Sports Radio News
Ryan Hurley Named Brand Manager of WFAN and Infinity Sports Network
“I am excited and grateful to have the opportunity to join this legendary station.”
Published
2 weeks agoon
By
BSM Staff
Ryan Hurley is joining Audacy as the brand manager of WFAN and Infinity Sports Network, Barrett Sports Media has learned. Hurley will be assuming the role of lead content executive for both brands, succeeding Spike Eskin as he prepares to depart Audacy New York. Eskin will be returning to Audacy-owned SportsRadio 94WIP in Philadelphia to work as a co-host in afternoon drive alongside Ike Reese and Jack Fritz.
“Ryan knows radio, sports and New York, making him a triple threat to take the reins of WFAN, which continues to be the city’s most influential and dominant sports platform,” Chris Oliviero, New York market president at Audacy, said in a statement. “In addition, with Infinity Sports Network, Ryan will have a major impact on the sports conversation nationwide. All of us at Audacy are excited to welcome him to the team.”
“I am excited and grateful to have the opportunity to join this legendary station,” Hurley shared. “The term ‘dream job’ can get thrown around a lot, but as someone who grew up listening to The Fan religiously, this is exactly what this is. There is an incredible team here led by Chris Oliviero, and I look forward to this journey ahead with them.”
Hurley joins Audacy after working at ESPN for 19 years in a variety of different roles spanning several areas of the audio business. In 2004, he began in an entry-level marketing and promotions position at 1050 WEPN-AM in New York City. From there, he produced various programming and was eventually named the executive producer of The Michael Kay Show. Hurley worked on the afternoon drive show for over six years where he was responsible for helping to plan the show, coordinating with talent and booking guests. He was promoted to the role of assistant program director of ESPN New York in 2012, contributing to daily station operations, scouting of on-air talent and working across programming.
Five years later, Hurley became the program director of the outlet, a role he held as the station entered a local marketing agreement with Good Karma Brands. Hurley was part of ESPN layoffs mandated by The Walt Disney Company last summer geared towards enacting cost-cutting measures. Before joining ESPN Radio, he graduated from Hofstra University with a B.A. in audio and radio.
Additionally, David Mayurnik has been named the assistant brand manager of WFAN and Infinity Sports Network and will report to Hurley. Mayurnik served as the producer for the New York Yankees Radio Network and news operation manager of WCBS Newsradio 880 starting in 2005. When CBS Sports Radio launched, he joined the national outlet as an executive producer and was later named its program director. Mayurnik started working in radio at WFAN as a tape operator in 2000 and graduated from William Paterson University of New Jersey.
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Sports Radio News
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T Added to Weekend Lineup at 102.5 The Game in Nashville
“Join us every Saturday as we bring the best of pro wrestling, combat sports, and entertainment to the fantastic folks of Nashville, Tennessee.”
Published
13 hours agoon
April 29, 2024By
BSM Staff
WWE legend Booker T, whose real name is Booker T. Huffman Jr., announced today that he and his partner, Brad Gilmore, will be hosting a one-hour weekend show on 102.5 The Game in Nashville. The pair hosts shows Tuesday through Friday on ESPN Houston and also airs a podcast.
The Hall of Fame will air in Nashville from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Saturdays beginning May 4.
“Exciting news! I’m thrilled to announce that The Hall of Fame radio show, which I host alongside Brad Gilmore, will be making its debut this Saturday in Nashville on 102.5 The Game at 8 a.m.,” Booker said. “We want to thank [station Director of Operations and Sports Program Director] Chase McCabe and The Game team for helping expand the reach of The Hall of Fame.”
In describing the show to the new audience, Booker T said, “Join us every Saturday as we bring the best of pro wrestling, combat sports, and entertainment to the fantastic folks of Nashville, Tennessee.”
Huffman, a two-time WWE Hall of Famer, is a color analyst for WWE’s NXT brand and also is the owner and founder of the Reality of Wrestling independent promotion.
Huffman and Gilmore hosted Heated Conversations on SportsRadio 610 in Houston from 2015 to 2019 before moving the show to ESPN 97.5.
Sports Radio News
Could ‘The Freak’ Resurface in Dallas?
“With a little more talent and another year, The Freak could have been a $10 million per year station…”
Published
14 hours agoon
April 29, 2024By
BSM Staff
An attorney who previously represented former Dallas sports talk radio hosts Dan McDowell and Jake Kemp says he had tried to engage iHeartMedia in talks to buy or lease 97.1 ‘The Freak’ before it shut down last week.
Attorney Philip Kingston, a former Dallas City Council representative, posted the following on his X account:
“I guess I’m allowed to talk about this now. I have been trying to engage [iHeartRadio] since October to sell The Freak or at least lease us the signal. I was working for a group of investors. I know the [General Council] but he, a lawyer, refused to return my calls.
“We had multiple Freak employees approach corporate about the idea, and on multiple occasions were promised an audience with these solons of radio. Never got a single meeting. For the last year, it has been obvious that the problem was that iHeart didn’t spend enough money to really launch the station. Now they spent a lot – I estimate at least $3.5 million – to get absolutely nothing, but they didn’t really commit. They needed at least one more big show to get to the ad sales they needed.
“I know [Mike] Rhyner is blaming poor management, and I know that their salespeople are used to national advertising that you can’t sell with a local talk format, but management was just not the problem. It was lack of investment. With a little more talent and another year, The Freak could have been a $10 million per year station…”
A post replied to Kingston’s asking if it is “still l possible for you to buy another frequency, retain all these guys, add the other show you are talking about and resurrect this thing quickly to build it into exactly what you are talking about?”
Kingston replied, “Lots of people talking about lots of things this week. I should probably shut up for a bit.”
Kingston represented McDowell and Kemp last year when they had a contract dispute with The Ticket owner Cumulus Media (and previous station owner Susquehanna Radio) over wanting to do a podcast outside of their sports talk radio hosting duties.
BSM will monitor the situation and keep you updated when more information becomes available about where the hosts from ‘The Freak’ may end up.
Sports Radio News
107.5 The Fan Lands Top-3 Finish in Mornings in Indianapolis Winter Ratings Book
Mornings with Kevin Bowen and Andy Sweeney attained an 8.4 share, third for the quarter. It was the duo’s first full winter book together.
Published
14 hours agoon
April 29, 2024By
BSM Staff
The Indianapolis sports scene has been active during the winter months, first serving as host of the NBA All-Star Game in February to welcoming Caitlin Clark to the Indiana Fever earlier this month. For the three-month stretch between January and March, 107.5 The Fan remained in optimal positions within the Nielsen Indianapolis winter ratings book. Starting with weekday prime (M-F, 6a-7p), the outlet finished tied for fourth with a 7.0 share among Men 25-54. That aligns with the station’s 2023 finish and rating position from last year’s winter ratings book.
Mornings with Kevin Bowen and Andy Sweeney attained an 8.4 share, third for the quarter. It was the duo’s first full winter book together. Bowen and Sweeney started broadcasting The Wake Up Call in late August. The 7a-10a program garnered an 8.5 share, third-place finish last year with Jake Query involved in the mix.
The Fan splits its midday programming between national and local shows, the first of which is the two-hour ESPN Radio program #Greeny. Anchored by Mike Greenberg, the show generated a 5.1 share in the winter book placing it in a sixth-place tie among Men 25-54. Year-over-year, the daypart is up one-tenth of a share and above the 11th-place ranking position it previously possessed.
The later midday show with the aforementioned Query achieved a 6.8 share, fifth-place finish in its first full winter ratings book from 12p-3p. That represented a 1.3-share improvement from the eighth-place finish the program had in the 2023 winter ratings book.
In afternoon drive, John Michael Vincent anchored The Ride w/ JMV and earned a 7.2 share for the quarter, good for fourth in the market. The result was a 1.0 share decline from last year, when the show ranked second overall.
For the full week (M-SU, 6a-12a), 107.5 The Fan collected a 5.6 share, placing it seventh among Men 25-54. The metric was four-tenths of a share lower than last year’s winter ratings period when it realized a 6.0 share, sixth-place finish.
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.
