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Miklasz Prepares For Change

Jason Barrett

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Bernie Miklasz is the most well-connected member of the St. Louis sports media, with many sources near and far, and has been a force on the internet and social media as well as in print. He doesn’t mince words, as he’s paid not only to provide information but also give his opinion.

But those offerings soon will be on the move. Miklasz, who has been a sports columnist for the Post-Dispatch since returning to the publication in 1989, has his farewell pieces this weekend in the paper and its online component, STLtoday.com.

On tap is a “Bernie Bits” column Saturday in which he plans to “do stuff like pick my favorite moments, worst moments, favorite athletes, least favorite, favorite events, biggest regrets, my biggest mistakes, etc.” He added that his finale on Sunday will be “personal in nature … and probably overly sentimental.”

He doesn’t want to get into details about his decision to leave the company for which he has been employed for more than a quarter century and take an offer to be on the air and write for the website of St. Louis sports-talk station WXOS (101.1 FM), which he has been associated with in a variety of ways for six years — most recently making regular on-air guest appearances.

It’s a big change, and possibly a big risk, for a guy who is 56.

WXOS’ main identity is tied to the Rams, as it has been the flagship outlet of the team’s radio network since the station adopted the jock-talk format in 2009 and much of its programming is football-related. But the Rams might be gone after this season and the full impact that would have on the station is uncertain.

“I gave that some thought but in the end it was a non-factor,’’ Miklasz said. “The Rams are an asset, but the station’s ratings and financial success isn’t dependent on airing Rams games or related events. … Working in sports media, the more material you have the better. So I hope the Rams stay. But if the Rams move it doesn’t mean the station will go off the air, or I won’t have a show, or I will sit and stare at my laptop, unable to think of topics to write about.”

John Kijowski, who runs 101.1 and is “ecstatic” about Miklasz coming aboard full time, said there is a “Plan B” if the Rams leave.

“We didn’t build the business model with play-by-play,” he said. “The concentration was Monday-Friday” from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. “That’s still really important. … It doesn’t change our business plan, but having an NFL franchise is so valuable it definitely would be missed.”

CHANGING TIMES

Miklasz is highly popular and received a special deal at the Post-Dispatch two years ago when he expanded his duties and gave up his daily show on WXOS, so he is relinquishing something that at least on the surface seems much more solid long-term than does venturing into the fickle radio field — in which format changes happen frequently. On the other hand, the newspaper industry — including the Post-Dispatch — certainly isn’t the same as it was even five years ago. Media increasingly has become a bottom-line business, where corporate profit goals often supersede what is in the best interest of individual employees. Again, this isn’t limited to the Post-Dispatch — it’s a way of life in many media outlets. Just ask people at many of the local TV or radio stations.

So Miklasz moves on.

“It’s a big world out there,” he said. “Plus, I could talk and write about Cardinals baseball 365 days a year, and a significant percentage of the local population would be happy.”

THE NEXT CHAPTERS

Now Miklasz will combine his top professional love, writing, with returning to the air on a daily basis. It’s familiar territory as he has hosted a radio show on numerous stations over the years. This time, he’ll be on 101.1 FM from 7-10 a.m. weekdays and bump the last two hours of the ESPN Radio show hosted by Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic — a move that took some negotiations between WXOS and ESPN to accomplish.

The arrival of Miklasz, who is to start Aug. 31, will lead to other lineup tweaks — each subsequent show is to start one hour later than it now airs. Kevin Wheeler will be on from 10 a.m-1 p.m., Chris Duncan and Anthony Stalter from 1-3 p.m., followed by Randy Karraker, D’Marco Farr and Brad Thompson moving to the 3-7 p.m. slot.

Meanwhile, Hensley vows that Sports in the Post-Dispatch and its website will remain sturdy.

“We have an opportunity here to embrace change and to make things better than ever,” he said. “But the bottom line is this: We will continue to be the undisputed leader in St. Louis when it comes to providing daily coverage and commentary on our teams. No question.”

To read the article in its entirety visit STL Today where it was originally published

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Jason Puckett Launches PuckSports.com

“I am super motivated right now and I can’t wait. I have probably been busier now than I’ve ever been in the last 48 hours.”

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Logo for PuckSports.com

Jason Puckett, who decided to walk away from a contract offer from iHeartMedia’s KJR in Seattle after finding out his partner Jim Moore had been laid off, has launched a new venture – PuckSports.com. ‘Puck’ has a baseball opening day show posted on the Puck Sports YouTube page and also posted an introductory message about his new venture and what led to creating it.

“I wanted to talk to you guys, the listeners out there, the viewers out there, sorry for all of this,” an emotional Puckett said. “Sorry for what has happened and what has taken place. Thank you for all of the comments and the well-wishes and what you have said about myself and Jim.

“It has been a whirlwind of a last few days, for sure and I do want to say that I feel for the people that we used to work with. “I know it’s not easy to go through that, I have been on that side of it many, many times in this industry when someone is let go and you have to sit there and answer all the questions about them and for them…It’s unfortunate and it shouldn’t be that way, but the reality of this business is it’s like that.”

Puckett then told his fans that PuckSports.com and YouTube are where you will be finding his content along with Moore. “I am going to take what I have learned over the years and apply it to a new age of media,” he said and noted this was a direction he had been thinking about for a while.

As for what took place that led to his decision to not sign his contract and talk away, he said, “I just want to take you briefly back to last week. I don’t want to get too much in the weeds, I’m not here to lay any blame or point any fingers at anybody…there’s too many good people that I have worked with that I don’t want to drag into this. It was a process that was at times handled fine, handled perfectly, and at other times it got to a point where it just went on too long. But that’s corporate media and that’s what happens.”

Continuing on Puckett said, “…I had been without a contract since about January…when I was away from the station that was something that we and the station agreed upon…to see if we could get something done and we were all hopeful that we would…I was only supposed to be gone a couple of days…unfortunately as these things sometimes happen, it just went a little bit longer…We received the deal and it was what we wanted, but unfortunately with that news a few hours later came the news from corporate that Jim had lost his job. Obviously there was a mix of emotions with that from me.

“I wrestled with that and the decision and what I would do. It was hard for me to move forward…I couldn’t fight the perception more than anything that I had received a new deal while at the same time, my partner and good friend, guy I love to death, who I grew up reading…it was a hard reality…The loyalty I have, I couldn’t live with myself even though Jim knew what the truth was.”

Puckett said he was aware Moore was planning to step away from the radio show at the end of the year and was looking forward to the nine months they would have left to work with one another. Then, when iHeartMedia made the decision to make Moore a casualty of their latest round of layoffs, Puckett knew he needed to revisit the idea of starting his own venture.

He said, “It has kind of changed my timeline as far as what I wanted to do and where I felt I was at…I am super motivated right now and I can’t wait. I have probably been busier now than I’ve ever been in the last 48 hours.”

Puckett said several of the show’s regular guests would stay with the show and he thanked several sponsors who he said would remain supporters of the show with the new venture. ‘Puck’ noted that starting next week, “…We get underway in full force…I’m going to continue to try and make people laugh and entertain you and talk about sports…and all of the other things you have become accustomed to with this show.”

As he started to wrap up, Puckett said, “I’m jumping into the deep end of the pool and I am going to see if I can swim or sink.”

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Kirk Minihane: WEEI is “Going to be Andy Gresh and Rich Shertenlieb in Afternoons”

“It’s going to be Andy Gresh and Rich Shertenlieb in the afternoons, which is going to be so awful.”

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Photos of Kirk Minihane and Rich Shertenlieb

As the speculation continues on where Boston sports talker Rich Shertenlieb will end up, one former WEEI host said he has the scoop on what is going to happen. Kirk Minihane, now with Barstool Sports, said, “What I heard was, initially, was they were moving Rich Keefe from nights to middays, moving Adam Jones from afternoons to middays and keeping Fauria there, and moving Andy Gresh to afternoons…But now it appears Rich Shertenlieb is going to do afternoons with Andy Gresh.”

On Wednesday, Boston Globe sports and sports media columnist Chad Finn put out a post on X, saying, “Didn’t think Rich Shertenlieb would end up at WEEI after leaving Sports Hub. I do now, most likely in afternoon drive. Audacy management has been telling people to expect changes.”

Minihane continued commenting on the matter, saying, “It’s going to be Andy Gresh and Rich Shertenlieb in the afternoons, which is going to be so awful. Maybe the two most sensitive c***s in the history of radio. That’s a show we are going to ruin…we haven’t done that in a while, we are going to take that show down…Once that show starts, we are just going to blitz them with phone calls because Gresh can’t handle that.

“What they don’t understand, because they are so dumb, is that…Rich Shertenlieb has no fan base…no fan of [Toucher and Hardy] in the morning is going to be like ‘I’m not going to listen to Felger in the afternoons, I’ll now listen to Andy Gresh and Rich Shertenlieb.’ It’s going to be dreadful.”

Recapping what he has heard the rest of the WEEI lineup will be, Minihane said, “…And then in middays you have Adam Jones, failed afternoons. Rich Keefe who has now failed middays, drivetime, nights and is now going to fail again in middays… and Christian Fauria who has never drawn a rating in his life.”

WEEI has not commented on any of the speculation. BSM will have more as the story unfolds.

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Former 670 The Score Host Tommy Williams Has Died

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Photo of Tommy Williams
Courtesy: Lakeshore Public Media

Tommy Williams, who was heard for a decade on 670 The Score, died on Wednesday at the age of 66.

Williams began his broadcasting career in his hometown of Gary, Indiana in 1982 at WLTH before moving on to The Score. In 2003, Williams became the PA Announcer for the Gary Southshore RailCats of the American Association where he had his signature call to get the attention of the fans, “People, People, People.”

A story in The Times of Northwest Indiana said, “The longtime RailCats public address announcer and Lakeshore Public Media sports journalist was known for broadcasting countless games, interviewing countless athletes and covering Region sports at all levels. The Gary native and co-host of “Prep Sports Report,” “Prep Football Report,” and “Lakeshore PBS Scoreboard” often signed off shows saying, “Gary, Indiana, you know I love you.”

“The cadence he had in his voice echoed across the Region in a way we may never see again. He was widely known and widely loved,” Tom Maloney, vice president of radio operations at Lakeshore Public Media told the paper.

“He’d want to be remembered as the voice of Lakeshore sports,” his Regionally Speaking co-host and producer Dee Dotson told The Times. “Most people will remember him for covering prep sports all the way up to semi-pros. He’ll be remembered for treating each of his subjects like they were world champions. His depth of knowledge of sports at all levels is commendable. He was a walking encyclopedia of stats.” 

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