The Chicago Bears should be all over sports talk shows today as they hold the No. 1 pick in tonight’s NFL Draft. In Chicago, the Bears have dominated the headlines for months in anticipation of the draft and while they were the topic of conversation recently on 670 The Score with Dan Bernstein and Laurence Holmes, it had nothing to do with the draft. This Bears news is about a strange happening at a press conference the team held Wednesday to ask for public funding for a new stadium.

Bernstein & Holmes addressed what happened as Bernstein explained, “Before everything happened, they trotted out a Pastor…Pastor Dates began their big road show asking for taxpayer dollars for their football building…” He then introduces the clip of Pastor Dates and the prayer he led. The prayer included the Pastor asking God, “I don’t know that you play football, but I am asking you to help us. Help us to win some games, help us to get a Super Bowl here, help us to play in the Super Bowl, and bring back the 1985 roaring, cheering fans we had for your glory and for our good.”

Laurence Holmes was angry and offended at what the Bears did. “I don’t like any of it. If you’re in a position to be a prayer leader and you would like to ask for God’s grace on behalf of the city of Chicago, I can think of countless better ways and things to ask for God’s grace for the city of Chicago than a stadium. Like the blasphemy of it is galling. It’s absolutely galling.”

“The neighborhood where his church resides is the neighborhood that I grew up in. There are plenty of people in that neighborhood and neighborhoods around Chicago that need prayer. And you chose to ask for God’s grace today for a stadium? You should be ashamed pastor and your congregation should be ashamed too that they follow you….Shame on you…I’m offended as a citizen of Chicago…What are we doing?…I am so tired of people using God to put their hands in someone’s pocket. This is the worst possible example of this…You are using the word of God to try and fleece the flock for billionaires. You are standing right there with a family worth billions of dollars and proselytizing to try and get the people who have nothing to put their hands up and say ‘Yes, I want my money that I am paying in taxes to go towards this.’ It is the most publicly ungodly thing that I can think of, and everyone involved with that today should be ashamed of themselves.”

Later in the day, Danny Parkins said it was the “single weirdest thing I have ever seen at a press conference. Still can’t believe it happened. It should be parodied on SNL. He’s thanking God, in prayer, saying I don’t know if you play football?…It’s completely absurd that if God is a higher power, supreme being, who is going to help with the things going on in the city of Chicago, maybe not a dome stadium on 14 acres of parkland on the lakefront. Maybe not the biggest issues.”

97.1 The Fan continued to steamroll the competition in the Columbus winter ratings book. According to the latest Nielsen data, the TEGNA-owned station finished first with an astounding 18.1 share among Men 25-54 in weekday prime (M-F, 6a-7p). The Fan did lose three-tenths of a share from the prior quarter but gained nine-tenths of a share year-over-year. Among the Adults 25-54 demo, the station also ranked first with 10.7 share, down three-tenths from the fall book.

In mornings, Brandon Beam and Bobby Carpenter added three-tenths from the fall to finish first with a 16.7 share. Year-over-year, Morning Juice is up 1.9 shares. The show ranked second among Adults 25-54, with a 9.8 share, another three-tenths gain from the fall. For Beam, this was his first full ratings book since signing a multi-year contract extension with 97.1 The Fan in November.

The early midday slot from 9a-12p EST features Beau Bishop, Marc Finch and Eric Rieser. The talented trio attained a first-place outcome with a 16.4 share, also occupying first. Bishop and Friends were however down nine-tenths a share from the fall, and 1.4 shares year-over-year. Among Adults 25-54, the show placed second with a 9.4 share. This was Finch’s first full ratings book since inking a multi-year contract extension with 97.1 The Fan in November.

Anthony Rothman and Matty “Ice” Hayes collected a 16.6 share, first-place finish among Men 25-54 between 12p-3p EST. Compared to the prior quarter, the show finished two-tenths of a share higher. They also enjoyed a year-over-year improvement from the 15.0-share recorded during the 2023 winter book. With Adults 25-54, the show ranked second with a 9.9 share. Hayes recently signed a contract extension with 97.1 The Fan where he has continued hosting in the daypart, along with the station’s pregame show on Saturdays during the football season.

Afternoons saw Mike Ricordati and Jonathan ‘TB-one‘ Smith accrue the strongest performance at 97.1 The Fan for the quarter. Common Man and T-Bone produced an incredible 22.2 share to finish first with Men 25-54. The program was down nine-tenths of a share from the fall, and one-tenth year-to-year. In the Adults 25-54 demographic, the show generated a 13.0 share, also ranking first. The same story existed with Adults 18-34, with Ricordati and Smith pulling in a 13.7 share, first-place finish.

Timmy Hall hosted The Buckeye Show in the evenings from 6p-8p EST, the first hour of which counts within the weekday prime window. The two-hour show accumulated a 17.1 share for the quarter, placing it first among Men 25-54. For the quarter, the show was down wo shares. However, Hall delivered a 10.1 share, second-place finish with Adults 25-54, and a 14.3 share, first-place result with Adults 18-34.

For the full week (M-SU, 6a-12a), 97.1 The Fan finished first among Men 25-54 with a 15.2 share. With Adults 25-54, the station ended the quarterly ratings period in first with an 8.9 share.

Ratings reports and analysis are written by BSM and sponsored by Crowd React Media, a division of Harker Bos Group. Learn more about the different ways sports media research can benefit your station and cut through the noise by clicking here.

101 ESPN turned in one of its strongest books to date during the winter ratings period. The brand received double-digit share performances from each of its weekday shows.

Starting with mornings, The Opening Drive registered an impressive 11.3 share with Men 25-54 to finish second. The program, which features Randy Karraker, Brooke Grimsley, and special contributor and former St. Louis Cardinals play-by-play announcer Dan McLaughlin recorded the quarterly gain at the station, gaining 4.4 shares from its fall book. Among Persons 25-54, the show posted a 9.6 share, third-place outcome. That was up from a 10th-place tie, 3.9 share finish during the fall. Additionally, the morning show obtained a 16.2 share, second-place result with Men 18-49.

Immediately following the morning show, Balloon Party with Tim McKernan, delivered a 14.8 share to finish first between 10a-11a CST. Compared to the fall book, McKernan added 3.4 shares while moving up two rankings. Brandon Kiley and Alex Ferrario retained the trajectory in the latter stage of middays from 11a-2p CST with an improvement from third to first place. For the winter book, BK & Ferrario produced a 14.9 share, which was up 3.6 shares from the prior book.

Both midday shows finished third with Persons 25-54 with a 9.6 and 9.5 share, respectively. Within the Men 18-49 demographic, Balloon Party finished second with a 16.2 share, while BK & Ferrario took first with a 15.9 share.

Carey Davis officially joined The Fast Lane in late-December, making this his first full book with co-hosts Anthony Stalter and Jamie Rivers. The trio didn’t disappoint. The four-hour afternoon drive program popped an impressive 15.2 share with Men 25-54. The show built on the 11.7 share, second-place outcome it fulfilled during the fall ratings book. Among Persons 25-54, the show snagged an 8.3 share to rank third, up from a 6.1, sixth-place finish in the fall. The Fast Lane collected a 14.6-share, first-place outcome among Men 18-49 within the winter ratings period as well.

In weekday prime (M-F, 6a-7p), 101 ESPN ranked second with a 13.5 share among Men 25-54. The brand picked up 3.7 shares and one ranking position from the fall ratings book. With Persons 25-54, the station delivered a 7.9-share, third-place outcome, up 2.4 shares and three ranking positions for the quarter. Additionally, among Men 18-49 demographic, the Hubbard Broadcasting-owned station secured a second-place, 13.9 share.

For the full week (M-SU, 6a-12a), 101 ESPN grabbed a 12.1 share to rank second. That marked a 3.1-share improvement from the fall and a move from third to second. With Persons 25-54, the station’s fourth-place, 7.3 share was up from a 5.2 share, ninth-place outcome in the fall. Moreover, the station procured a 12.1 share, second-place result among Men 18-49.

Ratings information for 590 The Fan was not available this quarter since it did not appear within the Nielsen quarterly ratings report.

Ratings reports and analysis are written by BSM and sponsored by Crowd React Media, a division of Harker Bos Group. Learn more about the different ways sports media research can benefit your station and cut through the noise by clicking here.