Connect with us
blank

Sports Radio News

Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo, Chris Christie Rank Presidents

“Christie has been a frequent sports radio guest and a repeat contributor to Russo’s Mad Dog Unleashed.”

Brandon Contes

Published

on

blank

The downside of sports radio a week after the Super Bowl is the shortage of obvious topics to discuss each day. The upside of sports radio a week after the Super Bowl is that you can usually talk about whatever you want, especially when the station has your name on it. 

To celebrate President’s Day, Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo welcomed former Governor of New Jersey and Republican presidential nominee Chris Christie to his show. Christie has been a frequent sports radio guest and a repeat contributor to Russo’s Mad Dog Unleashed. But on the federal holiday, sports was secondary to their primary topic of ranking presidents.  

As Funhouse noted in the above tweet, the conversation between Russo and Christie very much felt like a discussion you would hear on Mike and the Mad Dog. Similar to the way the former WFAN duo would discuss movies before the Oscars. 

Francesa: “FDR deserves more credit after the mess Hoover left.”

Dog: “Are you nuts, he’s a compiler!”

Francesa: “When JFK is JFK, he’s Babe Ruth.”

Dog: “He’s not a patch on the fanny of Lincoln!”

Francesa: “William Henry Harrison is Thurman Munson. Both great, both didn’t last long enough. He died of pneumonia 32 days after his inauguration speech, it was freezing out there and he wasn’t wearing a jacket.”

Dog: “True story?” 

No, those were not actual quotes from an old Mike and the Mad Dog. But in the real presidential conversation between Russo and Christie, the former governor ultimately goes with George Washington one, and Abraham Lincoln two. His friend Donald Trump was not mentioned in the conversation. Christie was an informal adviser to the White House, but on multiple occasions, he was publicly critical of Trump near the end of his presidency. 

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Sports Radio News

USL, SiriusXM Renew Agreement

“SiriusXM has been a great partner the last three years and extending this relationship on the men’s side was an easy choice.”

blank

Published

on

blank

The United Soccer League (USL) and SiriusXM have inked a new agreement that extends its media rights deal through 2025. The deal ensures SiriusXM will be the audio home of USL Championship games, including the USL Championship Final, USL Super League inaugural Final, the USL League One Final and USL League Two Final. SiriusXM subscribers can listen to games on channel No. 157 and on the SiriusXM app.

“At the USL, we want to ensure that our games are available to our fans wherever they want to experience them,” Court Jeske, USL chief commercial officer, said in a statement. “SiriusXM has been a great partner the last three years and extending this relationship on the men’s side was an easy choice. We are also incredibly proud that they will offer coverage of the USL Super League, our new women’s professional league, with the inaugural season beginning in August of 2024.”

The SiriusXM FC channel has been the broadcast home of the USL Championship since 2020, and also airs a USL Game of the Week for consumers in the United States and Canada. Additional future coverage will include games from the 2024-2025 USL Super League season. Moreover, USL All-Access will resume with hosts Mike Watts and Devon Kerr, offering listeners new perspectives on the league, and a broad view of highlights and storylines.

“The USL has a terrific and dedicated fanbase across the country and we’re pleased to deliver those fans both the action on the pitch and a show dedicated to their league,” said Eric Spitz, SiriusXM vice president of sports programming, in a statement. “We’re excited to not only renew our agreement with the USL for multiple years, but also expand our coverage and be the exclusive audio home of the USL Championship Final, League One Final, League Two Final and the new USL Super League Final.” 

Watts has been the play-by-play announcer for the USL Championship since 2015, and he continues to work on Westwood One’s college football game of the week and serves as a backup public address announcer at Madison Square Garden. Furthermore, he called eight domestic and international finals in 2021, including the U.S. Men’s National Team victories in the Concacaf Nations League and Concacaf Gold Cup.

Kerr serves as an analyst for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and contributes to FOX Sports as well. He has been the lead analyst for the USL Championship since 2018, and works in a similar role for the NCAA Men’s College Cup on ESPN and Concacaf events. Aside from his work with Apple TV and FOX Sports, Kerr has appeared on platforms for ESPN, EA Sports, the NCAA and MLS.

Broadcasts started Wednesday night, but the next game airing on SiriusXM FC will be a matchup between the San Diego Loyal and Sacramento Republic at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST. Games have been announced through July 3, and additional matchups will be announced at a later date.

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

Sports Radio News

Audacy Names Lee Davis SVP of Sports Monetization Overseeing New Sales Team

“Through our best-in-class sports audio portfolio, powered by over 150 flagship team partnerships, iconic local broadcast brands, award-winning podcasts and sports betting content, Audacy is uniquely positioned to capitalize on a new sales strategy in this arena.”

blank

Published

on

blank

Audacy is has a newly organized sports sales team. Lee Davis will be its leader. He has been named the company’s SVP of Sports Monetization.

The team will oversee “sales and execution, managing the entire client lifecycle” for Audacy’s sports properties. They will provide solutions for both on-air and digital platforms and work on both local and national properties.

“No medium delivers more value for sports than Audio. People are spending more time than ever with broadcast Radio, streaming and podcasts, and the demand for compelling sports content across these channels is growing exponentially,” Brian Benedik, Audacy’s Chief Revenue Officer, said in a press release. “Through our best-in-class sports audio portfolio, powered by over 150 flagship team partnerships, iconic local broadcast brands, award-winning podcasts and sports betting content, Audacy is uniquely positioned to capitalize on a new sales strategy in this arena.”

Lee Davis worked with WFAN from 1990 until 2005. He returned to Audacy in 2018 to over see the company’s Traffic, Weather, Information and News (TWIN) offering.

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

Sports Radio News

Jay Williams: My ESPN Contract is Up in 3 Months

“It feels like media cannibalizing media right now, and I get how that game is played. But sometimes that game gets boring to me, dawg.”

Jordan Bondurant

Published

on

blank
AP/Shutterstock

ESPN NBA analyst and ESPN Radio host Jay Williams may not be at The Worldwide Leader for too much longer.

Talking to Chicago Bulls guard Patrick Beverley on his Barstool Sports podcast, Williams revealed how much more time he has on his current deal with the network.

“My contract is up in three months, man,” Williams said on The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone.

Beverley seemed kind of surprised at how soon Williams could become a free agent. Jay joined ESPN in a full-time capacity in 2008. He’s hosted ESPN Radio’s weekday morning show alongside Keyshawn Johnson and Max Kellerman since 2021. The show featured Zubin Mehenti for a year prior to that.

Williams implied that he’s looking to change things up away from the routine he’s got at the network.

“It feels like media cannibalizing media right now, and I get how that game is played,” Williams said. “But sometimes that game gets boring to me, dawg.”

Jay added that he’s intrigued by the laid-back nature of the podcast that Beverley has going. He said if he could have an ideal situation, that’s what he would strive for.

“Everybody can just be themselves authentically and not feel like you have to give a take on something,” he said. “Not everything requires some kind of polarizing POV.”

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading
Advertisement

blank

Advertisement

blank

Advertisement

blank

Barrett Media Writers

Copyright © 2023 Barrett Media.