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Riggins Joins 106.7 The Fan

Jason Barrett

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Two weeks after ESPN 980 introduced Clinton Portis as its newest Redskins analyst, 106.7 The Fan on Wednesday announced that Hall of Famer John Riggins will provide radio commentary about his former team two days a week throughout the season.

Beginning Aug. 14, the day after the Redskins’ first preseason game, Riggins will join The Fan’s Chad Dukes on his regularly scheduled show for an hour every Friday at 5 p.m. During the regular season, Riggins will also join Dukes on Mondays at 5 p.m. to review Sunday’s game and co-host a show with Grant Paulsen from 6 to 7:45 p.m. leading up to The Fan’s “Monday Night Football” coverage.

Riggins, one of the more colorful personalities in Redskins history and the only player ahead of Portis on the franchise’s all-time rushing list, says his role will be part analyst, part entertainer.

“I really think people probably want to know how the team is doing,” Riggins said Wednesday. “There’s moments where you throw in a little yesteryear. I’ll tell you, I go for the laughs. I slept through the meetings when I was a player, so I don’t know a lot about football, but I know a lot about people. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be entertaining. And there may be a little information in there somewhere.”

Riggins’ last regular gig as an analyst was during the 2011 season, when he provided commentary, often critical of Mike and Kyle Shanahan, for WTOP and MASN. Since then, he has starred in a hunting and cooking show called “Riggo on the Range” that debuted on the Sportsman Channel and later aired on Comcast SportsNet. He filmed a pilot episode for a show called “Brew Stories” — synopsis: Riggins travels the country in search of the perfect beer — but, somehow, it hasn’t been picked up.

“I needed to make a paycheck,” Riggins said of his return to radio. “‘Riggo on the Range’ was great and I had a lot of fun. I can’t thank [producer] Art Major enough, but it just wasn’t commercially successful like we hoped. When the opportunity [to join 106.7] came along, I was more than willing to share my opinion with the fans.”

“We’re excited about it,” 106.7 The Fan program director Chris Kinard said. “…From our discussions, he’s really been paying attention [to the Redskins] and always kind of keeping an eye on what’s going on with the team and the direction the team’s going in.”

Riggins plans to attend the first of the Redskins’ three joint practices with the Houston Texans in Richmond on Thursday. He said he’ll be monitoring the team’s attitude because “that will probably tell you more than anything how they’ll do.” Riggins has followed the Redskins’ offseason moves, including the hiring of GM Scot McCloughan, but he’s hesitant to allow himself to be too optimistic about their chances for improvement.

“Wouldn’t you really say that we went through this with Mike Shanahan?” Riggins said of the almost universal praise that followed McCloughan’s hiring. “Who would’ve thought that that would’ve turned out the way it did? Nobody. They’re bringing in one guy. Is he going to be the lightning rod? Perhaps, but who knows? … People talk about what might happen. We know from the past that they’re guilty until proven innocent. That’s what you go in with. Then, if anything changes, you’re pleasantly surprised. It’s not being overly pessimistic, it’s just being realistic.”

Credit to the Washington Post who originally published this article.

Sports Radio News

Dan Patrick: NBC Created ‘Something That Was Brilliant’ With Flex Scheduling

“Networks were so upset that NBC would go ‘Hey, you know what? We’re gonna take that game and we’re gonna have it on Sunday night.’ Then FOX and CBS would be scrambling there.”

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Roger Goodell wants flex scheduling to come to Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football package. It could happen this season, but we won’t know for sure until May after league owners decided to table a vote on the proposal. On Wednesday, FOX Sports Radio’s Dan Patrick joined the chorus of critics calling it a bad idea.

Patrick said that the league always prioritizes revenue. If it were thinking about the fans, this isn’t something that would even be discussed.

The idea of flex scheduling was first introduced for NBC’s Sunday Night Football package in 2006. The goal was to make sure the prime time TV package could deliver high quality games every week.

“NBC did something that was brilliant where they were able to flex Sunday night games,” Patrick said. “Everyone wanted it.”

While the fate of flex scheduling for Thursdays remains up in the air, we do know that flex scheduling is coming to Monday Night Football on ESPN this season. Patrick, who worked for NBC when the practice was introduced, said that it always took care of one broadcast partner by screwing others.

“Networks were so upset that NBC would go ‘Hey, you know what? We’re gonna take that game and we’re gonna have it on Sunday night.’ Then FOX and CBS would be scrambling there.”

Dan Patrick suggested that perhaps Amazon’s Prime Video doesn’t deserve the same treatment as NBC or ESPN. Far fewer people watch the Thursday night game than any other primetime NFL contest.

Whether or not flex scheduling comes to Thursday Night Football, Patrick says it does not guarantee to change the package’s reputation for delivering largely unappealing games.

“I’ve long said it’s crazy to say you have to play Sunday and then turn around and play Thursday and we’d always go ‘Man, these Thursday games aren’t good,’” he concluded. “Well, was it the matchup or just the quality of play?”

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Sports Radio News

106.7 The Fan Extends Deal to Remain Washington Nationals Flagship

“We’re looking forward to continuing to serve as the home for everything Nats for the foreseeable future…”

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106.7 The Fan has announced it has reached a multi-year extension with the Washington Nationals to remain as the MLB club’s radio flagship.

Nationals fans will continue to hear game broadcasts on the station, and those living inside the club’s broadcast territory will be able to stream the radio broadcasts on the Audacy app.

“Opening Day is finally here and we’re thrilled to celebrate the return of baseball season by extending our partnership with the Washington Nationals,” said Audacy Washington D.C. Senior Vice President and Market Manager Ivy Savoy-Smith. “We’re looking forward to continuing to serve as the home for everything Nats for the foreseeable future and give the team’s fans a front row seat to the action on the field and top storylines throughout the year.”

The Nationals have called 106.7 The Fan home since the 2011 season. Beyond game broadcasts, the station will welcome Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo to The Sports Junkies every Wednesday at 9:00 AM throughout the season. The station will also air segments titled “Nats Insider”, hosted by broadcaster Dan Kolko that feature player interviews and features. Those segments will air all along the Nationals Radio Network.

“We couldn’t be happier to partner with Audacy in bringing Nationals fans even more of the interviews and exclusive access they love,” said Lerner Sports Group COO Alan H. Gottlieb. “From in-depth interviews with execs and top players, to off-the-field profiles and more Spanish and English bilingual content than ever before, Audacy offers a comprehensive look at our ball club from all angles.”

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Sports Radio News

Todd Markiewicz Departing 97.1 The Fan

“He has left an indelible mark in the Columbus market and within the sports/talk radio world by building The Fan with excellent programming, dominant ratings, and overall market share.”

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Longtime 97.1 The Fan Vice President and Market Manager Todd Markiewicz has announced he is leaving the sports radio station.

Markiewicz has been named the President of the 1870 Society, a Name, Image, and Likeness collective working with Ohio State athletics and Learfield to devise NIL strategy, fundraising, and logistics.

In an internal memo, Tegna Columbus President and General Manager John Cardenas credited Markiewicz for helping to establish the brand as “the powerhouse sports station in the country. He has left an indelible mark in the Columbus market and within the sports/talk radio world by building The Fan with excellent programming, dominant ratings, and overall market share.”

Markiewicz joined the station in 2010. Under his leadership, 97.1 The Fan has routinely ranked as the highest-rated station in the Columbus market.

His final day with the station will be Friday, May 26th.

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