Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Episode 623 of the Sports Media Podcast features Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Tamika Catchings and Chamique Holdsclaw. The two are working as analysts for the WNBA on USA Network this season, with Tamika as a game analyst and Chamique in the studio. This is USA Sports's inaugural season of covering the WNBA, and they will air more than 50 games this season, including the WNBA Finals. Barring a sweep, the champion will be decided on USA Network in 2026. In this podcast we discuss how they ended up getting their jobs; the discussion around being an advocate for the WNBA versus doing journalism or being critical of the league; which WNBA teams look good early; Holdsclaw publicly discussing her mental health struggles and her being one of first prominent athletes of her era to discuss that prominently; Catchings on UConn star Sarah Strong and what kind of pro she will make;  where they see the Tennessee women's basketball program right now, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 622 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Al Michaels, the lead game-caller for Prime Video's football package since 2022 and an iconic figure in sports broadcasting. Michaels has called prime-time NFL football for the past 40 seasons. He is followed by Sports Business Journal media reporter Austin Karp. In this podcast, Michaels discusses Amazon's schedule this season; how he feels about the Lions at Bills opener and the number of times he has been on the call when a new NFL stadium has opened; Prime Video's very strong end of season schedule including Texans vs. Eagles on Christmas Eve in Philadelphia, followed by Ravens vs. Bengals in Cincinnati on New Year’s Eve; what it's like to call games on Black Friday games; the NFL playing games in  London, Paris Madrid, Munich, Melbourne, Rio and Mexico City; his fondness for newspapers; watching the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal with Johnny Bench and Pete Rose; how he is approaching his career at this point and why he has happy to be on a year by year deal and more. Karp comes on to discuss the NFL schedule; what each of the networks said about their allotment of games; the NFL's post-schedule conference call with reporters and a shoutout to ESPN PR staffer Mac Nwulu. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 621 of the Sports Media Podcast features play by play broadcaster Ian Eagle, who will call Game Six of Spurs-Timberwolves series for Prime Video this Friday. Eagle is the lead broadcast for Prime's coverage of the NBA as well as the lead broadcaster for CBS/WBD coverage of March Madness. He also calls NFL games for CBS and the Brooklyn Nets for the YES Network. In this podcast, Eagles discusses his fondness for Kevin Harlan; the most impressive thing he's seen in person so far from the NBA postseason games; calling the duration of LeBron James' career; what it means for the league when the Knicks have a chance to go on a deep postseason run; the iconic players he has called in the NBA during his career; the NCAA Tournament extending to 76 teams; how closely he follows the NFL's schedule release; his dream to attend Wimbledon, whether he thinks life exists outside of earth and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 621 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 the announcement that the NCAA women and men's tournament will be expanding to 76 teams; the NCAA receiving an additional $50 million each season from partners CBS and Turner; what it means for viewers; the women's basketball tournament's expansion and how that will play on ESPN properties; the Wall Street Journal piece on Fox Corporation executives including Rupert Murdoch essentially lobbying government on the NFL’s rights deals with streaming companies; the NFL's response and argument; Roger Goodell pushing back against claims that the league’s rights deals with streaming companies are anti-consumer; John Ourand of Puck reporting that YouTube wants no part of splitting the rights to the available games that ESPN once had; the NFL and Netflix are being close to a deal for at least five NFL games next season; Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reporting that Netflix will acquire the Week 1 NFL International Series game from Australia between the 49ers and Rams; the interest in a Thanksgiving Eve game; the NBA seeing the best audience for the first round of the playoffs in 33 years with the addition of an extra broadcast TV partner; the importance of NBA postseason games on broadcast and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 620 of the Sports Media Podcast features two WNBA-specific segments. First up is Sandy Brondello, the first-ever head coach of the Toronto Tempo, which begins play in the WNBA this season. Brondello previously was a head coach in San Antonio, Phoenix and New York and won WNBA titles in 2014 and 2024. She is followed by a roundtable with Annie Costabile, a senior writer for The Athletic, a co-host for the "No Offseason" podcast and a writer for the "No Offseason" newsletter, and Savannah Hamilton, a Toronto-based sportscaster covering the Tempo who previously covered the Toronto Raptors. In this podcast, Brondello discusses what success look like this season for the Tempo; why she took a job with an expansion franchise; how much input she had in the Expansion and WNBA Draft selections; her thoughts on her players; why strong ownership is the key to longterm success; choosing A'Ja Wilson has the hardest player to game-plan against; why she's developed a reputation as a media-friendly coach, and if she's getting recognized on the streets of Toronto and more. Costabile and Hamilton discuss realistic expectations for the Tempo this season; why Vegas is the preseason pick to win a title from most who cover the league nationally; how popular the WNBA will be in Canada; all of the Indiana Fever games being nationalized; advocacy coverage versus journalism and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.