Bleav in The Pressrow

Adam Seaborn joins Jonah Sigel for part two of the focus on ratings this time on radio ratings specifically. The rating world was evolving pre-Covid and the decrease of audience due to audience behavior, i.e. staying at home vs. commuting has accelerated that change. What that means for ratings and ad sales is critically important to the industry.

Who are the winners, and losers and where is this all headed?  Tune in to learn more.

An in-depth historical look at the rating system in Canada, where it is now, and where it is going with Adam Seaborn. Adam has been a media seller for Bell (TSN) and a buyer. While he is no longer in the media sales "game" he is well suited to talk about the players, the system, and what goes on inside.  This is the first look, focusing on radio and listening.

For over 22 years Barb Digiulio was a prominent voice at The Fan 590. First handling news and traffic when the station was 1430 and then handling hosting and co-hosting duties when Rogers purchased the station. Name the personality, over the years Barb has worked with them in sports. Elliotte Friedman, Dan Shulman, Bob McCown, George Stroumboulopoulos, and many, many more.

After that Barb moved over to the news side of the business hosting her own The Night Side and over 1046 episodes, including a few with Jonah Sigel in Seattle. One after Jonah's son Jordan successfully battled off the flu after a borrowing 7 day stay in the ICU thanks to the incredible staff at Seattle Children's Hospital and a few more as Seattle was several weeks ahead of Toronto on the Covid journey.

This time, Barb joins Jonah to talk about:

Her background

Growing up at The Fan

Working and teaching sports media

The transition over to the news

The craziness that is the Will Smith/Chris Rock Story

For many, no Sunday is complete without a glance at the Toronto Sun, website or physical paper to read the weekly column from Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons. Many in the business have quipped that the only thing seeing your name in the column is NOT seeing your name in the column.

In this episode of The Pressrow Steve and Jonah discuss:

The developing story of Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker's arrest for impaired driving
Whether market effects are to blame for the Maple Leafs inability to win
Why Brian Burke got fired
Edward Rogers Jr. as an owner
Gambling in sports and the role the media plays
The upcoming Blue Jays season
The current Raptors season

and much more.

Prime Time Sports, Canada’s longest-running sports talk radio show appeared originally on the old CJCL 1430 and then on The Fan 590, hosted by Bob McCown. While several broadcasters and journalists co-hosted with Bob, it is long-time TV hockey executive John Shannon who sat in the number two seat most often. Today, McCown and Shannon co-host a streaming show that's uber-successful and simulcast on Sirius XM radio.

In this episode of The Pressrow, Jonah talks with Bob and John about:

• The history of PTS
• Why PTS was so unique, and successful
• Bob's favorite co-host and guests
• The fallout of Roger's NHL deal
• Why does Bob continue to produce content
• Much much more.

You can call Leah Hextall a lot of things, but lazy is not one of them. Determined to make a career in broadcasting, Leah has constantly rolled up her sleeves, worked hard in pursuit of her dream. While she found success along the way, it was setbacks that set the stage for the climb to the next rung in her amazing journey. From Brandon Manitoba to Boston and Toronto (with stops along the way) she aids her dues in each job that she took. However, it was the cutback from Sportsnet that lead her to consider life in the play-by-play booth.

Calling junior games on nights and weekends for free, she followed the advice of Doc Emrick and simply called games wherever she could. Where did that lead? Leah became the first woman to call an NCAA championship game and then the first woman to call an NHL game!

Most recently, she was named as one of the new voices of the NHL on ESPN.

This is Leah Hextall in The Pressrow

Looking for an advantage. We hear the term all the time in sports (and in life). Parents in man facets of raising their kids do all sorts of things (some legal, some not) trying to ensure the success (whatever that may mean) of their children.

Personally, I know parents who paid serious money to have their kids play way above their skill level, knowing their child would rarely play in games to be a member of a higher level hockey team with hopes that in just practicing and being around higher talent kids would rub off on their child. I know parents who put their kids in programs like Kumon at a very, very young age to try to get them a leg up on school. Famously, some are currently serving time for cheating their kid's way into US colleges.

Freakenomics, several years back studied birth month as an indicator of success in pro sports in "football" aka soccer. Others examined birth month and age as a factor in the NHL.

You can bet, would-be parents out there definitely planned their kid's "arrival" accordingly.

I'm sure you know parents who have moved from one place or another trying to help get their kids a better chance.

Well, one former European athlete turned football executive has looked at location as a factor of success. Rasmus Ankersen has written numerous books and now created a movie about a town in Europe of 50,000 people that has produced 5 NHL players, outranking several North American cities in the same time frame.

Ankersen looks at the factors the size of a town may play in the likelihood of success in making it in sports.

This is my discussion with Rasums.

Howard Behar's career in business spans over 50 years, all in consumer-oriented businesses, and most recently as a speaker, advisor, mentor, and bestselling author. His wisdom, generosity, and level of integrity have had a profound impact on thousands of people who have been touched by his example, books, and speaking.

Howard is known for such memorable lessons as “The Person Who Sweeps the Floor Should Choose the Broom” and “Only the Truth Sounds Like the Truth.” For 21 years Behar led Starbuck’s domestic business as President of North America, and was the founding President of Starbucks International, opening the first store outside of North America in Japan. He served on the Starbucks Board of Directors for twelve years before retiring.

Howard shares many important stories and his advice but really focuses on his roots, learning from his parents the importance of charity, the critical element of purpose in both people and companies, and why it is so important for us to get back to a society focused less on "me" and more on "we".

If you are old enough to remember the incredible TV Show Sportsnight, or you have streamed it recently, you probably have a keen interest in what life was really like in the early days at ESPN. Or, as the old adage goes, the best predictor of the future is the past, so here is an inside look at ESPN from a senior worker bee.

Scott Turken worked in Bristol for over 20 years on College GameDay, Sportscenter, the NHL on ESPN, and much, much more. From his early days calling college hockey at the University of Michigan to his daughter ghost texting Stewart Scott, Scott shares his experiences at ESPN lending both foundation to his current gigs and his insight into the future of sports media (including gambling).

An interesting look at the behind-the-scenes at two of the biggest sports media networks, The Score and Roger's Sportsnet. Sam Nasrawi has been an executive in the Canadian sports media landscape for nearly a quarter of a century and has a very unique look at the marketplace and his experiences helping both brands grow. Topics include:

How The Score did "it" successfully

The changes the team had to undergo pivoting from The Score startup to the monster big company that is Rogers.

The Score Mafia taking over Rogers

What Rogers is trying to be and do to attract younger audiences

Why Rogers would hire someone with no radio experience to lead its Toronto Sports radio station

What are NFT's and what role has Rogers and Sam played in their explosion on the marketplace

The bet The Score and Rogers are placing on sports betting.

Toronto Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia has been immortalized in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He is officially the first fan to be honored at the Basketball HOF.

In case you were unaware, Bhatia has attended every single Raptors home game since the franchise’s inception in 1995! With the exception of this year when the team was playing in Tampa Bay due to COVID, Bhatia has never missed a home game, and in recent years he started attending road games, especially key playoff games.

In this episode, Nav AKA The Superfan shares a little bit about this career, from arriving in Canada only being able to get a job as a janitor to his current state, owner of 5 dealerships in Ontario Canada. Bhatia explains how he took a flyer on the game of basketball guying two tickets to the new Toronto Raptors to now when he has 13, including his famous 4 right next to the visitor's bench. "I love to give it to the opposing players, that's why I sit where I do."

The transformation to Hall Of Fame Fan is complete with some amazing human interest stories and Bhatia shares the best of them here too.

What does he think will happen to Toronto Raptor President Masai Ujiri when his contract expires this season? Who is the greatest Raptor of all time? Will Kyle Lowry return? What's the real story behind Vince Carter's exit from Toronto? Tune in to hear the Toronto Raptors Hall of Fame Fan share his thoughts and opinions on these things and more, in The Pressrow.

When you think of the legends of news media, the name Walter Cronkite is likely the first one to come to mind, certainly in the United States. In Canada, it's without question Peter Mansbridge. For over 30 years Mansbridge was the host of the CBC (Canada's national broadcaster) nightly news, The National. a feat that earning him the honor of being the longest-serving active anchor among the big three networks in Canada.

No matter the news event over those years, Peter covered them. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the tragedy of September 11, the constitutional crisis, Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana's death, and countless international elections are all stories Peter either covered from afar or was right there on location bringing the news to Canadians.

In this episode, Peter shares the amazing story of how he got discovered, his views on covering the news, how those views have and haven't evolved, and incredible stories of his interactions along the way with athletes, teams, and of course Hockey Night In Canada.

Few in and around the NHL have as much experience as Doug MacLean does. Originally from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Doug started his career in the world of education as a teacher. As he explains, good fortune led him to meet two people who proved to be very influential to his life, Jaques Martin and Bryan Murray. His coaching and management career took him from St. Louis to Washington and then to Detroit serving as an assistant coach. Doug's career then moved to management with the Red Wings and then on Florida with the Panthers before wrapping things up with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

That kicked off his career in broadcasting with Rogers and Sportsnet to where he is today, happily the co-host of the Real Kyper podcast.

Doug talks about his career as a teacher, coach and GM, sharing incredible stories from each segment that will leave you wanting more.

Lee H. Berke specializes in collaborating with sports properties in developing multiplatform media networks and enhancing the value of content rights across a growing array of distribution opportunities. He founded LHB Sports, Entertainment & Media, Inc. in 2001, which has worked on media efforts with over fifty teams and properties across MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, NCAA, NASCAR, MLS, Premier League, and Formula E.

On the heels of the NHL announcing its new USA rights partnerships with Turner and ESPN, we check in with Lee on all things TV ratings these days with a special focus on the NHL deal, the parties involved, what it means for hockey fans and more.

Lee provides an update on ratings in the new streaming world, he explains why rights fees continue to go up, while old-school ratings go down and how streaming services impact those ratings.

The NFL Draft last year was a rating hit. The NFL Draft in 2020 broke all records for TV watching and with this year's draft here, Lee opines on what we may see this year.

It is time for the Kentucky Derby and last year's Derby ran in September earning it the worst ratings if not ever, then amongst the worst ever. Lee explains why he thinks those ratings will bounce back, but not to those achieved in the old days.

Finally, lurking behind many of these rights deals is Amazon. Lee details the Amazon plan and what it may mean for sports viewers in the future.

Raised in Brandon Manitoba Daren Millard was a day one employee of Rogers Sportsnet, the network that was "never designed to succeed". Millard lasted 20 years with Rogers before parting ways with the network he helped build.

Most often between Nick Kypreos and Doug MacLean and a frequent guest or guest of Prime Time Sports Millard did it right. He made his way up the food chain starting in a small town and working all the way up to the big leagues.

What was originally described as an amicable parting of ways, actually stung when Sportsnet elected not to renew his contract on August 1, 2018. While he grew tired of hearing people tell him that everything happens for a reason, his hard work, stellar reputation paid off as he and his family relocated to Vegas to join the Golden Knights in what has been a magical launch to the franchise.

"My wife and I stop every once in a while and pinch ourselves because we can't really believe this is our life".

Proving once again that good things happen to good people.

In sports, there are great stories behind athletes, coaches, and staff. Those stories tend to come to life as a result of amazing storytellers, typically in the media. It is rare that those in the media share their own stories, as those who report on others tend to be relatively private about their own lives and/or they don't believe their own tale is all that remarkable or interesting.

Jon Paul Morosi's story is a really good one and in the years I have covered the media beat, I've yet to discover anyone with a bad thing to say about him.

Growing up in a small town in Michigan he was a 5'8 high school quarterback, he was raised right and yadda yadda yadda ended up at Harvard, where he earned a degree in environmental studies. Somehow, connecting dots he ends up living in Ann Arbor Michigan and is amongst the top baseball reporters in the country. A prominent presence on MLB Network, and now adding in NHL work for the NHL Network JP's story is quite amazing. If only it stopped there. He is married to, in his own words a real hero, a doctor, together they are parents of three children. He continues to interview and advise young students in their desires to attend Harvard.

Listen in to hear JP tell his story, his roots, where he got his experience, who his mentors are and how he has become so successful ~ In The Pressrow

Twelve years ago the notion of replicating a radio-like interview was something aspirational to me. The idea that I could interview someone and have people listen in and ask questions radio-style seemed very cool. Not knowing what the hell I was doing, with literally no interview experience at all, I was fortunate enough to land Mattew Sekeres as a subject, and he agreed to be guest number one. At the time Sekeres was a sports reporter for the Globe and Mail out in Vancouver. Fast forward 12 years and he is now embarking on a massively important and foundational new career, launching a live streaming radio program sans radio, as for me, well I am in Seattle still learning how to interview people.

Sekeres has the unique distinction of being part of a radio station that was actually winning the local battle against the competition only to have the mothership pull the plug. TSN Radio Vancouver was beating the completion when Bell decided to change the format, giving up on sports talk in Vancouver, ceding the market to Rogers. Sekeres and his partner Price were the drive home show hosts and they are now moving into the digital era.

In this episode, Matt talks about getting the boot while winning, what the landscape may mean in a digital era when people return to work and how live content is still critical in this day and age. Jonah and Matt then discuss the changes that are coming in the rating world; what it means for advertisers when they have real, timely data to sell, and how listener engagement, specifically women will benefit.

Finally, the CFL is currently in a quiet period as their fans await what a partnership with the XFL will look like. Sekeres is a HUGE supporter of the league and he is having to consider the possibility that 3 down football could be dead in order for the league to survive in Canada.

Andrew Walker grew up in rural Saskatchewan before making his way to Calgary, where he joined Rogers-owned sports radio show. Several years later he was about to move to Vancouver to cross-streams and join the AM radio scene with Bell in Vancouver when Don Kollins came knocking. The Fan 590 in Toronto needed a new partner for incumbent Greg Brady and their morning drive show. Toronto scooped Walker out from Vancouver and off he went to the Fan 590 where he stayed for 4 years.

His stay in the morning slot was not all that long as Dean Blundell was brought in to host an all-new morning show with, Walker by his side. The move did not sit well with Andrew and as a result, despite a press release being issued naming him as Blundell's sidekick, Walker declined, and as a result, joined Brady in the slot once occupied by Tim and Sid.

Unlike Brady, Walker remained at The Fan after cuts were made until he was moved to his new home, Sportsnet 650 Vancouver where he helped launch the station, now co-hosting their afternoon drive show.

A Blue Jays fan with knowledge of all major sports, Andrew joins Jonah Sigel, talking about:

• His career, from Saskatchewan, through Calgary, Toronto, and now Vancouver
• Differences between Calgary, Toronto, and Vancouver as sports markets
• Moving to Toronto and having to host alongside the person he was hired to replace
• The one rule at the Fan 590 about "the competition"
• How his partner broke said rule
• His reasons for not joining the Blundell Show
• Life along with Bob McCown
• A potential return to Toronto

Natasha Staniszewski grew up in Alberta and worked here way up the media landscape, earning her stripes becoming one of the best sports anchors in the country. Natasha joins Jonah Sigel discussing her roots, her career, how she is dealign with TSN layoff and of course her love for baking.

Rogers Sportsnet Toronto Blue Jays Central Analyst Joe Siddal joins Jonah Sigel In The Pressrow to talk about the Toronto Blue Jays busy offseason and the upcoming highly hyped 2021 campaign. As always, Joe brings a dose of realism in a world where much has been seen through blue and white glasses.