It’s a well-known fact that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.  Sometimes, that’s how the hiring process can go when a company has a job opening.  But when it comes to a sports radio station hiring a new Program Director, the road that takes you to the finish line isn’t always a straight path.

When Audacy announced in January that Spike Eskin was leaving his position as Vice-President of Programming for WFAN and Infinity Sports Network (formerly CBS Sports Radio) to return home to host afternoon drive at WIP, one of the premier jobs in all of sports radio was open and that meant a search for a new Program Director.

The process concluded with Ryan Hurley being named last week to be the new Brand Manager for WFAN and Infinity Sports Network, but there was a long and winding road that led to the hire.

For Audacy New York Market Manager Chris Oliviero, the process of hiring a new PD would have various stages.

“The first stage was personal and professional disappointment that we were losing Spike,” said Oliviero.  “He was a great hire three years ago, has had a major impact and the highest compliment I’ve given to Spike is I’ve said to people even if I knew three years ago that he was only going to be here three short years, I still would have hired him.”

While it was not public yet, Oliviero knew back in October that Eskin would be leaving so there was some additional time to start making plans for the transition.  Oliviero and Eskin began conversations about potential replacements and then came the public announcement of the job opening in January.

With the news came an overwhelming response from those interested in the job including internal candidates from Audacy, a company with the largest collection of sports radio stations in the United States.  There were also candidates from elsewhere in the radio industry as well as other sports media companies including those from television and digital.

And there were also some, as Oliviero described, “wild card” candidates. 

“There were people who were so passionate about ‘FAN that they didn’t even work in media but they thought they were good managers so they wanted to throw their hat in the ring,” said Oliviero. 

With so many applicants, Oliviero wanted to give all qualified candidates the chance to interview and that took some time to the tune of a three month public search for the new leader of WFAN and Infinity Sports Network.  Oliviero entered the process with an open mind and that process would include some names that he had in his mind even before the job opening was announced.

As he called it, a “break glass in case of emergency list” that he always has in his back pocket when it came to talk show hosts and Program Directors.

“I try to always have an open mind and I think that is important in this but clearly I wouldn’t have been doing my job if I didn’t have a short list,” said Oliviero.  “I have deep long personal relationships with many of the top sports radio PD’s in the country so clearly there are names that I will immediately go to and reach out even if they didn’t reach out first.”

One candidate who did reach out directly to Oliviero came from the “out of the box” category of applicants.  Not long after it was announced that Eskin was leaving, Oliviero’s phone rang and the call was coming from South Florida.

That voice on the other end of the line was Jon Weiner, otherwise known as “Stugotz”, the co-host of the Dan Lebatard Show which originates from Miami.

“He proactively reached out with his interest for WFAN,” said Oliviero.  “He has publicly proclaimed his love for this radio station. We had really good conversations with John. It just, for a few reasons, didn’t progress to a final point but it was well worth the conversation.”

All conversations and all roads would eventually lead back to Ryan Hurley, the former Program Director at ESPN New York.  Hurley was one of the first candidates that Oliviero interviewed for the position back in January.  Oliviero told Hurley that being one of the first interviews was both “good news” and “bad news,” with the latter description meaning that the process was going to take a while and that Hurley was going to have to be patient.

Well, patience paid off for Hurley.

“(Ryan) was great and he was patient and we had multiple conversations,” said Oliviero.  “In each conversation, we touched on another aspect of our business.”

Hurley would also spend some time with Spike Eskin along with some sales people to see if this was going to be a fit.

It certainly was a fit because Hurley checked off all the boxes for what Oliviero was looking for. He knew radio, he knew sports and being that he was from Long Island and was a graduate of Hofstra University, he knew New York. 

Oliviero appreciated the fact that Hurley moved up the ladder at ESPN New York from producer all the way to Program Director.

“I love those stories,” said Oliviero. “To me, that’s a reflection of someone who is a good quality person who works for a company that recognized that.  During the process, there were many many people who I respect in this industry who proactively on their own reached out to me and really said if I had the opportunity to hire Ryan, that I wouldn’t regret it.”

And now Hurley takes over the PD duties and he will do so with new lineups already set in place by Eskin.  It’s a chance for him to settle into his new office and take a closer look and listen to what’s going on at WFAN and Infinity. 

It’s actually the perfect situation for a new Program Director or Brand Manager.

“I think it’s a great job meaning you come into a situation where there is a level of consistency, there is a level of comfort so that allows Ryan to kind of take a breather,” said Oliviero.  “Things aren’t on fire meaning he has to get in here and immediately tackle certain things.  It allows him an ability to step back, learn the players and start to be strategic about it.”

However, that strategy will not change the direction that WFAN and Infinity are heading.  All of the candidates were told during the interview process that the new PD would continue to execute the strategy already in place but would also be able to leave their mark on that strategy.

Kind of like adding a few wrinkles to the playbook.

“If we were a football team, we are a throwing offense,” said Oliviero.  “We are not looking to become a running offense. We want to throw the ball better and we want to score more points.  Try more trick plays.  But we’re not going from a throwing offense to a running offense.”

Three years ago, Spike Eskin had big shoes to fill when he replaced the legendary Mark Chernoff.  Three years later, Eskin turns the reigns over to Ryan Hurley who brings a terrific resume and strong work ethic to the 10^th floor at 345 Hudson Street.   

Back in January, Audacy New York trusted the process in finding a new Brand Manager for WFAN and Infinity Sports Network.  Chris Oliviero and company have now placed their trust in Ryan Hurley.

Freezing Cold Takes has taken on a life of its own. What started as a fun Twitter account that put the spotlight on haters and naysayers in a team or athlete’s moment of glory is now a must-follow for people in sports media. 

It’s a fun idea. After all, the surest path to a laugh is unshakable confidence combined with an absolute lack of knowledge. Fred Segal, the creator of the account, will tell you that he never meant for it to be gotcha journalism. It was an alternate way of contextualizing a result.

For all of Fred’s good intentions though, I don’t think he could have ever anticipated Freezing Cold Takes becoming a problem for our industry, but I say it has.

We’ve all heard Colin Cowherd’s theory, right? I know I’ve been in rooms and on Zoom calls where I can remember him saying it on three occasions. If you walk into a bar and on one end there’s a guy telling great stories and making people laugh and on the other is a guy who is right all the time, you’re choosing a stool next to the entertainer ten times out of ten. Being entertaining makes you friends and fans. Being right just makes you feel good.

The theory is dead on. It’s a more illustrative way to get the same message across that I have been asking broadcasters to consider for years: would you rather be in a classroom or at a party?

There’s a correct answer and it should be obvious. I worry that social media has blinded broadcasters to that though.

Let me be clear. The real culprits in the decline of creative risk-taking on sports radio and podcasts are fear and self-obsession. Freezing Cold Takes is just the manifestation. 

I’m shocked by the number of people who are convinced that being spotlighted by a Twitter account is the absolute worst thing in the world. No matter how many times consultants and programmers remind them that less than two percent of the world has a Twitter account, those people are convinced that if it’s on Twitter, it must be worldwide. To be clowned by a Twitter account is akin to being the laughingstock of the entire world.

Social media and platforms like Spotify, YouTube and others have made it easy for young people to just start creating content and putting it out. Unfortunately, those same tools have also made it easy to anonymously be cruel and over the top in criticism of those creators. If you “live in the comments,” as the kids say, it can be discouraging.

The problem isn’t limited to the younger generation though. Every contrarian is labeled a hot-take artist now. Local sports radio, in a lot of places, has become less interesting because hosts take the most obvious positions on every topic rather than challenge themselves and their audience to think differently.

No one is suggesting that these hosts make stuff up or that factually incorrect information is somehow valuable, but consensus opinion is now treated as gospel.

Look at the way Caitlin Clark was covered in the NCAA Tournament. She is an incredible shooter and passer, very much a generational prospect, and the fact that she captured attention at a level previously unseen in women’s college basketball is worth noting and celebrating. That doesn’t mean everyone is obligated to root for her. West Virginia coach Mark Kellog was treated like he had crossed some boundary by saying that his team would beat Clark and Iowa. 

In sports, the results are the results. How we get there and what they mean are less certain. There’s room for debate and discussion. If there isn’t, then sports media is screwed. 

Freezing Cold Takes is not alone in creating fear and hesitancy. Social media puts the audience closer to the people delivering the takes and the people delivering the takes than they have ever been before. That has emboldened some and panicked others.

This week, the NFL will welcome a new class of pros to the league. In the lead-up to the draft, there are all kinds of opinions being thrown around. Some of them really are nuts and guided by outdated thinking about the sport. Some of them are simply the result of looking at a prospect and saying “I think other guys are a lot better.”

Fred Segal may not even have to catalog takes on quarterbacks or receivers anymore. I am sure an army of followers is ready to save screenshots and tweets featuring people questioning Caleb Williams’s toughness and will tag Fred the second Williams takes a hit and pops back up.

All of those saved tweets and “I thought you said…” comments are meaningless. They are now. They will be then. There is no prize for being right all the time. Your ratings bonuses are not tied to a percentage of opinions proven correct. 

Back in December, I spoke with Evan Cohen of ESPN Radio about the idea of being labeled a “hater” by fans of certain teams and players. While he didn’t necessarily see it as a bad thing, he did note that “Our goal is to always be as memorable as possible and to make sure our opinions are conveyed in a way that the fan listening fully understands our intentions and conversations.”

While I agree with Evan, I would point out that some fans don’t have any interest in understanding our intentions or appreciating the nuance and circumstances that lead to our opinions. They are the ones treating Freezing Cold Takes like a value judgment instead of entertainment.

Too many broadcasters, both novices and talented veterans, are paying attention to that segment. They are more concerned with not being social media’s whipping boy than they are with creating something interesting and engaging. It’s a waste of their talent and their audience’s time and our business is in a worse place because of it.

I have to admit that one of the things I do miss about not working for a radio station is not getting to host sales meetings. Yes, I am sick like that. Many managers hate doing them and most sellers (all sellers?) hate attending them. I like to think mine were better than average as I always tried to keep people engaged and have them leave with at least one thing they could go and sell immediately. However, this Seller to Seller piece is not about your regular weekly sales meeting.

In fact, this meeting could and probably should be hosted by the Market Manager and the head of sales together. This is an all-staff meeting, and if you have not had this meeting with your building, schedule it for as soon as possible, and make the meeting mandatory.

Yes, you need all of programming to attend, and I suggest you tell them it starts 30 minutes earlier than it really does so they are not late. Yep, tell the traffic team to stop yelling at everyone and get to the big conference room. Business office, get in here. Marketing people those prize boxes can get set up later, let’s go. Everyone. Every single person that works for the company locally should be in this meeting.

When I have held this meeting before, I start by saying, “I have big news. Everyone in the room now has a bigger role in the company! Congratulations, you have ALL been added to the sales team, the marketing team and the recruitment team.” I always thought about bringing champagne to the meeting as a way to celebrate everyone’s new position, but never did.

Now, anytime anyone gets more responsibility they are always expecting to get paid more. The good news is, at least if you worked for me, you CAN earn more compensation in your new role. That one always gets folks interested.

You have to stress to your team that success in this business comes from generating revenue. Ratings are great, too, but if you aren’t winning in the sales department, you are out of business and your ratings won’t matter.

Of all the positions at the station, the sellers have by far the most challenging position, and it takes help from everyone in the meeting in order for the sales team to succeed. Every single person in the meeting knows other people. They know people who own businesses and make advertising decisions. They know managers who run businesses and have influence over advertising decisions. And at the very least, they frequent places that could be advertisers.

The station needs more leads and today we are rolling out new ways you can make money by helping us reach more prospective advertisers. Now, some companies may have a problem with this, why I don’t know, but even if it is trade to restaurants or tickets to games, give your staff something for turning in a lead that turns into business. Get the entire team on board with always keeping their eyes and ears open for new business opportunities.

At one of my stops as a Market Manager, I asked the company if I could pay full commission to someone who brought me a lead which led to business. I said I would work with them to close the deal and service the accounts. They obliged and I had an on-air talent become one of my top billers when I totaled up the amount of revenue we brought in from his leads.

If you have the ability to do so, open it up to everyone. If Midge, the lady who sits at the front desk and deals with prize winners, has a lead which can lead to a customer, why not spiff Midge? Whatever you can come up with, find a way to get the people who are working in the building to be prospecting for your sales department. Let them know how important it is to their job.

In the meeting, go through the basics of what the target audience of the station is, who some of the main clients are currently having success and the types of businesses that would make sense to advertise on the station. Explain who normally makes the decisions about advertising so they know who to get contact information for if possible. Arm everyone in the building with just enough information to feel like they could have a conversation about what you offer local businesses.

Make a game out of it, challenge everyone to bring at least one lead to the table, highlight those that have given leads and then find a way to reward them when that deal closes. It is the simplest thing and yet it is one of those things that if you don’t have a meeting to talk about it, hardly anyone will do it as they won’t think it is their job or responsibility to do.

The same thing goes for the marketing of a station. Nothing would bother me more as a manager than to have air talent who wouldn’t help promote station events or other things going on at the station. If they had a good lasagna for dinner, they posted it to Instagram, but they can’t promote the place they work? I used to ask my staff all the time, “If we aren’t going to promote what we are doing, who else is?”

And lastly, recruitment. Especially for the sales team. Most companies have an incentive for employee referrals. Think about what a good salesperson is worth to your bottom line? Would a small incentive to an employee who brought that lead to you be worth it? Of course it would. Make sure your team knows it is everyone’s responsibility to help find more great people to come work in the building.

In addition to getting some new leads, there was also two ulterior motives in having this meeting. One, your sales team doesn’t want anyone else finding any leads, so perhaps they get a little hop in their step knowing you just recruited a ton more people to prospect. Secondly, it allows you to see which employees are willing to step up and perhaps get a little out of their comfort zone, put in a little extra effort for the good of the team.

Media sales and driving revenue is hard. Let everyone in the office know, it is partially their responsibility to make it all a little easier.