Breaking In with Kevin Fishbain: A Sports Media Podcast

In episode 82, Kevin chats with Kevin Burkhardt, Fox Sports' lead NFL play-by-play man and their studio host for Major League Baseball. This week, Burkhardt hosted pre- and post-game for the World Series in Milwaukee, then called Packers-Lions before heading to Tampa Bay. Paired with Tom Brady, Burkhardt calls the Fox national game of the week, but years ago, he spent time as a car salesman. You'll hear about that pivotal year, as well as how he got his start, as a kid who loved broadcasting video games to his years spent calling high school football in New Jersey. Burkhardt's path to the Fox 'A' team is remarkable. Hear how Kevin Burkhardt broke in.

Interested in learning more about our sponsor, the NSMA, and how it can be a great resource for sports journalists? Head to nationalsportsmedia.org.

In episode 81, Kevin chats with Candace Buckner, senior writer and national columnist at The Athletic. Prior to joining The Athletic, Buckner wrote sports commentary for The Washington Post. She earned first place in the 2024 Associated Press Sports Editors Division A column writing contest and has had her work included in The Best American Sports Writing. Buckner's origin story begins as a kid who wanted to be Hannah Storm or Robin Roberts. She pivoted to writing and will tell stories from her first jobs in Columbus and Macon, Georgia, and explain how covering high school football shaped her career, and then you'll hear how she got her big break at the Kansas City Star. Hear how Candace Buckner broke in.

Interested in learning more about our sponsor, the NSMA, and how it can be a great resource for sports journalists? Head to nationalsportsmedia.org.

In episode 80, Kevin chats with Wes Durham, radio voice of the Atlanta Falcons and play-by-play broadcaster on the ACC Network and ESPN. Durham is an 11-time NSMA Georgia Sportscaster of the Year. He learned the art of sports broadcasting from his father, legendary Tar Heels play-by-play man Woody Durham. You’ll hear how that shaped Wes’s journey, how he got his first job at Radford University, and what led to him getting a job in the ACC with his dad, when Wes got to call Georgia Tech athletics. The former chairman of the NSMA board, Wes explains why our sponsor is such a great resource for those looking to break in to sports media. Hear how Wes Durham broke in. 

Interested in learning more about our sponsor, the NSMA, and how it can be a great resource for sports journalists? Head to nationalsportsmedia.org.

In episode 79, Kevin chats with Wayne Larrivee, radio voice of the Green Bay Packers, in his 29th season with the Green and Gold. Larrivee, the NSMA's 1997 Illinois Sportscaster of the Year, previously was the radio voice of the Chicago Bears while also doing television for the Chicago Cubs as well as the Chicago Bulls during the Michael Jordan era. One of the most distinct voices in sports broadcasting, Larrivee's origin story begins at Emerson College and then Pampa, Texas followed by the Iowa Hawkeyes booth before he got his first NFL gig with the Kansas City Chiefs. You'll hear about his broadcasting path, and the first time he used his signature call "the dagger" in a football game. Ahead of Bears-Packers this weekend, hear how Wayne Larrivee broke in.

Interested in learning more about our sponsor, the NSMA, and how it can be a great resource for sports journalists? Head to nationalsportsmedia.org.

In episode 78, Kevin chats with Dave Eanet, the voice of the Northwestern Wildcats football and men's basketball teams. Last summer, Eanet retired after 30 years with WGN Radio in Chicago. This origin story includes how Eanet made his way to Northwestern for college where he got his start at their student radio station, and what it was like working in radio in the late 70's in Chicago. You'll hear about Eanet co-hosting a talk show with Harry Caray, being there when Dick Butkus interviewed Mike Ditka at the Super Bowl, and how he became the voice of the Wildcats. With the new Ryan Field opening this Friday night, Eanet will reflect on what that will mean. Hear how Dave Eanet broke in.

Interested in learning more about our sponsor, the NSMA, and how it can be a great resource for sports journalists? Head to nationalsportsmedia.org.

In episode 77, Kevin chats with Brandon Gaudin, lead play-by-play broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves on BravesVision. Gaudin also does play-by-play for Fox Sports and Big Ten Network and has called national MLB games along with NFL, college football and college basketball. Fans of "Madden" will recognize Gaudin's voice as well, as he has provided the play-by-play for the video game since 2016. Gaudin grew up a die-hard Braves fan in Indiana where he idolized Skip Caray. You'll hear about the broadcasting he did in high school and then at Butler, his first job calling minor league baseball in Utah, and how he made his way back to his hometown of Evansville to be the voice of the Aces. Hear how Brandon Gaudin broke in.

Interested in learning more about our sponsor, the NSMA, and how it can be a great resource for sports journalists? Head to nationalsportsmedia.org.

In episode 76, Kevin chats with Robert Mays, his colleague at The Athletic and host of the company's flagship NFL podcast, "The Athletic Football Show." Prior to joining The Athletic, Mays covered the NFL for Grantland, The Ringer and The MMQB. His origin story begins as a 90's kid growing up outside Chicago and loving Michael's Bulls and Sammy Sosa's Cubs. His interest in journalism brought him to Missouri, where you'll hear about the life-changing professor he had, then the anecdote about meeting Bill Simmons during an internship in Boston, which ultimately led to Mays getting a job at Grantland. How does someone who began his career as a writer and is now a podcaster view the industry? Find out, and hear how Robert Mays broke in.

Interested in learning more about our sponsor, the NSMA, and how it can be a great resource for sports journalists? Head to nationalsportsmedia.org.

In episode 75, Kevin chats with Michael Wilbon, co-host of "Pardon the Interruption" on ESPN and contributor to NBA coverage on ABC and ESPN. October will mark 25 years for Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser on PTI, an Emmy-award winning show that has become one of the signature sports television programs this century. You'll hear the origin story for Wilbon's role on PTI, as well as how his journalism career began, back to how he wanted to be a sports writer growing up in Chicago, what he learned at Northwestern, getting his first job at the Washington Post, and how he became such an adept deadline writer. Wilbon also dishes his thoughts on the upcoming Bears season and the new stadium at Northwestern. Hear how Michael Wilbon broke in.

Interested in learning more about our sponsor, the NSMA, and how it can be a great resource for sports journalists? Head to nationalsportsmedia.org.

In episode 74, Kevin chats with Spencer Hall, who founded the popular college football blog "Every Day Should Be Saturday" in 2005 and is now the writer at Channel 6 and a podcaster on the Shutdown Fullcast. Hall's social media handle, EDSBS, is synonymous with college football, and you'll hear his origin story ahead of the start of the college football season. Hall grew up in Tennessee and found his way to Gainesville for college. You'll hear how that shaped his college football fandom, how he started blogging during his full-time job and what led to the launch of EDSBS, plus you'll get Hall's unique perspective on college football. Hear how Spencer Hall broke in.

Interested in learning more about our sponsor, the NSMA, and how it can be a great resource for sports journalists? Head to nationalsportsmedia.org

In episode 73, Kevin chats with Steve Coughlin, more widely known as "Stanford Steve," who provides betting analysis on ESPN's College GameDay and is a regular guest on the midnight SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt. Coughlin got his start at ESPN radio as a production assistant in 2004, and you'll hear how he got that job after a college football career at Stanford. The conversation begins with Coughlin's three-sports stardom as a Connecticut prep athlete and goes through his path to ESPN, working overnights and producing for the Mike and Mike Show, and then how he linked up with SVP, which has led to a long partnership. This origin story also includes how the popular segment "Bad Beats" began. Hear how "Stanford Steve" broke in.

Interested in learning more about our sponsor, the NSMA, and how it can be a great resource for sports journalists? Head to nationalsportsmedia.org