Sports Radio News
Rodgers Wakes Up L.A Sports Fans
Published
9 years agoon
By the time 4:30 in the morning rolls around, LA Live morphs into LA Lifeless.
Travis Rodgers now has visual confirmation.
“There’s not a soul around — except maybe some guy is cleaning, buffing, scooping,” the new KSPN-AM (710) early morning weekday drive co-host admitted about the otherwise neon-lit, fan-flash favorite gathering area across the street from Staples Center.
“I did see someone early one morning in the Starbucks, and I thought, ‘Oh, maybe I can hit that on the way up the elevator.’ Nope. It’s not open until 5.”
When you beat the opening of a Starbucks to work — which is when Rodgers and partner Kelvin Washington must do to be in the ESPN Radio studios in the offices right next door — you’re officially on the zombie shift.
The intent behind raising the shade on an L.A.-based sports-talk station before dawn is simple: Find another entry point on a more intimate basis with whomever is out on the Southern California freeways heading to their jobs, or perhaps dragging themselves home from their previous endeavors. The success of this leap of ratings fate may not be deemed success/failure for another 16 to 18 months, according to station program director Mike Thompson. That’s the nature of this beast.
KFWB-AM (980), recently rebranded as “The Beast” all-sports format, has already been asking Jeanne Zelasko, Marques Johnson and Sam Farber to time-slip their lives and start a show that starts at 5:30 a.m., jump-starting Jim Rome’s 9 a.m. arrival. Early ratings for the show, as well as the station, aren’t much of a ripple.
And it has been tried before. In the late 1990s, Brian Golden used to do a live 4-to-6 a.m. “Early Morning Sports Page” show for KAVL-AM (610), based in Palmdale and a Fox Radio Dodgers’ affiliate, trying to synch up with the thousands of commuters who made the daily trip between Kern County and the Newhall Pass.
But other than that, this KSPN innovation/experiment requires Rodgers and Washington to take one for the team. Whatever financial compensation is involved can be parlayed into a stock purchase of a local caffeine-driven company.
As Rodgers emerges at 11 a.m. from the ESPN Radio studios just before the lunch crowd hits LA Live — that adds up to six straight hours of sports yammering, including his syndicated Yahoo! Sports Radio shift from — it’s a bit of an eye opener as he heads home to Orange County to see his wife and three kids.
“Maybe I’m not a morning person — I know when I was 20, I wasn’t,” the 43-year-old admitted. “You just get up and do it.
“This is something I’m ridiculously excited about. ESPN is obviously a huge opportunity, a station that rates well in the market, they’re committed to succeed, grew up 20 minutes from here, I get talk about the teams obsessed with when I was a kid,”
For KSPN, the other purpose of having Rodgers-Washington start the on-air conversation from 5 to 7 a.m. on something called “ESPNLA Morning Show,” with the suggestion it become “Rise and Grind” leading into Colin Cowherd’s national show, is that it keeps things going when it moves to a 7-to-9 a.m. livestream on the company website and the ESPN app. Those technically-advanced in the male 18-34 and 25-54 age targeted demographics have another choice.
“Radio has become more like TV has been for years, where we have shows on multiple platforms that many times compete with each other,” said Thompson, who has been arriving himself at about 4:30 a.m. each day lately to help the launch that began last Monday.
KSPN, owned and operated by ESPN, had carried the solid national show hosted by Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg for years on the 710 signal until it was decided it could be shifted to the other ESPN affiliate in Southern California, Angels-owned KLAA-AM (830), when Thompson wanted to give local voices a try.
Rodgers had been that local KLAA voice for the last couple of years, based in studios at Angel Stadium, and solicited Thompson to include him in the new KSPN plans, making this look like a straight-up show swap.
To create this, however, Thompson decided to let go of highly-regarded sports news anchors/reporters Beto Duran, Pete Fox and Dave Joseph. The time taken for the top-of-the-hour update segments has been morphed into the existing KSPN sports-talk shows, thus smoothing over any sort of abrupt breaks — or opportunities for listeners to leave. Thompson points out other stations in this 80-station market have gone to a similar philosophy.
So enter Rodgers, whose sense of humor and even his facial features may remind you of comedian Seth MacFarlane. Rodgers’ backward career curve to this place of local recognition comes not long after 15 years of a wildly successful run as the driving producer for Rome’s burgeoning sports-talk empire, which lead to a syndication drive with the Premiere Radio Network.
Rodgers broke off from Rome’s run in 2009, mostly because he wanted to see if he could do this talking thing on his own. It was a difficult breakup, but like any marriage, “if it’s not going to end badly, then it’s not going to end,” Rodgers said.
After a stop in Houston, and then engaging with The Sporting News Radio Network that has since before Yahoo Sports Radio, Rodgers understands his solo career may need more than just a six-year span to fully separate from the perceived Rome influence.
“I still get questions all the time about Jim,” said the Arcadia native and UC Santa Barbara grad, “and I guess I have to steal a line that he has used when people still ask him if he’s the ‘Jim Everett guy’ (a reference to a confrontation Rome had with the former Rams quarterback while on an ESPN TV show in 1994).
“Jim would always say: Yeah, but there was a lot more to it than what you think happened. I’m really proud of what we did together. Now, I’m just trying this. I’m a work in progress.
“The thing that really gets me is when people say I’m trying to do a Rome impression. I mean, we worked intimately together for 15 years, and some of him rubbed off on me, and me on him. But stylistically we’re pretty different.”
The transition from producer to on-air talent was hardly as smooth as anticipated for Rodgers, who out of college aspired to be a local TV sportscaster.
“There’s a reason why those jobs are separate,” he said. “My role with Jim wasn’t a traditional producer, just booking guests or screening calls, I was more into content creation and shaping conversations, much more collaborative. That was my value to him.
“I saw when Jim used to get frustrated about things but I never understood why from the producer side. But now that I’m here, it makes perfect sense. When it’s your responsibility and your voice out there, and you make a mistake, it’s on you. That took me a while to figure out.
“It’s one of those things now that feels like going from an assistant coach to a head coach. Sure, I know how to draw up plays. But where I already held Jim in high regard for how he did his show, that respect goes to a whole new level for me now.”
Rodgers still spends his 9-to-11 a.m. window weekdays continuing to do his Yahoo Sports Radio show called “Travis Rodgers Now,” available on the Yahoo Sports app and YahooSportsRadio.com in L.A.
But even with the new wake-up call, Rodgers doesn’t turn in until shortly after 10 p.m. so he can follow L.A.-based games to their conclusion. So now, afternoon naps are schedule.
“When I did the show at KLAA (from 6 to 9 a.m.), it was just a 25-minute commute from my home in Laguna Niguel,” said Rodgers. “I could get up at 4:15 — again, no one should be up at that time — and have no problem.
“This is a little more of a drive, and I’m up at 3. But the difference between 3 and 4 is negligible — they’re both awful. But I’m happy to do it.
“I know the people on the road when we are on the air care about sports the same way someone who drives to work at 8 in the morning. I’ve always kind of wondered why there aren’t more local morning shows done like this.”
Let the other sports-talk station program directors sleep on that one.
Credit to the LA Times who originally published this story
Jason Barrett is the owner and operator of Barrett Sports Media. Prior to launching BSM he served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He has also produced national shows for ESPN Radio including GameNight and the Dan Patrick Show. You can find him on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or reach him by email at [email protected].
Sports Radio News
Spike Eskin Introduces Rules for Callers on WIP Afternoon Show
“A polite society, an organized society, a civilization has rules, and we will have rules for calling the WIP Afternoon Show.”
Published
6 hours agoon
April 17, 2024By
BSM Staff
Earlier in the week, Audacy announced that it hired Ryan Hurley to serve as the brand manager of WFAN and Infinity Sports Network, officially naming a successor to Spike Eskin and allowing him to begin his role on the afternoon drive program with SportsRadio 94WIP. Eskin officially made his on-air debut on Monday where the show discussed a variety of sports teams in the area, including the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia 76ers. On Tuesday, the show continued its sports discussion but also introduced new facets to its structure, including a list of rules by which callers will need to abide in order to be featured on the WIP Afternoon Show.
Named the “Bill of Spike,” the document of six rules was revealed by Eskin during the broadcast, each of which was followed by a subsequent explanation. Before he began to read from the list, which he stated is non-negotiable, he provided his rationale as to why he was implementing these regulations within the program.
“Some things have gotten out of hand,” Eskin said. “There is a new sheriff in town. We need some rules. It is with great respect and honor that I introduce the Bill of Spike, the rules for calling the WIP Afternoon Show. A polite society, an organized society, a civilization has rules, and we will have rules for calling the WIP Afternoon Show.”
The first rule on the list mandates that callers must reach their point immediately. Even if the primary topic does not pertain to sports, it is essential that they begin discussing it upon being placed on the air. Should a caller have an issue with another listener of the show, the program will eventually get to it, but it will not be the first thing.
“Rule No. 2 – please do not ask how we are doing,” Eskin continued. “We’re great. We’re having such a good time. This is such a good job; it is silly; we all like each other. You don’t need to ask us.”
Eskin also added that if a team lost the game on the day before, it should be obvious that the hosts are not doing well. They will likely express those sentiments on the air within their discussion about the games and teams as well. When they are speaking with a listener though, Eskin made sure to inform them that they should not be calling into the show on speakerphone.
“If you’re on a speakerphone, just take the L,” Eskin said. “Do not ask us for a second to take us off speakerphone. We’ve already hung up; I’m already on to the next caller.”
The new 94WIP Afternoon Show has 6 rules for the callers. pic.twitter.com/PpsiMvCb6B
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) April 17, 2024
The fourth rule on the list reads, “Don’t tell me the rules, I’ll tell you the rules,” something Eskin highlighted because there have been several callers who have questioned specific rules. Instead, he wanted to make it clear that he would be informing the callers of the rules rather than it being the other way around. He then proceeded to outline the fifth rule on the list, which specifically mentions how listeners should address Eskin, co-host Ike Reese and producer Jack Fritz.
“You can greet the hosts in any order possible, but please, limit the times you passive-aggressively do not say hello to one of us,” Eskin said. “I can see what you’re doing if you call up and you say hi to Ike and Jack and don’t mention me; you say hi to Jack [and] don’t mention me and Ike, so and so. We’re not doing that – we’re all friends here. If you’re going to say hi, say hi to all three of us. You don’t have to say hi to anybody by the way – you can just go.”
Fritz asked a follow-up question to Eskin regarding this rule pertaining to what would happen if a caller specifically asked for his takes about the Phillies. In response, Eskin said that he would drop the call, leading to Reese to provide his input on this directive.
“I have seen that scenario happen before where somebody has called up and said, ‘I just want to get Jack’s opinion on the Phillies,’” Reese said. “Now me, it doesn’t offend me at all – I’m like, ‘Go right ahead.’”
“You know what?,” Eskin replied. “I’m going to change my opinion. If you greet all three hosts and you want to ask Jack something specific about the Phillies, we can let that slide.”
The final rule within the “Bill of Spike” is that callers are not allowed to say that any of the hosts only received the job because of their father. Spike Eskin is the son of Howard Eskin, who was a longtime host on SportsRadio 94WIP and continues to appear across its programming while sideline reporting for its broadcast of Eagles football. Even so, Spike Eskin said he was standing up for everyone on the show with this rule on the bill, concluding the list and commencing a new era in afternoons on the station.
“The Bill of Spike – the rules are ingrained,” Eskin said. “They are in stone, they are posted on the wall, they are tattooed on my abdomen.”
While Reese believes that Eskin did an adequate job crafting the bill, he believes that the callers are going to initially fight against the mandate. After some time though, he thinks that they will conform to the rules about calling into the show.
“They will fall in line,” Eskin said, “or they will fall out of order; out of the rotation.”
Sports Radio News
Rob ‘WorldWideWob’ Perez Joins SiriusXM NBA Radio
“After so many years as a listener, it’s an honor to join SiriusXM NBA Radio as a host.”
Published
8 hours agoon
April 17, 2024By
BSM Staff
SiriusXM announced that popular social media personality Rob ‘WorldWideWob’ Perez is joining the talent roster on the NBA Radio channel. Perez and his X account, @WorldWideWob, have more than a million followers.
Perez will host SiriusXM NBA Radio’s live postgame show multiple nights each week through the Playoffs, reacting to the results and standout performances, interviewing players and taking calls from fans across the country.
“After so many years as a listener, it’s an honor to join SiriusXM NBA Radio as a host,” said Perez in a release. “There aren’t many late-night postgame shows like this one that are able to connect with fans and capture the emotion of the night’s wins and losses, so I’m quite excited for this opportunity. Being a voice of the NBA fan has been a strength and a passion for me, and I’m looking forward to bringing to that to the air.”
SiriusXM will once again have live play-by-play broadcasts of each game throughout the NBA playoffs.
Sports Radio News
SiriusXM Media, GroupM and Edison Research Team Up for Sports Audio Report
The report notes sports fans spend six hours and 26 minutes with audio content each day—that’s over two hours more than the average American spends listening to audio.
Published
12 hours agoon
April 17, 2024By
BSM Staff
SiriusXM Media, GroupM and Edison Research recently conducted the first-ever Sports Audio Report to understand the role that audio content, across sports podcasts, satellite, and radio shows, plays in fans’ engagement with sports and leagues. Through an online study of over 3,500 Americans ages 13 and older who self-identify as sports fans, some solid insights were identified.
One major note from the study is that a massive 89% of sports fans say they frequently or occasionally watch sports content, while 64% say they frequently or occasionally listen to sports content.
“The passion and community of sports fans is undeniable, and we’re excited to share brand-new research that not only confirms this but shows the power of audio content for sports fans as well,” said Melissa Paris, VP Sales Research at SiriusXM Media. “Our new report with GroupM and Edison Research shows that audio offers sports fans unique perspectives on sports that aren’t covered in other media. And advertisers should take note: Sports audio listeners (especially podcast listeners) are spending significantly more than sports video viewers.”
“There is a deep connection between listeners and the audio content they consume, whether it’s music, sports, talk shows, books or podcasts,” said Jen Soch, Executive Director, Channel Solutions, GroupM US. “Many times, audio audiences find content related to their interests and passions, and we know sports fans’ zeal is unmatched. Audio is a critical component of holistic media investments, and it needs to be a top consideration for brands looking to extend their reach and overall presence in sports.”
While baseball has been labeled “America’s favorite pastime,” the study found that the NFL dominates as the most popular sport or league—90% of sports fans ages 13+ are NFL fans, with 59% saying they follow it closely. College football is not far behind, with 74% of those surveyed identifying as fans and 37% following closely.
The report notes sports fans spend six hours and 26 minutes with audio content each day—that’s over two hours more than the average American spends listening to audio. And over 90 minutes of sports fans’ daily audio time is spent listening to sports content specifically. While sports radio leads for Gen X and boomer fans, sports podcasts lead the way for Gen Z and millennials.
Other audio highlights from the first Sports Audio Report include:
- 66% of sports listeners say they listen to hear unique perspectives on sports that aren’t covered in other media, and 60% listen to get exclusive content.
- 86% of sports listeners say they listen to stay connected to their team or sport, 58% to be part of a community of fans, and 56% to feel more connected to friends/family/colleagues.
- 52% of sports listeners say they listen to be a more informed sports bettor, and 44% to be a more informed fantasy sports player.
From a financial standpoint, the study showed that compared to sports video viewers, sports audio listeners are bigger spenders. They spend an average of $262 on sports merch/memorabilia in a year (even higher for sports podcast listeners at $321), compared to just $185 for sports video viewers.
