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Under The Radar – February 21, 2018

Jason Barrett

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Here are the latest developments in sports radio that you may have missed. To be included in a future UTR column please pass along your information via email to [email protected]. Now on to the news.

One of the worst kept secrets in San Diego is starting to become public knowledge. The San Diego Padres have confirmed they’ll be moving from ALT 94.9 FM to ENERGY 97.3 FM, fueling speculation of a forthcoming format flip. The 97.3 air staff were taken off the air on February 15th according to All Access, and it’s expected that the new format will include sports talk as former Mighty 1090 host Dan Sileo has been hired to host a drive time show on the station. Sileo confirmed via social media that he’s signed on with Entercom and has been going thru preparations for the launch. No word yet on the launch date, remaining lineup plans or if the station will go all-sports or feature a mixture of sports/talk. Stay tuned.

Cumulus‘ financial troubles in Chicago opened the door for the Bulls to move to 670 The Score and the White Sox to WGN AM 720. As a result of those changes, Dave Zaslowsky has left WLS for a new Executive Producer opportunity with WGN. Zaslowsky’s primary focus will be overseeing White Sox broadcasts and the White Sox radio network.

Over the weekend, Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy released a video stating that Michael Rapapport had been fired by the company for trashing the brand’s supporters and employees. Many speculated on social media that the situation screamed of a work between Portnoy and Rappaport, but ‘El Presidente’ told TMZ that it was indeed a very real issue. Barstool then turned the controversy into a sales opportunity, creating a new t-shirt poking fun at Rappaport. Once sales for the new shirt began to take off, Rappaport had his lawyers send a cease and desist letter to Barstool to have the item removed. The shirt is still available on the company’s website.

It’s foolish to put a ton of stock in a monthly ratings report because things can change quickly, however since there is a ton of curiosity in sports radio circles about WFAN and their new afternoon show, Neil Best at Newsday wrote a piece which includes a look at the January numbers in the big apple. To read it click here.

Following the dismissal of Patrick “PCon” Connor from KNBR for his commentary on Barstool Radio, the San Francisco sports station has elevated Adam Copeland. Copeland is now hosting “The Leadoff Spot” weekday mornings from 5a-6a PT.

Things are trending upward for 680 The Fan host Steak Shapiro. In addition to recently moving to morning drive, Shapiro’s company “Atlanta Eats” has had its weekday television show ‘Atlanta Eats: Daily Special’ expanded from thirty minutes per day to a full hour. The show airs Monday through Friday on Peachtree TV from 9a-10a ET. The company also airs weekend programs on Saturday nights at 7p ET and Sunday mornings at 10:30am. For more information click here.

Also in Atlanta, The Sports X 1230AM and 106.3 FM has added another local weekday program. Jerry “Tug” Cowart and former University of Georgia QB Hutson Mason are teaming up to host weekdays from noon to 3pm ET. The show is expected to debut in March.

Dave Shore received some positive news recently. The ESPN Radio contributor and former PD has partnered with BAM Testing to provide a media training and branding seminar to athletes at the Sports Science Expo in Dallas, Las Vegas and the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. Other cities could be added at a later date. For more information click here.

Congratulations to 93.7 The Fan morning man Colin Dunlap, who was recently inked to a new 3-year deal according to company sources. The Fan’s morning show has been a consistent performer among Men 25-54 in the Pittsburgh market.

The University of Miami has reached an agreement with 790 The Ticket in Miami to air Miami Hurricanes Baseball and ancillary baseball programming on the radio station. As part of the partnership, The Ticket will broadcast at least 15 regular season games, all postseason baseball and various Canes baseball-focused programs throughout the season.

After spending over six years as a fill-in and weekend host at 102.9/750 The Game, Curtis Long has moved across town as a fill-in host on both the radio and TV side for NBC Sports Northwest/Rip CIty Radio 620 in Portland. The move is a natural fit for “The Principal,” who also works for the Trail Blazers Radio Network and has filled in as the team’s Public Address Announcer in recent years.

With Justin Kinner now installed in afternoon drive on ESPN 1410 WING-AM in Dayton, Ohio the radio station has given him a partner. It was confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Mark Schlemmer has been added to the ride home.

Last week, 101 ESPN morning host Bernie Miklasz joined The Athletic. This week Miklasz has announced he’s launched a new podcast “Seeing Red” with sports writer, author and Deadspin‘s founding editor Will Leitch. To hear the pilot episode click here.

Congratulations to Mike Remy who has signed on as Sports Sales Manager at Entercom Sacramento. Remy has a history in the sports format, spending 15 years as the program director of Sports Radio 1140 KHTK.

ESPN SportsCenter anchor Max Bretos has been named the lead broadcaster of the Los Angeles Football Club. The play by play opportunity won’t impact his ESPN duties.

Also at ESPN, Senior Researcher Paul Carr is leaving the network after 10 years. Carr has landed an opportunity with TruMedia Networks, an engineering firm with a focus on sports analytics.

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Jason Puckett Launches PuckSports.com

“I am super motivated right now and I can’t wait. I have probably been busier now than I’ve ever been in the last 48 hours.”

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Logo for PuckSports.com

Jason Puckett, who decided to walk away from a contract offer from iHeartMedia’s KJR in Seattle after finding out his partner Jim Moore had been laid off, has launched a new venture – PuckSports.com. ‘Puck’ has a baseball opening day show posted on the Puck Sports YouTube page and also posted an introductory message about his new venture and what led to creating it.

“I wanted to talk to you guys, the listeners out there, the viewers out there, sorry for all of this,” an emotional Puckett said. “Sorry for what has happened and what has taken place. Thank you for all of the comments and the well-wishes and what you have said about myself and Jim.

“It has been a whirlwind of a last few days, for sure and I do want to say that I feel for the people that we used to work with. “I know it’s not easy to go through that, I have been on that side of it many, many times in this industry when someone is let go and you have to sit there and answer all the questions about them and for them…It’s unfortunate and it shouldn’t be that way, but the reality of this business is it’s like that.”

Puckett then told his fans that PuckSports.com and YouTube are where you will be finding his content along with Moore. “I am going to take what I have learned over the years and apply it to a new age of media,” he said and noted this was a direction he had been thinking about for a while.

As for what took place that led to his decision to not sign his contract and talk away, he said, “I just want to take you briefly back to last week. I don’t want to get too much in the weeds, I’m not here to lay any blame or point any fingers at anybody…there’s too many good people that I have worked with that I don’t want to drag into this. It was a process that was at times handled fine, handled perfectly, and at other times it got to a point where it just went on too long. But that’s corporate media and that’s what happens.”

Continuing on Puckett said, “…I had been without a contract since about January…when I was away from the station that was something that we and the station agreed upon…to see if we could get something done and we were all hopeful that we would…I was only supposed to be gone a couple of days…unfortunately as these things sometimes happen, it just went a little bit longer…We received the deal and it was what we wanted, but unfortunately with that news a few hours later came the news from corporate that Jim had lost his job. Obviously there was a mix of emotions with that from me.

“I wrestled with that and the decision and what I would do. It was hard for me to move forward…I couldn’t fight the perception more than anything that I had received a new deal while at the same time, my partner and good friend, guy I love to death, who I grew up reading…it was a hard reality…The loyalty I have, I couldn’t live with myself even though Jim knew what the truth was.”

Puckett said he was aware Moore was planning to step away from the radio show at the end of the year and was looking forward to the nine months they would have left to work with one another. Then, when iHeartMedia made the decision to make Moore a casualty of their latest round of layoffs, Puckett knew he needed to revisit the idea of starting his own venture.

He said, “It has kind of changed my timeline as far as what I wanted to do and where I felt I was at…I am super motivated right now and I can’t wait. I have probably been busier now than I’ve ever been in the last 48 hours.”

Puckett said several of the show’s regular guests would stay with the show and he thanked several sponsors who he said would remain supporters of the show with the new venture. ‘Puck’ noted that starting next week, “…We get underway in full force…I’m going to continue to try and make people laugh and entertain you and talk about sports…and all of the other things you have become accustomed to with this show.”

As he started to wrap up, Puckett said, “I’m jumping into the deep end of the pool and I am going to see if I can swim or sink.”

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Kirk Minihane: WEEI is “Going to be Andy Gresh and Rich Shertenlieb in Afternoons”

“Maybe the two most sensitive c***s in the history of radio. That’s a show we are going to ruin.”

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Photos of Kirk Minihane and Rich Shertenlieb

As the speculation continues on where Boston sports talker Rich Shertenlieb will end up, one former WEEI host said he has the scoop on what is going to happen. Kirk Minihane, now with Barstool Sports, said, “What I heard was, initially, was they were moving Rich Keefe from nights to middays, moving Adam Jones from afternoons to middays and keeping Fauria there, and moving Andy Gresh to afternoons…But now it appears Rich Shertenlieb is going to do afternoons with Andy Gresh.”

On Wednesday, Boston Globe sports and sports media columnist Chad Finn put out a post on X, saying, “Didn’t think Rich Shertenlieb would end up at WEEI after leaving Sports Hub. I do now, most likely in afternoon drive. Audacy management has been telling people to expect changes.”

Minihane continued commenting on the matter, saying, “It’s going to be Andy Gresh and Rich Shertenlieb in the afternoons, which is going to be so awful. Maybe the two most sensitive c***s in the history of radio. That’s a show we are going to ruin…we haven’t done that in a while, we are going to take that show down…Once that show starts, we are just going to blitz them with phone calls because Gresh can’t handle that.

“What they don’t understand, because they are so dumb, is that…Rich Shertenlieb has no fan base…no fan of [Toucher and Hardy] in the morning is going to be like ‘I’m not going to listen to Felger in the afternoons, I’ll now listen to Andy Gresh and Rich Shertenlieb.’ It’s going to be dreadful.”

Recapping what he has heard the rest of the WEEI lineup will be, Minihane said, “…And then in middays you have Adam Jones, failed afternoons. Rich Keefe who has now failed middays, drivetime, nights and is now going to fail again in middays… and Christian Fauria who has never drawn a rating in his life.”

WEEI has not commented on any of the speculation. BSM will have more as the story unfolds.

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Former 670 The Score Host Tommy Williams Has Died

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Photo of Tommy Williams
Courtesy: Lakeshore Public Media

Tommy Williams, who was heard for a decade on 670 The Score, died on Wednesday at the age of 66.

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

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

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

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

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