Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Episode 591 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Kenan Kamwana Holley, an Emmy Award documentarian who directed "Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association," a four-part docu-series that will debut on Feb. 12 on Prime Video. In this podcast Holley discusses why the ABA was worth examining; how the project came to him, and the time from conception to completion; the revolutionary aspects of the league, from the 3-point shot to the All-Star Game slam dunk competition to player empowerment; how the ABA fit into the era of Vietnam protests, civil rights protests and women's liberation; procuring still images of ABA games and ABA footage; the genius of having a multicoloured basketball; the importance of Spencer Haywood and Rick Barry;  his interviews with Julius Erving and discovering ABA footage showing Dr. J at the height of his prime; learning stories about Moses Malone; beginning his filmmaking career at NFL Films and working under the tutelage of sports documentarian, Steve Sabol and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here’s a First Look from our upcoming podcast with Kenan Kamwana Holley, an Emmy Award documentarian who directed "Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association," a four-part docu-series that will debut on Feb. 12 on Prime Video.  The full podcast will be out later this week. In this preview clip, Holley discusses his interviews with Julius Erving and discovering ABA footage showing Dr. J at the height of his prime. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 590 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Illustrated podcaster and media writer Jimmy Traina. In this episode, we discuss NBC’s coverage of the Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl; whether a blowout impacts how you process a game; why we find NBC’s pregame show unmemorable; the not-great viewership prospects for Seahawks-Patriots; Jimmy losing money on a bad beat; next year’s Super Bowl falling on Valentine’s Day and airing on  ABC and ESPN; why Jimmy does not watch the Olympics; Seth Rollins as an NFL analyst; Maria Taylor as an interview subject; Jimmy’s Reddit fandom, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 589 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Media Watch editor and founder Jon Lewis and Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn. In this episode, we discuss The Washington Post owner and publisher laying off or reassigning all the reporters and editors in its sports section days before the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics; this year's interest in the Super Bowl; NBC's approach to the Super Bowl; what we think the game will draw; whether the Milan-Cortina Games can continue the Olympic momentum from Paris; ESPN plans for its Super Bowl and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 588 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Molly Solomon, the Executive Producer & President, NBC Olympics & Paralympics Production and Amy Rosenfeld, the Senior Vice President, Olympics and Paralympics Production for NBC Sports. In this podcast (NOTE: This podcast was taped before Lindsay Vonn's injury and before the awful news about Savannah Guthrie's mother) Solomon and Rosenfeld discuss if they fundamentally see the Olympics as a sporting event versus entertainment programming; what the week is like for them before the Milan-Cortina Olympics; why they learned from Paris about what works in primetime as a show; the importance of Lindsay Vonn's comeback; the excitement over NHL players returning to the Games; the success of Gold Zone coverage; how Mike Tirico will be impacted by the Super Bowl; how they will approach the politics of the moment as it relates to sports; which sports will pop for viewers; breaking the glass ceiling as far as broadcasting Olympics executives; the debut of Ski mountaineering; the additions of celebrities such as as Snoop and Stanley Tucci, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. Episode 588 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Molly Solomon, the Executive Producer & President, NBC Olympics & Paralympics Production and Amy Rosenfeld, the Senior Vice President, Olympics and Paralympics Production for NBC Sports. In this podcast (NOTE: This podcast was taped before Lindsay Vonn's injury and before the awful news about Savannah Guthrie's mother) Solomon and Rosenfeld discuss if they fundamentally see the Olympics as a sporting event versus entertainment programming; what the week is like for them before the Milan-Cortina Olympics; why they learned from Paris about what works in primetime as a show; the importance of Lindsay Vonn's comeback; the excitement over NHL players returning to the Games; the success of Gold Zone coverage; how Mike Tirico will be impacted by the Super Bowl; how they will approach the politics of the moment as it relates to sports; which sports will pop for viewers; breaking the glass ceiling as far as broadcasting Olympics executives; the debut of Ski mountaineering; the additions of celebrities such as as Snoop and Stanley Tucci, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 587 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Chris Cuthbert, the lead play-by-play voice for Sportsnet's coverage of the NHL. Cuthbert and Mike Johnson will call the men’s Olympic hockey tournament for CBC. In this podcast Cuthbert discusses his preparation for calling the Olympic hockey tournament; how he navigates the game schedule; why having the NHL players back makes this tournament much different than anything else; learning about the non-Canada and U.S. rosters; the navigation of calling the Olympic hockey tournament while significant issues exist politically between Canada and the United States; calling games in the afternoon local time; calling Sidney Crosby’s “golden goal” for CTV from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games; the prospect of 20 million North American viewers watching a Canada-U.S. final; why he thinks someone other than Canada or the U.S. might win the tournament and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here’s a First Look from our upcoming podcast with Chris Cuthbert,  the lead play-by-play voice for Sportsnet's coverage of the NHL and the CBC gamecaller for the men’s Olympic hockey tournament.  The full podcast will be out on Feb. 4. In this preview clip, Cuthbert discusses the navigation of calling the Olympic hockey tournament while significant issues exist politically between Canada and the United States. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 586 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Business Journal media writer Austin Karp and CBC Sports host Donnovan Bennett. In this podcast we discuss the reporting that the Washington Post may cut its sports section amid massive layoffs; the disbanding of The Washington Post; how there are no safe harbour jobs in sports journalism in 2026; the Super Bowl matchup and how it plays as a viewership game; Austin’s prediction that the Seahawks-Patriots will set a new viewership record; Caitlin Clark being hired by NBC’s NBA coverage; SBJ’s story on the NFL Monday Wild Card window and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 585 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Neil Best, who worked for Newsday for many decades covering sports media, the NFL and  other topics. He retired from journalism in December. In this podcast, Best discusses what covering sports media was like for him over the last two decades; how he approached the job as a writer whose market was the No. 1 media market in the U.S.; the endless power of the NFL; why sports-talk radio was such an important topic for him; his time covering the Giants for time; working for the Anchorage (Alaska) Times; whether the streamers will ultimately get all the NFL content; why Newsday was one of the only places that staffed a full-time sports media columnist at a major newspaper; the future of this subject matter as far as a beat, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 584 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Media Watch editor and founder Jon Lewis and Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn. In this podcast we assess the NFL Championship Games from a media perspective; why the Broncos and Patriots might struggle with viewership; Tom. Brady's improvement as a broadcaster; how NBC would look at potential Super Bowl matchups; what NFL package the steamers might want; Bill Belichick as a full-time media person; why some broadcasters and reporters address NFL owners as Mr. and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 583 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Richie Zyontz, the lead producer for FOX's top NFL team featuring Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi, and Rich Russo, the lead director for that team. FOX will air the Rams at Seahawks at 6:30 PM ET on Sunday from Seattle. In this podcast, Zyontz and Russo discuss their schedule this week; why Lumum Field is so good for NFL production teams; how the FOX team sees Sean McVay and Mike Macdonald in production meetings; why Mike Tomlin is a good television prospect; how specifically Brady has improved as a broadcaster; their favourite moment of the year with Brady; if the broadcast has had to work around restrictions on Brady; whether Brady will stay for the duration of his broadcast contract; how the public does not see what Andrews and Rinaldi do behind the scenes and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here’s a first look from our upcoming podcast with Richie Zyontz, the lead producer for Fox's top NFL team featuring Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi, and Rich Russo, the lead director for that team. The full podcast will be out on Jan. 23  In this preview clip, Zyontz and Russo discuss from their perspective why Brady has improved as a broadcaster in Year 2. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 582 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Matt Olson, a Sports Media Agent at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Olson represents Laura Rutledge, Elle Duncan, Dan Orlovsky, Pablo Torre, Jon Sciambi, Cassidy Hubbarth, Diana Russini, Bruce Feldman,and Adnan Virk among other clients. In this podcast, Olson discusses what he does for clients; how he creates relationships among the people who make hires; how an agent  navigates different clients; what happens when client is competing against another for the same job; how he decides if he will take on a client; the best mediums for clients right now; podcasters and influencers versus traditional on-air talent; the range of salaries in the space right now; what he makes of talent leaks; how he sees Rutledge's career arc; the differences of negotiating at a place such as The Athletic versus Fox or ESPN; Tim Legler getting the No. 1 NBA job at ESPN; Virk's career arc; Elle Duncan landing at Netflix; Pat McAfee's career arc; whether  Torre's setup can be duplicated, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 581 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Terry Gannon, NBC's lead Olympic figure skating and gymnastics caller as well as a play-by-play announcer and host for the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour. Since October 2025, Gannon has also served as a play-by-play voice for the NBA on NBC and Peacock. In this podcast Gannon discusses how the Opening Ceremony assignment for Milan Cortina came about; calling Olympic figure skating with Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir since the 2014 Olympics and why its worked; why this might be the greatest U.S. figure skating team ever; what a play by play broadcaster should possess when calling figure skating; why Snoop Dogg has popped at the Olympics; working an NBA broadcasting schedule; playing against Michael Jordan in college; winning a basketball championship at N.C. State under Jim Valvano, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 580 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Media Watch editor and founder Jon Lewis and CBC Sports host Donnovan Bennett. In this podcast we go over all of the NFL Divisional games from a media perspective; whether the Bills-Broncos can overcome Saturday being a less-watched day than Sunday; the criticisms of Tony Romo; Tom Brady's improvement; if we think the college football national championship is a good viewership game; Al Michaels returning for another year; the press conference comments from Lynn Jones to Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen during a press conference; why that became a cause célèbre for some sports writers, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 579 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Media Watch editor and founder Jon Lewis and SBJ media reporter Austin Karp. In this podcast we go over all of the NFL Wild Card games from a media perspective; how Prime Video got such a great game with the Packers-Bears; why 30 millions viewers is the new floor for these games; ESPN landing Texans-Steelers; Tom Brady's role with the Raiders, Troy Aikman helping the Dolphins, and Matt Ryan potentially working with the Falcons and what that means for viewers; the inherent conflict that exists with the roles; Jason Benetti as a leading candidate for NBC's MLB upcoming package; how NBC should approach MLB hires; the college football playoff quarterfinals averaging 19.3 million viewers; whether we think Indiana, Oregon, Ole Miss and Miami are good television draws and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 578 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Courtney Thompson, an analyst for USA Network and a two-time U.S. Olympic volleyball player. Thompson will serve as the analyst for USA Network's League One Volleyball (LOVB) Game of the Week airing on Wednesdays nights from January through April. The first broadcast is Jan. 7 at 6:00 PM ET. In this podcast Thompson discusses how she approaches broadcasting volleyball; why her sport has seen growth over the last five years; why the league's six franchises -- Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Madison, Nebraska and Salt Lake City — were chosen and LOVB's plans to expand from six to nine teams beginning in 2027; the new money being invested in the sport; what makes for a good volleyball broadcast; balancing being an advocate with objectivity; the importance of the 2028 Summer Olympics in L.A. to help the product and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 577 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Patrick Antonetti, who has produced this podcast for many years. In this podcast, Antonetti discusses what his job is; how this podcast gets produced; the challenges and opportunities of doing a podcast that is interview-based; how to edit when a host has verbal tics; the different genres he has produced over the years; what makes a good guest for this podcast; why he loves SI's Jimmy Traina as a guest; his thoughts on his favourite team, the Mets, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 576 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Business Journal media writer Austin Karp and Sports Media Watch founder and editor Jon Lewis. In this podcast, we offer our sports media predictions for 2026; why we think the World Cup will draw record numbers but not have a long-lasting impact on soccer in the United States; the short-term future of MLB on TV and streaming; viewership for the Milan-Cortina Olympics; what happens with Turner Sports properties; whether Pat McAfee's star and leverage grows or declines in 2026; if Netflix's sports podcast strategy be successful; does the WNBA season start on time; if Caitlin Clark can still be a viewership unicorn; the takeaway of the 2026 World Cup and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 575 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jon Miller, the President, Acquisitions & Partnership for NBC Sports. Miller previously served as President of Programming for NBC Sports and has been an executive at the company for multiple decades. In this podcast, Miller discusses what being the president of acquisitions and partnerships means for a major sports media content provider; why the bubble has yet to burst for Tier I sports rights; how he was responsible for bringing in Michael Jordan as a special contributor on NBC's NBA coverage; how long Jordan might do it; why cutting NBC's most recent deal with the IOC for $3 billion was worth it for Comcast NBCUniversal; the importance of Peacock for future Olympics; his  negotiations over the years with the Premier League; NBC's interest in a couple of Premier League games one day opening the season in the U.S.; if Miller is worried about the competition for the next round of Premier League rights; why he thinks women's volleyball has massive growth ahead and why rugby should be bigger in the U.S; advice for young people who want in the business and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices