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Gates Leaving WGR After NFL Draft Promise

Brandon Contes

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Maybe there’s something in the Lake Erie water that caused two sports radio employees, one from Buffalo and the other from Cleveland, to make lavish promises based on NFL draft predictions.  One of those employees followed through with their promise, hopefully the other will not.

On March 13th, Ryan Gates, a full-time producer for WGR 550 Sports Radio in Buffalo stated he would quit if the Bills draft quarterback Josh Allen with either Baker Mayfield or Josh Rosen remaining on the board. One month later, further down Lake Erie, ESPN Cleveland radio host, Aaron Goldhammer, stated he would “eat horse poop” if the Browns take Baker Mayfield with the number one pick in the draft.

Following the two proclamations, Mayfield went first overall to the Browns and the Buffalo Bills traded up to draft Josh Allen while Josh Rosen was yet to be selected which meant two bets need to be paid. Goldhammer says he will follow through and “eat horse poop” prepared by popular Cleveland chef Michael Symon, but personally I wouldn’t mind if he found a different way to pay his debt.

Meanwhile in Buffalo, full-time producer Ryan Gates is in need of new work. Gates is the producer for WGR’s afternoon drive show, Schopp and the Bulldog, as well as their evening program, The Nightcap. After tweeting they “are not playing some sort of long con,” Friday, June 8th will reportedly be Ryan Gates final day producing Schopp and the Bulldog, with Thursday being his last time as producer of The Nightcap.

Gates has not announced his next move, but did say he “will remain a part-time contributor to the station.” It’s possible Gates was already looking for a new job when he stated he’ll quit if Josh Allen becomes a Buffalo Bill. It’s also possible Gates will quietly return after a few weeks away from his full-time gig.

The argument can be made it’s stupid to make promises based on sports outcomes that are difficult to keep. The argument can also be made, for a radio producer in Buffalo looking to take the next step in his career, the national publicity Gates received for quitting his job was a smart play.

Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.

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Sports Radio News

Former 670 The Score Host ‘Big Papa’ Tommy Williams Has Died

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Photo of Tommy Williams
Courtesy: Lakeshore Public Media

Tommy Williams, who was known for a decade as ‘Big Papa’ Tommy Williams on 670 The Score, died on Wednesday at the age of 66.

Williams began his broadcasting career in his hometown of Gary, Indiana in 1982 at WLTH before moving on to The Score. In 2003, Williams became the PA Announcer for the Gary Southshore RailCats of the American Association where he had his signature call to get the attention of the fans, “People, People, People.”

A story in The Times of Northwest Indiana said, “The longtime RailCats public address announcer and Lakeshore Public Media sports journalist was known for broadcasting countless games, interviewing countless athletes and covering Region sports at all levels. The Gary native and co-host of “Prep Sports Report,” “Prep Football Report,” and “Lakeshore PBS Scoreboard” often signed off shows saying, “Gary, Indiana, you know I love you.”

“The cadence he had in his voice echoed across the Region in a way we may never see again. He was widely known and widely loved,” Tom Maloney, vice president of radio operations at Lakeshore Public Media told the paper.

“He’d want to be remembered as the voice of Lakeshore sports,” his Regionally Speaking co-host and producer Dee Dotson told The Times. “Most people will remember him for covering prep sports all the way up to semi-pros. He’ll be remembered for treating each of his subjects like they were world champions. His depth of knowledge of sports at all levels is commendable. He was a walking encyclopedia of stats.” 

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Sports Radio News

Compass Media Networks Promotes Three Members to Oversee Play-by-Play Sports Platform

“It is our pleasure to give these three talented executives their day in the sun, knowing that they will continue to work incredibly hard to carry on this tradition of excellence.”

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Logo for Compass Media Networks

Compass Media Networks has announced the promotions of three long-standing executives, Robert Blum, Tyler Brewer, and Chris Kleiber, who will collectively oversee the content creation, production, and distribution of the company’s play-by-play sports platform.

“For over 16 years, Compass Media Networks has set a standard of excellence for national play-by-play sports with Chris, Rob, and Tyler playing a vital part in our success,” said Peter Kosann, CEO/Founder of Compass Media Networks. “It is our pleasure to give these three talented executives their day in the sun, knowing that they will continue to work incredibly hard to carry on this tradition of excellence.”

Robet Blum has been appointed Vice President & General Manager of Sports and will also continue to serve as Vice President of Affiliate Sales for News-Talk and Sports. Tyler Brewer has been appointed Executive Producer – Sports Programming. And Chris Kleiber has been appointed Senior Producer – Sports Programming.

Compass Media Networks broadcasts annually over 100 play-by-play sporting events involving college men’s basketball and football (including the Big Ten Tournament and the Big Ten Championship Game), NFL 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday Doubleheaders, and complete coverage of the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders. The broadcasts are distributed across hundreds of terrestrial sports, news-talk and music stations as well as digital distribution platforms such as SiriusXM, Verizon Mobile, and the Varsity App.

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Charley Steiner Injured; Tim Neverett to Handle Dodgers Radio Play-by-Play

“This will be the first Opening Day that I will have missed since 1976, when I wore a younger man’s clothes.”

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photo of Charley Steiner
Courtesy: Los Angeles Dodgers

As the Los Angeles Dodgers get set to take on the St. Louis Cardinals in their first home game on Thursday, team play-by-play voice Charley Steiner has revealed he will not be doing games at the beginning of the season due to a severe back injury.

Through the Dodgers, Steiner posted a statement which said, “Over the winter, I landed on the Injured List with three compound fractures in my back. (I don’t recommend it.) With the start of the baseball season upon us, the Dodgers are ready to go – but I’m not. This will be the first Opening Day that I will have missed since 1976, when I wore a younger man’s clothes. I look forward to returning to the mic later this season. In the meantime, go Dodgers!”

TrueBlueLA.com reports Tim Neverett will handle play-by-play duties while Steiner recovers. Neverett called the first two regular season games with Rick Monday as the Dodgers started the season in South Korea. Neverett and Monday did not travel with the team, however, they called those games in a studio back home.

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