Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Sportico media reporter Anthony Crupi comes on to discuss where the NFL stand after five weeks; the dominance of Kansas City and Buffalo as far as NFL ratings; CBS off to its most-watched season through five Weeks since NFL returned to CBS in 1998; the start of the NHL season and viewership expectations; if there is a good World Series viewership matchup and more. Anthony will be on with other spo...

Episode 339 of the Sports Media Podcast features Pierre LeBrun, a senior NHL columnist for The Athletic and an NHL Insider for TSN Canada. In this podcast LeBrun discusses the biggest story in the NHL in 2023-24; the most under-covered story in the league; why he is picking a Toronto-Edmonton Stanley Cup Final; how competitive the space is for an NHL insider; his fondness for wire service reportin...

Episode 338 of the Sports Media Podcast features two writers who were selected for The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2023 analogy. They are Ryen Hockensmith of ESPN and Sarah Hepola of Texas Monthly. In this podcast Hockensmith discusses his story (“The Secret MVP of Sports? The Port-A-Potty”) and how it came to be; the importance of the Port-a-Potty at sporting events; the challenges of reporting an...

Jon Lewis, the founder and editor of Sports Media Watch, comes on to discuss if Taylor Swift has made an impact on NFL viewership; NBC’s Chiefs-Jets game averaging 27 million viewers; Colorado-USC drawing 7.241 million; whether this is the end for Colorado as a viewership juggernaut; college football being up; Ryder Cup ratings down; Thursday Night Football’s postgame; the WNBA Finals viewership o...

Episode 337 of the Sports Media Podcast features three writers who were selected for The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2023 anthology. They are Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Derrick Gould of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Cassidy Randall, a freelance writer whose piece from The Atavist Magazine was selected. In this podcast Coffey discusses her story (“The Phillies’ Andrew Bellatti Made...

Austin Karp, managing editor/digital for Sports Business Journal, comes on for a mini-podcast to discuss Colorado-Oregon and Ohio State-Notre Dame’s viewership numbers;  Amazon’s big Thursday Night start; CBS’s big NFL September; Taylor Swift ratings; why MLB viewership on ESPN and ESPN2 was down; Fox moving games from FS1 to Fox to juice the viewership;  the impact on the Red Sox and Yankees stru...

Episode 336 of the Sports Media Podcast features Ian Eagle, the CBS Sports/WBD/YES Network and Westwood One Sports broadcaster, and Sports Illustrated podcaster and writer Jimmy. Traina. In this podcast Eagle discusses dropping a Taylor Swift reference during the Chiefs-Jaguars game and the explosion of coverage that followed; why things go viral; how doing a Thursday Night radio broadcast helps h...

Bill Shea, a longtime sports business reporter for Crain's Detroit Business, and The Athletic, comes on for a mini-podcast to discuss NFL, the Monday Night Football viewership experiment, and college football viewership for Week 2. He’ll be on with other sports viewership experts for mini-pods throughout the NFL season . 

Episode 335 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jon Lewis, the founder and editor of Sports Media Watch, and Aaron Portzline, a senior writer for The Athletic who covers the Columbus Blue Jackets. In this podcast Deitsch and Lewis discuss ABC’s decision to simulcast 10 additional Monday Night Football games; Colorado-Colorado State averaging 9.30 million viewers on ESPN for a post-10:00 p.m. ET k...

Anthony Crupi, a sports media reporter from Sportico, comes on for a mini-podcast to discuss NFL and college football viewership for Week 1 and the Charter-Disney settlement. He’ll be on with other sports viewership experts for mini-pods throughout the NFL season .

Episode 334 of the Sports Media Podcast features Chad Finn, sports media writer of The Boston Globe, and Ava Wallace, a tennis writer and Wizards beat reporter for The Washington Post. In this podcast Finn discusses the opening week of the NFL season and the viewership numbers being down; the season-ending injury to Aaron Rodgers; the Charter-Disney agreement; sports media companies going after th...

Episode 333 of the Sports Media Podcast features three guests together — Amazon Prime Video play by play broadcaster Al Michaels, Amazon lead game producer Mark Teitelman and Fred Gaudelli, the executive producer of NBC’s and Amazon Prime’s NFL coverage. Amazon’s first NFL broadcast in 2023 will feature the Vikings at Eagles on Sept. 14 at 8:15 p.m. ET. In this podcast, the three discuss Teitelman...

Austin Karp, managing editor/digital for Sports Business Journal and Jon Lewis, founder of Sports Media Watch, come on for a mini-podcast to discuss sports viewership. They offer their thoughts on Week 1 of the NFL season, season predictions, and the college pregame shows. They’ll be on with other sports viewership experts for mini-pods throughout the NFL season. 

Episode 332 of the Sports Media Podcast features Kevin Clark, who launched a digital show (“This is Football”) this week with Omaha Productions and ESPN. In this podcast, Clark discusses leaving The Ringer to join Omaha Productions and ESPN; creating a digital show and podcast called “This Is Football”; what he hopes to do with his new show; potential guests; the value of having an agent at this p...

Episode 331 of the Sports Media Podcast features Ty Schmit, a producer and on-air personality of  The Pat McAfee Show , a live weekday sports talk show that launches on multiple ESPN platforms on Sept. 7.  In this podcast, Schmit discusses his job for The Pat MacAfee Show; how guests and story ideas are selected; the challenges and frustrations of booking guests; how much he and the staff were kep...

Episode 330 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features NBC’s Big Ten Saturday Night lead analyst Todd Blackledge. Blackledge’s first call will be West Virginia at Penn State on Sept. 2 at 7:30 on NBC and Peacock. Big Ten Football will air each week on NBC and stream live on Peacock. In this podcast, Blackledge discusses why he left ESPN for NBC; how NBC made him feel wanted; being t...

Episode 329 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Kendall Baker, a senior writer for Yahoo Sports who is heading up the company’s newsletter initiative. His first newsletter for Yahoo Sports debuted Aug. 28. He is followed by Jenni Carlson, the longtime sports columnist for The Oklahoman who has moved to Sellout Crowd.com, a new sports digital startup which starts Sept. 1. I...

Episode 328 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features ESPN play by play broadcaster Chris Fowler. In this podcast, Fowler discusses his role as ESPN’s lead tennis game-caller; his preparation for the upcoming U.S. Open; the Alcaraz-Djokovic Wimbledon final; how he sees the immediate future of the men’s and women’s game; the challenge of calling tennis off a monitor; his August and...

Episode 327 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Marc J. Spears, senior NBA writer for Andscape and one of the prominent NBA voices in the country.  In this podcast, Spears discusses being awarded the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game of basketball; the experience of being honored in Springfield, Mass; joining ESPN in 2016...

Episode 326 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features an extended conversation with Burke Magnus, the president of content at ESPN who has oversight of ESPN’s live events, studio shows, newsgathering, original content/ESPN Films, the Talent Office, as well as audio, digital, and social media. In this podcast, Magnus discusses how aggressive ESPN will be in retaining the NBA; the in...

Episode 325 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features three guests. First up is Men in Blazers  co-founder Roger Bennett and USWNT midfielder and podcaster Sam Mewis, who have combined forces with longtime USWNT center back Becky Sauerbrunn to broadcast on Twitch during the Women’s World Cup. Bennett and Mewis will be live on the Men In Blazers’ Twitch feed for the Women’s World Cu...

Episode 324 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features the Editor In Chief for college football at The Athletic, Stewart Mandel. In this podcast, Mandel discusses the impact of Fox and ESPN on the Pac-12 no longer existing as we knew it; his reporting on Apple’s offer to the Pac-12; college sports administrators wanting linear television despite the declines in viewership and househ...

Episode 323 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Chad Finn of The Boston Globe and Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, the group discusses ESPN’s decision to let go of Mark Jackson; the likely new NBA Finals booth of Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Doc Rivers; how much influence the NBA has in selecting broadcasters; viewership for the Women’s World Cup; Carli...

Episode 322 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features WWE star Becky Lynch. In this podcast, Lynch discusses how she views getting mainstream attention versus traditional wrestling press; how she decides on what media interviews she wants to do; whether she is a different interview depending on the media outlet; how she processes what is written about her;  navigating interviews wh...

Episode 321 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features ESPN and SEC Network host, analyst, and reporter Andraya Carter. In this podcast, Carter discusses her journey from playing basketball at the University of Tennessee to ESPN and the SEC Network; navigating multiple assignments including women’s college basketball, the WNBA, college football and the NBA; how she landed an NBA Dra...