Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Episode 668 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests. First up is Michael Grady, who works as a play-by-play broadcaster nationally for the NBA on Prime, the NBA on NBC and locally for the Timberwolves. He is followed by Mirin Fader, the editor of "The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2026," the annual anthology of the best sports writing. She is also a senior writer for The Athletic. In this podcast, Grady discusses his multiple roles calling NBA games; how he would define or describe how Amazon produces the NBA; what it's like working on NBC's NBA broadcasts; his opening games of the NBA season including for Peacock on Oct. 26 for Warriors-Nuggets and Thunder-Cavaliers on Nov. 2 for Prime Video; working with Candace Parker on the NBA and the WNBA; calling games for the Timberwolves; his sports broadcasting evolution; the big storylines in the NBA this season; how the Eastern Conference has become a power; his Instagram feed as an ode to Brooklyn to travel and more. Fader discusses the role of the editor in the Year's Best Sportswriting series; what she discovered reading so much longform sports writing; the pieces this year in the book; her lead essay about the dismantling of The Washington Post sports section; why she still remains hopeful about the interest in longform sports writing among young people; Giannis Antetokounmpo moving to Miami, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 667 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch, Chad Finn, sports media columnist for the Boston Globe and Austin Karp, the media writer for Sports Business Journal. In this podcast we discuss ESPN NFL analyst Troy Aikman's recent statements including this on to Jimmy Traina: "it just seems to be where they're [ESPN] going — that they’re gonna go in a different direction because there’s been no talks, no contract negotiations"; why ESPN would let Aikman walk; how much finances are part of the equation; who could be a replacement for Aikman; the Greg Olsen factor; the NFL averaging 18.8 million viewers per game, meaning it is now up for the year; the impact of the Brewers in the World Series; whether a Brewers-Rays or Brewers-Guardians World Series can draw; the College Football Playoff expanding the field to 24 teams in 2027 and what that means from a media perspective and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 666 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Westwood One Sports broadcaster Oliver Wilson who hails from Leighton Buzzard, England and is calling the NFL's International games in Europe this season for Westwood One Audio. In this podcast, Wilson discusses calling last week's thrilling Jaguars win over the Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; working his second year for Westwood One after calling four games last year; whether his approach changes for an American audience; how he came to get the NFL job; the challenge of being a freelance sports broadcaster in the United Kingdom; his experience calling Super Bowls in the United States; the dream of calling a World Cup; what it's like calling games in Madrid;the sports podcast space in the United Kingdom and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 665 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast, we discuss Stephen A. Smith making light of Lane Johnson's decision to retire, where Johnson cited mental health concerns, and then Smith being excoriated before issuing an on-air apology; why this stuff happens; where ESPN management fits in here; the new sports portfolio for Skydance; what CBS Sports head David Berson will do longterm with the J.J. Watt analyst spot; how much Skydance's debt will impact its sports portfolio; Major League Baseball wanting to cut down the number of regular-season games from 162 to 154 starting in 2029 and expanding one round of the postseason; why this is about expanding postseason inventory in what is expected to be the first under new national media contracts; and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 664 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Peter King, the longtime Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports writer and on-air reporter. King is the author of the new book, "The Game," a memoir and history of the NFL. The book comes out Oct. 13. In this podcast King discusses why he wrote the book; the NFL's enduring popularity; his favourite stories over the years; why King could not possibly have the same career today if he started in 2026 as opposed to 1984; his list of the 100 most influential people in NFL history; why by the the time he retired the football media life "had become an overly scripted, press-conference-dominated, closed-locker-room, measure-every-word-you-utter world"; why his Sundays are like today; how he feels about the role of the media transaction breaker; his dream of visiting Sweden and watching the Canadiens play at the Bell Centre in Montreal and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 663 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch and Austin Karp, the media writer for Sports Business Journal. In this podcast we discuss Tony Romo and CBS parting ways; why the decision happened; what it means for CBS and Romo heading forward; whether Romo will work in the space again including as a studio analyst; Rebecca Lowe joining Netflix for its Women’s World Cup coverage; the WNBA viewership numbers; why the league now wants the Aces and Liberty in the finals; North Carolina and Duke playing each other in college basketball on broadcast television for the first time since March 2011; why college football viewership is down; the Portland Trail Blazers firing Braiden Bell for insensitive and misogynistic tweets he made at 15, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 662 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Ed Desser and John Kosner, the co-authors of a new book, "WE’RE LIVE!: Inside the BIG Business of Sports Media." The book comes out Oct. 1 In this podcast Desser, a former NBA executive who helped pioneer NBA/com and NBA League Pass, and John Kosner, top executive for ESPN’s digital business for nearly two decades, discuss writing their book on the business of sports media; how much Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon's Prime Video and YouTube will be part of our sports future; the role of artificial intelligence in the sports business; why you should not think of sports rights having a bubble; what Paramount's sports portfolio might look like after the WBD merger; what keeps ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro up at the night; why the WNBA is undervalued; the prospect of a streamer getting a Super Bowl; ESPN’s decision to pay a handful of on-air talents big money; whether the NBA has an issue with too much inventory and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 661 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jeff Cameron, the director and producer of the HBO Original Documentary and NFL Films Production, Miller Night Football, which chronicles comedian Dennis Miller’s time in the “Monday Night Football”broadcast booth in 2000 and 2001 alongside Al Michaels and Dan Fouts. In this podcast, Cameron discusses how the project came to conception; why Miller decided to talk for the doc; what Miller thinks of his time on air; how 9/11 impacted the broadcast; the criticism ABC faced on the decision; Miller's incredible esoteric lines on-air including, "I haven't seen that much fabric used since Christo wrapped the Pont-Neuf in Paris"; how ideas get conceived at NFL Films; which NFL subjects that would be great for exploration; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 660 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast our group discusses the latest on Joe Buck re-signing with ESPN and Troy Aikman saying he does not have a contract for next year; what it would mean for the industry if Aikman and ESPN parted ways; the NFL averaging 19.9 million viewers through Week 2, down four compared to the same point in 2025; whether College GameDay's DNA has changed; if College GameDay has become too self-involved; the settlement clearing the way for the Paramount-Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery deal and the large portfolio of sports rights; Doc Rivers joining NBC as an NBA analyst and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 659 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Troy Aikman, the lead broadcaster for ESPN and ABC's Monday Night Football. His next broadcast comes Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN when he and Joe Buck call the Giants at Rams. The two broadcasters will also call Super Bowl 61 on February 14, 2027 at SoFi Stadium, ESPN's first-ever Super Bowl. In this podcast, Aikman discusses the Rams-Giants game; his thoughts on the Rams' decision to arrive in Melbourne later than the Niners; the upcoming MNF schedule -- Eagles-Bears, Falcons-Saints, Bills-Chargers, Commanders-Niners and Cowboys-Eagles; what he thinks of the Monday Night Football schedule overall; Travis Kelce's broadcast prospects; how he is finding doing production meetings remotely and not being allowed to attend practices at team facilities given the his Dolphins role; why he does not believe what he does is a conflict of interest; why he wants feedback from his producers; his thoughts on Joe Buck signing with ESPN for an additional five years; his expectations right now about his future with ESPN given his contract is up at the end of the year; whether Joe's decision impact his decision; his love of cold water showers; going to be early; the success of his beer company, EIGHT Elite Light Beer, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.