Fang's Bites

Mike Francesa Signs Long-Term Contract to Remain on WFAN

He’s been fodder for plenty of jokes, been caught falling asleep on live television, allegedly received a police escort and held up a plane to New Orleans earlier this year, yelled at numerous callers and has made countless handwaves to numerous producers, but it all doesn’t matter. After plenty of speculation that Mike Francesa would leave New York sports radio powerhouse WFAN when his current contract expired comes word from CBS Radio that the long-time afternoon drive host will remain in his timeslot for many years to come.

Newsday’s Neil Best says the deal runs through 2017 and will pay Francesa $5 million annually which would be on the same terms as his current deal that would have expired after Super Bowl XLVIII.

Under the new deal, Francesa’s NFL Now show will runs Sunday mornings on WFAN during football season will be aired nationally on CBS Sports Radio.

Francesa started with WFAN in 1987 and began as a midday host with Ed Coleman, then in 1989, was partnered with Chris Russo in afternoon drive to create “Mike and the Mad Dog” which became the template for other sports radio stations across the country. In 2008, Russo left for SiriusXM and Francesa has remained with the FAN.

Without Russo, Francesa has not missed a beat remaining number one in afternoon drive in New York fending off challenges from ESPN Radio most notably from New York Yankees TV voice Michael Kay. So Francesa will remain at WFAN at least through the middle of the current decade. After that, who knows?

Here’s the CBS Radio press release.

MIKE FRANCESA SIGNS MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION WITH CBS RADIO’S WFAN

Local Sports Radio’s Most Listened To Host Will Remain With Nation’s First And Most Successful All-Sports Radio Station

Sports Radio WFAN (660AM/101.9FM) announced today it has signed a long term agreement with Mike Francesa, keeping the venerable personality as host of PM drive (weekdays, 1:00-6:30PM, ET) on the award-winning station for several years to come. Francesa joined WFAN in 1987, the same year the station launched as the country’s first all-sports station, and boasts more listeners than any other local sports radio host.

As part of the agreement, Francesa will also bring his long running Sunday morning “The NFL Now” show to CBS Sports Radio beginning this fall. The program is broadcast live on WFAN from 9:00AM-12:00Noon, ET and will be available to more than 250 affiliate radio stations nationwide.

“Mike has earned his place in radio history as a great broadcaster and we’re thrilled to continue our relationship with sports radio’s most celebrated host,” said Dan Mason, President and CEO, CBS RADIO. “WFAN and Mike Francesa are synonymous with the absolute best in sports programming excellence. These two powerful brands have endured the test of time, and remain a very relevant force in the industry nearly three decades after they first went on the air.”

Added Mark Chernoff, Vice President, Sports Programming, CBS RADIO and WFAN Program Director, “Mike represents the heart and soul of WFAN, and we’re proud he will continue to make the station his long-term broadcast home. Like no one else, Mike can take a story to the next level and involve his listeners in thought provoking ways with topical and opinionated conversation. He has set the standard for what represents an entertaining and informative radio program.”

“I’m very proud of what we have accomplished at WFAN,” says Francesa.  “I am also honored and thankful to CBS RADIO for its continued commitment, and most of all to the listeners for their enduring loyalty.”

Francesa has anchored afternoons on WFAN for more than 25 years. He has been recognized with two NAB Marconi Radio Awards, and was voted top sports personality by radio industry publications Talkers and Radio Ink. In addition, he was the recipient of the inaugural Cynopsis: Sports Media Award for Best Radio Program in 2012.

WFAN is available across a variety of multi-media platforms including 660 AM, 101.9 FM, www.wfan.com, and via the Radio.com app for iOS and Android devices. In addition, Francesa’s weekday show can also be seen on The YES Network.

As for a possible reunion with Russo, while it’s not totally out of the question, it’s probably not in the cards for now.

NBC Sports Radio Officially Goes 24/7 Today

After releasing parts of its schedule in drips and drabs since last September, NBC Sports Radio finally goes 24/7. Anchored by Erik Kuselias in the morning, NBC Sports Radio has a full schedule including former ESPN Radio stalwarts Brian Kenny and Jon Stashower, as well as Donovan McNabb and Mark Malone.

The weekend hosts include Rodney Harrison, Anita Marks, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix and former NFL AM co-anchor Brian Webber.

Here’s how the NBC Sports Radio lineup shapes up both Monday through Friday and on weekends.

NBC SPORTS RADIO LAUNCHES LIVE 24/7 TODAY

– Network Debuts a Revamped Website–
– Introduces the NBC Sports Radio Mobile App –

NEW YORK, NY– April 1, 2013 – NBC Sports Radio goes live today with full, 24/7 sports-talk programming to entertain, inform and engage sports fans nationwide. In addition to a starting lineup of 257 affiliated stations, the network introduces a newly designed, revamped website at NBCSportsRadio.com and a customized NBC Sports Radio mobile app for Android and Apple devices.

NBCSportsRadio.com features a fresh, modern look with a number of new features — such as programming schedules, talent bios and photos, and a terrestrial radio station finder — plus added capabilities, including live streaming, station streaming and social media streaming.

The NBC Sports Radio mobile app, created by Abacast, showcases a branded home page with rotating sponsorship panels and an integration system that syncs audio ads and rotating display ads–a feature that will help advertisers extend their brands. Among its many features, the mobile app also delivers programming content, Facebook and Twitter promotion, and a station information page linking to phone request lines.

Chris Corcoran, Executive Vice President, General Manager, NBC Sports Radio, said “Game on! We are pumped and ready to take the field. When you combine our unmatched talent with our stations, our digital assets and our social media presence, it all adds up to an amazing listening and interactive experience for sports fans everywhere.”

Rob Simmelkjaer, SVP, NBC Sports Ventures, says “We couldn’t be more excited to be launching our 24/7 format today. In just a short time, NBC Sports Radio has become a relevant player in the market, and we’re looking forward to continuing our growth. Today we also launch new ways for listeners to hear our content, from our new online webpage to our mobile app. Audio content is now consumed in more ways than ever, and we’re pleased to provide multiple touch points for listeners.”

The complete lineup of NBC Sports Radio programming is as follows:

WEEKDAYS

The Erik Kuselias Show, 6-9am ET
The Brian Kenny Show, 9am-12noon ET
Voices of the Game with Newy Scruggs, 12noon-3pm ET

• Monday, TBD
• Tuesday, Chipper Jones
• Wednesday, Chris Mannix
• Thursday, Bobby Valentine
• Friday, Stan Van Gundy

Under Center with McNabb & Malone, 3-7pm ET
The Jon Stashower Show, 7-10pm ET
Amani and Eytan, 10pm-1am ET
The Dan Schwartzman Show, 1-6am ET

SATURDAYS

The Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison, 7-9am ET
The Clay Travis Show, 9am-12noon ET
The Anita Marks Show, 12noon-3pm ET
The Brian Webber Show, 3pm-6pm ET
TBA, 6-9pm ET
The Jason Page Show, 9pm-1am ET

SUNDAYS

The Rob Buska Show, 1am-5am ET
The Jim Daniels Show, 5-8am ET
Speaking of Sports with Rob Simmelkjaer, 8-9am ET
- TBA, 9am-12noon ET
The Anita Marks Show, 12noon-3pm ET
The Brian Webber Show, 3-6pm ET
The Chris Mannix Show, 6-9pm ET
The Jason Page Show, 9pm-1am ET

I’ll have an analysis of the NBC Sports Radio lineup at Awful Announcing.

Chipper Jones, Bobby Valentine and Others To Participate in New NBC Sports Radio Show

Just announced by NBC Sports Radio, Dallas sports anchor Newy Scruggs will expand his responsibilities on the new network. He’s currently a weekend host for NBC Sports Radio. Starting on April 1, Scruggs will host a new daily show titled “Voices of the Game” and each day, he’ll have a different guest host.

Recently retired Atlanta MLB team outfielder Chipper Jones, NBC Sports basketball analyst Stan Van Gundy, former Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine and Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix will be the guest co-hosts from Tuesday through Friday. The Monday co-host will be announced at a later date.

Scruggs will occupy the noon-3 p.m. ET timeslot for NBC Sports Radio.

Here’s the press release.

NBC SPORTS RADIO: Chipper Jones, Stan Van Gundy, Bobby Valentine & Chris Mannix Join Newy Scruggs for “Voices of the Game”

NEWY SCRUGGS BUILDS A ROSTER ON NBC SPORTS RADIO
“Voices of the Game with Newy Scruggs” Debuts 12-3pm ET on Monday, April 1

NEW YORK, NY, March 19, 2013 – NBC Sports Radio announced today that weekend talker Newy Scruggs will expand his duties with a new show premiering on Monday, April 1, the day the network rolls out 24/7 programming. Voices of the Game with Newy Scruggs will air during the Noon-3p ET Monday-Friday slot. Newy will be joined each day by a major renowned and recognizable sports “voice” during the entire second hour of the show. Personalities will include Chipper Jones, Stan Van Gundy, Bobby Valentine and Chris Mannix.

Voices of the Game with Newy Scruggs brings a proven top-market radio host together each day with an added expert voice and perspective. Newy gets the conversation going and is then joined every second hour with a major guest host, live, who will appear consistently each week.

Tuesdays’ guest host will be recently-retired Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones; Wednesdays’ guest host will be Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports Radio’s Chris Mannix; Thursdays’ guest host will be former Major League Baseball manager and ESPN MLB analyst Bobby Valentine; and Fridays’ guest host will be former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy. Newy’s Monday guest host will be announced soon.

Jones will begin baseball season in this hourly role on Tuesdays and then move into a weekly major contributor role as NBC Sports Radio’s MLB Senior Analyst once baseball season is fully underway. Mannix, Valentine and Van Gundy are already part of the NBC Sports Radio roster and are expanding their roles.

All four “voices” are known for their candor, humor and insight, adding a refreshing take on sports talk. Newy will broadcast from a studio in Dallas and the “voices” will be situated in studios around the country, sitting in live as co-host for the entire second hour.

Newy Scruggs is the Sports Director and weeknight sports anchor at KXAS-TV (NBC 5) in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and former host of The Newy Scruggs radio show on 105.3 The Fan, in Dallas. Newy is a multiple Emmy Award-winning sportscaster and a 20-year TV, radio and print veteran with major market stops in Austin, Texas, Cleveland and Los Angeles.

Newy Scruggs said, “I am excited to bring NBC Sports Radio listeners into daily conversations with some of the most honest, opinionated, and in-the-know people in American sports. I want our listeners to feel like they are sitting at their favorite watering hole getting the inside scoop on the biggest topics and sports opinions of the day.”

Chipper Jones said, “I am very excited to be working with NBC Sports Radio, Dial Global and Newy. This will bring new meaning to the saying ‘coming out of retirement.’ I think we will bring a new, fresh voice to sports radio that will let the fans get into the clubhouse and behind the scenes into a life that I have lived for the last 22 years in professional baseball. It is truly a new and exciting chapter for me.”

Chris Corcoran, Executive Vice President, General Manager, Dial Global, adds, “Hands down, ‘Voices of the Game’ is going to be special. Not only is Newy one of the smartest and most reputable personalities around, but our unmatched and incredible daily guest hosts are going to deliver such a unique and informative show for affiliates, listeners and advertisers.”

Rob Simmelkjaer, SVP, NBC Sports Ventures, says “We have put together a unique roster of opinionated journalists, respected and outspoken former coaches, and a future Hall of Fame player to team with Newy on a show that will provide listeners with something different every day. As we begin our 24/7 coverage on April 1, they provide credible and relevant voices during midday, which will lead nicely into our recently-announced ‘Under Center with McNabb and Malone.’”

NBC Sports Radio will launch its full 24/7 talk programming on April 1, 2013. There will be more announcements to come.

There you have it.

NBC Sports Radio Taps Erik Kuselias For Morning Drive

Announced this week by NBC Sports Radio, Mr. Know-It-All, Erik Kuselias will be the morning drive host for the new network. I’m not fan of Kuselias. The less I say, the better for all of us.

NBC SPORTS RADIO — ERIK KUSELIAS MOVES TO AM DRIVE

NBC SPORTS RADIO ROLLS OUT 24/7 LINEUP ON APRIL 1ST
– Erik Kuselias Moves to Morning Drive —
– Jon Stashower Moves to 7-10pm Slot –

NEW YORK, NY, March 7th, 2013 – Dial Global and the NBC Sports Group announced programming moves as they prepare to fill out their roster and go live 24/7 on Monday, April 1. Weeknight host Erik Kuselias will move to morning drive, 6-9a ET, and Sunday morning host Jon Stashower will take over the 7-10p ET, Monday-Friday slot.

Since the September, 2012 launch of The Erik Kuselias Show on NBC Sports Radio, Kuselias has solidified his position as a top national sports-radio personality. His energy, knowledge of all sports, interview skills, legal background, engaging personality, and passion for sports radio make him the top pick to kick off morning drive on NBC Sports Radio. It’s familiar territory for “EK,” having filled in for Mike and Mike more than any other guest host in the history of the show. He will be joined by one of the best producers in sports radio, Rob “Stats” Guerrera.

Jon Stashower is one of the best sports broadcasting voices in the business. Passionate and knowledgeable, Jon delivers a refreshing approach to sports talk, adding a depth and a quality that is hard to match. He goes behind all the water-cooler topics and breaks down the games, headlines and highlights with great insight and analysis, making him the perfect choice to lead into the evening games.

Erik Kuselias says, “I’m thrilled to be in the prime spot for NBC Sports Radio’s first daily lineup. We believe this is the smartest and most fun sports radio program in the nation, and we look forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead. Additionally, NBC Sports and Dial Global Sports allow us to have an unparalleled guest list, which will help us rejuvenate mornings for those looking for a fresh approach.”

“In sports, so much happens at night,” says Jon Stashower. “It’s when the games are played and so many of the stories break. I’m really looking forward to being on every night to break down all that’s going on.”

Chris Corcoran, Executive Vice President, General Manager, Dial Global, adds, “I can’t wait to fire up morning drive with EK and break open the playing field. And we’re thrilled to give Stash his own weekday show. He’s a consistent, solid performer who grabs listeners’ attention and keeps them tuned in.”

Rob Simmelkjaer, Senior Vice President, NBC Sports Ventures and International, adds “Erik brings a rare combination of analytical rigor and energy to the world of sports radio. And like many in the New York area, I’ve spent years listening to Jon Stashower’s familiar voice talking sports. He gives our radio network additional credibility.”

NBC Sports Radio will launch its full 24/7 talk programming on April 1, 2103. More announcements will be made shortly.

Whatever.

Some Quick Tuesday Linkage

On my way to New York for the Fox Sports 1 unveiling and I’m going to try to do some links with the limited wifi that Amtrak has provided. It’s not the best, but it’ll do for what I need today.

Let’s begin with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch who along with Matt Yoder from Awful Announcing, John Ourand from Sports Business Journal and Randy McClure of Rush the Court, conducted a sportscaster draft for the NCAA Tournament. Fascinating stuff.

At Awful Announcing, Matt Yoder explains the reasoning behind his draft picks.

In the shameless plug department, I have a post at AA on “What if” Keith Olbermann returns to ESPN. That is a huge “what if,” by the way.

On this site, I ask “What Can We Expect From Fox Sports 1 and 2?”

David Lieberman of Deadline has a Fox official telling its investors that Fox Sports 1 and 2 are expected to lose money at first, but it’s all about the long-term with the new channels.

Georg Szalai of the Hollywood Reporter says Fox is downplaying expectations about Fox Sports 1 competing with ESPN.

At $ports Biz USA, Mike McCarthy talks with Jay Glazer about his new Fox Sports 1 show.

Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report says ESPN is reminding Fox about who has a 33 year head start in the all-sports cable business.

Richard Sandomir and Amy Chozick in the New York Times have an extensive look at the new Fox Sports venture.

Even with Fox starting a new network to compete with ESPN, it still has formed an Unholy Alliance with the Alleged Worldwide Leader. John Ourand of Sports Business Journal has the story.

Addy Dugdale at Fast Company looks at the new Fox Sports 1.

Good article from Paulsen at Sports Media Watch on how SportsCenter has drifted into the abyss. I was thinking about using a Matrix reference, but I’ve used them up on Twitter.

Jason Lisk of The Big Lead profiles ESPN college basketball analyst Sean Farnham who will get a plum assignment at the ACC Tournament next week.

Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead tweets that Tom Rinaldi and his traveling piano have been re-signed by ESPN.

Will Leitch from Sports on Earth feels a Keith Olbermann return to ESPN is not a good idea.

Michael Hiestand from USA Today has the weekend sports ratings.

Mark Blaudshun in A Jersey Guy reports that the remnants of the old Big East plan to play its first postseason tournament without Syracuse, Pittsburgh and the Catholic 7 in Hartford. Good choice.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says ESPN Deportes will continue carrying Mexican League soccer.

Dieter Kurtenbach from the South Florida Sun Sentinel says 11 months after joining Miami’s WQAM, controversial talk show host Dan Sileo has been fired.

Mel Bracht in The Oklahoman notes that the Thunder are featured twice this week on TNT.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says University of Kentucky athletics has signed a promotional deal with Time Warner Cable.

Robert Feder of TimeOut Chicago writes that a former Windy City sportscaster refused to take part in a farewell to two long-time news anchors.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has five things he learned from the weekend.

Joe Favorito says World Tennis Day on Monday helped to give the sport a global boost.

Back to Paulsen at Sports Media Watch, he notes that the PGA Tour experienced its fourth straight week of ratings declines.

And let’s end with one of the silliest moments on ESPN from Monday. Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy notes that ESPN’s Stephen A. “A is for Awkward” Smith didn’t realize that ties were eliminated from the National Hockey League in 2004.

That will end the links for today. As long as I have wifi or 3G access (I know, 4G LTE users are laughing at me), I’ll provide tweets and a live blog on the Fox Sports 1 press event and upfronts today in New York. If communication is cut off, then all bets are off, but I’m willing to go out on a limb that we’ll have wifi access somehow, at least for the press conference this afternoon.

Keep your RSS, Twitter and any other syndication feeds updated.

A Late Friday Night/Early Saturday Morning Sports Media Notebook

Let’s do a notebook tonight, shall we? If I can’t do linkage and it always seems something gets in the way these days, I might as well do a notebook.

I’ll try to provide as many links and stories as possible here.

• Interesting story from The Big Lead. The daily 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET SportsCenter block on ESPN is going to get a bit of a facelift. Jason McIntyre reports that instead of two shifts of three hours, ESPN will go to three two hour blocks. Kevin Negandhi and Hannah Storm will continue to be the combination to start off the block, but instead of going from 9 a.m.-noon, they’ll be reduced by one hour. Chris McKendry/Jay Crawford and Sage Steele/David Lloyd will be the other two weekday teams. ESPN has not confirmed the report, but The Big Lead’s confidence on this story is quite high.
• Here’s another story from The Big Lead. This upcoming season is the last year in Tim McCarver’s contract with MLB on Fox. Jason McIntyre gets comment from Fox on this.
• Add Cablevision to DirecTV and Verizon Fios to the providers tacking on a surcharge on subscribers who have packages with sports regional networks. In Cablevision’s case, it’s a $2.98 monthly fee that begins in April. Mike Farrell of Multichannel News says the surcharge is for subscribers who have the MSG Networks, SNY and YES RSN’s. This is the providers’ pushback on increasing subscriber fees from RSN’s which come as a result of high media rights for various professional teams. We’ll see if there’s any outcry from subscribers.
• ESPN Radio hack Colin Cowherd continues to say stupid things about the Midwest, this time about Indiana Pacers fans. This guy really needs to shut up.
• Joe Posnanski has been officially hired by NBC Sports to become its main columnist on its website and be featured on its multiple platforms. Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report wonders if this is the right move for Posnanski who left the fledgling Sports on Earth site after less than a year.
• Speaking of Ed, he speaks with Jim Romenesko about blogging for little to no money, something I’m quite familiar with.
• From David Goetzl of MediaPost comes this analysis of a lawsuit brought forth by Dish Network against ESPN. Very good background on a dispute that has been simmering for quite some time.
• To Sports Video Group where we have an interesting look at how ESPN3 produces a women’s college basketball that will be streamed on its platform.
• A few items from Paulsen at Sports Media Watch. First, NBA All-Star Saturday on TNT hit a three-year low, but still is among the best ratings ever for the event. Despite Danica Patrick, still not a good start for Fox for the Daytona 500 Speedweeks. And Paulsen has some various ratings news and notes.
• Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald has the Arena Football League schedule on CBS Sports Network for the 2013 season. CBSSN takes over the rights after the AFL had been on NFL Network from 2010-2012. CBS will have the Arena Bowl in August.
• Robert Feder at TimeOut Chicago notes that Comcast SportsNet has ended its partnership with the Chicago Tribune and will rebrand its roundtable show as SportsTalk Live.
• Bruce Dowbiggin at the Toronto Globe and Mail reviews the first week of TSN’s new radio format and its new afternoon drive host.
• Could the NFL move the Draft to May into a ratings sweeps period? Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable says it’s entirely possible.
• By the way, this is not necessarily sports media, but it’s related. NBC definitely misses Sunday Night Football. Since the NFL season ended, the Peacock is having a hard time attracting viewers. The network will finish in 5th place in the 18-49 demographic for the February sweeps. Dominic Patten of Deadline notes that NBC will finish below CBS, Fox, ABC and wait for it…. Univision for the first time in its history. It’s not been a good 2013 for NBC thus far.
• This week, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss passed away at the age of 80. He was first in the L.A. market to televise all of his team’s games creating the Prime Ticket regional sports network to air all of the Lakers’ home games and putting the road games on an over the air station. Before his passing, the Lakers went a step further in creating another RSN, Time Warner Cable SportsNet and doing two feeds, one in English and another in Spanish, another innovation. Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star looks at the impact Buss had on sports television.
• Media Life Magazine notes a new study which shows low recall of Super Bowl ads, something the NFL TV partners and its sponsors do not want to hear.
• Jonah Keri at Grantland says MLB has opened up the vault and released some of its old highlights.
• Formula 1′s ratings are down worldwide, a concern for the sport.

I think that’s where I’ll end things for now.

A Thursday Sports Media Notebook

Let’s provide a few items that need to be recognized on this busy Thursday in sports. Updated the Viewing Picks to include Entertainment, MMA, NASCAR and the revised start time for the WGC Match Play Championships. I work over an hour compiling the viewing picks for you, so peruse them and let me know that you’re reading them.

Before I start, I spent Wednesday night catching up with friends from the Providence Clear Channel radio station cluster as we got together to remember Mike Gonsalves, known as Dr. Metal on 94HJY. Throughout the 1990′s and into the 21st Century, Doc (as we affectionately called him) hosted “The Metal Zone” on HJY and was recognized by the metal community for being the only program in the region devoted to the genre.

On February 20, 2003, Doc introduced the hair band Great White at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, RI. At 11:07 p.m., pyrotechnics were set off and the walls and ceiling caught fire. With no sprinklers in the building, the fire quickly spread and the people were trapped inside. Most of those in attendance got out, but 100 people including Doc lost their lives. Four other people who were working for HJY managed to get out alive . It is a tragedy that still affects those of us who have a connection. But last night, a group of us who either worked at WHJY/WHJJ/WSNE and B101 at the time and knew Doc got together to remember him and talk about the good times and our memories of Doc. It was great to see everyone and we gave a toast to Mike. I hadn’t seen many in years, but the dynamics we had quickly came back. There’s something about radio people that binds us together. While the business side is awful, the grunts who worked on the mic and behind the scenes are all of quality. I’m truly blessed to have worked with so many good people and am proud to call them my friends. Thanks to John Laurenti for organizing our get together and thanks to all of the people who attended. I can’t mention them all here, but they all know who they are. And we all miss Doc. Rest in Peace, Mike.

Now to some of the stories that are happening in sports media.

• In his weekly media column, Richard Deitsch has news about Ray Lewis joining ESPN, Gus Johnson critiquing his soccer debut, ESPN’s Il Capo di Tutti Capi, John Skipper denying that SportsCenter is ignoring hockey and a whole lot more. 
• Continuing with ESPN, The Big Lead’s Jason McIntyre reports that Bob Knight appears to be on the way out from the Alleged Worldwide Leader. While no one can deny that Knight has an excellent basketball mind, it really hasn’t translated on television. Plus there have been times when he’s appeared aloof on TV or even fallen asleep, traits that don’t endear one to the viewer. Knight originally joined ESPN in 2008 to contribute to its Final Four coverage, but was later signed to a full-time contract. Throughout his tenure at ESPN, Knight has refused to wear ties, refused to call Kentucky by name and really hasn’t distinguished himself as an analyst. If this season is the end for Knight, I can’t see CBS/Turner hiring him nor Fox. I think Knight would probably be happy fishing or hunting and conducting coaching clinics.
• We learned yesterday that baseball legend Joe Garagiola was retiring from broadcasting. Since 1997, Garagiola has been part of the Arizona Diamondbacks television team. He began his broadcasting career in 1955 after being a catcher with the St. Louis Cardinals. After joining the New York Yankees broadcast booth and being on the Today Show, he joined NBC Sports in 1974 on Monday Night Baseball with Curt Gowdy. He became the “A” team play-by-play man in 1977 with analyst Tony Kubek. Moved to the analyst’s chair in 1983 when Vin Scully joined NBC and left the network after the 1988 season. Garagiola always poked fun at himself. He had his own 15 minute pregame show before Monday Night Baseball called “The Baseball World of Joe Garagiola” which showed the humorous side of baseball including bubble gum blowing contests and groundskeeping tips. In the Baseball Hall of Fame Broadcasters Wing, Garagiola certainly has had a celebrated career on TV whether it be in the broadcast booth, working in morning television or hosting the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
• A University of North Dakota hockey radio announcer got suspended for using the phrase “choke job” in a postgame interview.
• I hope this doesn’t get removed from YouTube. This is truly some interesting broadcasting history. This 16 minute clip is believed to be the only footage that still exists of Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese calling a CBS Baseball Game of the Week. It’s from 1961 between the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds at the old Crosley Field. Dizzy and Pee Wee were a very popular broadcast team. Dean was known for his malapropisms and in this clip, you can hear him attempt to pronounce Joe Amalfitano and Matty Alou. Dean called the Game of the Week for CBS from 1955-1965. At one time, Dean was bored with the game he was calling and suggested viewers change the channel to a game being broadcast on NBC and even mentioned NBC. He did a couple of Monday Night Baseball games on NBC with Curt Gowdy as a guest announcer. Dean was truly a character as a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, as well as a broadcaster. Some interesting features of the broadcast, no video replay, it wasn’t invented yet and on-screen graphics were few and far between. Do not take it down, MLB.
• Chad Finn of the Boston Globe reports that sports radio station WEEI is making changes to its weekday lineup once again. Kirk Minihane will join the station’s right wing morning show, Dennis & Callahan as a third host. Dennis & Callahan, once a ratings juggernaut, has been trailing Toucher & Rich on CBS’ 98.5 The Sports Hub in the latest Arbitron ratings. This comes after Glenn Ordway was let go last week. I’m hearing that Jen Royle will host a weekend show on the station giving Boston sports radio its first female-fronted show.
• NHL on NBC studio analyst Mike Milbury has once again made a splash. He referred to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins as “crack addicts” as their play is “addictive.” Awful Announcing has a recap and a video clip.

That’s the notebook for today.

WEEI Officially Announces Mike Salk To Co-Host Afternoon Drive Show

This in from WEEI. It has officially announced the worst-kept secret in the Boston area that Mike Salk will be leaving his post as morning drive co-host on 710 ESPN in Seattle and join Michael Holley as co-host of WEEI’s afternoon drive program starting in mid-March. Salk who has been on top of the ratings heap in the Great Northwest with Brock Huard will try to duplicate his success with Holley in Boston.

Salk replaces Glenn Ordway who was let go last week.

Here’s the official announcement from WEEI.

WEEI names Mike Salk as new afternoon drive co-host

BOSTON – WEEI 93.7 FM announced Tuesday that Sudbury native Mike Salk will join Michael Holley in afternoon drive, weekdays from 2-6 p.m., beginning in mid-March. Salk joins WEEI from 710 AM ESPN in Seattle, where he’s co-hosted the midday “Brock and Salk Show” since April 2009.

Salk helped grow the “Brock and Salk Show” exponentially the last four years. As of this past September, the show ranked No. 1 with the station’s core demo of men 25-54. Salk also was a frequent contributor to 710 ESPN’s website and will do the same, in a variety of ways, for WEEI.com. He also has been a part of the ESPN Radio network since 2007, hosting “SportsCenter Saturday” and serving as a regular fill-in host over the past few years.

Salk is no stranger to the Boston sports talk radio scene, having worked at 890 ESPN Radio Boston from 2005 until 2009. He primarily served as co-host of the station’s midday show with Bob Halloran, and he also was the station’s Red Sox beat reporter, covering every game of the team’s run to the 2007 World Series.

“For a kid who grew up rooting for Boston’s sports teams, I can’t wait to get behind that microphone and connect with the most avid sports fans in the country,” Salk said. “From the best play-by-play in radio to their breakthrough work with the Jimmy Fund, WEEI is still the gold standard in sports talk radio.

“I’m especially excited to talk Bruins hockey. I grew up a rabid Bruins fan and have great memories from the old Boston Garden. My wife might not know it yet, but our 1-year old daughter will be wearing a lot of black and gold in the future.”

Added Salk: “Teaming up with someone as hard-working, gifted and passionate about his craft as Michael Holley makes this situation even better for me returning home. I can’t wait to get to work.”

Said Holley: “Mike is energetic, has a tireless work ethic, and believes in having a show that is accessible to all audiences. I’m looking forward to sharing some of the talks we’ve had with our listeners. I think that they’ll find the new show to be fast, fun and smart. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention what a tremendous blessing it was to work with Glenn Ordway for nearly three years. It didn’t take us long to develop a bond, and I believe that mutual respect could be detected on the air. I anticipate a similar connection with Mike.”

Said Jason Wolfe, VP of Programming for Entercom Boston: “Mike Salk has a proven record of success, and I couldn’t be more excited to bring him back home to Boston. He’s a very skilled broadcaster, a fun personality and a passionate sports fan. I’m really looking forward to the new dynamic that he and Michael Holley will provide on a daily basis.”

That is all.

Long-Time Boston Sports Radio Host Glenn Ordway To Depart WEEI

At one time, Glenn Ordway’s “Big Show” on WEEI in Boston had the highest ratings for any local sports radio show in the country. Ordway’s influence on the market over an 18 year span on WEEI is immeasurable. He helped to launch the radio careers of several personalities including Bob Ryan and Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe, and current rivals Michael Felger and Tony Massaroti.

Ordway helped to launch the station when WEEI flipped from an all-talk format to all-sports in 1995. He wore several hats at the station including afternoon drive host, program director and Voice of the Boston Celtics. He brought in several writers from the Boston Globe and Herald to be on his show, then when the Globe refused to allow its writers to appear on WEEI, Ordway turned to ex-jocks to fill the void and gained even more popularity.

WEEI and Ordway were able to fend off two sports radio challengers over the years, but when CBS Radio decided to launch the Sports Hub on FM, Boston finally had a rivalry, but it became one-sided when the Sports Hub began drubbing WEEI in the ratings. And while WEEI got a brief reprieve last when Ordway’s show, now co-hosted with Michael Holley beat Felger and Massaroti. But that changed in the latest Fall ratings when the Sports Hub beat WEEI like a drum.

The news broke about Ordway’s departure through the Boston Globe’s Chad Finn when it was reported that current 710 ESPN host Mike Salk in Seattle would replace Ordway.

WEEI gave Ordway the opportunity to say goodbye to his fans today and he will be able to finish out the week, a rarity in the radio business these days.

WEEI has released this statement:

WEEI has decided to part ways with Glenn Ordway, co-host of “The Big Show”.  Ordway made the announcement on-air Wednesday, February 13 that his last day will be this Friday.  Michael Holley will serve as host of “The Big Show” for the foreseeable future and WEEI expects to make an announcement in the coming days about Michael’s new co-host.

“Glenn and I have been together since day one. He is an icon in this business and he helped build WEEI into arguably the most successful sports station in history,” said Jason Wolfe, VP of programming and operations for Entercom Boston. “I am so thankful to have been able to work alongside Glenn for the past 20-plus years and I hope that all Boston sports fans realize how important his contributions have been to this station, to the market and to this industry. He’s a true professional and that was clearer than ever in his comments today.”

As Finn reported, Mike Salk from Seattle, a Massachusetts native and a man who knows the Boston area, is expected to replace Ordway. Hoping to get some reaction to Salk’s potential departure. He currently co-hosts a popular morning drive show with Brock Huard on 710 ESPN.

CBS Sports Radio To Be All Over Super Bowl XLVII

With the launch of CBS Sports Radio last week, one of the events made for the network is the Super Bowl. And with CBS being a rightsholder both on TV and through radio (albeit through Dial Global Sports), CBS Sports Radio does have some added access for the Big Game this year.

All of its weekday shows, except for Farrell on the Bench and Damon Amendolara will be live from New Orleans, providing listeners a flavor of what’s happening on Radio Row from the Super Bowl.

Noted shows like TBD (Brandon Tierney, Tiki Barber and Dana Jacobson), John Feinstein, Jim Rome and Doug Gottlieb will have their programs originating from the Big Easy and you’ll hear guests throughout the week who will give their opinion about the Super Bowl or plug products.

Some 75 hours will be produced from New Orleans on CBS Sports Radio and also includes selected weekend shows.

Here’s the CBS Sports Radio release.

CBS SPORTS RADIO TAKES THE SHOW ON THE ROAD BROADCASTING NEARLY 75 HOURS OF PROGRAMMING FROM SUPER BOWL XLVII IN NEW ORLEANS

Live Coverage From Tiki Barber, Brandon Tierney, Dana Jacobson, John Feinstein, Jim Rome and Doug Gottlieb

CBS Sports Radio, the newly created national radio network available on more than 250 stations across the country with in excess of 10 million listeners, is going on the road with a wide range of programming originating from New Orleans in anticipation of the CBS Television Network’s exclusive broadcast of Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, February 3.

Beginning on Monday, Jan. 28 (6:00AM, ET) with the morning show featuring Tiki Barber, Brandon Tierney and Dana Jacobson, CBS Sports Radio will present a daily all-access look at the world’s biggest sporting event with expert analysis and commentary, an array of athlete and celebrity interviews, conversations with Hall of Famers, present and former coaches, and newsmakers, as well as extensive fan interaction and listener exchanges.

Broadcasts continue with John Feinstein (9:00AM-12:00Noon, ET), Jim Rome (12:00Noon-3:00PM, ET) and Doug Gottlieb (3:00-6:00PM) live from Radio Row at the Super Bowl XLVII media center.  All CBS Sports Radio programs will originate from CBS’s dedicated broadcast position alongside select CBS Sports Network shows, a number of CBS RADIO’s all-sports radio stations including WFAN-AM/FM (New York), WSCR-AM (Chicago), KRLD-FM (Dallas), WBZ-FM (Boston), and WIP-FM (Philadelphia), among other Top 25 outlets, as well as CBSSports.com.

Additionally, a variety of shows will broadcast from New Orleans live on Saturday, Feb. 2 and Sunday, Feb. 3, including programs hosted by CBS Sports Radio hosts Tierney and John Kincade.

“All of our shows are off to a great start and we are eagerly anticipating being on site for the world’s biggest sporting event,” said Eric Spitz, Director, Programming, CBS Sports Radio. “What makes radio so captivating is its ability to react in real time to the day’s news and events, and get up close and personal with callers and guests. And nothing matches the excitement and spectacle of the Super Bowl. With this winning combination, we intend to capture the enthusiasm of Super Bowl week and give our listeners the feeling they are in the center of the action.”

That’s it for this post.

Oh My! It’s The Return of The Linkage!

It’s been way too long since you’ve seen linkage on this site. This has been the main mission of Fang’s Bites since the beginning, but too often, I get roped into doing family stuff and it prevents me from getting on here until late.

I hope to rectify that. So without further delay, here’s the linkage.

I’ll begin with Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch who looks at tonight’s ESPN production of the BCS National Championship Game and he breaks news that former Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine will co-host a daily NBC Sports Radio show.

From The Sherman Report, Ed Sherman talks with ESPN’s Brent Musburger about retirement.

John Ourand of Sports Business Journal says thanks to its parent company buying into YES Network, Fox Sports will have the rights to as many as 18 New York Yankees games for its national MLB broadcasts (for now, subscription required).

Tripp Mickle of Sports Business Daily writes that DirecTV is dropping NASCAR Hot Pass due to the high cost and low demand.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell reports that the “Catholic 7″, the breakaway basketball schools from the Big East, is negotiating a megabucks deal with Fox Sports.

Nathan Savin Scott of USA Today lists the best sports commercials of 2012.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says tonight’s BCS Championship Game could set an all-time viewership record for ESPN and cable TV.

The extremely warped Anthony Crupi (he’ll even admit this) of Adweek writes that the NFL’s regular season ratings were down slightly from last year, but it delivers an audience unlike any other programming.

Friend of Fang’s Bites Michael McCarthy at Advertising Age notes that college football is close to passing baseball as the nation’s second most popular sport.

Natalie Zmuda of Ad Age says Pepsi wants to make you, yes you, part of its Super Bowl ad.

Mark J. Miller at BrandChannel notes how a Nike ad campaign helped to nudge the NHL into ending its lockout.

Toni Fitzgerald from Media Life Magazine wonders if the ratings will return for the NHL now that its lockout has been resolved.

SBNation’s Steve Lepore reports that Michelle Beadle’s new show, The Crossover, will replace NBC Sports Talk later this month.

David Rogers over at Awful Announcing scolds NHL Network for not covering one second of the end of the lockout.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Wheat Hotchkiss (I like this name) delves into ESPN’s production of the BCS National Championship Game in South Flordia.

EPL Talk reviews Fox’s first-ever broadcast of an FA Cup game.

Will Leitch at Sports on Earth says NBC Sports Network’s ratings may be low, but at least it’s trying to be the anti-ESPN.

Chad Finn from the Boston Globe writes about Bobby Valentine’s new foray into daily sports radio.

Brian Stelter at the New York Times says rising sports fees are causing cable providers to drop lower performing channels.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post needs to stop watching television.

Newsday’s Neil Best says there’s too much sports television and radio for the average fan to keep track of. Well put, Neil.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union says Golf Channel has had to adjust its schedule for the weather-delayed Tournament of Champions.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says CBS Sports Radio has a home in the Hudson Valley.

Keith Groller with the Allentown (PA) Morning Call talks with an Eastern Pennsylvania native who’s been covering Notre Dame for the last six years.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun feels CBS did not get the job done covering yesterday’s Colts-Ravens game.

David says yesterday’s Colts-Ravens game received the highest rating in the Charm City since last year’s Super Bowl.

Dan Steinberg from the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog has the national media reaction to DC NFL Team head coach Mike Shanahan’s decision to keep quarterback Robert Griffin III on the field despite him seemingly being hurt until an injury that ended his game.

Dan says a local sports radio morning show now gets an opportunity on TV.

Tom Jones at the Tampa Bay Times has the winners and losers in the NHL Lockout.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald has some info from ESPN on tonight’s BCS National Championship Game.

Mike Herndon of the Birmingham (AL) News says ESPN could not have asked for a better matchup in the BCS National Championship Game.

Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News looks into the behind-the-scenes for ESPN’s telecast of Alabama-Notre Dame.

David Barron with the Houston Chronicle says Saturday’s Bengals-Texans local rating matched last year’s Wild Card playoff game number.

David writes that former Houston Astros broadcaster Alan Ashby will return to the team as its TV analyst on Comcast SportsNet.

WDIV-TV in Detroit had the suspended Rob Parker from ESPN’s First Take in his first TV interview since he was taken off the air for his comments on DC NFL Team QB Robert Griffin III (starts at 6:15). h/t to Richard Deitsch for the link.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post says a Rocky Mountain region sportscaster has plenty of memories that include the Broncos.

Joe Flint of the Los Angeles Times writes that the NFL’s ratings have slipped a bit from last season, but they still remain king of all television.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the five things he learned from the weekend.

Tom also has the SoCal sports calendar for this week.

Bruce Dowbiggin from the Toronto Globe and Mail asks with the NHL Lockout over, what’s in it for the fans?

Sports Media Watch notes that the overnight rating for the Cincinnati-Houston NFL Wild Card Game on NBC was up from last year.

SMW says NBC’s nightcap of Vikings-Packers was down slightly from last year.

SMW tells us that Seattle-Washington had the third highest overnight for an NFL Wild Card game since 1999.

And for Indy-Baltimore on CBS, the overnight number was very good.

And that’s going to be it for now.

CBS Sports Radio’s Weekend Lineup

CBS Sports Radio has unveiled its full weekend lineup that will begin this week. As you’re aware by now, CBS Sports Radio begins full operation on January 2 with a weekday lineup that includes Dana Jacobson, Tiki Barber, John Feinstein, Jim Rome, Doug Gottlieb, Chris Moore, Scott Farrell and Damon Amendolara.

CBS and its partner, Cumulus Radio have announced the weekend slate, but not in a press release that I could ascertain. We do have the schedule in this graphic so you can some familiar names from ESPN Radio like Amy Lawrence, John Kincaide and sports radio veteran Jody McDonald. Let’s take a look at the schedule in this graphic.

That’s all.

A Saturday Sports Media Notebook

Fridays are becoming way too busy for me. I need to find a way to stop it. Anyway, I have some links and thoughts for you in this latest edition of the notebook.

ESPN’s Sean McDonough hopes to return to the broadcast booth after undergoing surgery to correct a rare inner ear condition that caused him to hear things unusually loud. McDonough talked with Chad Finn of the Boston Globe and Michael Hiestand of USA Today about his condition and how it’s prevented him from going back to work.

Fox Sports’ Jason Whitlock has this takedown of ESPN’s First Take and Rob Parker.

So ESPN is dialing back the Tebowmania? Apparently not as Awful Announcing discovered.

Ben Koo of AA found out that NFL Films is producing an edition of “A Football Life” devoted to Steve Sabol. I’m looking forward to seeing this when the documentary is finished. To be honest, just one hour on Sabol’s career will not do justice to his impact on sports television.

As the future of The Big East is still being determined, the Catholic 7 all-basketball schools that have broken away from the conference appear to be talking to both Fox and NBC Sports Network to place their games on one or the other or both. Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated has an extensive article on the Big East’s future. I would think Fox would be the favorite or perhaps, ESPN might jump in to get a package of games.

If you want to know why NBC’s Sunday Night Football is the number one show in primetime television, you have to go back to its genesis when producer Fred Gaudelli worked for ESPN and was producing Sunday night games for the Alleged Worldwide Leader. Deadspin’s John Koblin has a great article on the teamwork between Gaudelli, analyst Cris Collinsworth and director Drew Esocoff.

Another good article from Deadspin on how NFL RedZone is cannibalizing the Sunday afternoon game broadcasts.

Former US Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton admits to the Wisconsin State Journal that she was a high-priced Las Vegas escort.

While Dan Patrick is on vacation for the holidays, Fang’s Bites fave Bonnie Bernstein will sub for him on Christmas Eve, next Friday and on New Year’s Eve.

In the latest edition of the Sports Media Weekly podcast, you heard former 98.5 The Sports Hub nighttime host Damon Amendolara talking about his new gig as the overnight host for CBS Sports Radio. The Boston sports radio station has named his replacement and it’s a familiar voice to sports radio listeners in the New England area.

For the next Sports Media Weekly podcast on Wednesday, December 26, it’s going to include several sports media observers providing their stories of 2012 and predictions for 2013. I’ve been gathering the stories and predictions from previous guests of the podcast. I hope you’ll enjoy them.

Awful Announcing has Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch talking about his year-end sports media awards.

Jim Williams in the Washington Examiner says college sports are all about the money.

And Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times provides his top sports media stories of 2012 in the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center.

That will do it.

NBC Sports Radio Announces Weekend Lineup

Over the last few months, CBS Sports Radio has been filling its weekday lineup and has done it rather methodically. CBS Sports Radio will be ready to launch on January 2 with a full daily roster of hosts.

On the other hand, we haven’t heard much from the other national sports radio network that has been in operation since September and that’s NBC Sports Radio. The programming has been running nightly from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. and during weekends.

We now have the full weekend lineup for NBC Sports Radio. Hosts include Anita Marks who hosted shows in Miami and Baltimore and is currently hosting the New York Giants pre and postgame shows on WFAN, Brian Webber of NFL AM, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Clay Travis and Rodney Harrison.

This will launch on January 5.

NBC Sports Radio says the rest of its weekday lineup will be unveiled during Dial Global Radio’s coverage of the NCAA Final Four. NBC Sports Radio and Dial Global are partners in this venture.

Here’s the press release.

NBC SPORTS RADIO ANNOUNCES AROUND-THE-CLOCK WEEKEND PROGRAMMING AND WEEKEND TALENT LINEUP

NBC Sports Radio adds Chris Mannix, Anita Marks, Brian Webber, Newy Scruggs, Rob Simmelkjaer, Jon Stashower, Jason Page, Clay Travis and others to weekend lineup to debut on Saturday, January 5^th, 2013

NEW YORK, NY, December 18th, 2012 – Dial Global and the NBC Sports Group are proud to roll out the live debut of NBC Sports Radio Weekends, a new full, 48 hour weekend  programming block that launches on Saturday, January 5^th, 2013.

In addition to the already launched Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison airing on weekends, NBC Sports Radio has added a full weekend lineup of veteran personalities, which includes Brian Webber of NFL Network’s NFL AM morning show, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports, and Clay Travis, NBC Sports contributor and owner/contributor of OutKicktheCoverage.com. Also suiting up for the NBC Sports Radio Weekends team — Newy Scruggs, Sports Director and on-air personality at NBC-5 Dallas/Ft. Worth and formerly of 105.3 The Fan, Dallas, Jason Page, recently with ESPN Radio New York, among other stops, and Anita Marks, part of the New York Giants TV/Radio broadcast team and formerly of SportsRadio 105.7 The Fan, Baltimore. Plus, NBC Sports Radio update anchor Jon Stashower, formerly of ESPN Radio, adds a Sunday morning show and NBC Sports’ Rob Simmelkjaer will also host a weekend show, adding to his on-air television duties, which have included the Olympics, MSNBC and MLS.

NBC Sports Radio weekend programming will also include contributions from NBC Sports television commentators Hines Ward, Stan Van Gundy, Rodney Harrison, Michelle Beadle, Amani Toomer, Doug Flutie and other marquee personalities.

The NBC Sports Radio weekend programming schedule plays out below.

SATURDAY LINEUP
7am-9am, ET    Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison
9am-12n, ET     The Clay Travis Show
12n-3pm, ET     The Anita Marks Show
3pm-6pm, ET    The Brian Webber Show
6pm-9pm, ET    The Newy Scruggs Show
9pm-1am, ET    The Jason Page Show 

SUNDAY LINEUP
1am-5am, ET       The Rob Buska Show
5am-8am, ET       The Jim Daniels Show
8am-9am, ET        Speaking of Sports with Rob Simmelkjaer
9am-12n, ET         Sunday Mornings with Jon Stashower
12n-3pm, ET         The Anita Marks Show
3pm-6pm, ET        The Brian Webber Show
6pm-9pm, ET        The Chris Mannix Show
9pm-1am, ET        The Jason Page Show

The NBC Sports Radio current roster includes –

• The Erik Kuselias Show, Monday-Friday, 7 – 10pm, ET
• Amani and Eytan, Monday-Friday, 10pm – 1am, ET: featuring former NFL pro Amani Toomer and Eytan Shander
• The Dan Schwartzman Show, Monday-Friday, 1am – 5am, ET
• Safety Blitz with Rodney Harrison
• 24/7 anchored national updates featuring Jon Stashower, Kay Adams and Dan Schwartzman

NBC Sports Radio will launch the rest of its weekday 6 am – 7 pm lineup on Monday, April 1^st, 2013, to tie in with the excitement of Dial Global Sports’ exclusive NCAA Tournament coverage and preparation for The Final Four®.

Chris Corcoran, Executive Vice President, General Manager adds, “We’re excited to deliver great weekend hosts as well as contributions from some of the top names in sports to our affiliates and advertisers. Our weekend lineup offers excellent talent and content that will deliver a fresh and engaging sound”.

Princell Hair, Senior Vice President, News and Talent, NBC Sports & Olympics, said, “As NBC Sports Radio continues to grow its programming, which now includes 24-7 weekend coverage, we are pleased to offer listeners a diverse portfolio of compelling radio voices, with expertise ranging from the NFL to general news to sports business.”

That does it for this post.

CBS Sports Radio Completes Its Monday-Friday Lineup

Laying the final piece of its puzzle for its weekday lineup, CBS Sports Radio has announced the co-hosts for the 6-10 p.m. ET timeslot. Over the last few months, CBS Sports Radio has released the names such as Damon Amendolara, Tiki Barber, John Feinstein, Scott Ferrall, Doug Gottlieb, Dana Jacobsen, Jim Rome and Brandon Tierney as hosts. Today, CBS Sports Radio and Cumulus say that former ESPN Radio host Chris Moore and current CBS Sports Network football analyst Brian Jones.

Now that the Monday through Friday slots are filled, I’m sure we’ll eventually hear about various weekend hosts for CBS Sports Radio.

Along with the other hosts, Moore and Jones will make their debut when CBS Sports Radio officially launches its 24/7 lineup on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 which is just a few weeks away.

Here’s the announcement from CBS Sports Radio/Cumulus.

CBS Sports Radio Finalizes Lineup As Launch of Nationwide Network Approaches

Chris Moore And Brian Jones Named Weekday Evening Hosts, Debuting Live On Wednesday, January 2, 2013

CBS Sports Radio, the new around-the-clock national sports network, will officially launch on more than 100 stations on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, at 12:00Midnight, with Scott Ferrall’s “Ferrall on the Bench.”  The network’s original programming, reaching more than 10 million listeners upon launch, will feature expert sports commentary and interviews with major sports figures, along with listener calls, fan interaction and hourly updates from well-known contributors.  Stations in major markets across the country, including all of the Top 10, will feature content from CBS Sports Radio.

Today, CBS Sports Radio announces that veteran play-by-play announcer and experienced radio host Chris Moore, and former football player and current CBS Sports Network analyst Brian Jones, have been named as co-hosts of CBS Sports Radio’s evening show, rounding out the network’s lineup.  The duo will be based out of CBS Sports Radio’s New York City studio in Tribeca, and heard on several stations, including WIP-AM (Philadelphia), WFOM-AM (Atlanta), WXYT-AM (Detroit), WJZ-AM (Baltimore), KJQS-AM (Salt Lake City), and WSJZ-FM (Orlando), weekdays from 6:00-10:00PM, ET on-air and streaming online.

With the announcement of Moore and Jones, CBS Sports Radio has announced its full, comprehensive weekday schedule:

6:00-9:00AM: Tiki Barber, Brandon Tierney and Dana Jacobson
9:00AM-12:00Noon: John Feinstein
12:00Noon-3:00PM: Jim Rome
3:00-6:00PM: Doug Gottlieb
6:00-10:00PM: Chris Moore and Brian Jones
10:00PM-2:00AM: Scott Ferrall
2:00-6:00AM: Damon Amendolara

Eric Spitz, Director of Programming, CBS Sports Radio commented, “Chris and Brian make the perfect addition to our already stellar lineup at CBS Sports Radio.  As soon as we heard the chemistry between Moore and Jones, we knew we had found both a winning formula, as well as our night show.

“With this appointment, we are ready to kick-off the network and give listeners a brand-new outlet for the latest national and local sports news, with the most knowledgeable and experienced hosts, on a platform optimized for nationwide audience interaction.”

Chris Moore was most recently heard on Fox Sports Radio, where he served as a host since 2011. Prior to that, Moore spent two years as morning drive host on Sirius NFL Radio and time at ESPN working in both radio and television, in addition to serving as midday host on WQAM-AM in Miami while doing play-by-play for the Florida Panthers from 1993-99.  He graduated from Ithaca College in 1980, and did play-by-play for Cornell football, hockey, and lacrosse shortly thereafter, before moving on to University of Wisconsin football and hockey.  From 1988-93, Moore was the play-by-play radio announcer for the New Jersey Devils.  He also fills-in as host on CBS RADIO’s WFAN, the nation’s first and most listened to sports radio station in the nation.

Brian Jones joined CBS Sports Network in 2005 as a college football studio analyst. He is featured on a variety of studio shows, including the weekly INSIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL and THE TONY BARNHART SHOW, as well as the Network’s Saturday college football programming.

After a five-year NFL career spent with the Indianapolis Colts (1991) and New Orleans Saints (1995-98), Jones returned to Texas to begin his sports broadcasting career. He hosted a daily radio show on Sports Radio 1300-AM The Zone, served as the Longhorn Sports Network’s sideline reporter for all UT football games and hosted Longhorn Sports Center with Mack Brown and Rick Barnes. Jones also spent two years with Fox Sports Southwest.

Jones graduated with a degree in corporate communications from the University of Texas-Austin. At Texas, he was an All-Southwest Conference Linebacker during his senior year in 1990. That season, Jones led the Longhorns with 116 tackles (71 solo) and five forced fumbles, helping Texas to a 10-2 record.

That will do it.

Cranking Out The Friday Megalinks

Wasn’t able to do any posts yesterday as I was away for most of the day. Tough to get anything done when you’re out of range for any internet or even 3G. First World Problems.

Anyway, time for some Friday megalinks. Been doing well with the links, except for Thursday, but let’s continue doing them today.

No Weekend Viewing Picks yet. When they’re done, I’ll insert them here.

Let’s get cracking on the linkage.

National

We begin with Michael Hiestand of USA Today who talks with CBS’ Gary Danielson about the SEC Championship.

Ed Sherman with The Sherman Report has AOL’s David Whitley’s response to criticisms about his column about 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s tattoos.

Ed has CBS’ Verne Lundquist discussing SEC fatigue.

Ed has Gary Danielson’s preview of the SEC Championship.

And Ed analyzes the local ratings for the NFL.

Michael David Smith at Pro Football Talk has Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein baffled at the NFL’s censoring of an interview featuring Bradley Cooper over a movie Weinstein produced that referenced gambling and adds that some team owners actually liked the flick.

Lesley Goldberg of the Hollywood Reporter notes that U.S. Olympic diving gold medalist David Boudia will join a new ABC celebrity diving show as a judge. Yes, Greg Louganis will also be a judge.

Will Ashworth of Investor Place wonders if now is the time for Disney to sell ESPN.

Jordan Rabinowitz of SportsGrid has video of San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich shooting down TNT’s Charles Barkley during an in-game interview against the Miami Heat.

Matt Yoder from Awful Announcing says this weekend is a big test for Fox College Football.

Dave Kohl at the Broadcast Booth notes that CBS Sports Network and NBC Sports Network need to step up their games.

Sports Media Watch talks about the ratings for Notre Dame-USC.

Kristi Dosh at ESPN.com says Notre Dame’s resurgence is good news for its TV rights.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell feels NBA Communist Sympathizer David Stern is wrong for threatening to sanction the San Antonio Spurs for sending their major players home last night.

Ronnie Ramos at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says traditional media is clashing with new rules surrounding live tweeting of games.

From earlier in the week, John Koblin of Deadspin writes about ESPN admonishing its staff for crediting a story to SportsbyBrooks.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn from the Boston Globe says some big name announcers got their start at Boston College’s student radio station.

Paul Doyle of the Hartford Courant writes that the Big East Conference has to recover from its latest blows while negotiating a new TV contract.

Charles McGrath of the New York Times profiles WFAN’s Steve Somers who’s been schmoozing s-p-o-r-t-s for 25 years on the nation’s first all-sports radio station.

Newsday’s Neil Best says SNY’s New York Jets postgame show does not pull any punches.

Neil has the Jets’ Tim Tebow being fine with the New York media.

Neil has an ESPN executive embracing debate.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick hates the Knicks’ style of play.

Pete Dougherty in the Albany Times Union has New York’s Capital Region’s Week 13 NFL TV schedule.

Pete says ESPN executives are doing backflips over Notre Dame playing in the BCS National Championship Game.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says next week’s Army-Navy game will be aired nationally on radio.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner notes that Louisville made the right sales pitch to get invited to join the ACC.

South

Mel Bracht from The Oklahoman notes that three local college football teams all get national telecasts at the same time on Saturday.

Midwest

Lynn Henning of the Detroit News says while the Tigers may not have a rights fee as high as major market teams, they are still happy with their relationship with Fox Sports.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recaps a GQ article that profiles some of the NFL replacement referees.

Danny Ecker at Crain’s Chicago Business discusses Groupon’s new relationship with MLB.

Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that Missouri football and basketball games will remain on a Gateway City radio station for several years.

Dan wonders where a local sports radio talk show host will surface after losing his job for making racial comments.

Greg Palermo of the Creve Coeur (MO) Patch says a local sports radio host said goodbye to his listeners today.

West

The Idaho Statesman says ESPN Radio has picked up a new affiliate in Boise.

John Maffei of the North County Times is frustrated that most local fans can’t watch this weekend’s high school football championship games.

Jim Carlisle from the Ventura County Star says tonight’s Pac-12 Championship on Fox gives UCLA and Stanford a chance to wipe their slate clean for the postseason.

Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times catches up with Dodgers voice Vin Scully as he turns 85.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says the Dodgers are about to hit the motherlode whether it’s with Fox or another company.

Tom has some items that didn’t make his newspaper media column.

And that’s going to do it for now.

Going For Some Tuesday Links

Let’s bring you some linkage. Two days in a row! This is something!

Shameless plug department: I wrote Some Long Overdue Tuesday Sports Media Thoughts earlier this morning and make sure you give it a gander. Many thanks.

Sam Gustin of Time writes that News Corp.’s purchase of a minority stake in YES could help Fox challenge ESPN down the road.

Alicia Jessop at Forbes notes how the NFL successfully marketed to women to the point where they are now 44% of the league’s fan base.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News reports on the potential megadeal between Fox and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In part two of his interview with SiriusXM’s Dino Costa, Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report goes into the relationship the Mad Dog radio host has with his boss, Chris Russo.

Salvej Schou of Entertainment Weekly says a Hollywood movie executive is angry at NFL Network for censoring at the last minute, a Rich Eisen interview with actor Bradley Cooper.

John Koblin of Deadspin speaks with some media professionals on the plagiarism issues plaguing ESPN.com and writer Lynne Hoppes.

Media Rantz looks at the impending launch of Fox Sports 1.

Les Carpenter of Yahoo! has a profile on former New Orleans Saints quarterback turned popular sports radio talk show host, Bobby Hebert.

Carl Marcucci of Radio & Television Business Report writes about CBS Sports Radio’s new morning show.

Newscast Studio looks at CBS Sports Network’s new college football studio.

Fox Soccer may have lost the English Premier League rights in the US, but Fox Sports in Australia has retained the rights to all of the EPL’s games Down Under.

The New York Post’s Kirsten Fleming talks with NBC’s Michelle Beadle.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette says NBC Sports Network has added a college hockey game to its schedule.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that there’s no change to the NFL schedules in the next few weeks.

Ken McMillan at the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says CBS Sports Network will be re-airing a host of Army-Navy football games next week.

Dave Hughes in Press Box notes that Baltimore’s CBS-owned sports radio station will drop all ESPN Radio programming in favor of CBS Sports Radio in January.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says TNT is once again comparing the Wizards to the hapless Harlem Globetrotters whipping team, the Washington Generals.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle looks at the local weekend ratings for Thanksgiving weekend.

Scott Wright at The Oklahoman says Fox Sports will air three high school championship games on its Oklahoma Plus channel.

The Detroit Free Press summarizes an ESPN The Magazine interview with controversial Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh.

Sports Media Watch notes that Fox Sports drew close to the rear in the college football ratings for Week 13.

SMW says an Iron Bowl blowout did not help the SEC on CBS’ ratings.

And SMW looks at college football TV ratings on ESPN, ABC and NBC.

Joe Lucia at Awful Announcing delves into the Fox/Dodgers deal.

Joe Favorito likes how the Green Bay Packers have embraced Movember.

Brian Clapp at Sports TV Jobs says the future is very bright for sports broadcasting.

That is going to wrap up our links for today.

Doing Some Friday Megalinks

Let’s do some Friday megalinks. Haven’t done any in a couple of weeks.

The Weekend Viewing Picks have all of your sports and entertainment TV needs.

Time for the linkage.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes the rising rights fees for the college football postseason.

Michael writes about Today show Executive Producer Jim Bell coming home to NBC Sports to oversee all Olympic broadcasts.

Chris Chase from USA Today has 60 Minutes responding to Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers’ complaints about a recent profile.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says the Outdoor and Sportsman Channels plan to merge.

Will Leitch at Sports on Earth says the Rick Reilly experiment at ESPN has not worked.

Bryan Curtis of Grantland notes that last night’s Celtics-Nets game was the first game that Brooklyn native Marv Albert got to call in the borough.

Alex Weprin of TV Newser reports that Keith Olbermann will be back on sports television next week by doing a guest stint on a league-owned network.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing feels ESPN has lost its viewers trust.

The Big Lead speculates whether Sports Illustrated’s Peter King will remain with the magazine or leave when his contract expires.

Sports Media Watch says despite a fight, ESPN’s ratings for the next-to-last Sprint Cup race of the season finished down from last year.

East and Mid-Atlantic

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe talks with CBS’ Jim Nantz who’s back on the Patriots beat this week.

Chad has five questions with Nantz.

Boston Sports Media Watch Fearless Leader Bruce Allen speculates in SB Nation on who might become the Flash Boy or Girl for WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan show.

Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette has NESN’s Jack Edwards becoming increasingly skeptical about playing hockey this season.

The New York Times’ Richard Sandomir notes that a new Broadway play will delve into the history of the Yankees.

Amy Chozick and Michael Cieply of the Times write about Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. buying a stake into the YES Network.

Newsday’s Neil Best talks about Mike Emrick calling college hockey tonight.

The New York Post’s Phil Mushnick conducts a character assassination on ESPN’s Dick Vitale.

The Post’s Justin Terranova has five questions for New York Knicks radio voice Spero Dedes.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union talks with Dottie Pepper who’s leaving NBC Sports for a position with the PGA of America.

Ken McMillen of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record has Darrelle Revis’ comments to NFL Network’s Andrea Kremer about his season-ending injury for the New York Jets.

Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com writes in Press Box that the ratings increases for the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals reflect their successes on the field.

In the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg has some thoughts on the NFL Network’s documentary on John Riggins.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with ESPN’s NASCAR voice Allen Bestwick about the last race of the season.

South

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle notes that most CBS stations across the country and even in Texas have chosen to air the Dallas Cowboys over the Texans.

David has a few viewing picks for the weekend.

Midwest

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel doesn’t agree with Aaron Rodgers’ complaints about 60 Minutes.

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch notes that the NCAA has removed one-third of the media’s courtside seats at the Final Four™.

Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes about a local sports radio host who lost his job after making remarks about African Americans.

West

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star has his Weekend Viewing Picks.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News looks at a new documentary on the UCLA-USC rivalry.

Tom wonders why it took so long for DirecTV and Time Warner Cable SportsNet to make an agreement.

Tom has stuff that didn’t make it into today’s sports column.

And that’s going to do it.

CBS Sports Radio Taps Boston Personality to Fill Overnight Show

CBS Sports Radio’s lineup is filling in quite nicely. Today, the network announced that host Damon Amendolara of CBS Radio’s 98.5 The Sports Hub will become its overnight host. Amendolara has been the nighttime host for the Sports Hub in addition to making numerous appearances on the NFL Films-produced Top 10 shows on NFL Network.

Amendolara will fill the 2 – 6 a.m. ET position. It means that CBS Radio has filled most all of the dayparts except for morning drive and early evenings.

To date, CBS has announced the lineup as follows and all times are Eastern:

6 a.m. – 9 a.m.: Open
9 a.m. – noon: John Feinstein
noon – 3 p.m.: Jim Rome
3 p.m. – 6 p.m.: Doug Gottlieb
6 p.m. – 10 p.m.: Open
10 p.m. – 2 a.m.: Scott Ferrall
2 a.m. – 6 a.m.: Damon Amendolara

Here’s the CBS Sports Radio press release.

DAMON AMENDOLARA TO HOST WEEKDAY OVERNIGHT SHOW ON CBS SPORTS RADIO

“The D.A. Show” Premieres In The New Year Boasting Major Market, Nationwide Coverage

CBS Sports Radio today announced Damon Amendolara as host of the network’s weekday overnight show. His new program, “The D.A. Show,” which will debut Wednesday, January 2, 2013, upon the launch of the network, will be heard on select stations from 2:00-6:00 AM, ET on-air, streaming online and through the Radio.com application for mobile devices.  Amendolara, known by his fans as D.A., joins the network from CBS RADIO Boston’s WBZ-FM “98.5 The Sports Hub,” where he has served as evening host since the station’s launch in August 2009. As he makes the transition to CBS Sports Radio, Amendolara promises a program which will be a mix of the latest sports news, discussions and controversy, in addition to interviews with tastemakers from the sports world and calls from night-owls across the country. He joins the previously announced schedule which includes powerhouse talent such as Jim Rome, Doug Gottlieb, John Feinstein and Scott Ferrall.

The following stations will be among those broadcasting Amendolara’s “The D.A. Show”:

KRLD-FM Dallas
KILT-AM Houston
WIP-AM Philadelphia
WJFK-FM Washington, D.C.
WCNN-AM/WFOM-AM Atlanta
WBZ-FM Boston
WXYT-FM Detroit
WJZ-FM Baltimore
WFNZ-AM Charlotte
WKRK-FM Cleveland
KFNZ-AM/KJQS-AM Salt Lake City
WSJZ-FM Orlando/Melbourne

“D.A. is an all-star in Boston, and his energy and understanding of the sports world will no doubt translate to a national platform,” said Eric Spitz, Director of Programming, CBS Sports Radio. “Damon is certainly the man to keep listeners engrossed overnight, and his work at stations across the country, covering a multitude of different sports, will be beneficial to our listeners. His success and following on our local radio station and his charitable endeavors in the community prove he will make a great addition to our already outstanding lineup at CBS Sports Radio.”

CBS Sports Radio will offer around-the-clock national sports coverage and programming, harnessing the power and resources of CBS RADIO and the award-winning CBS Sports.  High-profile personalities from CBS Sports, CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com will play a prominent role on CBS Sports Radio which will reach more than 10 million listeners when it debuts.  Original programs across multiple weekday and weekend time periods will feature expert sports commentary and interviews with major sports figures along with listener calls and fan interaction. Cumulus Media Networks serves as the exclusive syndicator and sales partner for CBS Sports Radio.

In addition to his work on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub, Amendolara is the sideline reporter for the New England Revolution on Comcast and a frequent guest and fill-in host for CSN’s Sports Tonight/Sports Sunday. Furthermore, he is an anchor on CSNNE’s Pregame Live and Postgame Live, appears on Fox-25 Boston, while contributing to NFL Films and the NFL Network’s Top 10 series, ESPN News’ Air Check and NFL Films Presents on ESPN.  Prior to The Sports Hub, Amendolara worked at WQAM in Miami and Kansas City’s 610 Sports. Amendolara began his career at 1040 WYSL in Rochester, NY and Sportsradio 770 ESPN in Ft Myers-Naples, FL. The Warwick, NY native was graduated from Syracuse University in 2001, where he served as Sports Director at WAER Radio.

That will do it.

Bringing Out Some Wednesday Sports Media Thoughts

Time for some overdue sports radio thoughts. I apologize for the inconsistency in posting. I’ve been sick since last week and its hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s no fun not having a voice and certainly not good to feel wrecked every time I awake. I hope to get better soon, but this bug continues to linger.

But you visit to to get the latest news and some occasional reviews and thoughts so let’s provide some now while I can. As usual, they come in bullet form.

• With ESPN reportedly close to wrapping up a long term contract with the BCS for the new college football playoff that begins in 2014, it’s amazing to think how much money is being paid for the contract. Sports Business Journal reports that ESPN would give the BCS $500 million annually over a 12 year span for not just two semifinal games and the championship, but for three “contract” bowls that would include the Rose, Sugar (originally the new “Champions Bowl”) and Orange Bowls.

  Not only does this keep the college football postseason in ESPN’s possession once the BCS system is done next year, but it also continues ESPN’s tight Kung-Fu grip on college football.

  Now, the other networks including CBS and Fox do have rights to BCS conferences, but they have to deal with ESPN as a partner (Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC). There isn’t much that ESPN doesn’t have its hands on and if it doesn’t want to keep rights to a league, it won’t. But until the day occurs when ESPN will let a conference slip to another network (ahem, Big East), ESPN is going to have a major say in college football for a long time to come.

• It’s really strange when WFAN’s Mike Francesa can be a Voice of Reason, but in the case of ESPN’s Rick Reilly, Mikey was dead on. After the Monday Night Football game on ESPN between Kansas City and Pittsburgh, Reilly was seen on camera instructing postgame host Stuart Scott to give him credit for allegedly breaking the news of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s shoulder injury on Twitter. However, as pointed out rather deftly by Deadspin’s Tim Burke, it had already been reported by his ESPN colleague, Adam Schefter, and as Francesa said, it was quite apparent to anyone watching ESPN that Big Ben was hurt.

  Ever since Reilly went to ESPN, he has become a small fish in a very big lake. When he was at Sports Illustrated, he was a big fish in a small pond, so he was very noticeable. In fact, when he was at SI, one could surmise that he was the star of the magazine, writing the Point After on the back page.

  But after being lured to ESPN for a lot of money, Reilly hasn’t found a signature role to stand out. His pieces on SportsCenter have been rather forgettable. ESPN has tried to employ him as an essayist at The Open Championship and major tennis events rather unsuccessfully. Do you remember his show “Homecoming” which ran for about twenty minutes? Of course you don’t.

  Whenever Reilly tries to report something, he gets mocked by blogs or even his own colleagues.

  I don’t know when Reilly’s contract with ESPN expires, it’s really not my concern, but when it does, the Powers That Be should ask for some of their money back because Reilly has been mailing it in for the past few years.

• You may not be familiar with the name of Dino Costa, but subscribers to SiriusXM are. Dino is the nighttime host on Mad Dog Radio. His Twitter feed is an interesting follow. And while I may disagree with some of his tweets, Costa is quite entertaining. And his radio show is a very good listen. If you have the opportunity to listen to him, by all means do so. Costa will tell you that he’s a good listen, but that’s fine.

  Last week, Dino called into his boss’ show, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, as the two have been feuding on-air, to tell him he (Russo) is a has-been. Mad Dog Radio’s Steve Torre tries to play peacemaker in this clip.

   

  There are two trains of thought. Either this is real and the two are at war, or it’s another stunt that Mad Dog is attempting to pull off, but I don’t think Costa would fool his listeners and play them. In any event, Costa is quite good and if you have SiriusXM, give the man a try if you haven’t already.

• CBS has created a mash-up of Queen’s iconic “We Will Rock You” with the network’s NFL theme “Posthumus Zone” and it’s pretty good. Queen’s Brian May teamed up with Helmut VonLichten to form a re-mix. It will be CBS’ theme for Super Bowl XLVII in February. I didn’t know what to think when I saw the press release on Tuesday, but after giving a listen to the mash-up, I found that I liked it. Good job, CBS.
• Saw “Skyfall” over the weekend and loved it. As a James Bond fan, I loved the dark feel to this chapter. Daniel Craig has made Bond into his own and you can see he’s more comfortable in the role. Dame Judy Dench as “M” is tremendous. Javier Bardem was great as the villain and it will be nice to see Ralph Fiennes and Naomie Harris in future Bond films. There were some nice nods to the past while bringing the movie into the 21st Century. Great direction from Sam Mendes. Can’t wait for Bond 24.

And we’re done.

Breaking Out Some Monday Linkage

The last few days, I’ve been sick which limited the number of posts between Friday and Saturday. I’m still not feeling well, but I’ll be providing linkage and posts as long I’m physically able. To the links.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch talks with NFL Network’s Melissa Stark about returning to sports television after leaving in 2008 to become a full-time mom.

Don Banks of SI looks at how NFL teams are adjusting to a full season of Thursday Night Football.

John Ourand & Michael Smith from Sports Business Journal report that ESPN is close to nabbing the college football playoff for many years to come.

John catches up with outgoing Fox Sports Media Group Vice Chairman Ed Goren who helped launch the company in 1994.

Eric Fisher at SBJ notes how MLB Advanced Media kept operating after Hurricane Sandy wiped out power in the company’s headquarters.

Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report looks at an unusual Comcast SportsNet Chicago documentary which went to Cambodia to tell a compelling story.

Kurt Badenhausen from Forbes explains how ESPN is the cash engine that drives Disney.

Joe Levine of SportsGrid tells us that Fox NFL Sunday had some technical issues during one of its halftime updates.

Brian Steinberg at Advertising Age says Century 21 will return to advertising in the Super Bowl in February.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post doesn’t understand the bubble screen.

Pete Dougherty at the Albany Times Union has NBC Sports Network’s college basketball announcing teams.

Don Laible talks with former WNBC-TV sports anchor Len Berman here and here.

Dave Zoren of the Delaware County Daily Times says Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and The Comcast Network team up for almost 70 college basketball games this season (scroll down).

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks about waking up with NFL AM.

The Charlotte Observer talks with CBS’ Jim Nantz.

Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times looks back at the weekend in sports television.

Matt Murschel of the Orlando Sentinel says a fourth sports radio station launches in the local market today.

Christine Lee of NBC Dallas says ESPN is teaming up with the Irving Chamber of Commerce to attract businesses to the local area.

David Barron from the Houston Chronicle has DirecTV’s CEO complaining about Comcast SportsNet Houston’s subscriber fees.

Mel Bracht at The Oklahoman reviews the TV productions of the Oklahoma and Oklahoma State games from Saturday.

John Vomhof, Jr. of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal says a Fox Sports North reporter is leaving for a similar position at Root Sports Pittsburgh.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post feels Dick Vitale is key to any college basketball season.

Patrick Finley of the Arizona Daily Star says the Pac-12 Conference will no longer have exposure issues now that with new TV contracts with ESPN, Fox, CBS and of course, the Pac-12 Network.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the SoCal sports calendar for this week.

Tom has the five things he learned from watching sports over the weekend.

Barry Petchesky of Deadspin notes that Minnesota Vikings QB Christan Ponder made a tongue-in-cheek comment about his girlfriend, ESPN’s Samantha Steele.

The Classic Sports TV and Media blog has a look at ABC’s Monday Night Football’s halftime highlights as narrated by the late, great Howard Cosell.

And that will do it for now.

Various Monday Links

Let’s do some linkage on this Monday.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch talks with TNT’s Charles Barkley about the next phase of his career.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes that Saturday nights are becoming a sports TV bastion.

Chris Chase at USA Today’s Game On blog has video of an NFL referee cursing which surprised CBS’ Kevin Harlan.

Liana B. Baker and Lisa Richwine of Reuters says US cable sports networks are in a scrum for ad dollars.

Kimberly Nordyke of the Hollywood Reporter writes that Time Warner SportsNet has signed Cox, but Comcast, DirecTV and Dish still remain holdouts.

Jon Lafayette of Broadcasting & Cable says Travel Channel has signed a deal with the NFL to produce a show on the Cleveland Browns traveling to road games.

E.J. Schultz of Advertising Age says despite the NHL lockout, hockey marketers are finding ways to find their target audience.

Media Life Magazine says CBS scored with Alabama-LSU in primetime on Saturday.

Chuck Ross at TV Week explains why baseball remains the greatest game despite its ratings.

Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report talks with CBS/TNT’s Marv Albert about calling games at the age of 71.

Ed wonders where Michelle Beadle will fit in NBC Sports Network’s plans.

CBS Sports reports that Dallas Mavericks announcer Mark Followill got into a bike accident over the weekend.

Radio Ink notes that former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy has joined NBC Sports Radio as an analyst.

Digital TV Europe reports that Al Jazeera’s beIN Sport in France has obtained the rights to air NBA games along with the NFL it previously signed.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe writes that NBC is going all in with soccer.

Phil Mushnick at the New York Post says Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York Road Runners should have admitted fault in attempting to run the NYC Marathon this past weekend.

Sarah Kogod of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that a Wizards beer ad featured an underaged 19 year old Bradley Beal.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner looks at the NBC deal to air English Premier League games starting in 2013.

Jodie Wagner of the Palm Beach Post talks with a local sports radio personality about working in the local market.

Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas says the Texas Rangers have announced their broadcast teams for next season.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle reports on the local sports radio ratings.

Jeff Balke of the Houston Press provides fans with ways to watch the Rockets for those who don’t have access to Comcast SportsNet Houston.

Neal Rubin at the Detroit News says a group hopes to land ESPN’s X Games for Motown.

Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Fox’s crew found a lot to praise about the Green Bay Packers.

Danny Ecker at Crain’s Chicago Business writes that the Big Ten Network continues to air the so-called non-revenue sports.

Paul M. Banks at the Chicago Sports Media Watch wonders why the Illinois Sports Facility Authority would hire a former TV reporter to run the agency.

John Vomhof, Jr. of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal provides a look at Fox Sports North’s new studios.

The Denver Post’s Dusty Saunders feels some sports broadcasters make predictions that can’t possibly come true.

Dusty says MLB is trying to spin the World Series ratings.

Tom Hoffarth at the Los Angeles Daily News writes about the last two holdouts for Time Warner SportsNet.

Tom has the SoCal sports calendar for this week.

Tom has the five things he learned over the weekend.

Sports Media Watch notes that while Alabama-LSU’s overnights were way down from last year, it still had impressive numbers for CBS.

That’s going to do it for now. Squeezed as many links as I could today.

Some Quick Thursday Links

I’ll do a few links on this Thursday. Can you believe it’s November already?

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says the NBA’s television partners are still setting their lineups as the season begins.

Hiestand reports that the Mitt Romney campaign is throwing a monkey wrench at ESPN in its attempts to get the GOP Presidential candidate to appear on the Mike & Mike radio show.

Sports Business Daily looks at some of the sports facilities in the Northeast that sustained damage due to Hurricane Sandy.

Patrick Rishe of Forbes says NBC is betting that soccer will produce eyeballs for NBC Sports Network.

Alex Ben Block of the Hollywood Reporter says Lakers fans are still shut out from seeing their team’s games on several cable and satellite providers.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News says TNT had to revise its NBA plans tonight after the Knicks-Nets game was canceled.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek talks with the polarizing Frank Caliendo about his move from Fox to ESPN.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine says the World Series on Fox may have finished with its lowest ratings ever, but it was still able to gain a victory over NBC in the important 18-49 demographic.

Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report talks with NBC/NFL Network’s Alex Flanagan about her crazy schedule during football season.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell goes over the New York City Marathon’s first live national TV coverage since the 1990′s.

Jonah Bromwich of the New York Times talks with Captain Blowhard about his new role on ESPN’s NBA Countdown.

Jerry Barmash of FishbowlNY notes that WFAN will begin its FM simulcast on Friday.

Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Goalkeeper blog talks with an NBC Sports exec about the acquisition of the English Premier League.

Dave Hughes of DCRTV writes in Press Box about Baltimore’s sports radio ratings.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says Comcast SportsNet has hired a replacement for the opening left behind by Kelli Johnson who left for CSN Houston last month.

LSUSports notes that Tiger alum Lolo Jones will be the celebrity prognosticator on College GameDay this Saturday.

Mike Graham at the Dallas Morning News discusses Texas Tech’s new media rights deal with Fox Sports.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle notes that the big cable and satellite providers have not made a deal with Comcast SportsNet for the Rockets games.

David said the Rockets’ season opener scored lower ratings as compared to last year.

The Oklahoman’s Mel Bracht talks with women’s basketball legend Nancy Lieberman about her new role as studio analyst for Thunder games.

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch notes a former Indianapolis Colts cheerleader becoming a popular Windy City TV personality.

Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune says a Real Salt Lake MLS playoff game next week may not be on live TV.

Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times says the Lakers updated their fans on the carriage dispute between several providers and Time Warner SportsNet.

Joe Flint of the Times says uncertainty about the Los Angeles Dodgers’ TV rights is influencing the reluctance of cable and satellite providers in regards to picking up the Time Warner regional sports network.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has the five things he learned over the last week.

Sports Media Watch says Hurricane Sandy may have affected the ratings for the Celtics-Heat NBA season opener on TNT.

Steve Lepore at SB Nation’s Puck The Media says English Premier League games on NBC Sports Group should compliment the NHL, not compete with it, whenever it returns from its dreaded lockout.

Dave Kohl at The Broadcast Booth looks at some various sports radio news from across the country.

The Big Lead notes that ABC is considering to option a sitcom based on ESPN’s Sage Steele.

And that will do it.

Bringing Back The Friday Megalinks

It’s been too long since I’ve done a links post and why not do this with a Friday megalink post.

Your Weekend Viewing Picks have all of my sports and entertainment suggestions.

Now to your linkage.

National

Michael Hiestand of USA Today talks with Fox’s Erin Andrews about her being put under a bigger microscope now that she has higher profile gigs.

John Ourand & Michael Botta from Sports Business Daily handicap the bidding for the US rights to the English Premier League.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News writes that the EPL bidding is going to a second round.

At Sports on Earth, Will Leitch makes no bones about being a Joe Buck apologist.

Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo’s Puck Daddy looks at the ratings for three KHL airings on ESPN2.

To The Godfather, Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina who notes that in Hot Clicks, ESPN’s Samantha Steele is taken. Sorry, fanboys.

Jim Romenesko notices that ESPN.com is trying to play eye doctor.

Jane McManus of espnW looks at MLB’s new dress policy for reporters.

Sports Rantz explores the revamping of the 6 p.m. ET SportsCenter that could lead to more appearances for Lindsay Czarniak.

Ed Sherman at The Sherman Report talks with CBS’ Doug Gottlieb about his first job in broadcasting.

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Ronnie Ramos says reporters should throw objectivity out the window when it comes to social media.

Ken Kerschbaumer of Sports Video Group says YES Network is finding a TV-friendly environment at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

David Goetzl of MediaPost says ESPN is trying to expand the SportsCenter brand beyond television.,

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid has today’s New York Post cover involving the Yankees.

Kristi Dosh as ESPN.com says GoDaddy’s hiring of a new ad agency could lead to the dropping of spokesperson Danica Patrick.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell says it’s good that the Chicago White Sox listened to their fans and dropped ticket prices for next season.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing has the worst sports tweets of 2012 to date.

Leah Goldman of the Business Insider’s Sports Page has what you need to know about ESPN’s Samantha Steele.

Joe Favorito looks at the Battle for the Big Apple, NBA style.

Dave Kohl of The Broadcast Booth takes a look at Joe Buck’s rare NFL/MLB doubleheader on Sunday.

Bob’s Blitz talks about CBS Sports Radio giving writer John Feinstein a daily show when the network launches in 2013.

East and Mid-Atlantic

The Lewiston (ME) Sun Journal and Maine Hockey Journal have formed a partnership on local sports coverage.

At the Boston Globe, Chad Finn reviews Comcast SportNet New England’s NFL Pregame Live show.

Bill Doyle of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette talks with a former WEEI morning show personality.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times says Time Inc. has tapped a Sports Illustrated web editor to head its entire sports portfolio.

In the New York Post, Phil Mushnick wants everyone to be like him.

Jerry Barmash at Fishbowl NY notes that the Yankees and Giants top the local TV ratings.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union compares and contrasts Fox and TBS in the MLB Postseason.

Keith Groller of the Allentown (PA) Morning Call notes that a local sports talk show host is no longer employed at his radio station.

In Press Box, Dave Hughes of DCRTV.com has Baltimore Ravens voice and local sports anchor Gerry Sandusky explaining why he won’t change his name.

Also in Press Box, Dave says the Washington Nationals are seeking a bigger rights fee from MASN.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says the City Paper will not mention the DC NFL team by its regular name.

Dan says Fox was filming a spot regarding DC NFL team QB Robert Griffin III this week.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner says the Nationals’ brand is seeing more attention after its regular season success.

South

Rick Stroud at the Tampa Bay Times says Sunday’s game involving the Saints and Bucs did sell out in time.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle has some college football announcer pairings and a few local news and notes.

In his media notebook, Mel Bracht at The Oklahoman looks at Bill Simmons making the dangerous move to television.

Midwest

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says Time Warner Cable picks up three local high school football games this weekend.

Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has ESPN college basketball analyst Dan Dakich handicapping the Big Ten.

Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune says the Cubs, WGN and Comcast SportsNet will quickly decide on a replacement for Bob Brenly who left and took his talents to the Southwest.

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch wonders why the Sun-Times would hire Playboy Playmate Jenny McCarthy to be a columnist.

Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that the local Fox TV station had to juggle severe warning alerts while airing the Cardinals in the NLCS.

West

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says the Diamondbacks have named their new TV broadcasting team.

John Maffei of the North County Times writes on a former San Diego Charger who’s deciding whether he wants to play in the CFL or pursue broadcasting full-time.

Jim Carlisle of the Ventura County Star explores the cast changes to ESPN’s NBA Countdown pregame show.

In his media notebook, Jim says the Pac-12 Network can be found online for subscribers of participating cable and satellite providers.

Jim has his Weekend Viewing Picks.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News is fed up of cable carriage disputes.

Tom has some stuff that didn’t make it into his column.

Canada

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail talks with former NHL coach and TV analyst Mike Keenan on how to survive the lockout.

The Toronto Sports Media Blog has some of the local sports radio ratings.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog says MLB got a rare ratings win over the CFL last Friday.

And that will conclude the megalinks. Enjoy the sports weekend.

Some Quick Wednesday Linkage

Let’s do some links now.

Austin Karp at Sports Business Daily says the MLB TV partners saw record low ratings this season.

Sports lllustrated’s Richard Deitsch reviews ESPN2′s first foray into pro hockey since losing the NHL in 2005.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today notes that Bob Costas is back calling postseason baseball for the first time since 2000.

Chris Strauss at USA Today says Monday Night Football on ESPN easily beat the MLB League Division Series on TBS.

Gary Mihoces of USA Today writes that former NFL’er, Monday Night Football analyst and actor Alex Karras has died.

Len Pasquarelli writing for SI.com has this remembrance of Karras.

At Yahoo’s Puck Daddy, Greg Wyshynski recaps ESPN2′s telecast of Tuesday’s KHL game.

The Sherman Report’s Ed Sherman talks with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit about a resurgent Notre Dame program.

Ed says it appears that White Sox TV analyst Steve Stone won’t be splitting up with Ken Harrelson.

Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable notes that Andrea Kremer is joining NFL Network.

Diego Vasquez of Media Life Magazine looks at Philadelphia where there are a lot of radio and TV deals and where sports radio remains hot.

Glenn Davis of SportsGrid has video of an awkward CNBC interview of New York Jets owner Woody Johnson in regards to …. Tim Tebow.

Michael Bradley from the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says the media has to appeal to fans to show compassion in the wake of Kansas City fans cheering the injury to Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel.

Ryan Hannable at Boston Sports Media Watch talks with NESN’s Jenny Dell about her first season as the regional sports network’s Red Sox on-field reporter.

Anthony Sulla-Heffinger, George King III and Mark Hale at the New York Post note that the Jets beat the Yankees head-to-head in the local ratings on Monday night.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times discusses WFAN’s move to the FM dial.

Ken McMillan from the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record also talks about WFAN going to FM.

Ken Schott at the Schenectady Gazette says a local sports radio station will air selected AHL games.

Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post says Nationals fans are angry about the early start time for today’s NLDS Game 3 against the Cardinals and the fact that it’s on MLB Network.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle gets Milo Hamilton’s reaction to the Astros letting go of its radio team.

David has some local and national ratings.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman has the ratings of various events over the weekend.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that Hall of Fame Reds voice Marty Brennaman will be throwing out the first pitch before today’s NLDS game against San Francisco.

Charles E. Ramirez, Ted Kulfan and Lynn Henning at the Detroit News remember long-time Red Wings public address announcer Budd Lynch who passed away this week.

Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune has new Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco talking about the league’s TV rights and possibly creating its own in-house network.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News notices the omissions for the Ford C. Frick Award for the Baseball Hall of Fame Broadcasters Wing.

Tom talks with Jennifer Allen, the daughter of the late Los Angeles Rams coach George Allen, who narrates tonight’s NFL Network “Fearsome Foursome: A Football Life” documenary.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says losing Hockey Night in Canada would create huge holes for CBC in more ways than one.

Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star says CBC is looking to fill NHL lockout holes with classic games as voted by viewers.

The Canadian Sports Media Blog says CBC is hurt the most as the NHL lockout goes further into the regular season.

The Classic Sports TV and Media site gives us a fascinating look at how ABC filled college football and MLB Postseason conflicts with its #1 announcer for both packages, Keith Jackson.

Joe Favorito has some suggestions on how MLB teams could make money during rain delays.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing looks at the Boston Globe’s crusty curmudgeon Dan Shaughnessy blaming the internet for just about everything wrong in the world.

Sports Media Watch notes that taped delayed English Premier League action on Fox beat a live MLS game on NBC.

And that’s going to do it.

CBS Radio Purchases New York FM Station, Plans To Put WFAN on Signal

This news has broken over the last hour. CBS Radio has announced that it has purchased the 101.9 FM frequency in New York, currently a rock station operated by Merlin Media. CBS plans to put its venerable sports radio station, WFAN on the FM dial, maintaining an AM/FM simulcast for the time being. WFAN has been broadcasting on 660 AM in New York and it can be heard up and down the East Coast from Maine to Florida at night and into Massachusetts down to Pennsylvania during the day.

Mike Francesa made the announcement to WFAN listeners and YES viewers at the opening of his show. So WFAN will be heard on 660 AM and 101.9 FM starting sometime in November.

I do expect the Yankees to be heard on FM as the team has been yearning to be on the FM side for quite some time. Will the 660 AM frequency flip to another format? I expect it will, but to keep listeners happy, the simulcast will most likely stay into 2013 before CBS decides to flip it or even sell the station. We shall see.

Here’s the press release from CBS Radio.

CBS RADIO To Acquire New York Radio Station 101.9 FM

WFAN-AM, The Nation’s Most-Listened-To Sports Radio Station, To Be Simulcast On FM
New Station Will Change Its Call Letters To WFAN-FM

CBS RADIO, a division of CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS), today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase 101.9 FM from Merlin Media for $75 million. In late fall, CBS RADIO will begin its operation of the station under a Local Marketing Agreement, launching a simulcast of the company’s premier sports franchise, Sports Radio 66 WFAN.

This move will immediately broaden the audience and reach of WFAN’s award-winning programming, which will continue to be broadcast on-air at 660 AM, online at www.wfan.com, and via the Radio.com app for a variety of mobile devices.

“This is an extremely exciting opportunity to expand our radio presence in the nation’s largest market,” said Dan Mason, President and CEO, CBS RADIO. “Sports is a very popular format and a huge growth category for our business. As a result of this new asset, we look forward to The FAN building on its position as the leading sports radio franchise in the country.”

WFAN pioneered the all-sports format when it launched on July 1, 1987, becoming the first radio station where listeners could hear and talk about sports 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It has been the most-listened-to station of its kind since it signed on the air.  WFAN is home to leading personalities Mike Francesa, Boomer Esiason, Craig Carton, Joe Benigno, Evan Roberts and Steve Somers, and is the flagship station for the New York Giants, New York Mets, Brooklyn Nets and New Jersey Devils.

Additionally, WFAN is the recipient of four prestigious Marconi Awards from the National Association of Broadcasters, including most recently Mike Francesa being honored as Major Market Personality of the Year (2012).

The transaction is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory and other approval.

The WFAN move to FM is part of CBS Radio’s nationwide initiative to have sports radio on FM. It put WIP-AM in Philadelphia on 92.3 FM and this follows moves in markets such as Boston and others.

Bringing Out Some Wednesday Links For You

Time for some linkage in this mid-week and last day of the 2012 MLB regular season. Lots of things to get to.

USA Today’s Michael Hiestand analyzes the new MLB TV deals with Fox and Turner.

Nate Davis of USA Today’s Game On blog previews tonight’s NFL Network “A Football Life” documentary.

John Ourand and David Broughton of Sports Business Journal report on this season’s local MLB TV ratings.

Eriq Gardner of the Hollywood Reporter has a Fox Sports executive being very bullish on soccer.

Alex Ben Block of the Reporter goes over the MLB contracts with Fox and Turner.

John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable writes that the American Cable Association, which hates everything, is railing against the MLB TV deals.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News also delves into the new MLB deals.

Mike says Monday night’s Chicago Bears-Dallas Cowboys game garnered cable’s third biggest audience of the year.

Kristian Dyer at Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner blog notes that Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones has apologized for an unintentional insensitive tweet responding to the paralyzed Eric LeGrand.

Spiracle Media through Storify harnessed some tweets from athletes who watched the extremely fascinating 30 for 30 documentary, “Broke” on ESPN.

Ed Sherman from The Sherman Report anticipates Fox’s next move to create an all-sports cable channel.

Ken Kerschbaumer of Sports Video Group looks at PGA.com’s video coverage of the Ryder Cup.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell explores the NFL financial advisory program in hopes of preventing athletes from going broke.

NFL referee Ed Hochuli is on the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe explores the latest Arbitron ratings for the city’s sports radio stations.

Richard Sandomir of the New York Times looks at the new MLB TV deals.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union has the Week 6 college football TV schedule.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog notes that ESPN’s and former DC sports reporter Lindsay Czarniak celebrated the Nationals on SportsCenter.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner writes about the new MLB TV deals.

Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman says last Saturday’s Texas-Oklahoma State game registered huge local ratings.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mark Dawidziak tells us that former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel will be joining a local TV station as a weekly contributor. Thanks to The Big Lead for the link.

Bob Wolfley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says a local sports anchor will not face charges stemming from a domestic violence case.

Howie Magner of Milwaukee Magazine profiles Trenni Kusnierek, now of Comcast SportsNet New England, on her battle with depression.

Robert Feder of TimeOut Chicago writes that the Bulls have renewed their Spanish radio rights (scroll down).

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch has a full story on the Bulls’ renewal.

Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News says the new TV deals with Fox and Turner gives MLB plenty of stability into the next decade.

James Mirtle of the Toronto Globe and Mail notes that CBC’s Don Cherry is blasting the Maple Leafs for their treatment of one of their players.

Bruce Dowbiggin from the Globe and Mail notes that the MLB Postseason will have teams from both small and big markets.

Cork Gaines at the Business Insider Sports Page has some memorable quotes from last night’s 30 for 30 “Broke” documentary.

John Daly at the Daly Planet explores the possibilities for the much discussed, but unconfirmed Fox Sports 1.

Joe Favorito says College Radio Day is a very good thing for aspiring broadcasters.

The legend of Australian hurdler Michelle Jenneke is growing thanks to a new animated gif showing her warming up in the rain. This has nothing to do with sports media. Just me linking to Michelle Jenneke.

And that is all.

Quick Tuesday Linkage

Let’s do a few links on this Tuesday.

Edmund Lee of Bloomberg analyzes the new MLB TV deals with Fox and Turner.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today says with some playoff spots decided, ESPN has dropped plans for a duel MLB doubleheaders on Wednesday.

Jacqueline Palank of the Wall Street Journal reviews ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary, “Broke” which premieres tonight.

Nat Ives from Advertising Age writes that one unexpected beneficiary of the NFL referees lockout was Buffalo Wild Wings.

At Forbes, the great Maury Brown writes about Time Warner Cable launching not one, but two regional sports networks in Southern California.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life Magazine says NBC’s Sunday Night Football is expected to dominate the night, but media buyers say ABC’s lineup is a good alternative.

Ed Sherman of The Sherman Report looks at tonight’s 30 for 30 premiere.

Jordan Rabinowitz of SportsGrid has a sneak peek of tonight’s 30 for 30 doc.

Mike Reynolds from Multichannel News says two regional sports networks made their debuts Monday with lots of fanfare, but a low viewership.

Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable notes that NBC Sports Network has signed its second NCAA Division I Conference to air its basketball games.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell wonders what’s keeping Mark Sanchez from losing his job as New York Jets starting quarterback.

Tim Burke at Deadspin has video of an ESPN raw feed of a motorsports event that really has to be seen to be believed.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union notes that ESPN will focus on the American League East in its final day of MLB regular season coverage.

Ken McMillan of the Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record says Army makes a couple of appearances on CBS Sports Network’s college hockey coverage.

Kevin Cooney of the Bucks County (PA) Courier Times notes a milestone for Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia.

Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes about CBS Sports Network making a new hire.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post’s DC Sports Bog says MASN and a local radio station are bolstering their baseball coverage for the postseason.

Dan notes that ESPN The Magazine devoting an entire issue to DC sports.

The Tampa Bay Business Journal says two central Florida radio stations have switched to NBC Sports Radio.

The Orlando Sentinel looks at one sports radio station flipping to NBC Sports Radio from ESPN Radio.

Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that Georgia football coach Mark Richt makes an appearance in a College GameDay promo.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer says Fox Sports Ohio will air Xavier basketball games this season.

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch recaps yesterday’s Bulls Media Day.

The Kansas City Star explains why it doesn’t put the DC NFL team’s name in its copy.

Joe Flint from the Los Angeles Times says MLB hit a home run by more than doubling its rights fees from Fox and Turner.

James Mirtle of the Toronto Globe and Mail talks about ESPN getting the rights to the Russian KHL featuring locked out NHL players.

Matt Yoder from Awful Announcing notes former New York Knicks GM Isiah Thomas could be coming to ESPN.

Sports Media Watch says Bears-Cowboys gave ESPN some big overnight numbers for Monday Night Football.

That’s going to do it for today.

Bobby Valentine Tells Talk Show Host “I Would Punch You Right in the Mouth”

In his weekly spot on WEEI in Boston, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine had a rather contentious interview with Big Show co-hosts Glenn Ordway and Michael Holley. Valentine got worked up about one particular issue, about the reporting that he had arrived “late” for a game in Oakland in which the manager contends he was picking up his son at Oakland Airport and was stuck in traffic.

Ordway asked Valentine if he had “checked out” as manager to which Bobby replied, “What an embarrassing thing to say. Ya know, if I was there I would punch you right in the mouth.”

We have the interview courtesy of WEEI. The whole sequence lasts about twenty minutes. The fireworks begin at about the 2:52 mark.

Certainly made the afternoon more exciting today.

Some Wednesday Links

Can you believe it’s Wednesday already? Holiday on Monday makes the work week go faster.

To the linkage which has been too scarce on the site.

Michael Hiestand of USA Today looks at some of the changes on the NFL’s TV partners this season.

John Ourand of Sports Business Journal talks about the fierce bidding between Fox and Turner for the MLB TV contract.

Mike Ozanian of Forbes has a video interview with MLB Advanced Media’s Bob Bowman about the company’s video technology which is being used all over the internet.

Tim Baysinger of Broadcasting & Cable says CBS Sports is adding an on-air medical consultant to its NFL coverage this season.

Mike Reynolds at Multichannel News says CBS/CBS Sports Network’s coverage of the US Open this past Labor Day Weekend was on the mark.

Anthony Crupi of Adweek tells us that General Motors is all over the NFL season opening game.

Natalie Zmuda from Advertising Age discusses what Pepsi is doing to maximize its branding in a new 10 year contract with the National Football League.

Michael Bradley at the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center says when it comes to the NFL on TV, it’s all about the money.

Ed Sherman at the Sherman Report looks at what’s new on NBC’s Sunday Night Football coverage this season.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell looks at the best of Aramark’s NFL stadium food for this season.

The great people at Awful Announcing have started an offshoot site called Awful Advertisements.

Speaking about Awful Announcing, Brad Gagnon talks about former New York Giant Shaun O’Hara joining NFL Network.

At the New York Times, Richard Sandomir notes that SNY analyst Keith Hernandez’s famous mustache is now turning grey and could actually be shaved off!

Newsday’s Neil Best looks at the new Monday Night Football booth for this season.

Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that a former New York Giants offensive lineman will be joining NFL Network as an analyst.

Pete says local listeners to last Saturday’s Northwestern-Syracuse game were suddenly left in limbo late in the 4th quarter.

Ken Schott from the Schenectady Gazette has your Week 2 college football schedule on TV.

Keith Groller at the Allentown (PA) Morning Call says the NFL is back on TV.

Sheil Kapadia of Philadelphia Magazine reports that former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is headed to television.

Dave Hughes from DCRTV.com writes in Press Box that legendary Voice of the University of Maryland sports, Johnny Holliday will be honored in November.

Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner talks with NBC’s Al Michaels who’s in his 25th year of calling the National Football League’s premier primetime game.

Adam H. Beasley at the Miami Herald recaps the season finale of HBO’s Hard Knocks.

Steve Svekis of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes that Hard Knocks showed all of the Miami Dolphins’ warts.

Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Tribune likes that the NFL on Fox’s Michael Strahan is joining Kelly Ripa on “Live”.

David Barron of the Houston Chronicle has CBS’ Jim Nantz and Phil Simms being bullish on the Texans’ chances this season.

Mel Bracht of the Daily Oklahoman notes that last Saturday’s OU-UTEP game was the lowest rated Sooners game in five years.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that NBC Sports Radio launched around the country last night, but not in the Queen City.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Bob Wolfley looks at Dwayne Wade’s new autobiography.

Paul M. Banks at Chicago Sports Media Watch notes that Notre Dame football radio analyst Allen Pinkett has been suspended for comments he made about recruiting criminals for the program.

Dusty Saunders of the Denver Post profiles a long-time local sports radio host.

Scott D. Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune tells us what we already know, that the NFL is the king of sports television.

Bruce Dowbiggin of the Toronto Globe and Mail says the NHL’s Canadian TV partners have been notoriously silent about the impending lockout.

Sports Media Watch says ESPN has added a former referee to the Monday Night Football lineup.

Dave Kohl of the Broadcast Booth says Fox Sports almost lost its college football opener when its MLB games went long.

That’s going to do it for now.