Connect with us
blank

BSM Writers

The NFL Broadcaster Fantasy Draft

“Seven of us are putting together a fantasy broadcast booth. We all have to take a play-by-play man, an analyst, and a sideline reporter.”

blank

Published

on

blank

After a long spring and summer without football, the NFL makes its 2019 debut this week. The 2019 season begins Thursday with the Packers heading to Chicago to take on the Bears.

In the weeks leading up to the regular season, fans everywhere have been pouring over fantasy football draft guides and listening to radio segments and podcasts for advice on how to prioritize their draft in a PPR league or how much is too much to bid on Travis Kelce’s services.

Image result for fantasy football trophy

Here at Barrett Sports Media, we have a fantasy draft of our own. Seven of us are putting together a fantasy broadcast booth. We all have to take a play-by-play man, an analyst, and a sideline reporter.

Every broadcaster on the rosters of CBS, FOX, NBC, and ESPN was eligible. A random draw was done earlier to determine the draft order. Here’s how it turned out.

  1. Andy Masur
  2. Jason Barrett
  3. Demetri Ravanos
  4. Brian Noe
  5. Tyler McComas
  6. Matt Fishman
  7. Brandon Contes

Without further ado, here are the results of BSM’s first ever Fantasy Football Broadcasters Draft!

FIRST ROUND

1. Andy Masur – Tony Romo

blank

TV is all about the analyst and the best in the business right now is Romo. Not too far removed from his playing days, he somehow sees the future. He adds so much to the broadcast from a viewer standpoint and really works well with his partner Jim Nantz. CBS better pony up or they will lose him one day! 

2. Jason Barrett – Al Michaels

blank

It’s without hesitation that I’m using my 2nd overall selection to draft Al Michaels. When Al calls an NFL game it just feels bigger. His passion for the game, attention to detail, command of the mic, chemistry with analysts, vivid descriptions of developing game situations, and ability to seamlessly lead into or out of video pieces are what set him apart as a play by play announcer.

Whether you’re a hardcore football fan or a casual one, he makes the game easy to follow, plus he has a great feel for knowing how to use his voice to capture each moment. The bigger the situation, the better he is. When I watch a football game, I expect the broadcast team to entertain and inform me. When Al Michaels is calling the action, I have no doubt my expectations will be exceeded.

3. Demetri Ravanos – Joe Buck

blank

Joe is sort of the voice of American sports at this point. He speaks with authority on any broadcast, but doesn’t take himself so seriously that he won’t make time to show up and make a fool of himself on Brockmeyer or The Dan Le Batard Show. Plus, in the event that someone pretends to moon the crowd or poop out a football, Joe is always willing to put on his best Helen Lovejoy and ask “WON’T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!”

4. Brian Noe – Cris Collinsworth

Image result for cris collinsworth

It’s impressive how much information Collinsworth provides during games without rushing to a fault. He doesn’t try to cram in six sentences when time only allows for three. He’s conversational. Besides providing outstanding analysis, Collinsworth has some punch too. He doesn’t kiss up to every player and coach in the league and isn’t shy about dishing out some fair criticism. Collinsworth has a great knowledge of the game and is a top-notch analyst.

5. Tyler McComas – Tracy Wolfson

Image result for tracy wolfson

What?! A reporter in the first round? Is that like taking a tight end with your first pick in Fantasy Football? Look, when I see Wolfson, it’s like, okay, this is a big game. I think she’s the best at what she does and has been for a while. No, she’s not in the highest profile position on the broadcast, but that doesn’t mean she’s not elite. 

6. Matt Fishman – Charles Davis

Image result for charles davis

I have been following Charles Davis since his days as a college football analyst on TBS…amazing to think of that phrase, “College Football on TBS”. Charles is extremely knowledge, prepared, smart, and funny. He also has great chemistry with his partner Kevin Burkhardt on Fox’s best NFL broadcast team.

7. Brandon Contes – Ian Eagle

Image result for ian eagle

No matter what two teams are playing, if Ian Eagle is in the booth, the broadcast is a must see and must listen.  Eagle would’ve been my first overall pick in the draft, not just because of his ability to call a game, but for his added entertainment value.  Eagle’s enthusiasm and unforced humor keeps the audience engaged even when the outcome is already decided.  “The Bird” is the perfect frontman for a sports broadcast.

SECOND ROUND

8. Brandon Contes – Booger McFarland

blank

Engaging, opinionated, natural sense of humor – these are qualities I want from an analyst and Booger McFarland is all of the above.   Last season, Booger was put in a terrible spot by ESPN, being asked to offer analysis from afar while roaming the sideline in the Booger Mobile.  The broadcast was rightfully criticized, but this season he’ll shine in the booth, and from a fantasy draft perspective, would make a fantastic complimentary voice to Ian Eagle.

9. Matt Fishman – Kevin Burkhardt

Image result for kevin burkhardt

I think Kevin and Charles Davis are easily Fox’s best NFL play by play team. What I love about Burkhardt is how he paid his dues and worked his way up as a reporter for WFAN covering the Jets and covering the Mets for SNY.

10. Tyler McComas – Troy Aikman

Image result for troy aikman

Troy Aikman at this spot? What an unbelievable value pick. I’ll take a big name that’s a great analyst who’s been on the call for many big games in his career. Aikman is both recognizable and respected, along with many years of experience in the booth. 

11. Brian Noe – Jim Nantz

Image result for jim nantz

“Hello, friends.” Nantz came up with his signature phrase at the 2002 PGA Championship. The cryptic message was actually a hidden greeting for his father who was battling Alzheimer’s. Nantz joined CBS Sports way back in 1985. His experience in the business is extensive to say the least. He remains incredibly sharp, smooth, and excitable as an NFL play-by-play host. Nantz also makes games feel bigger thanks to his history of calling some of the biggest events in sports.

12. Demetri Ravanos – Michelle Tafoya

Image result for michele tafoya

There’s no bigger name left on the board at this point than Michelle Tafoya. She has the respect of every coach and player in the league. As good as her NBC partners are, it is Michelle’s sideline interviews that put the NFL’s marquee broadcast team over the top as absolutely unimpeachable.

13. Jason Barrett – Mark Schlereth

blank

‘Stink’ has been exposed to a national football audience for well over a decade on ESPN and FOX Sports. That makes him immediately familiar to the viewer. Secondly, his passion, insight, attention to detail and comfort with delivering candid opinions make him a natural to blend in well with Al Michaels. His football and broadcasting resume would also likely meet Al’s approval. 

Additionally, anyone who’s been around Mark knows that he can talk football x’s and o’s with the best of them but he can also go off script and offer entertaining commentaries to hook the casual sports fan. Mark wouldn’t be phased by the bright lights of calling marquee events and thru his various experiences in television he’s shown he can adapt to working with anyone while delivering high quality content.

14. Andy Masur – Kevin Harlan

Image result for kevin harlan

To me he’s one of, if not the most versatile broadcasters today. He’s excellent on television and equally as excellent on a radio call. Great on football and just as good on basketball. Enthusiasm is never lacking when it comes to his broadcasts. He’s excellent at sneaking a little humor into a broadcast and creating catch phrases from seemingly out of nowhere. 

THIRD ROUND

15. Andy Masur – Laura Okmin

Image result for laura Okmin

There is just something about Laura’s reporting on the sideline that makes her the choice here. She’s very smooth and seemingly does a lot of homework to be as knowledgable about the teams as possible. I’m also a fan of her very solid and friendly delivery that makes the stories she reports on and tells sort of come to life. 

16. Jason Barrett – Melanie Collins

Image result for melanie collins

Most people would probably take Erin Andrews here given her big game experience, audience familiarity, and quality work on the sidelines, but I’m going to roll the dice and bet on Melanie Collins. When I was programming in the Bay Area I became aware of Melanie’s work and was very impressed with her versatility. She presents herself with great energy, a love for her job, and her questions to guests are short, focused, and on the most important issues surrounding a game. CBS saw the same qualities in her which is why she’s now working with Greg Gumbel and Trent Green.

If I’m going to count on Al Michaels and Mark Schlereth to deliver a spectacular broadcast inside the booth, they’ve got to have a strong person on the sidelines adding information they can’t. When it’s time to make that call, I’m dialing up Melanie Collins.

17. Demetri Ravanos – Rondé Barber

blank

Okay, admittedly I grew up a Buccaneers fan, so this is a bit of a homer pick. As I look at who is left on the board though, I think he is the kind of partner that could bring out the very best of Joe Buck in the broadcast booth. He is the opposite of Troy Aikman’s serious nature. I think seeing Rondé having fun and genuinely enjoying the game in front of him would let Buck’s lighter side come out and shine.

18. Brian Noe – Erin Andrews

blank

I like the feel of having an All-Star crew — Nantz is synonymous with CBS, Collinsworth began his first stint with NBC in 1990, and Erin Andrews has been with FOX Sports since 2012. Andrews is one of the most recognizable sideline reporters in sports history. Her notoriety extends beyond the sideline thanks to her work on Good Morning America, Dancing with the Stars, and as a co-host on the CMT Music Awards. She brings a big presence to NFL games and helps complete this power lineup quite nicely.

19. Tyler McComas – Joe Tessitore

Image result for joe tessitore

I really like Tess. Unfortunately for him, I think his broadcast is starting to get a negative rap because of the chaos surrounding the Monday Night Football analyst roll. But don’t let that fool you, there’s a reason he’s calling Monday Night Football. Highly talented. 

20. Matt Fishman – Lindsey Czarniak

Image result for czarniak sideline

Lindsey is an experienced sports reporter and anchor. I thought that’s she has been at her best as a pit reporter covering NASCAR. Those same skills will serve her well roaming the NFL sidelines for Fox.

21. Brandon Contes – Pam Oliver

Image result for pam oliver

Ending up with Pam Oliver this late in the draft, speaks to the quality of sideline reporters in the NFL.  A pioneer in the industry for women and African Americans, Oliver has been an exemplary sportscaster for decades.  As one of the first sideline reporters I can remember watching, with John Madden and Pat Summerall, Oliver is synonymous with the NFL and will enhance any broadcast.

So just to recap here are our teams.

Andy Masur: Kevin Harlan, Tony Romo, Laura Okmin

Jason Barrett: Al Michaels, Mark Schlereth, Michelle Collins

Demetri Ravanos: Joe Buck, Rondé Barber, Michelle Tafoya

Brian Noe: Jim Nantz, Cris Collinsworth, Erin Andrews

Tyler McComas: Joe Tessitore, Troy Aikman, Tracy Wolfson

Matt Fishman: Kevin Harlan, Charles Davis, Lindsey Czarniak

Brandon Contes: Ian Eagle, Booger McFarland, Pam Oliver

BSM Writers

Pat McAfee Has Thrown Our Business Into a Tailspin

Yet even with all the accomplishments he’s been able to achieve, McAfee is still anxious and unsatisfied with the state of his show and his career.

Avatar photo

Published

on

blank

When you have one of the hottest talk shows in America, you’re always up to something. That’s the case for the most popular sports talk show host in America – Pat McAfee. 

The former Pro Bowl punter was on top of the world on Wednesday. With over 496,000 concurrent viewers watching at one point, McAfee was able to garner an exclusive interview with frequent guest Aaron Rodgers who announced his intention to play for the Jets.

Yet even with all the accomplishments he’s been able to achieve — a new studio, consistent high viewership, a syndication deal with SportsGrid TV, a four-year, $120 million deal with FanDuel — McAfee is still anxious and unsatisfied with the state of his show and his career.

At the end of the day, he is human and he’s admitted that balancing his show, his ESPN gig with “College Gameday,” and his WWE obligations has taken a toll on him.

McAfee and his wife are expecting their first child soon and he recently told The New York Post he might step away from his deal with FanDuel. Operating his own company has come with the responsibility of making sure his studio is up and running, finding people to operate the technology that puts his show on the air, negotiating with huge behemoths like the NFL for game footage rights, booking guests, booking hotels, implementing marketing plans and other tasks that most on-air personalities rarely have to worry about.

McAfee says he’s looking for a network that would be able to take control of those duties while getting more rest and space to spend time with family while focusing strictly on hosting duties. FanDuel has its own network and has the money to fund such endeavors but is just getting started in the content game. McAfee needs a well-known entity to work with who can take his show to the next level while also honoring his wishes of keeping the show free on YouTube.

The question of how he’s going to be able to do it is something everyone in sports media will be watching. As The Post pointed out in their story, McAfee hasn’t frequently stayed with networks he’s been associated with in the past for too long. He’s worked with Westwood One, DAZN, and Barstool but hasn’t stayed for more than a year or two.

There’s an argument to be made that the latter two companies weren’t as experienced as a network when McAfee signed on with them compared to where they are today which could’ve pushed the host to leave. But at the end of the day, networks want to put money into long-term investments and it’s easy to see a network passing on working with McAfee for fear that he’ll leave them astray when he’s bored. 

It’ll also be difficult for McAfee to find a network that doesn’t put him behind a paywall. Amazon and Google are rumored to be potential new homes. But both are trying to increase subscribers for their respective streaming services.

It will be difficult to sell Amazon on investing money to build a channel on YouTube – a rival platform. For Google, they may have the tech infrastructure to create television-like programming but they aren’t an experienced producer, they’ve never produced its own live, daily talk show, and investing in McAfee’s show doesn’t necessarily help increase the number of subscribers watching YouTube TV.

Networks like ESPN, CBS, NBC, and Fox might make sense to partner with. But McAfee faces the possibility of being censored due to corporate interests. Each of these networks also operates its networks or streaming channels that air talk programming of their own. Investing in McAfee could cannibalize the programming they already own.

And if McAfee works with a traditional network that isn’t ESPN, it could jeopardize his ability to host game casts for Omaha or analyze games on Gameday. It’s not impossible but would definitely be awkward on days that McAfee does his show remotely from locations of ESPN games with ESPN banners and signage that is visible in the background.

If SportsGrid has the money to invest in McAfee, they might be his best bet. They have all the attributes McAfee needs and they already have a relationship with him. It is probably unlikely that he’ll be censored and he would even be able to maintain a relationship with FanDuel – a company SportsGrid also works alongside.  

Roku is another option — they already work with Rich Eisen — but they would move his show away from YouTube, something McAfee should resist since the majority of smart TV users use YT more than any other app.

If the NFL gave McAfee editorial independence, they would make the perfect partner but the likelihood of that happening is slim to none. NFL Media has independence but it was clear during the night of the Damar Hamlin incident that they will do whatever is necessary to stay away from serious topics that make the league look bad until it’s totally unavoidable. 

It’s hard to think of a partner that matches up perfectly with McAfee’s aspirations. But once again, at the moment, he’s on top of the world so anything is possible. The talk show host’s next move will be even more interesting to watch than the other fascinating moves he’s already made that have put the sports media industry in a swivel.

Continue Reading

BSM Writers

5 Tips For Networking At the BSM Summit

“Have a plan and don’t leave home without it.”

Jeff Caves

Published

on

blank

Bring your game plan if you attend the BSM Summit in LA next Tuesday and Wednesday. No matter your purpose for attending: to learn, get a job, speak, or sell an idea, you must be able to read the room. To do that, it helps to know who will be there and how you can cure their pain. 

Have a plan and don’t leave home without it. If you have time, buy How to Work a Room by Susan Roane. If you don’t, just follow these five tips:

  1. INTRODUCE YOURSELF: Before you arrive at The Summit, figure out what you want, who you want to meet, and what you will say. Once you get there, scout out the room and see if anyone of those people are available. Talk to speakers after they have spoken- don’t worry if you miss what the next speaker says. You are there to meet new people! Most speakers do not stick around for the entire schedule, and you don’t know if they will attend any after-parties, so don’t risk it. Refine your elevator pitch and break the ice with something you have in common. Make sure you introduce yourself to Stephanie, Demetri and Jason from BSM. They know everybody and will help you if they can.  
  2. GET A NAME TAG: Don’t assume that name tags will be provided. Bring your own if you and make your name clear to read. If you are looking to move to LA or want to sell a system to book better guests, put it briefly under your name. Study this to get better at remembering names.
  3. LOSE THE NOTEBOOK: When you meet folks, ensure your hands are free. Have a business card handy and ask for one of theirs. Remember to look people in the eye and notice what they are doing. If they are scanning the room, pause until they realize they are blowing you off. Do whatever it takes to sound upbeat and open. Don’t let their clothes, hair, or piercings distract from your message. You don’t need to wear a suit and tie but do bring your best business casual wear. A blazer isn’t a bad idea either. 
  4. SHUT UP FIRST! The art of knowing when to end the convo is something you will have to practice. You can tell when the other person’s eye starts darting or they are not using body language that tells you the convo will continue. You end it by telling them you appreciate meeting them and want to connect via email. Ask for a business card. Email is more challenging to ignore than a LinkedIn request, and you can be more detailed in what you want via email. 
  5. WORK THE SCHEDULE: Know who speaks when. That is when you will find the speakers hanging around. Plan your lunch outing to include a few fellow attendees. Be open and conversational with those around you. I am a huge USC fan, so I would walk to McKays– a good spot with plenty of USC football memorabilia on the walls. Sometimes you can find the next day’s speakers at the Day 1 after party. Need a bar? Hit the 901 Club for cheap beer, drinks, and food. 

You’re welcome. 

Continue Reading

BSM Writers

Amanda Brown Has Embraced The Bright Lights of Hollywood

“My whole goal was that I didn’t need people to like me; I needed people to respect me.”

Derek Futterman

Published

on

blank

The tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and eight others aboard a helicopter, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, sent shockwaves around the world of sports, entertainment, and culture. People traveled to Los Angeles following the devastating news and left flowers outside the then-named STAPLES Center, the arena which Bryant called home for much of his career, demonstrating the magnitude of the loss. Just across the street from the arena, Amanda Brown and the staff at ESPN Los Angeles 710 had embarked in ongoing breaking news coverage, lamentation, and reflection.

It included coverage of a sellout celebration of life for Kobe and his daughter and teams around the NBA opting to take 8-second and 24-second violations to honor Bryant, who wore both numbers throughout his 20-year NBA career. They currently hang in the rafters at Crypto.com Arena, making Bryant the only player in franchise history to have two numbers retired.

During this tumultuous time, Bryant’s philosophy served as a viable guiding force, something that Brown quickly ascertained in her first month as the station’s new program director.

“I had people that were in Northern California hopping on planes to get here,” Brown said. “You didn’t even have to ask people [to] go to the station; people were like, ‘I’m on my way.’ It was the way that everybody really came together to do really great radio, and we did it that day and we did it the next day and we did it for several days.”

The 2023 BSM Summit is quickly approaching, and Brown will be attending the event for the first time since 2020. During her first experience at the BSM Summit in New York, Brown had just become a program director and was trying to assimilate into her role. Because of this, she prioritized networking, building contacts, and expressing her ideas to others in the space. This year, she looks forward to connecting with other program directors and media professionals around the country while also seeking to learn more about the nuances of the industry.

“The Summit is kind of like a meeting of the minds,” Brown said. “It’s people throughout the country and the business…. More than anything, [the first time] wasn’t so much about the panels as it was about the people.”

Growing up in Orange County, Brown had an interest in the Los Angeles Lakers from a young age, being drawn to play-by-play broadcaster Chick Hearn. Brown refers to Hearn as inspiration to explore a career in broadcasting. After studying communications at California State University in Fullerton, she was afforded an opportunity to work as a producer at ESPN Radio Dallas 103.3 FM by program director Scott Masteller, who she still speaks to on a regular basis. It was through Masteller’s confidence in her, in addition to support from operations manager Dave Schorr, that helped make Brown feel more comfortable working in sports media.

“I never felt like I was a woman in a male-dominated industry,” Brown said. “I always just felt like I was a part of the industry. For me, I’ve kind of always made it my goal to be like, ‘I deserve to be here; I deserve a seat at the table.’”

Brown quickly rose up the ranks when she began working on ESPN Radio in Bristol, Conn., working as a producer for a national radio show hosted by Mike Tirico and Scott Van Pelt, along with The Sports Bash with Erik Kuselias. Following five-and-a-half years in Bristol, Brown requested a move back to California and has worked at ESPN Los Angeles 710 ever since. She began her tenure at the station serving as a producer for shows such as Max and Marcellus and Mason and Ireland.

Through her persistence, work ethic and congeniality, Brown was promoted to assistant program director in July 2016. In this role, she helped oversee the station’s content while helping the entity maintain live game broadcast rights and explore new opportunities to augment its foothold, including becoming the flagship radio home of the Los Angeles Rams.

“Don’t sit back and wait for your managers or your bosses to come to you and ask what you want to do,” Brown advised. “Go after what you want, and that’s what I’ve always done. I always went to my managers and was like, ‘Hey, I want to do this. Give me a chance; let me do that.’ For the most part, my managers have been receptive and given me those opportunities.”

When executive producer Dan Zampillo left the station to join Spotify to work as a sports producer, Brown was subsequently promoted to program director where she has helped shape the future direction of the entity. From helping lead the brand amid its sale to Good Karma Brands in the first quarter of 2022; to revamping the daily lineup with compelling local programs, Brown has gained invaluable experience and remains keenly aware of the challenges the industry faces down the road. For sports media outlets in Los Angeles, some of the challenge is merely by virtue of its geography.

“We’re in sunny Southern California where there’s a lot of things happening,” Brown said. “We’re in the middle of Hollywood. People have a lot of opportunities – you can go to the mountains; you can go to the beach. I think [our market] is more about entertainment than it is about actual hard-core sports. Yes, obviously you have hard-core Lakers fans; you have hard-core Dodgers fans, but a majority of the fans are pretty average sports fans.”

Because of favorable weather conditions and an endless supply of distractions, Brown knows that the way to attract people to sports talk radio is through its entertainment value. With this principle in mind, she has advised her hosts not to worry so much about the specific topics they are discussing, but rather to ensure they are entertaining listeners throughout the process.

“People know the four letters E-S-P-N mean sports, but really our focus is more on entertainment more than anything,” Brown said. “I think the [talent] that stick out the most are the ones that are the most entertaining.”

Entertaining listeners, however, comes through determining what they are discussing and thinking about and providing relevant coverage about those topics. Even though it has not yet been legalized in the state of California, sports gambling content has been steadily on the rise since the Supreme Court made a decision that overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act established in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association (2018). Nonetheless, Brown and ESPN Los Angeles 710 have remained proactive, launching a sports gambling show on Thursday nights to try to adjust to the growing niche of the industry.

Even though she has worked in producing and programming for most of her career, Brown is eager to learn about the effect sports gambling has on audio sales departments. At the same time, she hopes to be able to more clearly determine how the station can effectuate its coverage if and when it becomes legal in their locale.

“I know that a lot of other markets have that,” Brown said regarding the legalization of sports gambling. “For me, I’m interested to hear from people who have that in their markets and how they’ve monetized that and the opportunity.”

No matter the content, though, dedicated sports radio listeners are genuinely consuming shows largely to hear certain talent. Brown recalls receiving a compliment on Twitter earlier this quarter where a listener commented that he listens to ESPN Los Angeles 710 specifically for Sedano and Kap. Evidently, it acted as a tangible sign that her philosophy centered around keeping people engrossed in the content is working, and that providing the audience what it wants to hear is conducive to success.

At this year’s BSM Summit, Brown will be participating on The Wheel of Content panel, presented by Core Image Studio, featuring ESPN analyst Mina Kimes and FOX Sports host Joy Taylor. Through their discussion, she intends to showcase a different perspective of what goes into content creation and the interaction that takes place between involved parties.

“A lot of times in the past, all the talent were on one panel; all the programmers were on one panel,” Brown said. “To put talent and a programmer together, I think it’s an opportunity for people to hear both sides on certain issues.”

According to the most recent Nielsen Total Audience Report, AM/FM (terrestrial) radio among persons 18-34 has a greater average audience than television. The statistical anomaly, which was forecast several years earlier, came to fruition most likely due to emerging technologies and concomitant shifts in usage patterns.

Simultaneously, good content is required to captivate consumers, and radio, through quantifiable and qualifiable metrics, has been able to tailor its content to the listening audience and integrate it across multiple platforms of dissemination. The panel will give Brown a chance to speak in front of her peers and other industry professionals about changes in audio consumption, effectuated by emerging technologies and concomitant shifts in usage patterns.

Yet when it comes to radio as a whole, the patterns clearly point towards the proliferation of digital content – whether those be traditional radio programs or modernized podcasts. Moreover, utilizing various elements of presentation provides consumers a greater opportunity of finding and potentially engaging with the content.

“We do YouTube streaming; obviously, we stream on our app,” Brown said. “We’ve even created, at times, stream-only shows whether it’s stream-only video or stream-only on our app. We all know that people want content on-demand when they want it. I think it’s about giving them what they want.”

As a woman in sports media, Brown is cognizant about having to combat misogyny from those inside and outside of the industry, and is grateful to have had the support of many colleagues. In holding a management position in the second-largest media market in the United States, she strives to set a positive example to aspiring broadcasters. Additionally, she aims to be a trusted and accessible voice to help empower and give other women chances to work in the industry – even if she is not universally lauded.

“I’ve kind of always made it my goal to be like, ‘I’m no different than anyone else – yes, I’m a female – but I’m no different than anyone else,’” Brown expressed. “My whole goal was that I didn’t need people to like me; I needed people to respect me.”

Through attending events such as the BSM Summit and remaining immersed in sports media and the conversation at large about the future of sports media, Brown can roughly delineate how she can perform her job at a high level.

Although the genuine future of this business is always subject to change, she and her team at ESPN Los Angeles 710 are trying to come up with new ideas to keep the content timely, accurate, informative, and entertaining. She is content in her role as program director with no aspirations to become a general manager; however, remaining in her current role requires consistent effort and a penchant for learning.

“Relationships are very important overall in this business whether you’re a programmer or not,” Brown said. “Relationships with your talent; relationships with your staff. If you invest in your people, then they’re going to be willing to work hard for you and do what you ask them to do.”

The 2023 BSM Summit is mere days away, and those from Los Angeles and numerous other marketplaces will make the trip to The Founder’s Club at the Galen Center at the University of Southern California (USC).

Aside from Brown, Kimes and Taylor, there will be other voices from across the industry sharing their thoughts on aspects of the industry and how to best shape it going forward, including Colin Cowherd, Rachel Nichols, Al Michaels and Eric Shanks. More details about the industry’s premiere media conference can be found at bsmsummit.com.

“I’m excited to be a female program director amongst male program directors for the first time and get a seat at the table and represent that there can be diversity in this position,” Brown said. “We don’t see a lot of it, but… there is an opportunity, and I hope I can be an example for other people out there [to show] that it’s possible.”

Continue Reading
Advertisement

blank

Barrett Media Writers

Copyright © 2023 Barrett Media.