Episode 164 of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features guest Jonathan Abrams, a Bleacher Report writer and the author of the new book, “All The Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire.” In this podcast, Abrams discusses how he came to write an oral history book of the acclaimed HBO series, “The Wire;” the process of conducting interviews for the book; how he initially had trouble getting cast members after Michael B. Jordan and what changed; his Amtrak interview with The Wire creator David Simon; how he efficiently transcribed all the interviews; the one person he wanted to interview for the book, but didn't get the chance to; the frustration among the creators and some of the actors that nothing has really changed since The Wire;

a discussion on which season is the best and why; how the actors feel about the show; a discussion about show writer George Pelecanos writing the famous line for Snoop when Michael kills her in the car (“How’s my hair look, Mike?”); how the show had such an impact with so little episodes, how J.D. Williams knew that his Bodie character would be killed; and much more. To listen to the podcast in full, check it out on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.

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Episode 163 of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features a sports media roundtable with Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn and Black Sports Online founder and editor Robert Littal. In this podcast, the group discusses the Boston Herald suspending columnist Ron Borges after he was catfished by a person claiming to be Tom Brady’s agent; why something like this happened; how much  Borges’ journalism history play into how we should think about this story; how alert sports journalists should be about potential cat-fishing attempts; the suspension of WEEI radio host Christian Fauria for using a fake Asian accent to impersonate Don Yee, Brady’s agent; our thoughts on Olympic coverage and the ratings so far; why NBA ratings are up in the regular season; the potential viewership for this year’s All-Star Game; why Kevin Garnett has worked as a broadcaster, and much more. To listen to the podcast in full, check it out on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.

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Episode 162 of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Ted Jackson. In this podcast, Jackson discusses his story, The Search For Jackie Wallace, in which Jackson chronicles his four-decade relationship with Wallace, a former NFL player and two-time Super Bowl participant who has struggled with addiction and homelessness for years; how Jackson first met Wallace in 1990 when Jackson took a picture of a Wallace at a camp setup under the I-10 freeway; how a journalist straddles the line between telling a story and exploitation of a subject; the long and winding story of Wallace; what his interactions over the years were like with Wallace; the national response to the story, which now has more than 7 million page views; an update on Wallace, who has been missing since last July; what Jackson hopes readers take away from the story; and much more. To listen to the podcast in full, check it out on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.

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Episode 161 of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features a sports media roundtable with Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn; Black Sports Online founder and editor Robert Littal, and SI.com writer Jimmy Traina. In this podcast, the group discusses NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl XLII; whether broadcasters Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth were a beat off in their call; how the broadcast handled the catch rulings on the field;what the overnight rating means for NBC and the NFL; the value of having a rules analyst in the booth; Jemele Hill leaving the 6:00 p.m. SportsCenter; whether it was Hill’s choice or ESPN’s choice; ESPN’s use of Mike Greenberg on the SportsCenter following the Super Bowl; what WWE character Greembergh best reflects; Fox landing Thursday Night Football; whether the TNF schedule can improve; and much more.

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Episode 160 of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features two guests: ESPN investigative reporter Paula Lavigne and The MMQB editor and NFL reporter Peter King. In this podcast, Lavigne discusses her recent ESPN Outside The Lines story on Michigan State that found “a pattern of widespread denial, inaction and information suppression of [sexual assault, violence and gender discrimination] allegations by officials ranging from campus police to the Spartan athletic department”; the timeline regarding the reporting for the story and when and where the story originated; how universities use a delay tactic on reporters attempting to obtain public records; the challenges of finding records on Baylor’s athletics department; her approach to FOIA requests and obtaining documents; whether she interacts with the programming side of ESPN; her thoughts on Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio and Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo’s reactions and denials regarding her reporting; criticism in some quarters that ESPN is taking advantage of the publicity of the Larry Nassar case to pile on Michigan State; the future of investigative work at sports media outlets; how we should we look sexual assault and college athletes and much more. King discusses how he approaches his The MMQB podcast; his two-part podcast interview with Tom Brady at Brady’s home; how he books his podcast guest; why the podcast medium gets NFL people to open up more; what football podcasts he listens to regularly, and much more. To listen to the podcast in full, check it out on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. 

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Episode 159 of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features a sports media roundtable with Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn and SI.com writer Jimmy Traina and USA Today writer A.J. Perez. In this podcast, the group discusses Jemele Hill leaving the 6:00 p.m. SportsCenter; whether it was Hill’s decision or ESPN pushed her out; the viewership numbers for that time slot; Michael Smith’s future as a solo host; Tom Brady cutting off weekly his weekly interview with Boston radio station WEEI; what it means for the host who made the comments about Brady’s daughter; why radio stations cut deals with players such as Brady; buying fake Twitter followers in the sports media; ESPN bringing in Alex Rodriguez and Matt Vasgersian for Sunday Night Baseball; whether Rodriguez has used broadcasting to rehab his public image; why the Larry Nassar story was missed by the sports media for so long; ESPN’s reporting on Michigan State athletics; what it’s like covering Super Bowl Media Week and the biggest stories of the week; predictions for the Super Bowl, and much more. T o listen to the podcast in full, check it out on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.  

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Episode 158 of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features Fred Gaudelli, the executive producer of NBC’s Sunday Night Football and the network’s Thursday Night Football series and Drew Esocoff, the director of NBC’s Sunday Night Football and the network’s Thursday Night Football series. Gaudelli and Esocoff will serve as the producer and director for Super Bowl LII on February 4, 2018.

 

In this podcast, Gaudelli and Esocoff discuss how to prepare for a Super Bowl broadcast; what worries them the most about the broadcast; how Super Bowl preparation is different than other postseason games; how the Patriots and Eagles impact what they will do; what kind of contingencies they have for a power outage or a terrorist attack; whether they are aware of prop bets that involve the broadcast; how they feel about the prospect of this being the last

Super Bowl broadcast for Al Michaels; how young people can get to these type of positions in sports broadcasting; how they prepare for a blowout victory; how Gaudelli determines the right amount of replays; their chemistry; how they view the Super Bowl ratings in relation to what they do; the behind the scene mistakes that only they would about that have made it to air in past Super Bowls; the time they arrive for the game; the number of cameras at a Super Bowl and how many of these extra cameras are used during the game; why the Kentucky Derby is the hardest broadcast to do for sports television; and much more. 

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Episode 157 of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features a roundtable with Sports Business Daily media writer John Ourand and Newsday general columnist and sports media writer Neil Best. In this podcast, the group discusses the viewership potential of a Patriots-Eagles Super Bowl; how long until Super Bowl viewership drops below 100 million; new NBC Olympics host Mike Tirico saying he won’t get into politics at the Games like Bob Costas; the Today Show-ization of NBC’s Olympic coverage; whether hockey will draw in South Korea; the Thursday Night Football bids for Fox, CBS and NBC; what Fx would do with the package if they get the bid; knocking down the Jeff Zucker to ESPN story; why the coverage of the USA Gymnastics scandal took so long to gain prominence; whether NBC should cover the story during its Winter Olympics coverage; the death of longtime Canadiens reporter Red Fisher died Friday at age 91, the conscience of Montreal hockey whose career touched seven decades, and much more. To listen to the podcast in full, check it out on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.  

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Episode 156 of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features CBS Sports play by play announcer Jim Nantz, the network’s lead voice on the NFL, golf and college basketball. In this podcast, Nantz discusses the impact new partner Tony Romo has had on him; why Romo had such a successful first season in the booth; Romo’s nerd-like reverence for golf broadcasting; how Nantz prepares to call postseason NFL games; the challenge of preparing for the Final Four and the Masters given how close they are too each other; his current relationship with Phil Simms and learning about Romo replacing Simms; the contention that the Masters does not offer enough live coverage of the event; why he has thought about calling golf through 2036; the famed lark about him loving burnt toast; how he navigates personal relationships with calling the events of people he considers friends; traveling on the road as much as he does; why calling the U.S. Open and Wimbledon are bucket list items; the time when famed sports television executive Roone Arledge considered him for Good Morning America; hosting corporate executives in the booth; how one prepares for a trophy presentation, and much more. To listen to the podcast in full, check it out on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.  

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Episode 155 of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features a sports media roundtable with SB Nation writer Charlotte Wilder; SI.com writer Dan Gartland, and Awful Announcing writer Andrew Bucholtz. In this podcast, the group discusses the ratings potential for the Patriots-Jaguars and Vikings-Eagles; the challenges and opportunities for 20-somethings in the sports media; what it’s like to be young and working at a major sports media outlet; sports media people under 30 to watch and why; the long-term potential of sports podcasts; role models in the business; making a mistake as a young person in sports journalism, and much more. To listen to the podcast in full, check it out on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.  

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