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Francesa and CBS At Odds

Jason Barrett

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Mike Francesa first went public about his frayed relationship with CBS Radio seven months ago. On Wednesday, he made it clear that time has not healed any of the wounds.

The WFAN host called his relationship with executives at CBS Radio, which owns WFAN, “very poor,” “awful” and “terrible” and said it has “never been worse.”

Speaking during a break in his show at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan, Francesa said that for legal reasons he cannot go into detail about the nature of the dispute.

But he acknowledged one source of tension is his ongoing frustration over his often pre-empted simulcast on Fox Sports 1 and 2, and CBS’ inability or unwillingness to find a contractual solution.

“We have a difference of opinion on a number of issues now, and Fox is one of them, yes,” he said. “But I’ve been asked not to discuss it in any detail and I’m going to abide by what I was asked not to do.”

In September, he said on the air that he had received a letter from CBS threatening to sue if he continued complaining about the simulcast. CBS said there had been no discussion of a lawsuit, causing him to fire back and insist there had been.

Francesa continues to produce strong ratings and is under contract for another three years, but he appears to be in an unhappy business marriage.

“My relationship with the people who I deal with is awful right now; it’s terrible,” he said. “We don’t agree on philosophy. Nothing’s changed. It’s what it is. I do my show. They didn’t have any interest in fixing what I wanted fixed.”

The simulcast situation has been helped somewhat by the improved distribution and channel position of FS2. But pre-emptions continue, usually for international soccer games that draw good ratings.

“If there’s anyone who can see the show who couldn’t see it in the past, that’s a positive,” he said, “but Fox and I are not going to agree, and CBS and Fox and I are not going to agree on this. I’ve come to that conclusion.”

Francesa did not name the executives with whom he is at odds, but he excluded CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves, who was a target of harsh criticism from him after Moonves fired Don Imus in 2007.

What does Moonves make of Francesa’s status with CBS in 2015?

“We love Mike,” he said. “He’s done a great job . . . Let him keep doing what he’s doing and getting the ratings he’s doing and I’m very happy with him.”

Moonves said he is no stranger to criticism from employees, including Howard Stern and David Letterman. “What makes these the interesting personalities that they are is it’s important to take shots at ‘The Man,’ ” he said. “It just sort of goes with the territory.

“Howard Stern went on the David Letterman show when they were both working for me wearing a picture of me and my wife and underneath it said, ‘I hate Les Moonves’ on his T-shirt. It doesn’t get much worse than that.”

Francesa said he always will be indebted to Moonves, whom he called a “genius in this business.” He credited Moonves for meeting with him for three hours to discuss the Imus firing and for “doing things for me on my contract two times ago [in 2008] that no one had ever done for me in my life.”

He added, “This has nothing to do with Les Moonves. As far as with the guys I deal with [regularly], my relationship has never been worse.”

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Steak Shapiro: Stuart Scott Was the Definition of a Talent

“He had the it factor.”

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Photo of Stuart Scott

As news broke this weekend of an upcoming 30 for 30 documentary on former SportsCenter anchor Stuart Scott, many have been reminded about just how talented and revolutionary Scott was. Steak Shapiro and Sandra Golden hit on that topic today during The Steakhouse on 92.9 The Game in Atlanta.

When Stuart Scott arrived on set, I’m telling you it was a gamechanger of all gamechangers,” said Golden. The show then played audio clips from a tribute SportsCenter ran on Scott the night of his passing featuring his unmatched delivery and his signature catch phrases such as “cool as the other side of the pillow.”

As the clips ended, Shapiro said, “That little montage, that is the definition of smooth. That is the definition of a broadcaster, a talent. Not just his writing, but his cadence…just listen to how smooth he is.”

Golden noted that much of what Scott did was unscripted and how she noticed the anchors who were paired with Scott looking at him with anticipation as they wondered what he would come up with next.

“He had the it factor,” Shapiro said. “…I’d put Patrick’s cadence up there with anybody, Olbermann’s flamboyance and Stuart Scott’s smoothness, if I’m thinking about sports anchors.”

Scott passed away at the age of 49 in January 2015 following a battle with cancer.

The 30 for 30 film will explore his rise up the ranks at ESPN, his influence on media and culture, the pain of a divorce and his fight with cancer that ultimately took his life. Scott’s daughters Taelor and Syndi will also lend their voices to the tribute to their father.

A release date has not yet been announced.

“I’m really looking forward to this because I think we’re going to learn so much…and he was the most beloved at [ESPN] and treated everyone with respect and dignity.”

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Mike Francesa: John Sterling Became “The Soundtrack of New York City”

“He’s like a character with a great booming voice. And he created his own style. Critics may have hated it, but you know what, the fans ate it up with both hands.”

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Photos of Mike Francesa, Chris Russo and John Sterling
Courtesy: SiriusXM/MSN.com

John Sterling, the legendary radio voice of the New York Yankees announced his retirement yesterday. Sterling spent nearly 65 years behind a microphone and called Yankees games for 36 years. Former WFAN hosts Mike Francesa and Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo got together on Russo’s High Heat show on MLB Network to talk about Sterling.

“I thought of you after I heard the news about John,” Francesa said. “First, let me wish John well publicly for his wonderful career and I hope he enjoys his golden years and has a nice time. I’m telling you, Dog, you should take a bow for this…the guy who really got those home run calls started was you. You were the one who started wearing out the Sterling calls and then he started doing these home run calls, and I remember you playing them one after another after another.”

As they talked more about their relationship with the legendary voice throughout the years, Francesa added, “Sterling’s a character…he likes Broadway, he likes theater, he likes bouncing around New York city, he likes piano bars. He’s like a character with a great booming voice. And he created his own style. Critics may have hated it, but you know what, the fans ate it up with both hands.”

Francesa and Russo hit the airwaves as Mike and The Mad Dog in September 1989, shortly after Sterling had taken over as the radio voice of the Yankees. Prior to that, he had worked for Turner Sports covering the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks. He had also called hockey and football.

Francesa said, about radio play-by-play broadcasters, in general is “the guy who is the soundtrack of a baseball team and he is the one fans remember, the one that the city remembers. In October the TV guys go away, network guys take over. They never have the great call; they never have the dramatic playoff call or World Series call. They don’t work those games, the radio guys work those games.

“And Sterling worked every one of those great Yankee wins and great Yankee World Series wins and all the dynasty years of the 90s and became the soundtrack of New York City.”

Sterling certainly had his own style and Francesa said, “Sterling described it differently; he had his own way of doing it. He left out a lot of the regular technical stuff…but he was very theatrical, he was very dramatic, and he was great at the big moment. He created a lot of stuff that the fans just absolutely ate up…I always got a kick out of him. He is a very unique personality…he is very entertaining.”

Russo said, “He has two things that are very important. He’s got a great voice and a great laugh…when he allows his partner to say something he contributes with a wonderful, big booming laugh, I think that goes a long way, too.”

“…He was blessed with a voice that he could take anywhere, to any octave and it never broke, and that’s the great voice. A voice like Nantz has, like Sterling has … that big, booming silky voice and he had one of those great voices. He used that as an instrument, he played it like it was an instrument. He knew he had that voice, and he played that voice all the time.”

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Greg Sharpe, Voice of Nebraska Football, Announces Cancer Diagnosis

“We are strong behind Greg Sharpe as he fights the toughest fight. The power of our Husker Nation is here to support him.”

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Graphic of Nebraska football with a picture of announcer Greg Sharpe
Courtesy: KLKNTV.com

Greg Sharpe, who has been the radio play-by-play voice of Nebraska Cornhuskers football since 2008 and also calls baseball games, announced he has been diagnosed with cancer. Sharpe revealed the news during Sports Nightly, a weeknight show he hosts with Jessica Coody.

“Tonight, my least favorite topic, it’s me and I don’t like to make much about myself,” he said. “…Sometimes when you have news and you don’t confront it, a lot of rumors and innuendos get thrown out there…so bottom line is, I have been diagnosed with cancer. I found out about a week or two ago. And so, we are getting close to the point where treatment will be necessary and so it’s going to disrupt my work here on Sports Nightly and probably some baseball broadcasts…I’ve got a great team of doctors that are putting together the plan…I have kind of had symptoms for a couple of months, it’s in the pancreatic region of the body…I didn’t want, night after night if I miss three, four straight [shows] for Jessica to have to answer questions…I didn’t want to go down that path.”

Sharpe talked about his wife being the leader of his support system and that his bosses have told him to do whatever he needs to do and miss games or shows when he needs to.

“I don’t like not completing my assignments…not doing my part of the job, so when I have to miss a show, miss a game, I feel like I’m not doing my work,” Sharpe said. “But I’ve been properly slapped on the wrist by co-workers…and family members saying, ‘Greg you have got to let us carry this for a while.’ That’s what it is. I’m not ready to walk away yet but I’m certainly going to have some disruption in my life in the coming months and just wanted to share that with all of you.”

Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen sent out a message of support for Sharpe, saying, “We are strong behind Greg Sharpe as he fights the toughest fight. The power of our Husker Nation is here to support him.”

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