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What’s Left In the Game of Broadcasting Musical Chairs?

“The game of musical chairs is ongoing at this point with much movement in the booths across the land. These announcers are just trying to have a seat available when the music stops.”

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Baseball reopened for business last week and we expected to see a free agent frenzy, but it didn’t really materialize right away. Things are starting to heat up in the NFL. With the new league year beginning, there will be some players changing teams there too. There is another free agent bonanza to watch. This one isn’t on the field. It’s in the booth. The game of broadcasting musical chairs has begun. 

Now that some of the biggest names in broadcasting are putting on new uniforms, networks, like teams, are looking for replacements. I think the same questions that football general managers are asking themselves are plaguing those in charge of the major networks as well. 

Before we dive into the “musical chairs” of the broadcast booth, let’s examine the money factor. If I had a dollar for every network or sports franchise that cried poor, well, I could probably buy that network or team, right? But here they both are, throwing around cash like saltine crackers.

The NFL for example is basically printing money with its popularity, licensing and worldwide appeal. The networks benefit from their connections to the various leagues because advertisers want their commercials seen by a big audience. Oh, and they are willing to pay big bucks to accomplish that goal. 

With that idea in mind, let’s break down the changes so far in the network broadcast booths. 

ESPN

The Worldwide Leader opened the pocketbooks to bring Troy Aikman over from Fox to call Monday Night Football. Aikman’s deal is worth 90-million-dollars over 5-years. That’s roughly 18.5-million a year, more than Tony Romo is being paid at CBS. So, Aikman is the top analyst now at ESPN, demoting the current booth to ‘B’ games on the network. Brian Griese took off to get into coaching as he saw the writing on the wall. 

Next at ESPN, Joe Buck joins his old pal Aikman as the top MNF team. Buck had one-year left on his deal at Fox and is expected to fetch something in the 5-year, 70-million- dollar range. According to the New York Post, Fox tried to keep Buck with a 12-million a year offer. 

Will this also include a trade? As you may or may not remember, when ESPN/ABC allowed Al Michaels to go to NBC, the Disney company agreed only after securing the rights Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Look it up!  Maybe Fox will offer up Stewie from Family Guy to do the intros on ESPN’s telecasts of the Monday Night Football? 

AMAZON

The shakeup here is far less seismic than the one at Fox/ESPN, mainly because of the newness of this telecast. Amazon is taking over the broadcast rights to Thursday Night Football and needs to fill its booth. While the Jeff Bezos streamer has been pursuing Al Michaels (more on that in a moment), it has reportedly filled its analyst role with the Kirk Herbstreit. Herbstreit is expected to continue in his ESPN role on College Football with Chris Fowler. Herbstreit does have some NFL experience, he and Fowler called final week games in both 2021 and this past season. 

NOW WHAT?

Ok, so now you know where some have gone, let’s investigate some of the folks that will replace those empty spots. Fox has the most openings with the number one booth from the past all gone. But they have other sports there that were covered by Buck, creating some other unique openings. NBC will likely turn to Mike Tirico to replace Michaels. CBS is standing pat. 

FOX

Openings:

#1 NFL play-by-play and #1 NFL analyst. Also available #1 MLB play-by-play. 

Let’s take these one at a time. I’m going to give you a list of who I feel are, could, or should be candidates. I may go a little off the rails with some thoughts. I know hard to believe I’d go off the rails, right? Stick with me here. 

NFL play-by-play candidates: Kevin Burkhardt, Kenny Albert, Ian Eagle, Al Michaels, Kevin Harlan.

Personally, I’d love to see Fox swoop in and get Michaels. At 77-years old, he’s far from done, with plenty of zip left on his fastball. Michaels is needed on an NFL telecast, but Fox could offer a little more, Major League Baseball. How cool would it be if Michaels was able to call the Fox Saturday Game of the Week and then the MLB playoffs and World Series?

I know travel would likely be an issue for Michaels who would probably prefer to stick around the Los Angeles area, but that would be incredible. Michaels handled Cincinnati Reds broadcasts for a few years and was ABC’s lead voice on Monday Night Baseball for a long time too. I guess I’m saying more of Michaels is never a bad thing to me. 

Albert is already a busy guy with the NHL, MLB and NFL responsibilities he already has. Harlan would be awesome, but he’s a busy guy too with NFL both on television and radio, NCAA and NBA. Eagle could be an interesting name to look into. I think his NBA work and the fact that he is able to call NCAA Tournament games where he is now at CBS would make him stay. 

Realistically, if Fox is looking inward, Burkhardt is the obvious choice. He has ascended to the #2 broadcast on Fox and has a good knack for calling the sport. Not too much, not too little, I think he does a great job and would flourish in the lead role. He’s visible enough on the network, with his work during the MLB Playoffs, so introducing him to the audience would not be necessary at all. He works well with all types of personalities, if you don’t believe me just watch his studio work for baseball, dealing with A-Rod, Big Papi and Frank Thomas. He is highly qualified and would make an excellent top dog at Fox. 

NFL Analyst candidates: Greg Olsen, Kurt Warner, Michael Strahan, Sean Payton, Drew Brees, Mina Kimes.

I would like to see Fox just end the speculation and name Olsen the guy alongside Burkhardt. The two have great chemistry and Olsen is really good at what he does. Coming off the field and into the booth doesn’t always translate as I’ve said a million times in this space, but he’s made it work. The free-flowing thoughts, the excellent insight and the sometimes-disheveled look work for me and should work for Fox as well. But we know that obvious choices to us don’t always translate to the obvious choice for executives. It would be a tremendous booth. 

Strahan is already at the network as well, but how many jobs can one guy have? I like Strahan’s personality and he’s excellent on the Fox pregame show, but I’m not sure how that would translate to the booth. Warner has the experience and he’s very good. I wonder why Amazon didn’t get him to be in their booth for TNF? Payton is the flavor most are tasting these days, his name is all over the place, but again, I think his skills would be better served in a studio setting to start with. Brees has not been impressive so far, early in his broadcasting career. 

Kimes is an interesting name to consider. She’s proven her knowledge of the NFL with her work on ESPN. She is talented and entertaining and would be a good choice for any network at this point. The fact that she never played football at any level is seen as a detriment, I say nonsense. 

Kimes contributed to analysis for Rams pre-season games with Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network and five-time Pro Bowler Aqib Talib. Kimes more than held her own in the booth. It would be a bold choice, but not a crazy one at all. 

WORLD SERIES

If Fox can’t get Michaels for the baseball postseason, they have a terrific candidate in-house already. Joe Davis would have no problem stepping in and taking over that booth alongside John Smoltz. He is a talented broadcaster that already endured the tough task of replacing Vin Scully in the Dodgers television booth. He did it seamlessly and in a very professional manner. That’s not easy and he handled it perfectly. Davis would be a great choice for Fox in that role. 

AMAZON

This is the intriguing one. Michaels is thought to be the top candidate to take over the Thursday Night Telecasts on Amazon Prime. I’ve already given you my thoughts on Michaels, and I wonder if this would be a satisfying situation for him?

Yes, it’s the NFL one night a week just like when he was at NBC, but Amazon has ZERO postseason games and the thought of the playoffs without Michaels is not one I’m in favor of. To me this is a situation that will be fluid. You could list all the names that I did for the Fox opening, but the postseason situation may be a deal-breaker for some. 

You’ve already got Herbstreit reportedly in the fold, right? He’ll be able to continue his work with ESPN, so why not reach out to Fowler? If they could both continue to be the voices of College Football on ESPN, it would work. ESPN won’t need them as the ‘back up’ team on Monday Night Football, with Steve Levy and Louis Riddick in the fold already. It would be a good, “first” booth for Amazon until they can secure some postseason rights. 

The game of musical chairs is ongoing at this point with much movement in the booths across the land. These announcers are just trying to have a seat available when the music stops. 

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How to Help Your Clients with Low Website Conversions

Don’t assume there isn’t enough traffic; focus on optimizing user engagement once visitors arrive on the site.

Jeff Caves

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Graphic for how to increase website conversions
Credit: WPDesigner.Biz

Are your clients dealing with low website conversions? Whenever a marketing campaign is run, and the goal is to convert website visitors into leads, the temptation is to blame low traffic, amongst other issues, for low form fills or appointments being generated.  Just spend more money, you may think! Sometimes, you must look at at least four other potential issues to tackle poor conversion rates. Here are some actionable steps using the IT services industry to increase website conversions.

IT Solutions specializes in providing products, services, or solutions related to technology, particularly in areas such as software development, hardware sales, IT consulting, cybersecurity, cloud computing, networking, and digital transformations. They faced challenges with their website conversions. Despite driving substantial traffic through Google Ads and other SEO tactics, they struggled to convert website visitors into form fills for appointment requests. A 2% to 5% conversion rate could be considered reasonable. Of course, conversion rates can vary based on various factors, such as the competitiveness of the local market, the quality of the website (and radio stations help most to fix that) and its user experience, the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and the reputation and offerings of the IT solutions business. Focusing on improving the quality of leads and providing exceptional customer service can be just as crucial as achieving high conversion rates. Don’t blame EVERYTHING on the marketing tactics! 

The Diagnosis

Upon thorough analysis, several critical issues were identified with IT Solutions’ website:

1. High Bounce Rate: Nobody was checking out the business. If 70% or more of website visitors only visit the landing page, that is an issue.  It could be slow loading times, irrelevant content, poor user experience, or unclear calls-to-action that prevent them from wanting to know more about IT Solutions. You can check the bounce rate on the Google Analytics page for the website in the left-hand sidebar, click on “Behavior” to expand the menu, then click on “Site Content,” and finally, click on “Landing Pages.” You’ll see a list of landing pages and their respective bounce rates.

2. Complex Navigation: It was hard to move around the website to find relevant information about IT services, and it was unclear who they were initiating contact with and for what purpose.

3. Unclear Calls-to-Action (CTAs): The website lacked clear and compelling CTAs guiding visitors toward requesting an appointment. Simply stating “click here for an appointment” is like asking for a meeting whenever or without establishing value. Here are 28 CTAs for free.

4. Lengthy Forms: The appointment forms were long, without qualifying information, and requested excessive information upfront, deterring potential leads from completing them.

Action Plan

1. Optimize Landing Pages:

   – Redo high-traffic landing pages with clear messaging and compelling CTAs.

   – Showcase IT Solutions’ services as benefits, making it easier for users to request appointments, thereby increasing user engagement and conversions.

2. Simplify Navigation:

   – Reorganize the menu and add more action-oriented links.

   – Provide additional options for users to access relevant information, such as “Get a free IT Solutions 15-point checkup NOW” and “Take this 5-question survey to diagnose your IT issues,” motivating them to book appointments.

3. Enhance CTAs:

   – Utilize concise and persuasive messaging throughout the website.

   – Encourage visitors to take action, whether requesting a free download about “5 things you can do to solve your IT issues on your own” or “get a free pizza for booking an appointment.”

4. Improve the Form Fill:

   – Add a further line about the number of employees who qualify for incoming leads.

   – Highlight the value of leads based on company size, prioritizing forms with higher potential impact.

Review landing pages, navigation, CTAs, and form experience to address website conversion issues. Don’t assume there isn’t enough traffic; focus on optimizing user engagement once visitors arrive on the site.

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‘NHL on TNT’ Gives Hockey Fans the ‘NBA on TNT’ Treatment

Watching Albert and Olczyk call a hockey game is like watching Picasso paint and da Vinci sculpt. They are masters of their respective crafts.

John Molori

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NHL on TNT studio

Let’s play a little word association, sports media style. If I say TNT, what is your response? Chances are it will be a three-letter abbreviation of your own, namely, NBA. Over the years, TNT has built a reputation as arguably the premiere network to telecast the National Basketball Association.

The NBA on TNT pregame and halftime shows have become the gold standard with stars like Ernie Johnson, Jr., Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal. Still, it’s not just this quartet of roundball royalty that has fortified TNT’s hoops coverage.

The rep was also built on tremendous play-by-play announcers like Bob Neal and Kevin Harlan, color analysts like Doug Collins and Reggie Miller, and courtside reporters like the late Craig Sager and current sideline star Allie LaForce.

Indeed, TNT and the NBA have become synonymous, but I have some news for you. This network is not just about professional basketball. This past week I went off the grid with TNT looking at their in-game and studio coverage of the NHL.

On March 24, the NHL on TNT provided coverage of the Pittsburgh Penguins at Colorado Avalanche matchup. Kenny Albert did play-by-play with Eddie Olczyk on color. Albert is not as noted as his legendary broadcasting father Marv Albert, but he has certainly staked his claim as one of the best in the business – able to cross over to multiple sports with equal aplomb.

Hockey is a strong suit for Albert. His rat-tat-tat, drama-building style draws viewers in and keeps us on the edge of our seats. Similarly, Olczyk is one of the top four or five NHL game analysts in the business. His style is understated, providing calm and clear analysis of key plays. They work really well together.

Albert eschews any kind of hackneyed and trite catch phrases for his goal calls. An emphatic, “He shoots and scores!” is plenty enough.

Hockey is a different beast when it comes to play-by-play. Unlike basketball, baseball, football, or even soccer and tennis, there is a minimum of breaks in the action. With hockey, a play-by-play announcer has to know the names of the players like he or she knows her kids’ names.

To me, it is the hardest sport for play-by-play and equally difficult for a color analyst. In basketball, after a team scores, the play-by-play announcer will keep silent and give the color analyst time to talk until the play crosses center court. In baseball and football, there is ample room for commentary.

Hockey does not offer such space, but Olczyk gets the most out of the minimal amount of time. Watching Albert and Olczyk call a hockey game is like watching Picasso paint and da Vinci sculpt. They are masters of their respective crafts.

Coming back from a break in the game, Albert and Olczyk provided on air commentary and then tossed to ice level reporter Brian Boucher who has grown into a tremendous asset to the TNT broadcasts. Boucher provided real talk about Colorado’s objectives of staying on top of their division and vying for the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Penguins, squarely in a rebuilding year having dumped talent at the NHL trade deadline, surprisingly jumped out to a 2–0 lead in this game, and the TNT between periods studio crew was all over it. The excellent Liam McHugh hosted alongside Colby Armstrong, Anson Carter, and Keith Yandle.

Armstrong was especially entertaining. With Pittsburgh outshooting the Avs 16-4, Armstrong noted that it’s the best he’s seen Pittsburgh play in a long time. His reasoning was that teams get geared up for playing Colorado even if it’s out of fear. Great stuff.

Both teams tallied two goals in the second period giving Pittsburgh a 4-2 lead heading into the final frame. When Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon set up Jonathan Drouin for a goal to make it 4-3, Albert and Olczyk showed their strengths.

Albert called the pass from MacKinnon and one-timer goal from Drouin, and immediately noted that MacKinnon now had a point in all 34 of Colorado’s home games this season. On the goal replay, Olczyk showed how the play developed pointing out how McKinnon allowed Pittsburgh’s Evgenii Malkin to come in close before making the past to Drouin.

The TNT production team then showed a graphic displaying that McKinnon is now second all-time in longest home points streaks trailing only Wayne Gretzky. This was a sublime sequence of symmetry between talent and technicians like a songwriter, musician, and singer creating beautiful music.

What was supposed to be a blowout win for Colorado had now become a hockey barn burner, and the TNT crew was up to the task. Every goal and key play was followed up with replays from multiple angles showing the genesis of the action.

TNT has certainly taken to the velocity of the hockey broadcast with movement that challenges directors, graphics professionals, and videographers.

When there were breaks in this non-stop action, Olczyk was at his best. No hockey analyst draws on his experience as a player and explains that experience better to viewers. The TNT broadcast also lets Boucher freewheel and join in the flow of discussion without having to be introduced.

TNT does not merely rely on the traditional wide shot of the entire rink. We see close-up shots of each goaltender after a great save and the sweat of players on the bench or in the penalty box.

When McKinnon tied the game at 4-4 with 4:38 left in the third period, we got a series of tremendous crowd shots showing the Colorado fans going absolutely berserk. The sage Albert and Olczyk wisely remained quiet for several seconds, letting the cheers do the talking.

When Drouin scored the game winner at 4:06 of overtime, Albert exercised controlled enthusiasm, raising his voice on the call of the goal, but not becoming the show and overshadowing the play itself. He is definitely in the mold of Dan Kelly, Gary Thorne, and Sean McDonough, announcers who enhance but do not supersede the game.

Putting a cherry on top of this hockey Sunday, TNT showed a graphic that the Avalanche now led the NHL in comeback wins this season with 25 and that they were riding a 9-game winning streak. In analyzing the goal, Olczyk opined that the altitude of playing in Colorado was prevalent as the Penguins seemed to tire as the game progressed – really interesting insight.

In the postgame show, Anson Carter made a great point that the chemistry between Drouin and MacKinnon stems from the fact that they have been playing together going back to junior hockey. McKinnon joined in from the arena for a postgame interview. The analysts asked solid questions and even did a funny MVP chant together as the interview ended.

The NHL on TNT takes no back seat to its elder NBA sister. The broadcast provides viewers with flash, dash, and serious hockey talk from every angle – in studio, from the broadcast booth, and on the ice.

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Kim Mulkey Now Has Everyone Anticipating Washington Post Story

I can’t imagine what headline, under normal circumstances, the Washington Post would have to put on a Kim Mulkey story to make me want to read it.

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photo of LSU women's college basketball coach Kim Mulkey
Credit: Dailymail.co.uk

The Washington Post, you might’ve heard, has a story coming out about controversial LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey. The reason you might’ve heard is because Kim Mulkey told you. The Tigers coach read a fiery prepared statement just before her team started the Women’s NCAA Tournament. In the statement, Mulkey threatened to sue The Post for defamation before the first word was even published.

Now, I’ve never run a public relations firm but that did not seem like a good idea. The Washington Post story on Mulkey is one of the bigger stories in sports right now and nobody even knows what’s in it. The reason the story, apparently unflattering to Mulkey, is even on anyone’s radar screen is Mulkey herself.

It all started with an innocuous social media post by Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde right in the middle of the most anticipated two days in sports, the NCAA Tournament Round of 64. On his X account, Forde posted: “Hearing some buzz about a big Washington Post story in the works on LSU women’s hoops coach Kim Mulkey, potentially next week. Wagons being circled, etc.”

You know what generally will go unnoticed at 4:00 on the first Friday of the NCAA Tournament? A post on X about a women’s basketball coach. But don’t tell Mulkey, she saw Forde’s post and decided to fight fire with nuclear weaponry. The result: the average person like me now is really interested in what has Mulkey so incensed. By “average person like me” I mean that I can’t imagine what headline, under normal circumstances, the Washington Post would have to put on a Kim Mulkey story to make me want to read it. Maybe:

“LSU Women’s Coach Discovers Ark of the Covenant”

Or:

“Mulkey Reveals True JFK Assassin(s)”

Perhaps:

“Famed Women’s Basketball Coach Reveals the Mystery Behind Slow Drivers in the Left Lane”

Literally any of those catch my attention more than whatever will likely be the Washington Post headline about Mulkey. But now Mulkey is “Mad as Hell and is not going to take this anymore” so I now have an interest I would never before have had in this story. It has been fascinating to watch the online speculation about the subject of the article and all we really know, as of now, is that it will be written by Kent Babb. This is a dream come true for Babb; he writes an article that is, presumably, not flattering about Kim Mulkey and, before it is even published, she gives the article the greatest commercial anyone could give it. Babb couldn’t have entered into a business agreement with Mulkey and had this turn out better for him.

For those who don’t follow Babb, he is a former NFL reporter who now is an award-winning writer for the Washington Post. In his 14 years with The Post, he has written sports features and authored a couple of books. One of those sports features stories was a deep dive into what he viewed as a large inequity in the level of pay for LSU head football coach Brian Kelly and his LSU players. It is this piece Mulkey described as a “hit piece” and, based on that piece, referred to Babb as a “sleazy reporter.” Babb, and many others, resented the fact his story was labeled as a hit piece. In fact, Babb essentially confirmed he was the author Mulkey was referencing when he shared the original article on X with the comment: “Hit piece?”

Whether a printed piece or a recorded interview, I can’t imagine a better promotion for it than the subject of the interview threatening a libel/slander lawsuit, especially before it is even released. That simply screams “This piece is salacious!!” Also, libel and slander suits get settled all the time, right? Of course they don’t, they seem to never even get filed. That little thing called discovery is a scary thing for most public figures.

The NCAA Tournament has been very entertaining, and I think the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight will be terrific. For only the fifth time ever, the top two seeds have advanced to the third round which sets up for a remarkable weekend. For me, I guess it will now include a Washington Post article, not a sentence I’d normally say.

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