John and Matt are joined by Abe Madkour, Executive Editor and Publisher of the Sports Business Journal. They dive into Abe’s rise from ground level as a journalist at the SBJ to becoming the lead man of the publication. They discuss how sports business has evolved with regard to competition, what SBJ has done to handle the shrinking newsroom and how they continue to outlast others in this space as a multimedia leader. The trio explore the dynamics around the recent television rights deals both the NFL and NHL signed, the “linear” aspect, how streaming plays part in the equation and what that could spell for other major sports leagues in the future. The guys get Abe’s take on the common mistakes sports organizations, leagues and teams continue to make, why there is much more emphasis placed on communications overall and why that is more prominent than at any time ever in the industry. ...
It’s another “emergency” pod episode! On this show, John, Matt and Jen discuss headline writers and the need for those that write said headlines to be detailed and, most importantly, correct in order to reflect the story at hand. Most times, writers can keep interest at large and drive readership with a good headline. In a world of clickbait, however, when headlines go astray, they can create an illusion of what’s in the body of a story, and lead to sensationalism. The trio expand on how clickbait has changed the true intent of what a headline should do, the good and bad of having a headline writer working separately from a reporter, how bad headline writing can ruin relationships and how PR pros can prepare their clients for these situations on how to navigate so they don’t burn bridges in the process. ...
Phyllis Merhige is a former Major League Baseball executive who trailblazed her way to become one of the highest-ranking women ever in any major professional sport. She stopped by for a chat with John and Jen to talk about her incredible career and the indelible legacy she left for many generations of women to come. Phyllis spent 43 years in baseball and prior to her retirement in 2016, was part of the Commissioners’ Office as MLB’s Senior Vice President for Club Relations, leading the direction of all official scorers in the Major Leagues, among many other key responsibilities. The trio discuss Phyllis’s rise through the ranks, what John learned as a young assistant to Phyllis that helped propel his career, what led her to get into the world of sports and in a male-dominated industry and the advice she would give young people looking to get into the PR industry today. ...
