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Nick Kostos Expects More Media Groups To Bet on ‘Wagertainment’

“All sports fans think about these things on a daily basis. Literally, everything the casual sports fan is interested in intersects with something a bettor might bet on.”

Kate Constable

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Photo Credit: BetQL

The sports betting industry is growing at a rapid rate and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. As a result, the demand for quality content continues to grow alongside it.

Networks have made huge investments into their gambling-related programming, incorporating “betcasts” into game broadcasts, creating entire betting-related shows, and expanding gambling conversations into radio lineups across the country.

When it comes to the radio industry, Audacy has been the leader in setting the tone for how to best incorporate betting content into daily radio lineups, recently expanding their BetQL network to seven new cities.

Depending on which states have legalized sports betting, some local stations may have had related content on their airways for a while, but for those who are just starting to introduce gambling programming the challenge is finding a way to appeal to both the causal sports bettor and the advanced sports bettor.

“If we don’t speak to both groups, myself and “You Better You Bet” will have missed a major opportunity, and we aren’t in the business of missing opportunities,” said Nick Kostos, host of “You Better You Bet” which airs weekdays from 3p-7p ET.

Kostos, an industry leader in sports gambling, has coined the term “wagertainment,” which he says speaks to the goal of talking about sports betting in an entertaining and informative way that’s accessible to any type of gambler.

Expanding on the term, Kostos used the example of breaking down a line or player prop – something that an advanced bettor would be interested in –  and pairing it with information that provides game analysts – something that appeals to the average sports fan.

“Futures bets are another good example of this, too, because we answer the question all fans ask themselves — who’s going to win, and can we profit off that thought?” said Kostas. “That’s what betting largely is. Who’s going to win and by how many?

“All sports fans think about these things on a daily basis. Literally, everything the casual sports fan is interested in intersects with something a bettor might bet on.”

While most topics have a natural intersection between bettors and casual fans, there is a lot that traditional radio shows touch on that gambling hosts like Kostos don’t cover.  

“We never want to insult the intelligence of our audience with hot takes,” said Kostos. “We’re not debating legacies or asking manufactured questions that have nothing to do with what’s actually happening during the game. We’re not discussing lame topics like “LeBron or Jordan?” while there are NBA and NHL playoff games to go along with golf, soccer and baseball.”

While putting aside some of the hot take-style content – something that Kostos has loved about betting programming – separates traditional sports talk shows from gambling shows, the way he prepares for a betting show similar to a regular sports talk show.

“When we break down last night’s game, we don’t just do treetop topics, but we analyze specific player performances and how the teams strategized and how that might lead to opportunity in both the next game and the futures market,” said Kostos. “It becomes one big running storyline that’s updated on a daily basis. And we do it in an entertaining way that’s accessible to all. Wagertainment.”

Audacy’s BetQL lineup expanding into several different cities might be foreshadowing for what the future of audio betting content looks like.

“If companies are smart, they’ll add more betting content,” said Kostos.

He also noted that sports-talk in general has gotten way too far away from the actual discussion about sports, using the example of spending days talking about Aaron Rodgers when most all of the information was speculation.

“I believe as sports betting continues to grow, the demand for actual sports talk will once again become insatiable,” said Kostos. “So yes, I do believe companies will get more involved in the space. And I’m thrilled to be working for one, Audacy, that totally gets it in this regard.”

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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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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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