Sports Media With Richard Deitsch

Episode 510 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features James Andrew Miller, the best-selling author of many books including on CAA, ESPN, Saturday Night Live, and HBO. In this podcast, Miller discusses the end of Around The Horn after a 23 year run and nearly 5,000 episodes; why the show was successful for so long; the show's true success as an incubator of young sports TV talent; praise for Tony Reali for being ego free as an on-air talent; whether Horn deserves criticism for being part of a sports TV culture of quick sports takes and thereby devaluing larger sports discourse; why ESPN would end a show that still draws more than 300,000 annually; the future of Pardon The Interruption from Jim's perspective and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 509 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features host and podcaster Donnovan Bennett of Sportsnet (Canada) and Sports Media Watch founder and editor Jon Lewis. In this podcast we discuss the NFL schedule overall; what network schedule looks best; the Monday Night Football doubleheader issue; have the Chiefs passed the Cowboys as the NFL’s most popular viewership; why has schedule release day become so big; the WNBA’s opening weekend; the depth of major stars from A'ja Wilson and beyond; nationalizing games with Caitlin Clark; Bennett’s thought that the viewership comparison for Clark is Mike Tyson in his prime, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 508 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s EVP for Media Distribution. In this podcast, Schroeder discusses whether the NFL front-loaded its schedule and how the league thinks about the first two weeks of the season; Fox’s desire to have more AFC teams on its schedule this year; how the league parcels out the Chiefs and Cowboys knowing everyone wants them; the most request game; the NFL’s Christmas Day schedule and how should fans of other sports view the NFL playing on days associated with other sports; the Chiefs-Cowboys on Thanksgiving afternoon and the viewership potential for that game; where things stand on who will air the 2026 NFL Draft; what would it mean media-wise for NFL players to compete in the Olympics; the NFL’s global desires and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 507 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Annie Costabile, a women's sports reporter for Front Office Sports. In this podcast we discuss the WNBA's upcoming season; where the league is as far as media coverage; the importance of Caitlin Clark and the Fever to the product; the challenges of covering the league as a beat reporter; covering the WNBA as you would cover any other sport; why Costabile left the Chicago Sun-Times; the future of beat reporting at newspapers; expanding Front Office Sports's coverage of women’s sports; the the impact of social media on women's sports, both positively and negatively; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 506 of the Sports Media Podcast features S.L. Price, the longtime Sports Illustrated writer who has a new book out: "The American Game: History and Hope in the Country of Lacrosse." The book comes out May 20. In this podcast, Price discusses why he wrote the book; where the sport sits today in America; how the Duke rape case and the murder of Yeardley Love still resonates and reinforces the sport’s elite “laxbro” image; the tie between Wall Street and finance and lacrosse; where the growth of women's lacrosse sit as far the overall growth of the sport; lacrosse sixes will be one of five new sports set to feature at the L.A. 2028 Olympic Games; lacrosse as part of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy identity; the Haudenosaunee Confederacy attempts to compete in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics under their own flag and where it stands with them with the IOC; why people spoke to him, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 505 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jon Lewis, the founder and editor of Sports Media Watch. In this podcast we discuss ESPN unveiling its direct to consumer product; the impact of the move and potential pricing; NBA and NHL postseason viewership; NBC hiring of Carmelo Anthony as an NBA studio analyst; Comcast’s sports division using an AI-generated version of the late Jim Fagan’s voice for select title sequences, opens and game promos, and praise for Ahmed Fareed. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 504 of the Sports Media Podcast features NBC Sports hostAhmed Fareed, who served as the main host for the Kentucky Derby coverage after Mike Tirico had an allergic reaction. Fareed has hostedthe Olympics, Paralympic Games, Premier League, Big Ten Football and Basketball, and other sports for NBC. In this podcast, Fareed discusseshow he was informed that he had to replace Tirico; what a sports broadcaster has to do in an emergency situation such as the one he faced; the value of over-research; how his bosses reacted to his performance; his interest in NBC's NBA coverage; Tirico contacting him afterward and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 503 of the Sports Media Podcast features Donnovan Bennett of Sportsnet (Canada). In this podcast we discuss whether LeBron James will return for his 23rd year; how seismic it would it be if LeBron left; what the league does in a post-LeBron era; the favourites for the NBA title; why F-1 managememt is so obsessed with cursing, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 502 of the Sports Media Podcast features Peter King, one of the iconic NFL writers and voices of his generation. He is currently writing a book about his 40 years of covering the NFL and changes in the league during his tenure. In this podcast, King discusses this year's NFL Draft and how he processed it; the uselessness of early Mock Drafts; how he saw Mel Kiper's commentary on Shedeur Sanders; whether the Draft is an entertainment product;UNC football coach Bill Belichick in his recent interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” to promote his new book and the disastrous fallout; why King calls the Belichick recent events as "embarrassing" and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 501 of the Sports Media Podcast features Donna Brothers, who serves as a reporter on NBC Sports’ horse racing coverage, including the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Brothers will be part of NBC's Kentucky Derby coverage on NBC and Peacock this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET. This is NBC's 25th presentation of the Derby. In this podcast, Brothers discusses how she prepares for the Derby and what that prep consists of during Derby week; her race day routine; how she chooses the horse that she will ride to interview jockeys; how she sees the favourite of the race, Journalism, and why she would try to beat him if betting; interviewing victorious jockeys after their horses won the Triple Crown; whether she bets; who is behind her in the pipeline as a horse racing reporter on horseback and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 500 of the Sports Media Podcast features Cassidy Hubbarth, who worked at ESPN for more than a decade including prominently as a game reporter on NBA coverage and as an NBA host. She will move to Amazon Prime Video next year as that streamer's lead NBA sideline reporter. In this podcast we discuss ESPN's very public goodbye to her; why she succeeded at ESPN where others did not; why Amazon Prime Video was the right fit; how the Amazon job came to be; the excitement of starting a new job; the importance of having an agent at her level; working through a health scare; why Nikola Jokić is so good; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 499 of the Sports Media Podcast features Sports Media Watch founder and editor Jon Lewis. In this podcast, we discuss the reports of ESPN retaining the NFL Draft; the value of the NFL Draft as a property; Lee Corso announcing his retirement from College GameDay; NHL viewership dropping and what it means; TNT Sports not sending announcers to Winnipeg and Edmonton for early Stanley Cup playoff games; Robert Griffin III working college games on Fox Sports; Jay Bilas getting another primetime NBA slot on ABC; Shannon Sharpe's immediate future; Adam Silver's dream of nationalizing local media rights, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 498 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Charlie Yook, an NFL Network executive producer and the longtime point person for the network's NFL Draft coverage, and ESPN vice president of production Seth Markman, who oversees the Disney presentation of the NFL Draft on ESPN and ABC. In this podcast, Yook and Markman discuss how they look at the NFL Draft from a producer perspective; why the NFL Draft remains so relevant; the role of Green Bay in this year's production; what it means that every team has a pick heading in; the goal of their respective coverages; last year's first round draft averaging 12 million viewers; how they look at social media; why they don't want their staffers to tip picks and why it is easy for competitors to do so; why Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders is a tipping point for Round 1 and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 497 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable discussion with Donnovan Bennett of Sportsnet (Canada) and Austin Karp, the managing editor/newsletters for SBJ. In this podcast we discuss the NBA's regular season viewership numbers; ABC, ESPN and TNT averaged 1.53 million viewers, slightly below last season’s four-year high; the NBA playoffs and our viewership expectations; the prospect of an Thunder-Cavs final; the Masters viewership of 12.9 million for the final round and what does it portend anything for golf; MLB's miss on Jackie Robinson and how it relates to Jackie Robinson Day; can WBD get your attention with its media rights sports portfolio. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 496 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Joon Lee, an independent sports journalist and content creator whose YouTube launch video was titled, "My ESPN Layoff Taught Me Why Sports Media is Broken." In this podcast Lee talks about why he sees big opportunity in sports content creation on YouTube; the current sports media information ecosystem; how to build content away from a legacy outlet; being let go by ESPN in July 2023 after four years there; how he moved forward after the ESPN layoff and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 495 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch featuresSabreena Merchant, a staff writer covering women's basketball at The Athletic and one of the hosts of "No Offseason," the Athletic Women's Basketball podcast. In this podcast we discuss ESPN televising the 2025 WNBA Draft; whether we think it's a good television production; Holly Rowe interviewing at the WNBA Draft; who we think goes after Bueckers in the Draft; how Bueckers projects in year one in the WNBA; why we both like Serena Sundell and Georgia Amore as roster selections; why Sabreena has UConn, South Carolina and Texas as her Top 3 for next year in college basketball and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 494 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jon Lewis, the founder and editor of Sports Media Watch and Josh Carpenter, an assistant Managing Editor, Digital Operations Golf reporter for Sports Business Journal. In this podcast we discuss where The Masters sits today in American sporting culture; the declining viewership of the final round of the Masters; the possibility of the Masters ever airing on the streamer such as Netflix; the PGA vs. LIV in ratings; how Josh thought the TGL went; the viewership of the men's and women's tournaments; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 493 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Kenny Albert, the lead play by play voice for WBD's coverage of the NHL. In this podcast Albert describes calling Alex Ovechkin's 895th career NHL goal, which came against the New York Islanders on April 6 and eclipsed Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record; being cognizant that this will be a call that is replayed for years; the lead-up to the record-breaking goal; the atmosphere during the game; the importance of not talking after the goal was scored; whether he kept a souvenir from the game; his other memorable calls including Jose Bautista's epic bat flip for his go-ahead, three-run homer in Game 5 of the 2015 American League Division Series; the prospect of Austin Matthews taking on Ovechkin's record and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Episode 492 of the Sports Media Podcast features Alex Bazzell, the president of Unrivaled Basketball. The 3x3 women's basketball league that aired on WBD's networks recently completed its inaugural season. In this podcast, Bazzell discussed the first year of the league and if they met internal aspirations for reach and visibility; averaging 221,000 viewers on TNT and TruTV and how Bazzell evaluated those numbers; the advantages and disadvantages of playing at a centralized location in Miami; Paige Bueckers having equity in the league and what she has said about plans to play for Unrivaled; the prospect of getting great college players down the road including Flau'jae Johnson; how realistic it is for Caitlin Clark to play in the league one day; the relationship with the WNBA; his wife, the WNBA All-Star Napheesa Collier, and her view of the league; having brand name investors such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Geno Auriemma and JuJu Watkins, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, a

Episode 491 of the Sports Media Podcast features a roundtable discussion with Donnovan Bennett of Sportsnet (Canada), Chad Finn of The Boston Globe and Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch. In this podcast we discuss how networks will cover upcoming international events such as the Olympics, the World Cup and soccer matchups given the changing United States relationship with former allies; J.J. Watt joining Ian Eagle on CBS's No. 2 NFL team; Charles Davis taking over for Gary Danielson in 2026 and Danielson's announcement to retire from college football broadcasting; ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball final year; LeBron James' interview with Pat McAfee; Stephen A Smith's response to that interview; ESPN no longer pretending the E is not their most important letter; Smith legacy's and the legacy of attention getting in sports and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.