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5 Podcasts in 5 Days

5 Podcasts In 5 Days: Jonah Keri Podcast

Jason Barrett

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It’s the fourth day of our “5 Podcasts in 5 Days” series, and so far it’s been an interesting experience. I started off reviewing “The Bill Simmons Podcast”. Explored unfamiliar territory by analyzing the “Men In Blazers”. Soaked up the passions of Clay Travis on “Outkick The Show”. And now I’m ready to discover what sets “The Jonah Keri Podcast” apart from the rest.

If you’ve read the other reviews, allow me a few seconds to repeat myself. Having worked in the sports radio industry for twenty years as a programmer, producer, and host, and now as a media consultant, my goal in reviewing these programs is to set a realistic expectation for the audience. I’m curious to see how each show compares to sports radio programs, how they capitalize on revenue opportunities, and what type of content experience they provide for their listeners.

If you’re a fan or critic of these shows, or if one of these programs is responsible for helping you make your next mortgage payment, don’t get too high or low off of the critique. This is the opinion of one person – Jason Barrett. Not the entire sports media universe.

As I offer my insights and opinions on these shows, I’m trying to do so in an honest and objective manner. The praise I provide isn’t paid for, and the criticisms I share aren’t personal. I realize that other podcasts that have been created by the host(s) may be different from the one I’m reviewing, but each show I’ve listened to is recent, and a fair reflection of their work. Whatever exists on other episodes, has no relevance to the ones I’ve spent time listening to.

If you’d like to listen to the episode I’ve reviewed and follow along, click here. Now let’s get down to business.

  • TITLE: The Jonah Keri Podcast
  • DATE: June 13, 2016
  • LENGTH: 36 Minutes 41 Seconds
  • CAST: Host = Jonah Keri
  • SPONSORS: Lootcrate.com
  • PRODUCTION: An excellent open, and short and effective close.

SHOW BREAKDOWN:

0:00-3:00 – The show begins with Jonah welcoming in the audience and promoting Tom Verducci’s appearance. He then executes a live read for the show’s new sponsor LootCrate.com and promotes his new SI piece, and a recent visit to the Negro League Museum. The voice inflection in the opening three minutes is a little inconsistent and there are times when Jonah sounds like he’s using his “broadcaster voice” rather than addressing things naturally.

3:00-3:30 – The production open hits, and it’s very catchy. It’s the Steve Perry song “Oh Sherrie”, reworked to highlight Jonah’s name and show. Well done.

3:30-11:05 – Jonah welcomes Tom Verducci to the program, and after exchanging pleasantries, they dive into discussing Jose Bautista’s status in the game, and his reputation inside baseball circles. As they maneuver through this topic, the discussion touches on Bautista’s upcoming free agency, his relationship with the city of Toronto, how the Toronto market is viewed by pending free agents, the bat flip incident, his fight with Rougned Odor, and the way teams and players respond in today’s game to showboating.

11:05-36:37 – The next area of focus is on Vin Scully who’s announced that the 2016 baseball season will be his last as a play by play announcer. Jonah explains the feelings that Scully evokes in people, and how he met him for the first time inside of a bathroom. Verducci adds to it by explaining why Vin is the best at what he does. He says that Vin’s humility is real, and his warm and inviting demeanor, and special talents as a storyteller, make you feel like family when you listen. Jonah wonders if it’s even possible for another Vin Scully to emerge or if broadcasters would be better served being themselves rather than trying to replicate what he’s done, and Tom believes that authenticity is key.

This leads to a great story from Verducci. He shares that during high school, Vin and his good friend Larry Miggins shared their dreams. Scully hoped to become a major league baseball announcer. Larry wanted to play in the major leagues. Seven or eight years later, Larry was called up by the St. Louis Cardinals and playing at Ebbets Field while Scully called the game. It was on this day that Miggins would hit his first homerun. Vin got quiet on the call because the moment was personal for him. He says that it’s the one time where he nearly lost it.

Jonah then shares why simplicity is broadcasting can be powerful, and how great announcers like Scully know when to be quiet and let the crowd tell the story. Verducci shares how Scully’s humility plays into the approach. While others may try to interject themselves into the story, Vin takes the opposite approach and believes that it’s a moment that belongs to the team and player, not the broadcaster.

The conversation then shifts to Tom’s transition into the broadcast booth. Verducci points out the importance of doing research and gaining information to help him establish his own identity on the broadcast. He adds that memory recall is also important because you can’t do math during the game. His goal is deliver a point or tidbit that others use in regular conversation. When he’s able to do that then he feels like he’s making a connection with the audience.

Having both worked as journalists, Tom and Jonah discuss the benefits of long-form vs. short-form content, and the approach taken by Sports Illustrated. Tom believes that everybody likes a good, well told story, and that’s the essence of long-form journalism. The appetite of people might have changed in recent times but if the content is great, people will make time for it..

The interview begins to come down the home stretch as Jonah asks Tom to share some of his favorite stories that he’s written during his career. He highlights a piece on steroids, and a couple of stories that included the Blue Jays and Red Sox. Jonah talks about the challenge of being a sports writer and how you can question the importance of your job at times. Tom explains that he used to have similar thoughts but after talking to Bob Klapisch about it, he was reminded of the many reasons why his work does matte. The discussion wraps up with Tom adding how he tries to be himself, speak in his own style, and blaze his own trail as a broadcaster and writer.

A quick creative production close runs after Jonah thanks Tom for being on to signal the end of the podcast.

SHOW ANALYSIS:

If you’re a fan of good interviews, and in-depth conversations between established sports media professionals, you’ll enjoy this podcast. The respect Tom and Jonah have for one another is very noticeable, and each question is followed up with excellent substance. That made it easy to listen for a long periods of time. Over the course of thirty three minutes, Jonah asked Tom to weigh in on thirteen different topics and questions, and that helped the discussion explore different areas which kept it interesting.

One simple quality that I enjoyed on this show is that there’s a commitment to include some production value. The “Oh Sherrie” spinoff was creative, and added a little spice to the presentation. Some may find it hokey but as a lifelong radio guy, I appreciate it when shows try to add something extra to their appearance. Even the production close to signal the end of the broadcast was a nice simple touch. It won’t help Jonah add new listeners or stir the emotions of the audience, but it makes the product sound professional.

There are two places where the show can make some improvements. I’ve separated them into two sections to help explain each point.

First, Jonah doesn’t sound as natural and comfortable selling the opening three minutes, as he does during conversation with Verducci. If he can replicate who he is in the interview during his opening introduction, it’ll prevent listeners from skipping ahead to the conversation. Long-form broadcasting isn’t easy. At times we feel like we’re talking to ourselves, and our minds are programmed to think that the audience is stopping by because of the guest list. The guest may add value, and bring people inside the arena, but it’s the host’s name that’s featured on the front of the marquee. One point that came up in the interview was how Vin Scully told an aspiring broadcaster to be himself instead of trying to emulate what he did as a play by play announcer. If Jonah just talks from the heart, and tells people what he’s hoping to accomplish on the upcoming episode, it’ll not only sound better, but it’ll make him feel more confident too.

The second improvement opportunity has to do with the show’s structure in diving into content. Jonah opened up previewing the show, and read an eighty second sponsor read before the production open hits. It takes three minutes and thirty seconds before the show really gets into its best content. If the production open starts the show, and is followed up by the intro, it would allow Jonah to move quicker into conversation which will hook people faster. In a perfect world, the sponsor would be included after a natural re-set or after the interview concludes. I also thought eighty seconds was a very long read. The majority of things promoted during the spot will be forgotten by the audience.

CLOSING COMMENTS:

Jonah and Tom have excellent chemistry, and I would listen to them talk about baseball and broadcasting again without hesitation. If your preference for a show includes an outspoken personality who hammers home hot takes and makes front page news, this won’t be your cup of tea. The presentation relies on smart, and insightful conversation, and is more in line with what you’d hear inside of a baseball stadium press box rather than inside your neighborhood sports bar.

In this particular episode, I don’t hear enough of Jonah’s personality which is something I’d like to see more of. His writing is excellent, and his appearances on radio and television shows have come across well, so the ability is there. One doesn’t need to be forceful with opinions to provide good content value, and I think Jonah probably has some stories locked away in his memory cabinet that would be fun for the audience to listen to. If he starts to open himself up more I think it’ll become an even better podcast.

One can question if this podcast is any different from what listeners hear on sports radio on a daily basis. It’s built around an interview just like many local programs. The audience’s interest level depends on their affinity towards Jonah, which is why I mentioned the importance of including a little more of his personality and storytelling skills.

That said, his interview with Verducci is excellent. Tom is engaging, has great energy, listens to the questions asked, and tries to add something of substance to further the discussion. His insights and opinions are well presented, and if you appreciate what he does, I can’t see you turning off this episode. Jonah also deserves credit for moving the conversation forward, asking good questions, and creating an environment which allows the interview to enter some really good content locations.

If Jonah’s team makes a few minor tweaks, and continue to book the same quality guests on future episodes, there will be sports fans who continue to download this program and enjoy it.

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5 Podcasts in 5 Days

5 Podcasts in 5 Days: Real_Sports with Jack and Abe

“Jay Soderberg offers his thoughts on BluWire’s ‘Real Sports’ podcast.”

Jason Barrett

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Editor’s note from Jason Barrett:

We’ve reached the final day of our ‘5 Podcasts in 5 Days‘ series. A big thank you to our special guest reviewer Jay Soderberg who took the time to listen to five different shows and offer his candid, direct, and unapologetic thoughts on each program. Though some of the input can sting those hosting the shows, Jay’s focus throughout this project has been to lend a few thoughts to help those creating the content improve their presentation.

As podcasting continues to grow due to its limitless offerings of unique, creative, and original content, it still remains a space without structure and a clear understanding of what does and doesn’t work. Unlike radio which uses ratings measurement to justify the effectiveness of a particular show or host, the success or ineffectiveness of a podcast can often be disguised by how a program is ranked on the Apple podcasting charts.

To help make some sense of it all, we reached out to Jay, who’s served as the Head of Content for BlogTalk Radio, and a digital audio producer, imaging director, and podcast creator for the ESPN Radio network, to put his ear on five shows and let folks know what’s working and what needs some fine tuning. The five programs we chose were Mystery Crate by Dan Le Batard and Friends, The GM Shuffle with Adnan Virk and Michael Lombardi, The Most Valuable Podcast with Charlotte Wilder and Jess Smetana, Locked on Jazz with David Locke, and Real Sports from BlueWire’s Jack Settleman and Abe Granoff.

We hope you’ll find Jay’s reviews of these 5 programs to be informative, honest, and well explained. If you have further feedback you can find him on Twitter @TheRealPodVader or you can email by clicking here. Enjoy!

REAL_SPORTS WITH JACK AND ABE:

Title: NBA Draft Preview, Kyrie Irving Breaking News and the Mike Conley Trade

Date: June 20, 2019

Length: 46 minutes

Cast: Jack Settleman and Abe Granoff

Sponsors: none

Production: Produced Open, music bed at the end

Show Breakdown:

0:00 – Tease on what’s up

:21 – Open featuring a montage of sports highlights

:41 – Introducing your hosts

1:19 – Abe’s NBA draft profile from Jack (he was robbed of living the dream as a child) but Jack mentions he was as a slow 6 footer…player comp: Draymond Green or RJ Barrett…Time for Jack’s draft profile from Abe…player comp: Lonzo Ball or Jalen Brunson…

4:15 – Time to move on to thoughts on the NBA Draft…what hasn’t been said about Zion Williamson already?…Jack believe RJ Barrett is the best player in the draft…Ja Morant break down…

11:50 – Picking apart some other NBA Draft prospects: Cam Reddish (got a pick with him earlier in the day…Abe isn’t a numbers guy, he likes to make decisions on players from what he sees on the court); Brandon Clark (Jack’s favorite player, not the best, in this draft);

20:56 – Busts: Nassir Little (shot up the boards because of hype and his length but doesn’t have a college background); Jared Culver (his size and strength won’t help him in the NBA)

24:20 – Breaking down the point guards – there are other names besides Morant and Garland

28:30 – What will Boston do with their picks? They’re in the limbo area of knowing their true identity – push forward to win with their young core or tank for more young talent?…The East is going to get weaker and the Celtics need to get an established player…the guys are split on Danny Ainge…

31:57 – What they’re most excited about for the NBA Draft…wouldn’t it be fun if the Lakers/Pelicans trade didn’t go through?

34:50 – Brief bit of feedback

35:28 – Breaking news after the pod was recorded and this is being put in afterwards…The Nets are concerned with bringing in Kyrie Irving unless he can bring Durant with him…laughing at the “trolls” who sent Jack photoshopped Kyrie pics in a Nets uniform and Irving is heading to the Knicks…Abe tells him to stop…this lends more to Kyrie going back to the Celtics or back to LeBron…

38:23 – A little more feedback

38:40 – Breaking down the Mike Conley trade…the Jazz could make some noise in a down year in the West…Derrick Favors being swapped out for a superstar before the deadline???…

45:00 – hope you liked it…give us 5 stars…thanks for the listens…want to hear from you…RSPod on Instagram… this has been Real Underscore Sports

Show Analysis:

Before we start analyzing the show, a quick lesson on the Apple Podcast charts. First, they only measure activity on Apple Podcast products (iTunes, iPods, iPads, iPhones, etc). Second, the charts are some sort of algorithm measuring new subscription activity – not a real measurement of audience size. That’s why a show like Real Sports is in the top 20 shows, but doesn’t have an episode in the top 200 episodes.

The team at BlueWire has done something smart to drive engagement on Snapchat and Instagram, running a raffle contest to get people to write reviews and ratings for the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Rob Walch on Libsyn will tell you ratings do not matter when it comes to positioning on the Apple Podcasts charts, but it definitely looks good to see a podcast with 7 episodes and 4211 reviews (as of this writing). Most of those reviews are 5 star because as one of the 1 star ratings put it “He bribes people with giveaways on social media and makes them give 5 stars to be eligible.” 

So who is Jack Settleman? According to his LinkedIn profile, he’s a recent graduate of the University of Texas at Austin in 2018. He’s focused on social media marketing while at the school and is currently the Social Media Community Manager at The Action Network. He clearly knows how to work the social media marketing angle, but understanding how that game works is important to understanding the real chart position of this podcast. I couldn’t find much on Abe Granoff, but it’s clear from listening to the show, they are big fans of the NBA and college basketball.

Closing Comments:

A critical review of the show stated “These guys just basically read off scoresheets” and I’m inclined to agree. The scary secret to that comment though, is that’s exactly what most radio hosts are doing. The difference is, experienced radio hosts sound less stiff and more genuine with their takes. Jack and Abe can at times sound robotic in their delivery. The key to improving that will come from gaining more reps.

I thought this podcast was just like most other ones, lacking innovation. It was just two guys providing their takes on the news of the day. The next generation of sports talk hosts are going to come from podcasts, so I’m hopeful the younger generation of broadcasters will introduce new original ideas instead of following the pattern of what everyone else has been doing.

The disappointing part of the story is that these guys really know how to get their message out to the younger masses – as shown in their ability to generate 1 million followers on Snapchat. But if the younger generation thinks this is what great sounding podcasts should sound like though, I tremble for our future.

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5 Podcasts in 5 Days

5 Podcasts in 5 Days: Locked on Jazz

“Special guest reviewer Jay Soderberg reviews the Locked on Jazz podcast with David Locke.”

Jason Barrett

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Editor’s note from Jason Barrett:

5 Podcasts in 5 Days‘ continues with special guest reviewer Jay Soderberg spending day four to analyze the Locked on Jazz podcast by Utah Jazz voice David Locke. For those unfamiliar with Jay, he is the former the Head of Content for BlogTalk Radio, and a digital audio producer, imaging director, and podcast creator for the ESPN Radio network. He’s candid, direct, and unapologetic with his feedback, and focused on trying to help content creators produce exceptional material, even if it means having to get under their skin in the process.

As podcasting continues to grow due to its limitless offerings of unique, creative, and original content, it still remains a space without structure and a clear understanding of what does and doesn’t work. Unlike radio which uses ratings measurement to justify the effectiveness of a particular show or host, the success or ineffectiveness of a podcast can often be disguised by how a program is ranked on the Apple podcasting charts.

Since this space has turned into the audio version of the wild west, we thought it’d be beneficial to bring back 5 Podcasts in 5 Days and find out which audio shows are checking the right boxes, and which ones could use some fine tuning. The five podcasts we charged Jay with listening to and critiquing were Mystery Crate by Dan Le Batard and Friends, The GM Shuffle with Adnan Virk and Michael Lombardi, The Most Valuable Podcast with Charlotte Wilder and Jess Smetana, Locked on Jazz with David Locke, and Real Sports from BluWire’s Jack Settleman and Abe Granoff.

We hope you’ll find Jay’s reviews of these 5 programs to be informative, honest, and well explained. If you have further feedback you can find him on Twitter @TheRealPodVader or you can email by clicking here. Enjoy!

LOCKED ON JAZZ

Title: Kevin Pelton stops by to discuss the Lakers and the NBA Draft by the Numbers

Date: June 19, 2019

Length: 38 minutes

Cast: David Locke, guest: Kevin Pelton

Sponsors: Lenovo, Homie (local? BYU creators), The Store (local), Hotels.com, Shamrock Auto Group (local)

Production: minimal

Show Breakdown:

0:00 – Produced open for 10secs, 30sec pre-produced ad for Lenovo, David Locke teases what’s up on the show and then says he’s going on vacation for a bit

2:17 – Kevin Pelton interview begins…starting with 2 questions about the Anthony Davis trade…the two local Locked On hosts loved the deal but the national guys have been slamming it

8:55 – Reset – that was Kevin Pelton’s trade analysis, now getting into his Draft projections…he’s been really good at finding the 25-35 range, that’s the strength of his scenarios…highlighting some examples of guys that Pelton has projected guys in that range…how good has he been at projecting busts?

13:43 – Reset, again with a tease of what’s coming up…but today’s show is brought to you by Homie (host read ad) also brought to you by The Store at 60 and 200 South and 20th East

16:43 – Kevin, who’s top 10 in his numbers and who’s top 10 generally accepted?

23:47 – Distracted by computer noises…teasing what’s coming up but I can’t stand this throw to commercial “…that and more when we’re back on the Locked On Podcast Network.”

24:15 – Hotels.com (pre-produced), Shamrock Auto Group (host read), Locked On NBA Net on Draft night

26:50 – Why is there not a big difference between 19 and 22 year olds?

29:29 – Who’s Fred Van Fleet or Monte Morris this year? Not sure there’s anyone Kevin feels that strongly about this year but here are some guys Kevin likes more than others.

34:54 – Guys who will go in top 20 that Kevin’s numbers just don’t see it.

36:31 – Go follow Kevin @kpelton…going on vacation

37:00 – Promo for Locked on Cougars, reminder that your smart speaker can play your podcasts (but it’s cut off before Dave finishes the explanation)

Show Analysis:

When I was first introduced to podcasting at ESPN 15 years ago, I remember thinking the brilliance of it was that you no longer needed to have your peanut butter mixed with your chocolate. Meaning – I can have my football without having to listen to the baseball or the basketball or the hockey. David Locke has taken that one step further with his Locked On network, making podcasts for individual teams, mainly in the NBA and NFL. David is the voice of the Utah Jazz and has a professional radio background and it’s apparent listening to his show.

David has multiple resets with his guest (which for a podcast listener can become a little annoying), teasing upcoming content before commercial breaks and then extremely professional reads on those ad deliveries. David has worked on this network for quite some time and the mix between the pre-produced ads from Megaphone and the local ads (which I’m assuming David has acquired on his own) gives the podcast a strong local feel (literally naming the streets to find The Store).

While this does sound like a re-purposed local radio show, it’s hard to complain about that lack of innovation because the focus is on one local team. That said, David did have a national guest on to talk about the NBA Draft and never asked a specific question regarding the Utah Jazz. To be fair, David’s interview did center mostly on later round options in the draft (the Jazz had the 23rd pick and a couple of second round choices). And to really hit the minutiae, he never tells us Kevin Pelton is from ESPN.

There are a lot of assumptions being made and for a regular listener, that’s probably great. For a brand new listener though, they might feel lost. Every new piece of content is an opportunity for a new listener.

Speaking of formatics, I HATE hearing these phrases around commercial breaks on the radio and especially on a podcast – “we’ll be right back” “and we’re back” “we’re going to take a break” “the break is all done”. You and especially the podcast listener never left! A majority of podcast listeners don’t even hit the fast forward button available to them to skip the ads so why give them a warning flag that a commercial is coming up?

I’m a big proponent of the tease before a commercial break. Give the audience that cliff hanger. They can’t wait to hear Kevin’s deep draft gems. Just leave it at that. “In a moment, Kevin’s going to tell us his deep draft gems” – lay out. Commercials. “Kevin, what do your numbers say about the potential Superstars around pick number 23?”

Closing Comments:

As a frequent podcast listener, the difficulties David faces with a network like this is finding clones of himself. While David is a professional broadcaster, there are others in his network that could use some polishing. Having worked on the business side of the podcast industry, I know how difficult it can be to find a sales team that will focus on local businesses to feature in a local podcast. Many podcasters carry that load upon themselves while most podcast sales agents (like Megaphone or Midroll) will focus on a national type sponsor. For a podcaster with no previous media experience, you can see how difficult a task that would be to undertake.

That’s an advantage the Locked On Network has with David at the helm. He’s on to something good, delivering the type of niche content sports fans are looking for. The podcast is also offered daily during the NBA season, giving fans the chance to enjoy the content they want on their own schedule. If local stations aren’t careful, he’ll steal their audience and then their sponsors.

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5 Podcasts in 5 Days

5 Podcasts in 5 Days: Most Valuable Podcast

“Jay Soderberg offers his assessment of the Most Valuable Podcast”

Jason Barrett

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on

Editor’s note from Jason Barrett:

The third day of ‘5 Podcasts in 5 Days‘ with special guest reviewer Jay Soderberg has arrived. Jay is the former the Head of Content for BlogTalk Radio, and a digital audio producer, imaging director, and podcast creator for the ESPN Radio network. He’s candid, direct, and unapologetic with his feedback, and focused on trying to help content creators produce exceptional material, even if it means having to get under their skin in the process.

As podcasting has continued to grow due to its limitless offerings of unique, creative, and original content, it still remains a space without structure and a clear understanding of what does and doesn’t work. Unlike radio which uses ratings measurement to justify the effectiveness of a particular show or host, the success or ineffectiveness of a podcast can often be disguised by how a program is ranked on the Apple podcasting charts.

Since this space has turned into the audio version of the wild west, we thought it’d be beneficial to bring back 5 Podcasts in 5 Days and find out which audio shows are checking the right boxes, and which ones could use some fine tuning. The five podcasts we charged Jay with listening to and critiquing were Mystery Crate by Dan Le Batard and Friends, The GM Shuffle with Adnan Virk and Michael Lombardi, The Most Valuable Podcast with Charlotte Wilder and Jess Smetana, Locked on Jazz with David Locke, and Real Sports from BluWire’s Jack Settleman and Abe Granoff.

We hope you’ll find Jay’s reviews of these 5 programs to be informative, honest, and well explained. If you have further feedback you can find him on Twitter @TheRealPodVader or you can email by clicking here. Enjoy!

Title: It’s the perfect time for Anthony Davis to shave his unibrow and rebrand

Date: June 20, 2019

Length: 1 hour, 6 minutes

Cast: Christine Wilder and Jess Smetana, Brandon (the Producer)

Sponsors: none

Production: a music bed to start and end the show

Show Breakdown:

0:00 – Revisiting a trip to Boston for the NHL Finals…more in a bit, but first, the NBA Finals which feel like they finished a long time ago and now free agency is top in the news cycle…Woj Bomb in the middle of Finals that Kawhi won’t resign with the Raptors and he hasn’t even accepted the trophy yet…torn ACL’s are the worst…Did you understand what was happening at the end of that Game with the technical foul?…revisiting last week’s conversation on all sports fans are a**holes, according to tweet, Canadians find Toronto is the a**hole of Canada…

8:25 – Don’t like the uniforms that say “North” – not even the most northern NBA city…Taking pride in local teams like the Portland (Maine) Red Claws…

12:27 – Should we do more NBA free agency stuff since we just talked about the NBA??? Anthony Davis got traded…Jess wouldn’t be a great GM because she likes to be frugal…Would you want to play with LeBron? No, because he’ll make you play in Space Jam 2 and it won’t be as great as the first one…Davis now has the perfect opportunity to look the best he’s ever looked and shave the unibrow…

17:34 – An idea for an app – Kyrie Irving and James Harden ghosting their teams…ghosting is so easy in any relationship, but you really should just say something so that the other person doesn’t hang on…the app will get all the relevant info on the relationship and send the let down information for you…Kyrie could use this with Danny Ainge…

22:00 – Sorry to Charlotte who watched a sucky blowout in Game 7 of the NHL Finals (pretty clear Charlotte is a Bruins fan)…

23:50 – Brandon the Producer jumps in as he doesn’t like mosquitos and Jess just got bit by one…back to the NHL…What would you eat if you just lost the NHL Finals?…Anheuser Busch headquartered in St. Louis?

27:45 – Gary Woodland wins the US Open…didn’t realize it ends on Father’s Day every year…don’t assume because Charlotte is a woman she doesn’t know what she’s talking about with sports…they spoke this outcome into existence in a previous show…shout out to Gary…also, who still names their kids Gary?…he’s also never drank a warm beverage, does soup count?…

32:07 – Let’s talk about the World Cup…our girl Julie Ertz scored a goal vs Chile…the bad tweet from someplace, CBS?, that Zach Ertz left training camp to watch his wife in the world cup – hello, she has a name…we’re beyond this now and Julie Ertz has way more Instagram followers than Zach (but he has more Twitter followers), but Instagram is the way more used platform (well, we’ll discuss that in a moment…)…can everyone just follow us on Instagram?…

37:26 – Do we have any personal news because all it says on the little Google Doc is personal news and nothing below it…

39:27 – We have to cancel something…LaVar Ball…people forgot that he’s been canceled already and he’s still saying stupid things…need to cancel OJ Simpson again because now he’s on Twitter…

44:18 – Some Agro Facts this week…well, basically we’ve found really good brands of dried seaweed

47:29 – Underrated… this week it’s sour cream, the unsung hero of Taco Tuesday

49:53 – Future Wedding to each other…this came up from a viral tweet about going to a wedding with me and still liking me after…

51:32 – The Patriot of the Week…viral video of guy at a baseball game who caught foul ball and chugged a beer

55:36 – Shout out to Summer of #20WineTeen…how do you spell that out?

59:30 – Unofficial Official Mike Trout Fan Club…thanks to everyone pointing out what we should be paying attention to…he’s been really good at the baseball and his W-A-R has been really good…he pet a dog named Moo Moo…

1:02:12 – What is that noise (that the audience can’t hear)? The phone in the podcast room is ringing…

1:03:00 – Mike Trout had a really good transportation tweet…

1:03:58 – Time to go (because they said so and there’s the music bed)…give us high ratings and boost our Instagram

Show Analysis:

When creating a podcast it’s important to know who your target audience is. This podcast is clearly targeted towards millennial sports fans, is internet driven (lots of social media talk), and uses swear words. There isn’t a problem with that at all, but even millennial’s like to hear some cool sounding production elements.

In listening to the show, it’s clear that Jess and Charlotte do some form of prep for their show – because you can hear their transitions from topic to topic. They also mention the “Google Doc” in this episode.

So why don’t they have production elements for their regular segments? If the producer doesn’t have time to create them, why not ask the audience for some help? It’s a great way to forge an everlasting bond with your audience and frankly, sometimes you get some really great work for free.

One thing I struggle with when listening to podcasts that tend to be more on the jovial side is when they tackle subjects that are more serious. In this episode for instance, sexism in sports. I agree that Julie Ertz and any woman playing professional sports should be given the respect of being called by their name, but it’s hard to take Jess and Charlotte seriously when they’re talking about wanting to marry the guy who catches the foul ball and chugs his beer or oogling over Mike Trout petting a puppy. It’s just a little awkward.

Also, I’m assuming there were inside jokes or previous jokes when talking about Mike Trout “being good at the baseball” and his “W-A-R was really good”, but a first time listener may hear that and stereotype it as “another female sports show”. It’s a delicate line to balance and begging for more Instagram followers doesn’t help.

Closing Comments:

While this is definitely not “old guy, stuffy sports program”, there’s still a lack of innovation for a sports podcast. It sounds similar to most other sports radio products with the exception being the show features two women and they’re talking to a younger audience. The sourcing of social media is clever to help drive engagement from an audience that is using the internet to listen to the show, but adding some production would really help this show sing.

I do think there is great potential here with a few tweaks that could help drive how sports radio evolves for future generations. There needs to be a little more effort than just sitting down in a studio for an hour with microphones recording a conversation. It’s a good start, but it can be taken to the next level with a few adjustments.

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