The Sports Media Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 94: Guest host Paul Finebaum on ESPN and college sports media Jul 05, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, host of a daily four-hour show on SEC Network, joins this week’s pod as a co-host and discusses what it was like inside ESPN as last week’s on-air layoffs were announced, including well-known names like Jeff Van Gundy, Suzy Kolber and Jalen Rose. Finebaum discusses what his day was like the Friday the layoffs were made and what morale is like among the ESPNers that remain.

Ourand and Finebaum, one of the smartest minds in college sports, dive into how the Power Five conferences stand from a media standpoint. Topics include what to expect from the Pac-12’s next media deal, changes to the Big Ten’s media rights package due to take effect this fall, and how the Big 12 appears to be in a better situation than the ACC and Pac-12. Ourand and Finebaum dive into some of the struggles the ACC faces and consider the schools most likely to leave one conference for another. Ourand and Finebaum share their picks for Who’s Up and Who’s Down for the week and offer a Call of the Week.

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Episode 93: More ESPN layoffs, another ESPN reorg and a new Karp’s Korner Jun 28, 2023

Show notes

The fourth and, presumably, last round of Disney’s layoffs is about to hit ESPN’s on-screen stars. Hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand discuss what to expect and how cuts already have affected ESPN Radio. Marchand and Ourand move into a discussion of last week’s corporate reorg, which saw longtime executive Burke Magnus cement his position as second in command to Jimmy Pitaro. During their wide-ranging discussion, the hosts identify the executives who gained the most power inside ESPN.

Other topics on this week’s podcast include a review of Derek Jeter’s debut on Fox Sports’ MLB pregame show; a review of ESPN’s NBA Draft coverage; and the NBA Draft night controversy involving The Athletic’s Shams Charania. SBJ’s media titan Austin Karp returns for a Karp’s Korner segment on MLB ratings. The pod has its regular Who’s Up/Who’s Down segment this week, as well as a Call of the Week honoring ESPN’s Neil Everett, who anchored his final “SportsCenter” last week after a 23-year run.

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Episode 92: Will Derek Jeter be any good on TV? And The Big Get Malika Andrews Jun 21, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:

With Derek Jeter making his debut on Fox’s MLB coverage this weekend, hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand discuss how the Hall of Famer shortstop will fit in with the network’s other studio analysts David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez. Marchand and Ourand also address Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s comments about this pod and the XFL. Other topics include: J.J. Watts’ television prospects, Craig Carton’s move from radio to television and Adrian Wojnarowski’s decision not to tip picks on Twitter during this week’s NBA Draft. As always, Marchand and Ourand give offer picks for sports media types who are on the way up and ones on the way down.

ESPN host Malika Andrews joins as The Big Get this week, talking about how her journey from editing the school newspaper at the University of Portland to ESPN. Andrews, who will host this week’s NBA Draft on ESPN, discussed her preparation for the night and touched on her career goals. Andrews also talks about her decision to talk about mental health struggles publicly and the feedback she’s received.

https://nypost.com/2020/09/16/malika-andrews-fought-painful-demons-before-meteoric-espn-rise/

For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 91: What’s Next for the NBA, RSNs and Messi Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:

With the end of the NBA Finals, hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand look into what’s next for the league, from the media free agents we’ll see on TV next year to the all-important rights deal that has generated huge interest. Marchand and Ourand also detail why viewers should expect the NBA Finals’ earlier start times to remain next season and review the NBA Finals from a media perspective.

The hosts discuss why the next four weeks are so important to the bankrupt Diamond Sports Group and the RSNs they run. They look into Messi’s potential impact on MLS and AppleTV+, WWE’s media rights negotiations, changes at the top of NBC Sports, changes on the set of Big Noon Kickoff and an update on Pac-12 rights. As always, they pick the people who had good weeks and bad weeks in sports media. And this week’s episode includes the return of their popular Call of the Week feature.

For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry.

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Episode 90: Guest host Colin Cowherd on LIV, Shannon/Skip, ESPN, The Volume .... Jun 07, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:

Andrew Marchand is joined this week by guest host Colin Cowherd, who was in for John Ourand. Marchand and Cowherd reveal "Who's up" and "Who's down." The two go into the media implications of the LIV deal. Cowherd reveals the valuation of his company, The Volume, after just two years. Marchand and Cowherd discuss how ESPN tried to woo Cowherd back from FS1. He discussed how far he got with jobs with National Geographic and CNN when he was leaving ESPN eight years ago. The duo discussed the impending break-up of Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe on Undisputed. They delved into Pat McAfee's move to ESPN. Plus, Cowherd gives some sound advice on how to be happy in sports media.

For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 89: The state of the NBA and NHL plus the return of Karp’s Korner May 31, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:

As the NBA is about to start its Heat-Nuggets Finals series, hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand look into the league’s media performance throughout the playoffs, comparing the game broadcasts and studio shows from both ESPN and TNT and preview the league’s rights deals, which will start to be negotiated next year. Marchand and Ourand also preview the Panthers-Golden Knights NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals, which will be carried entirely on cable for the first time ever. SBJ’s TV ratings expert Austin Karp returns with his regular Karp’s Korner segment to offer his viewership predictions in both sports.

Marchand and Ourand dive into financial analyst Michael Nathanson’s new, more dire prediction about how far cable TV will fall, preview what will happen as Diamond continues to try and operate through bankruptcy and give a review of last week’s Sports Business Awards, where Fox Sports and Eric Shanks swept the media categories. As always, Marchand and Ourand offer their choices for Who’s Up and Who’s Down for the week, featuring Charles Barkley, Peter Drury, Kevin Harlan and Crane Kenney.

For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 88: Thursday Night Flex, Pat McAfee and ESPN DTC May 24, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:

The NFL’s decision to add flex scheduling to Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” schedule is this week’s top topic, with hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand discussing the move from the perspective of the fan, the league perspective and Amazon. The hosts then dive into ESPN issues from inside information around the company’s decision to hire Pat McAfee to updates on its latest round of layoffs to an in-depth discussion of its direct-to-consumer plans.

Other topics on this week’s podcast include the problems around the Big Ten’s media deals that will start in three months; the problems around the Pac-12’s media deals that still seems a ways off; a preview of the NBA Finals series; and a review of CBS’s performance around the PGA Championship. As always, Marchand and Ourand start the podcast by picking the sports business types who had a good week and the ones who didn’t. This segment includes Roger Goodell, Britney Griner, Devin McCourty and Kevin Warren.

For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 87: NFL Wild Card behind a paywall, Pat McAfee and Matt Ryan deals May 17, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:

In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, the NFL’s deal to sell one wildcard playoff game exclusively to the Peacock streaming service for $110 million is a main topic. Hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand discuss what the deal means for the NFL and NBC. The two hosts also dive into the NFL’s schedule, Pat McAfee’s future and Matt Ryan’s move to join CBS. Plus, the pod brings back its Tom Brady Meter to determine the odds for whether the future Hall of Fame quarterback will join Fox’s broadcast booth by 2024.

Other topics include a review of TV networks’ Upfront advertising presentations, an early review of the MLS-Apple deal just a couple of months into the season and LIV Golf’s Heidi moment on The CW over the weekend. As always, Marchand and Ourand offer their choices on who’s up and who’s down in sports media for the week.

For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 86: Pat McAfee, Pac 12 info, NFL schedules and the return of the “Brady Meter” May 10, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:

In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast: Pat McAfee appears to be on the cusp of leaving his $120 million FanDuel deal in favor of ESPN. Andrew Marchand and John Ourand discuss why McAfee would make this move and what benefits ESPN would get from this deal. Marchand and Ourand also preview the NFL’s schedule release, which is slated for Thursday, and offer a preview of ESPN’s second NFL booth that will be calling five games this fall.

This week’s pod also marks the return of the podcast’s “Brady Meter,” which gives the percentage chances that Tom Brady ever will appear in a Fox booth. Marchand talks about how last week’s “Brady Meter” debut made international news and led to the former quarterback commenting on it. Other topics on this week’s pod: ESPN’s decision to not take its NBA studio show to the Western Conference finals this year; the Pac-12’s seemingly endless media negotiations; and the likelihood that the WNBA will double its rights fee revenue.

For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 85: Why is Adam Silver so happy? (And, NFL Draft talk…) May 03, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:

From new Super Bowl viewership numbers to NFL Draft news, the NFL is a hot topic for hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand this week. The two also discuss Amazon’s plans around a Black Friday game and Comcast’s decision to drop, then pick back up, NFL Network. Marchand and Ourand trot out the “Brady Meter” to gauge the odds that Tom Brady ever sits behind a microphone in Fox’s NFL booth.

With the NBA and NHL playoffs in full swing, the two predict how each league will fare based on the teams that remain. They revisit ESPN’s layoffs, which hit ESPN Radio particularly hard. And then spend some time talking about the Phoenix Suns and Mercury new local media deals with Gray Television and Kiswe, NASCAR’s media rights negotiations and what to expect from this weekend’s Kentucky Derby.

For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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