Sports TV News
Pablo Torre: ESPN Was Very Diplomatic About Me Joining Meadowlark Media
“As long as it became clear to me that they still wanted me to do that stuff and they had this evolving perspective…Diplomacy is really the answer.”

Published
6 months agoon
By
Ricky Keeler
Last month, it was announced that Pablo Torre was going to stop hosting ESPN Daily and make the move to join Dan Le Batard at Meadowlark Media. While he will continue to be a part of Around The Horn and PTI, it marks an end of an era of hosting over 700 episodes of the ESPN Daily podcast.
Torre was a guest on the Jenkins and Jonez podcast this week and he said ESPN was very diplomatic for allowing him to still be a part of the family of Around The Horn and PTI.
“I realized that Around The Horn and PTI, these shows I have done, I’m functionally family with them. As long as it became clear to me that they still wanted me to do that stuff and they had this evolving perspective of ‘There’s this other thing you could be doing with your other time. We love you on ESPN Daily, but you have this offer that’s out there and you feel strong about it’. Diplomacy is really the answer.”
During the interview, Torre brought up what always got him interested in sports and how he enjoys the fact that he is not limited in terms of what he can talk about in sports.
“Sports is the toy department in the classic imagining of a newspaper. To me, it’s also every section of the newspaper. There’s real shit out there. For me, it’s always been the widest aperture of society and life…I was always passionate about sports as a fan and a writer, but my concern was never that it would be too limiting. Where I came up in sports, it was through magazines (Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine), shows like Dan’s and Around The Horn and PTI, there are ways to talk about so much more. I have never felt limited by it.”
When hosting ESPN Daily, Torre mentioned that he enjoyed the challenge of doing high-production audio storytelling and digging into stories that he was curious about, even if he didn’t have a hot take right away.
“I always prided myself in curiosity. Stuff I don’t have takes on from the jump is the stuff that is often most fascinating. As long as I figured out an angle on it that I found engaging, I knew we could do something with it. So much of it is reliant on these guests that we pull from.
“I had not worked in high-production audio storytelling until ESPN Daily. I was essentially the managing editor of the staff. I got to weigh in on every topic. We also had to manage ‘ESPN has this awesome piece/investigation/documentary/feature. Can you guys do something with it?’ I know this is not The Pablo Torre Show. The challenge was ‘Here’s a topic I don’t know about. Maybe I wasn’t responsible for the piece that we are about to discuss, but what’s the way that we can do it that’s substantive and can push it to another level?’”
From June 2018 until March 2020, Torre hosted High Noon with Bomani Jones on ESPN. While he feels no regrets about any part of the show, he does feel some nostalgia looking back and wonders what would have happened to the show if it debuted in a different format.
“I am so nostalgic for the mission that we had and the big ‘What if’ that you think about now in retrospect is was that more of an internet prospect than a linear television property? What if that was a video podcast show? What would have been different about that? I think the trick of what High Noon was it was trying to subvert a medium.
“What we were trying to do was figure out a way to be ourselves and build chemistry and do the stuff in the daily sports news cycle while also balancing the mandate of we are coming on after First Take…It was an experiment. Then, we went to a half hour in the afternoon, which I wasn’t bothered by, but it ends up changing the very premise and it’s harder to build chemistry in that format.
“I have no regrets about that, but I do have mostly nostalgia for the fact that we tried to have discussions that went to levels that sports television in the linear cable television model just never really had time for in the talk media daily setting.”

Ricky Keeler is a reporter for BSM with a primary focus on sports media podcasts and national personalities. He is also an active podcaster with an interest in pursuing a career in sports media. You can find him on Twitter @Rickinator555 or reach him by email at [email protected].
Sports TV News
Drew Carter Joining Boston Celtics Broadcast Team
“Drew is talented, energetic and well prepared for the opportunity.”

Published
4 hours agoon
October 4, 2023By
BSM Staff
NBC Sports Boston has announced its commentary team for its broadcasts of the 2023-24 Boston Celtics, a franchise with championship expectations after being defeated two seasons ago in the NBA Finals. The young core of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will pair with veteran guard Jrue Holiday and center Kristaps Porziņġis with aspirations of making a deep postseason run, and the regional sports network will be on hand to document all of the action. Play-by-play announcer Mike Gorman will be on the call for his 43rd season in the role, which he has announced will be his last, bringing fans all of the action during regular-season home games.
Gorman will be honored throughout the regular season by NBC Sports Boston, the team and its fans through special content, in-arena vignettes and a special “Mike Gorman Night” at TD Garden in April. Additionally, the network will have special promotions, social media content and specials leading up to games. These will honor his career and thankthanking him for his work on the telecasts over the last four decades-plus.
“Mike truly has made an incredible impact as the voice of the Boston Celtics during his amazing 43-year broadcast career covering the team,” Chris Wayland, president and general manager of the Boston Owned Properties and Regional Sports Networks of NBCUniversal, said in a statement. “We look forward to a season of celebrating and honoring Mike and making his ‘farewell’ as memorable as his career has been. He will certainly be missed but he will always be a part of the NBC Sports Boston and Celtics Family.”
Drew Carter, who just called the Toy Story Funday Football broadcast with ESPN, is joining the NBC Sports Boston broadcast team this year and will be added on a full-time basis starting in the 2024-25 season. For this season, he will be on the call for all Celtics preseason and regular-season road games before officially taking Gorman’s position in one year.
“Mike has been such an important part of what makes the Celtics so special to our fans,” Rich Gotham, team president of the Boston Celtics, said in a statement. “Drew is talented, energetic and well prepared for the opportunity. We very much look forward to seeing him connect with Celtics fans over the course of the season.”
“Drew is one of the industry’s rising play-by-play voices and has had the opportunity to call numerous sports across multiple platforms,” added Kevin Miller, vice president of content for NBC Sports Boston. “He has a great understanding of the role he’s stepping into and we’re excited for Celtics fans to get to know him.
Gorman is a former recipient of the Curt Gowdy Award, which is given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to outstanding contributions to the sport through media outlets. He now enters his final season on the call energized to provide a stellar and informative account of all the action, which experts believe could result in a postseason appearance and potential championship run.
“Mike’s contributions over 43 Hall-of-Fame seasons will be unmatched,” Miller said, “and we are excited to give fans multiple opportunities to see some of the best moments from his storied career.”
Aside from the addition of Carter and impending departure of Gorman, the rest of the Celtics’ broadcast team will remain the same. Analyst Brian Scalabrine enters his ninth season in the role and is joined by sideline reporter Abby Chin, who will be present for every game. Amina Smith, Eddie House and Chris Forsberg form the team on Celtics Pregame Live and Celtics Postgame Live on game nights, bringing fans news, analysis and opinion about each matchup and the season at large.
Sports TV News
Jimmy Pitaro Receives Prestigious Stanton Award
“I am proud to represent the people of ESPN in receiving this recognition.”

Published
8 hours agoon
October 4, 2023By
BSM Staff
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro was honored in a ceremony last night in New York City by the Center for Communication, a nonprofit organization that seeks to educate and inspire the next generation of media professionals. Pitaro was on hand to accept the Frank Stanton Award for Excellence in Communication, which recognized his achievements in media and demonstrated the changing state of the industry.
The gathering was emceed by First Take commentator Stephen A. Smith and host Molly Qerim, who recognized the outstanding ongoing career of the chairman.
Pitaro has been an innovator throughout his time with ESPN, helping catalyze media rights agreements with various professional sports leagues, new programming, and cutting-edge technologies. The Worldwide Leader has transformed the way it produces and disseminates content over the last several years and looks to remain a beacon for other companies to follow in the years to come.
“Jimmy is a forward-thinking leader and is always focused on innovation, which has kept ESPN at the top of its game,” David J. Barrett, Center for Communication chairman emeritus, said in a statement. “He is also deeply committed to creating an ESPN where everyone feels they belong, making diversity, equity, and inclusion a core business priority. We are thrilled to honor Jimmy for his success and his shared passion for opening doors for the next generation of media leaders.”
The Center for Communication appointed Rita Ferro, president of advertising sales for Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, as its new chair. Because of this, Barrett is now considered a co-chair of the organization. Additionally, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Google Vice President Sean Downey, and Endeavor President Mark Shapiro are among the list of co-chairs.
“The Center for Communication plays an important role in creating the future of our industry,” Jimmy Pitaro said. “I am proud to represent the people of ESPN in receiving this recognition.”
Sports TV News
Diamond Sports Group Requests Extension in Ch. 11 Reorganization
“Navigating these choppy waters requires discussions with, and cooperation from, many parties….”

Published
9 hours agoon
October 4, 2023By
BSM Staff
Diamond Sports Group is in the midst of waiting to discover whether or not its request for an extension to file a restructuring plan under Chapter 11 bankruptcy will be approved by a U.S. bankruptcy court, a decision that could prove pivotal in the survival of the Sinclair subsidiary. The entity previously declared bankruptcy in March 2023 after it threatened the proposition to Major League Baseball as it implored the league to grant it expanded direct-to-consumer (DTC) broadcast rights. MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. refused to acquiesce to Diamond’s demands and instituted a local media department, headed by Billy Chambers, set to take over regional broadcast responsibilities if Diamond decided to selectively reject existing rights contracts.
Diamond previously received an extension to file a restructuring plan on Sept. 30 and enlisted the help of a mediator leading up to that time. The company now hopes to be able to file that plan on Nov. 29, which would give the entity an additional two months to compile and receive feedback on a potential resolution. At the moment, creditors are deliberating the best path forward to reorganize itself amid over $8 billion in debt, largely due to its acquisition of regional sports networks from The Walt Disney Company in an antitrust-related divestiture outlined by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2019.
“The debtors’ Chapter 11 cases are tremendously complex and are occurring while the cable industry is rapidly changing due to subscribers’ persistent ‘cord cutting’ as they move away from traditional cable and satellite multichannel video distributors,” the company said in a court filing. “Navigating these choppy waters requires discussions with, and cooperation from, many parties, including multiple creditor groups, sports leagues, teams and MVPDs.”
As the MLB season continued, Diamond terminated its agreements with the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, leading MLB to assume control over those media rights. With seasons for both the National Hockey League and National Basketball Association quickly approaching, both leagues are reportedly in discussions with the outlet. While there were reports about the leagues agreeing to a deal that would result in less remuneration doled out to its teams, no such compromise has been reached. John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reports that if Diamond is able to emerge from its bankruptcy, both leagues would expect those rights fees to be slashed on a team-by-team basis.
Diamond recently came to terms on a one-year rights renewal with DIRECTV, ensuring that the Bally Sports-branded regional sports networks stay on the air for the next 12 months. DIRECTV had a provision in its existing contract that would have allowed it to renegotiate the RSN deal, but it decided to neglect the use of that so it would not have to renegotiate Sinclair local broadcast channels as well.
The subsidiary’s deal with Charter Communications expires on Feb. 29, which could end up being a monumental negotiation based on how the next several months go for the company. Diamond is reportedly in active negotiations with Comcast to renew that carriage agreement, which comes shortly after a public strife between Charter and The Walt Disney Company that resulted in somewhat of a stalemate.
Through it all, Diamond is suing Sinclair, its parent company, alleging that it received more than $1.5 billion due to misconduct. Some of the claims brought forth by Diamond relate to the fraudulent transfer of assets, breach of contract and unjust enrichment, practices that it believes have harmed its creditors. In response, Sinclair denied these allegations and stated that it believes that Diamond will not emerge from its ongoing bankruptcy.