast that uploads every Monday. Brandon and Adam discuss a wide range of topics including interviewing Aaron Rodgers, that time Snooki and Adam had a beef, Larry King calling in, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:40: “Hot” coffee takes-1:56: Interviewing Aaron Rodgers-6:21: Has Adam’s perception of Rodgers changed?-8:30: Rodgers dealing with the NYC media-11:48: What is a host’s responsibility in interviewing Rodgers?-14:05: The Snooki feud-14:58: Interacting with Pat McAfee when he was on Mad Dog Sports Radio-16:07: Thoughts on McAfee going to ESPN-17:12: Working at Sirius satellite radio pre-Howard Stern-19:16: Was Adam ever close to returning to WFAN?-24:06: Talking to Mike Francesa about someday replacing him-26:42: Interacting with Chris Russo-28:00: Being a lead-in for Stephen A. Smith-29:29: Doing the “Rise and Schein” podcast-30:58: Differences in hosting styles between TV, radio, and podcasting-33:10: Larry King being a regular caller into “Schein on Sports”-35:29: Reaction to Brent Axe being fired for being “overly negative” about Syracuse sports Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Brian Windhorst, ESPN senior NBA writer and host of "Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective." Brandon and Brian discuss a wide range of topics including NBA Finals coverage, covering The Decision, becoming a meme, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:42: NBA Finals talk-1:19: Covering the Denver Nuggets for ESPN-1:57: Seeing new teams in the NBA Finals-3:58: National media/ESPN criticism for covering LeBron James so much-7:45: Criticism from ESPN people about their lack of Nikola Jokić coverage-10:02: ESPN’s basketball coverage-12:37: Thoughts on aggregate media-17:50: The Rudy Gobert trade and becoming a meme-22:56: The Paris interview with Victor Wembanyama on Draft Lottery night-29:17: Doing TV as a reporter-33:54: Covering LeBron and being linked with him through high school, the Cavs, and the Heat-36:21: Going to Miami and facing animosity-40:13: Cleveland’s reaction toward Brian when he left to cover LeBron in Miami-43:10: Covering The Decision-48:04: Is LeBron really contemplating retirement?-50:15: How and when to decide to report on transaction rumors-54:10: Difficulties of being on First Take as a reporter and not saying too much-56:29: Working with Stephen A. Smith-59:03: Working with Skip Bayless-1:01:45: Current NBA player who could be a media star Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Mark Schlereth, three-time Super Bowl champion, Fox NFL analyst, and Denver sports talk radio host. Brandon and Mark discuss a wide range of topics including ESPN's treatment of the Denver Nuggets, Tom Brady entering broadcasting, working with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:48: Fan perception of a former football player talking about other sports-6:06: Daily grind of morning radio-9:35: Studio vs. game analyst and transitioning from the studio to the booth-17:37: Tom Brady entering broadcasting-22:22: Still enjoying doing studio shows-25:52: ESPN and national media treatment of Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokić-29:05: Does the city of Denver hold a grudge to the national media?-31:12: Reaction to Kendrick Perkins’ comments on Jokić and racially biased MVP voting claims-34:33: Coaching aspirations?-36:30: Acting in "Ballers" and "Guiding Light"-38:16: How was working with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Leigh Diffey, play-by-play commentator for the NTT IndyCar Series for NBC as well as IMSA, MotoGP, Supercross, and Olympic track and field. In the lead-up to the 107th Indianapolis 500, Brandon and Leigh discuss a wide range of topics including the narrative some people have that race car drivers are not "athletes," the importance of the Indy 500, what casual fans should be looking for at Indy, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:46: Busy week leading up to Indianapolis 500-1:09: Motorsports background growing up in Australia-2:46: Being a PE teacher while getting started in broadcasting-5:09: Adversity in Australia from those in sports media who felt Leigh didn't belong-6:59: Moving to the United Kingdom and then the United States-8:39: Bigger transition going from Australia to UK, or UK to U.S.?-9:32: Culture shock moving from London to Atlanta-10:31: Becoming a U.S. citizen-11:44: Working the Olympics for NBC-12:32: Similarity of motorsports and race-based Olympic sports-13:36: Preparation for Olympic events-15:14: Being lead play-by-play for Olympic track and field-15:44: COVID protocols in Tokyo during Olympics-17:27: Working Beijing Olympics in-studio-18:28: Getting the full Olympic experience-19:27: The “race car drivers are not real athletes” narrative-20:50: When Leigh felt he “made it” and could make a living in broadcasting-21:33: Working with David Hobbs and Steve Matchett on Formula 1 broadcasts-22:34: Hobbs speaking his mind-23:27: Fitting into a broadcast where the analysts are already working together-24:50: Preference in calling a race on a road course or oval?-25:43: Longest Leigh has been on a broadcast-27:12: Calling Formula 1 and IndyCar on the same day-28:07: Was the Indy 500 a big event in Australia when Leigh was growing up? Is it now?-29:30: What makes the Indy 500 special?-31:49: The rush of being on the call for the Indy 500-33:24: Leigh’s historic call of Helio Castroneves’ fourth Indy 500 win in 2021-36:57: Booth setup for an Indy 500 broadcast-39:47: “100 Days to Indy” discussion-41:06: Impact of sports gambling on IndyCar broadcasts-41:42: What should a casual fan be looking for if they’re watching the Indy 500 for the first time?-42:34: Which winner would make for the best story?-43:41: Graham Rahal being bumped and then replacing Stefan Wilson-44:42: Future goals in broadcasting Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Ryan Ruocco, play-by-play commentator for the NBA and WNBA for ESPN as well as the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets for YES, in addition to co-hosting the "R2C2 Podcast" with CC Sabathia. Brandon and Ryan discuss a wide range of topics including being the "Voice of the WNBA," working an NBA game for ESPN the night COVID shut everything down, Pat McAfee moving to ESPN, working with Stephen A. Smith, and more.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:50: Growing up wanting to do multiple sports or a single sport-2:26: Being the "Voice of the WNBA"-5:13: WNBA perceptions-7:39: Has NBA comparison narrative started to change?-8:27: Ryan’s voice exercises-8:57: Ryan on Jeff Van Gundy’s reaction to his voice exercises-12:02: NBA coaches could benefit from similar voice exercises to preserve voice-13:52: Having voice issues-17:17: Michael Kay’s influence on Ryan’s career-20:13: Preference in doing baseball on TV or radio-21:55: Being bumped from Aaron Judge’s 61st home run game-24:25: Does Ryan envision being the voice of a specific team?-26:43: Calling the NBA on ESPN when the league suspended the season due to COVID-29:15: Sudden shift from normal to everything stopping while on broadcast-30:56: Is there an analyst Ryan has worked with (Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, JJ Redick, Richard Jefferson, etc.) who’s more hungry to get into coaching?-36:03: Broadcasting when at a similar age as many of the players-39:10: R2C2 Podcast with CC Sabathia-42:27: Interactions with Bill Simmons-45:02: Thoughts on Pat McAfee moving to ESPN-46:46: Working with Stephen A. Smith-51:20: Were there difficulties working with Stephen A. at first?-52:25: Stephen A’s lack of complacency-53:19: Future career aspirations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews John Ireland, radio voice of the Los Angeles Lakers and co-host of "Mason and Ireland" on ESPN Radio in LA. Brandon and John discuss a wide range of topics including a potential "Last Dance" docuseries with Kobe or LeBron, Kobe and Shaq's divorce and reconciliation, and covering an NBA Finals during a pandemic.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:44: Living out a dream job as radio voice of the Lakers-1:37: Working with Chick Hearn, receiving advice from Chick-2:21: Working with Mychal Thompson, dealing with Lakers-Warriors series with son Klay playing for the opposition-3:12: John on the Lakers’ dramatic turnaround this season-4:24: LeBron James chasing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career scoring record-5:37: John explaining his call when LeBron set the record-7:10: Was John nervous making a monumental call like that?-8:14: Difference in radio and TV broadcasting during historic moments-11:26: Covering LeBron in Los Angeles. How do the locals view LeBron?-12:38: How do Lakers fans view the “bubble championship?”-14:03: Lakers receiving local attention vs national attention-15:43: Differences in covering LeBron James and Kobe Bryant-17:15: Local news stations covering Kobe and LeBron-18:30: Kobe, LeBron, Shaq personalties-22:36: Kobe and Shaq divorce-25:07: Were there any incidents between Kobe and Shaq during this time?-27:42: Did John have a stronger relationship with Kobe or Shaq?-29:25: Kobe or LeBron “Last Dance” docuseries???-31:00: Covering Kobe’s death-37:08: Calling the NBA Finals from a studio during a pandemic-39:20: Doing TV play-by-play-40:04: John on Charles Barkley saying broadcasting sporting events on radio is “the stupidest thing in the world”-43:21: Difference between ESPN’s and TNT’s NBA studio shows-45:12: Dynamic of hosting an ESPN Radio show in LA and working for the Lakers-46:35: Has LeBron ever complained over something John said either on commentary or on the radio?-47:54: John’s proudest call Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Brandon Contes interviews Maggie Gray from "Maggie and Perloff." Brandon and Maggie touch on a wide range of topics including replacing Mike Francesa, her hot take about kids being at postgame press conferences, covering Kyrie Irving in high school, and Aaron Rodgers dealing with the NYC media.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.-:36: Andrew Perloff eating a jar of peanut butter-2:22: Eating challenges in radio-4:40: Radio providing organic moments-6:31: Maggie on the state of national radio-9:15: Catering to a variety of audiences-11:00: How does Maggie feel about not being on terrestrial radio in NYC?-11:49: Similarities and differences in national and local radio-13:28: Building chemistry with one co-host compared to two co-hosts-15:37: Transitioning from WFAN to CBS Sports Radio-18:56: Maggie on the pressure of replacing Mike Francesa -20:08: Did Maggie feel she had Francesa's support when taking over?-21:46: Did Maggie feel she had WFAN’s support when Francesa came back?-24:04: Discussing James Dolan’s interview on Carton and Roberts-27:14: Was Maggie concerned for her WFAN job after calling Dolan a “vile piece of trash?”-28:25: Maggie talks about her “kids shouldn’t be at postgame press conferences” hot take-30:28: The misconception that Maggie is against kids in general-31:08: Maggie reveals the “genesis” behind her take-32:32: Covering Kyrie Irving while Irving was in high school-34:53: When Maggie stopped defending Irving-36:31: Would Maggie have Jim Breuer back?-37:26: Was Maggie surprised with the direction Breuer took his comedy in?-38:59: Maggie’s appreciation of Artie Lange-39:56: Maggie’s reaction to Aaron Rodgers taking issue with Romeo Dobbs interview-42:57: How will Rodgers fare with the NYC media? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back!After a few years, the Awful Announcing Podcast returns with host Brandon Contes as he interviews Bomani Jones.For even more discussion, head over to awfulannouncing.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube: @awfulannouncing.*Apologies for some audio issues in the final couple minutes.-1:02: Bomani’s path to ESPN and sports media-2:36: Embracing streaming/podcasting before the industry did-5:26: Does Bomani miss doing local radio?-8:03: Bomani on ESPN layoffs-9:42: Bomani on ESPN Radio’s future-12:01: Did Bomani feel ESPN was “all in” on his radio show?-14:56: Transitioning from radio to podcasting-17:33: Content freedom/adjusting to writing team for “Game Theory”-19:56: “High Noon” content freedom/why it ended-24:04: Not hosting “Highly Questionable” full-time after “High Noon” ended-26:57: Does Bomani feel he’s underutilized on ESPN TV?-27:42: Why Bomani isn’t on “First Take?”-28:56: Bomani on Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on “First Take”-30:40: Debating Skip Bayless-32:33: Praising Skip Bayless-36:13: Bomani on why people “pile on” Skip Bayless?-37:00: Would Bomani be interested in debating Skip Bayless again?-37:29: Bomani on Stephen A. Smith getting political-38:47: Does Bomani think Stephen A. Smith would run for political office?  -39:23: Bomani on Stephen A. Smith interviewing Clay Travis-40:13: Bomani on Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon firings-41:51: Does Bomani want a bigger role in cable news?-42:35 Bomani on aggregate media Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5:30 - In Watching "The Last Dance," when did the early memories of being a kid in Chicago watching the Bulls kick in?7:35 - Did he ever try to emulate any 1990s Bulls when he was hooping it up?8:42 - How and when did his father, as a Pakistani immigrant, become a huge Chicago sports fans?10:36 - Their shared love of sports despite never going to a game in-person together12:53 - The story of a really beautiful connected moment between his dad, him, and Steve Kerr19:22 - How he views the series through the lens of his family/memories of watching the Bulls as a kid22:18 - Did the documentary change his perspective at all of the 1990s Bulls?24:50 - Does he envision more accessibility from teams and players in the future?29:10 - Did he felt like there was anything left out from "The Last Dance" worth telling?32:00 - On his competitiveness level and the feeling of having to outwork everyone in his path37:33 - Is there a way to stay fresh as a broadcaster amidst COVID-19?40:29 - Any surprise that both the NFL and CFB have operated with a "business as usual" mindset44:00 - On how he ended up at FOX from ESPN / the relationships he's made at ESPN48:10 - Nerding out on sports theme music, and now having Roundball Rock (NBA on NBC theme) as a broadcaster on FOX50:40 - A petition to get the original MLB on FOX music back for FOX baseball Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.