Last Word On Sports Media Podcast

This week on Episode 12 of the Announcer Schedules Podcast, Mike Gill and Phil de Montmollin pay tribute to Hall of Fame player and broadcaster Len Dawson as well as Golf’s Tom Weiskopf. Throughout the show, a total of 70 different announcers from past and present are mentioned with an array of topics discussed including: - Len Dawson’s start as a broadcaster - The success and longevity of HBO’s I...

On the latest edition of the show, we're ready to cover everything from the Big Ten's massive television deals adding CBS and NBC to their already existing Fox coverage to Fox bringing back a familiar, if unpopular, figure to their Saturday pregame. And, there's Amazon Prime debuting their NFL broadcast team with a preseason game this week and more on the "SportsMediaWatch.com Podcast" Host T.J. R...

Season six of “Tell me a story I don’t know” commences with these two words, ”Go cats!” That’s Pat Fitzgerald’s signature phrase after every interview and pretty much, any conversation. And the Northwestern Wildcats have pretty much gone in the right direction since “Fitz” took over has head coach in 2006. He was the youngest head coach in division one at the time (31) having been named after the...

Season six of “Tell me a story I don’t know” commences with these two words, ”Go cats!” That’s Pat Fitzgerald’s signature phrase after every interview and pretty much, any conversation. And the Northwestern Wildcats have pretty much gone in the right direction since “Fitz” took over has head coach in 2006. He was the youngest head coach in division one at the time (31) having been named after the...

Off a huge weekend of fights, including the unified heavyweight title bout in Saudi Arabia, it's time to go over it all on the "Fight Freaks Unite Recap" podcast! Host T.J. Rives returns with Dan Rafael insider of BigFightWeekend.com with more on Oleksandr Usyk's impressive win in his rematch over Anthony Joshua. How did Usyk use his skill, jab, and hard left hand to keep keep Joshua at bay long e...

This week on Episode 11 of the Announcer Schedules Podcast, Mike Gill and Phil de Montmollin were joined by accomplished play-by-play announcer Roxy Bernstein (ESPN, Pac-12 Network, Oakland A’s) for a wide-ranging conversation with topics including: - How Bernstein’s career evolved from Cal-Berkeley to ESPN - His recent experience with Auburn Men’s Basketball in Israel - What it’s like to work wit...

This week on Episode 11 of the Announcer Schedules Podcast, Mike Gill and Phil de Montmollin are joined by accomplished play-by-play announcer Roxy Bernstein (ESPN, Pac-12 Network, Oakland A’s) for a wide-ranging conversation with topics including: - How Bernstein’s career evolved from Cal-Berkeley to ESPN - His recent experience with Auburn Men’s Basketball in Israel - What it’s like to work with...

On the latest edition of the show, host T.J. Rives and Jon Lewis of SportsMediaWatch.com return to go over all the latest news, ratings, moves and more! First, the guys discuss the expected ratings drop for Fox MLB coverage of the second "Field of Dreams" game in the Iowa cornfield late last week? You can't say Jon didn't warn you that he knew the audience would be a lot less and the guys go over...

How do you narrow down the best of a season? It’s all but impossible but we managed to come up with some intriguing, delightful and difficult stories from 6 of our guests. It’s been a very trying time for Thom Brenneman, fired 2 years ago by the Cincinnati Reds and Fox sports after uttering a gay slur on a live mike during a commercial break. No one has hired him since despite several notable indi...

How do you narrow down the best of a season? It’s all but impossible but we managed to come up with some intriguing, delightful and difficult stories from 6 of our guests. From disgraced former Cincinnati Reds broadcater, Thom Brenneman, fired 2 years ago by the Reds and Fox sports after uttering a gay slur on a live mic during a commercial break to Chicagoan Dave Wills , who was hoping to get a f...

This week on Episode Ten of the Announcer Schedules Podcast, Mike Gill and Phil de Montmollin provide part two of a tribute to the late Vin Scully with more clips displaying the iconic style of an American treasure. In addition, the podcast previews the upcoming NFL season and discusses the implications of the new college football broadcast rights deals. Throughout the show, a total of 79 differen...

It's our latest edition of the show and we're ready to figure out the Big Ten's massive TV negotiations and whom it includes and whom it doesn't? Plus, we have more on Fox setting it's NFL broadcasting lineups, Nick Faldo retiring and more on the latest "SportsMediaWatch.com Podcast." Host T.J. Rives returns with Jon Lewis (aka "Paulsen") of SportsMediaWatch.com to go over those topics and more. T...

He was infatuated with Marv Albert. What young aspiring broadcaster back in the early 70s wouldn’t be. But while Wayne Larrivee admitted he wanted to be an NBA radio guy ( and he was for 17 years with the Chicago Bulls), he’s best known as the voice of the Green Bay Packers and is now in his 24 season. This after Larrivee also spent 14 years as the voice of the Bears, two of the charter and most h...

He was infatuated with Marv Albert. What young aspiring broadcaster back in the early 70s wouldn’t be. But while Wayne Larrivee admitted he wanted to be an NBA radio guy ( and he was for 17 years with the Chicago Bulls), he’s best known as the voice of the Green Bay Packers and now in his 24th season, but Larrivee also spent 14 years with the Chicago Bears , two of the charter and most hated rival...

This week on Episode Nine of the Announcer Schedules Podcast, Mike Gill and Phil de Montmollin pay tribute to the late Vin Scully with an extended conversation that includes several clips of the iconic style of an American treasure. In addition, the podcast pays tribute to Bill Russell and discuss the Hall of Famer’s career as a broadcaster. Throughout the show, a total of 60 different announcers...

We are back off a brief Summer break with another edition of the show that covers all aspects of the sports media and more. Host T.J. Rives and Jon Lewis of SportsMediaWatch.com are ready to go over the current events and news. First, the guys talk about the passing of Los Angeles Dodgers broadcasting legend Vin Scully at the age of 94. Scully was synonymous with the Dodgers on radio, especially,...

Can you sleep with the enemy? Chicago Bears fans might think so but likely give Wayne Larrivee a pass. After 14 years as their voice, this long time play by play man moved north to become the voice of the long time rival Green Bay Packers and he’s been there for nearly a quarter of a century! Larrivee kicked off his career as the voice of the Kansas City Chiefs and moved to Chicago at the right ti...

Can you sleep with the enemy? Chicago Bears fans might think so but likely give Wayne Larrivee a pass. After 14 years as their radio voice, this long time play by play man moved north to become the voice of the long time rival Green Bay Packers and he’s been there for nearly a quarter of a century! Larrivee kicked off his career as the voice of the Kansas City Chiefs and moved to Chicago at the ri...

Our fifth and final podcast during encore week features Michael Wilbon. There was no question who I wanted to feature as the first guest on “Tell me a story I don’t know.” I have known Mike Wilbon for nearly 40 years and I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone I admire, respect and like as much as I do of the co-host of the highly successful “Pardon the Interruption”on ESPN. Wilbon, who grew up on the...

Our 4th podcast during encore week features Eddie Olczyk. They say change is good. For Olczyk, maybe, maybe not. Last week his long time association with the Chicago Blackhawks ended when the two sides couldn’t agree on a new contract for him to continue as the team’s TV analyst. He immediately took a similar job with the newly formed Seattle Kraken. Olczyk wears his heart on his sleeve and by the...

Our third podcast during encore week features one of the most celebrated and highest paid sports journalist in the broadcast industry. And to think, the first person ESPN’s Mike Greenberg work with professionally was yours truly. “Greeny” as he’s best known, has carved out a spectacular career from his partnership with Mike Golic on the radio program "Mike and Mike" to his current TV gig entitled...

Our second podcast during encore week features Sarah Kustok who made history by becoming the first woman hired as a full time t.v. analyst for an NBA team, the Brooklyn Nets. Her work has demonstrated just how knowledgeable she is about here craft, that and she is gifted with glittering personality. Remember, Kustok was a suburban Chicago high school basketball star and later a quality player at D...

If you could pick one sports broadcast journalist who was the most iconic of the last 50 years, the choices would be slim but Bob Costas heads my list. Whether he was hosting from the Olympics, calling a baseball game, being an integral part of the NBA or hosting myriad talk shows, Costas stands above the rest. And his stories for “Tell me a story I don’t know” were priceless. For example: The inf...

NHL play-by-play announcer John Forslund of the Seattle Kraken on Root Sports, TNT, and Sports USA Radio, joined the Announcer Schedules Podcast back in June for an insightful conversation with Mike Gill and Phil de Montmollin. In addition to his role as the voice of the Seattle Kraken, Forslund calls games for the national NHL on TNT package having previously announced for NBC Sports, NHL on Vers...

Larry Collmus, the race caller for the Kentucky Derby, the Triple Crown and the Breeders Cup on NBC, joined the Announcer Schedules Podcast recently, for an fascinating conversation with Mike Gill and Phil de Montmollin. Collmus joined NBC Sports in 2011 as the race caller for the network’s coverage of the Triple Crown (the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont), and Breeders’ Cup. In 2015, Collmu...