BNM Writers
With Sports & NBC Behind Him, Len Berman’s Living in the Moment at 710 WOR
“Here’s a political radio station, and you’ve got a Broadway guy and a sports guy and we’ve got a successful radio show.”
Published
3 years agoon
For three decades, Len Berman was an accomplished sports anchor in New York. He left WNBC in 2009 after a 27-year run at 30 Rock.
That was only the end of his TV career, though. Since 2015, Berman has proven to be a more than capable radio host as one-half of the WOR Morning Show with Michael Riedel. His transition to a different medium would be made easier from dabbling in news at WNBC.
Tom Cuddy, WOR’s program director, thought Berman could “broaden his horizons” after seeing him years ago doing sports on WBZ in Boston and from appearances on WNBC.
While covering the Olympics in 1992 Berman made strides into news, co-anchoring with Sue Simmons and again in 1996 when they both were in Atlanta.
“Len was a superb sports anchor, but I think he would’ve embraced anchoring the news, and he would’ve been good at it too!” Simmons said.
Berman would also rotate as co-anchor with Simmons on Live at Five in 2005 when Jim Rosenfeld left for WCBS.
“We had an easy on-air rapport, Simmons said. “He’s such a professional.”
Some may also remember Berman’s brief radio run in 1993 at WFAN. It’s not a highlight for the award-winning sportscaster, who was supposed to do a four-hour show with veteran sportswriter Mike Lupica.
“The minute I signed the contract I tried to get out of it,” Berman admitted. “Then I got killed by [Bob] Raissman [with the New York Daily News] and by [Don] Imus. That was all me. I got cold feet.”
The burden of Berman’s nighttime TV gig led Joel Hollander, WFAN general manager at the time, to split the shift with Lupica. Within a few months, Berman was let out of his contract, but he was not soured on radio.
“Believe it or not, I didn’t think I wanted to do sports radio,” Berman said. “I didn’t know who the second line was on the New York Rangers, let alone the first line. I could tell stories, but I wasn’t what you’d call a sports fanatic.”
So, Berman had the journalistic chops to step out of his comfort zone, but he wasn’t prepared for the politics, even before the Trump era.
“I never thought of myself as anything until I had to label myself,” Berman said. “I guess some of the policies are more liberal than not when it comes to guns or abortion. But I always judged each issue on its own basis.”
From the world of sports, Berman knows all about fan frenzy, but “that’s chicken feed compared to this.”
Opinion comes with the territory and that was unique for Berman, who prided himself on delivering sports commentaries from all perspectives. That “MO” is out the window in talk radio.
The emails come in and if they aren’t over the top politically, he’ll respond. He cited a recent listener who complained about Berman’s views on Israel. Berman, who is Jewish, responded that he’s a strong supporter of Israel, but “that’s doesn’t mean I have to agree with everything that the Israeli government does, much like I consider myself a pretty good American. I don’t agree with everything our government does.”
“I appreciate people who respect your opinion and [who] treat [you] honestly and fairly,” Berman said.
His more progressive views are a contrast to powerhouse syndicated host Sean Hannity and the late Rush Limbaugh, heard on WOR for years.
“From 5 a.m. until 9 at night I’m the only voice that leans left on the radio station,” Berman said.
That meant once Donald Trump was elected, Berman was the lone host in opposition.
Incidentally, Berman voted for Barack Obama in 2008, but opted for Mitt Romney in 2012.
“It was easy on the Trump side to come up with opinions,” Berman said. “Either fortunately, or unfortunately, I came down on the side opposed to Trump. Maybe it made for good radio that we had two sides.”
Aside from the unexpected political cauldron that Berman would walk into, his on-air TV life didn’t automatically translate to radio.
“When I first started, I think the boss wasn’t real comfortable that I could handle a show from beginning to end,” Berman admitted.
He was fine with speaking to guests or callers, but the basic radio elements were foreign to him, such as navigating segments or doing a live commercial read. While it seems simple on the surface, Berman was used to putting together a 3:15 sportscast nightly at WNBC. Now, he was responsible for four hours of content daily.
“That’s very different,” Berman said. “It’s a whole different skill set.”
Tough Times with Todd
Berman initially was teamed with Todd Schnitt, but that was an ill-fated partnering.
“It was no secret that we did not get along,” Berman admitted. “It probably showed on the air.”
Schnitt, a native New Yorker, was the conservative voice who had been hosting his own show, The MJ Morning Show. He’s been fronting a political-centric afternoon drive program, The Schnitt Show, since 2001. However, failing in New York City would be a blemish to his career and, for the 34 months together, a blemish for Berman.
“Can you imagine coming to work and you don’t talk to your co-host except when you’re on the air?” Berman said. “It was uncomfortable. It wasn’t a lot of fun.”
As awkward as it was, though, Berman had no intention of walking away from WOR because, “it was just something to do,” after his forced retirement from WNBC.
But iHeart, according to Berman, was grooming Schnitt to become a star at WOR. Therefore, with the chemistry failing, Berman thought he would take the fall. At one point, Berman joked on the air that he was like Alan Colmes, who had a Fox News show with Sean Hannity. One day Colmes was gone, and the cable news wars were altered forever.
“I was just shocked that it didn’t happen,” Berman said.
So, when Cuddy contacted Berman in October 2017 about Schnitt’s exit, he was stunned. It was a sudden departure and Berman was forced to fly solo in the studio the next day.
Officially, iHeart said they couldn’t come to a contract agreement with Schnitt, “[but] I’m being very honest with you. I always thought something happened, I never knew what,” Berman admitted. “Maybe he wanted a lot more. WOR does not overpay. Trust me.”
Since 2018, Berman and former theater critic Michael Riedel have a much better ying and yang.
“You figure that one out. Here’s a political radio station, you’ve got a Broadway guy and a sports guy and we’ve got a successful radio show,” Berman said.
Berman auditioned with fill-in guests on air and with the mics off. When it was finally Riedel’s turn, Berman was not familiar with his print or broadcasting background. Perhaps, it was that discovery that led to immediately clicking.
Their producer thought the off-the-cuff chatting was perfect and laid the groundwork for their on-air relationship.
“We both had broad experiences, so that’s why it’s worked,” Berman said. “We really do mix it up,” he said. “We’re very big on having fun.”
Battle for Morning Ratings
He is proud of a long stretch, topping news/talk rival Red Apple Media’s WABC for more than a year, but Berman doesn’t get too caught up in the ratings. Another competitor is Salem’s 970 WNYM/The Answer. But the weaker signal makes them less formidable.
Another feather in his cap is occasionally ranking number one on Long Island among all morning shows.
WABC’s Sid Rosenberg recently told Barrett News Media that his morning show with Bernard McGuirk has “beaten the shit out of WOR lately.”
Berman countered, “If they’re ahead of us by a tenth or two-tenths, trust me, they’re not beating the shit out of us.”
The WOR host is so laid back about the competition that he’s never heard WNYM morning host Joe Piscopo or Bernie and Sid, although Riedel has listened to their WABC show podcast.
“I haven’t. I always had that approach in radio and television that I’m going to do the best job I can possibly do and I’m going to let the chips fall where they may,” Berman said.
But Berman does have a history with Rosenberg, as a guest several times on his South Florida show. He also texted Rosenberg a couple of years ago about a matter unrelated to broadcasting.
“[He’s] a character,” Berman said. “If he wants to knock us, go for it. I’m not going to fire back.”
Life Since COVID
Since the pandemic took hold in New York in the spring of 2020, Berman and Riedel are working remotely. You can add news anchor Joe Bartlett to the list, who was planned to retire in 2020, but moved back home to South Carolina and has kept working each morning.
“There are people who don’t know, I don’t know how that’s possible, none of us [is] in the studio,” Berman said.
Berman is based on Long Island, while Riedel is at home in the West Village.
As mask restrictions are loosening and vaccinations are increasing, it remains to be seen when the duo will return to their Tribeca studios.
“They have not made any decisions yet,” Berman said.
The fully vaccinated Berman said if iHeart brass require him to go back to radio station for hosting duties, “it’s something I would consider.”
However, Berman said, “I have the luxury of having already been retired. So, if I decide I really don’t want to get up another hour early and commute all that much, at least I have the luxury of knowing that I have that option.”
He is under contract, but in the fluid world of radio, coupled with the post-COVID cutbacks, there remains a lot of unknown.
“It really is day-to-day or month-to-month, as far as what my thinking is,” Berman said.
Len and Jill celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 2020, but with his wife’s real estate business thriving, he’s in no rush to retire and head to Florida.
“At some point we’ll go back, at least for the winter,” Berman said.
Jerry Barmash has been a fixture in New York radio for decades with anchor stints on WABC Radio and Bloomberg News. Jerry was also heard on WINS, WCBS and Wall Street Journal Radio. As a media writer, Jerry’s pieces were featured in Broadcasting & Cable, NY Daily News and Watercooler HQ. Jerry also hosts the interview podcast Here Now the News. He’s on Twitter @JerryBarmash and can be reached at [email protected].
You may like
BNM Writers
A Message to News/Talk Radio Professionals: Go to the Sales Meeting
Having open lines of communication with sales can only help.
Published
18 hours agoon
April 17, 2024It isn’t often that you can make a news/talk radio analogy by using a popular movie, but here we go. In the Judd Apatow classic, Knocked Up, Katherine Heigl’s character goes into labor, and Jay Baruchel’s character walks in to see how things are going. Well, the scene is absolutely chaotic, and after blood-curdling screams from Heigl for him to get out, he scrambles out of the room.
Rattled, Baruchel’s character returns to the waiting room, saying, “I shouldn’t have gone in there. Don’t go in there.
“Promise me you won’t go in there.”
Kinda like your experience going to a sales meeting?
Funny, right?
In media, it’s always seemed to be a cliché thing: On-air talent doesn’t quite get sales, and sales doesn’t quite get the on-air side.
On-air folks, almost to a person, can never understand why everything isn’t sold all the time.
“This is such a good segment, it should be so easy to sponsor.”
“Sports, everybody sponsors sports.”
“We should get (Insert local business) to sponsor us. They’re a perfect fit. I don’t get it.”
Guilty as charged on at least two of those exact statements.
After breaking down the wall this week and going to a sales meeting, I am here to urge everyone in production or on the air — go to a meeting.
It will do a few things. First, it will confirm that you belong right where you are. It also will confirm that the sales job is far from an easy job.
The reason for my visit was to update the crew on what we were up to, and then, the head of the station group presented us with a refresh of all the sales material.
I recommend you give it a try.
In all seriousness, having open lines of communication with sales can only help. Back when I was an actual journalist, I would refuse this kind of contact, as if it would somehow jeopardize my integrity.
Now?
Well, clearly, that’s been out the door for quite some time. Oh yeah, be serious. It’s obvious that in order to what I call “survive with the chance to thrive”, we need to work together.
They succeed, we stay on the air doing the most fun job we’ve ever had.
A few things will humble you from the experience, while the language of discourse will absolutely confound you.
Here’s how, starting with humble.
I am notorious for taking certain things personally. You can rip me, rip the show, even make fun of my hair! No problem. But if you don’t call me back? After a second call? That’s personal.
I may write you off forever.
It’s a blind spot, I know … but it’s pretty true. I’ve grown to the point where I can overcome it, especially if the person eventually calls me back, yet it really irks me to the core when people can’t return a call.
In the sales meeting, I expressed some frustration over not being able to contact a potential guest, and one sales rep came back with (paraphrase): “It can take 17 calls to make a connection.”
17? 17!
If you doubt it, all I will say is that the collective response to that statement felt like “Praise Be!”
I could never eat that kind of humble pie.
Then, there was the language, oh, the language. Not F-Bombs but acronyms. For everything.
NTR. CNA. KPI. DOMO. IQP. DJT. Ok, DJT is Donald J. Trump, but the rest are real, I promise.
I was the only person there who had no idea what was being said. It was dizzying.
After all the lingo and humble pie that needed to be eaten to sell stuff, I realized how positive the whole thing was for both sides.
I got the chance to talk to the crew beyond the flippant “Hello” while walking past their offices. I also learned how they felt about the show. About the station. About me.
That was both validating, sobering, and ultimately energizing.
Yes, it lasted almost three times the length of my one required regular weekly meeting. Yes, there were times that I thought I was in a foreign land. And yes, there were moments when my only glimmer of hope was the sunshine coming through the window.
But I have to tell you, I will definitely do it again because it was worth it … just perhaps not every week worth it.
Brian Shactman is a weekly columnist for Barrett News Radio. In addition to writing for BNM, Brian can be heard weekday mornings in Hartford, CT on 1080 WTIC hosting the popular morning program ‘Brian & Company’. During his career, Brian has worked for ESPN, CNBC, MSNBC, and local TV channels in Connecticut and Massachusetts. You can find him on Twitter @bshactman.
BNM Writers
AI is Coming for More Than Just Your Jobs, And the Media Landscape is Changing for the Worse
More important than the loss of more jobs to AI in our industry, we need to take a closer look at the technology’s effect on the media.
Published
18 hours agoon
April 17, 2024While the world is entranced in President Trump’s jury selection in New York, Artificial Intelligence is stealing your look. AI is stealing your voice and most distressing, AI is becoming more human. It has advanced faster than any other technology known to man.
At the NAB Show, Futuri’s ‘groundbreaking’ AI was applauded. They showed how an AI robot was able to conduct two studies on the media industry. Meaning this AI robot has replaced the job of those in research and development. More important than the loss of more jobs to AI in our industry, we need to take a closer look at the technology’s effect on the media, especially the human toll of AI Beauty Pageants and Deep Fake Pornography.
Announced this week, the first Miss AI Beauty Pageant is coming to a computer near you with $20,000 up for grabs. Now I know what you are thinking: “Krystina, this has nothing to do with media.” Oh, but friends, it does.
Miss Universe and Miss USA combined are industries worth several billion dollars. From paid commercials to designer dresses, hair, and makeup, it is a cash cow. Now, Maybelline can cut out paying advertisers and models by going straight to the programmers. Maybe she’s programmed with it. Maybe its Maybelline? It would cut costs significantly.
Additionally, since the Miss AI beauty pageant also judges its contestant on how many followers she has (can we call a robot she?), you have a significantly cheaper influencer because you don’t have to send the product to her (because again she’s AI).
Revenue from the health, wellness, and beauty industries could now be transitioned to big tech. Yeah, sure, a 12-year-old programmer living out of their mother’s basement might make enough to pay for one semester of college this way, but is that really the route we want to go here? Not to mention this will give people a significantly distorted sense of reality and beauty.
This brings us to AI porn, which has affected Taylor Swift, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and 30 female teens at a New Jersey high school. Let me repeat that for those who missed the story this past fall, a high school boy took the photos of 30 classmates and turned them into porn. These girls are 14. Not only will they likely spend the rest of their lives taking down the AI porn made of them, but to quote AOC, “It has real, real effects not just on the people that are victimized by it, but on the people who see it and consume it. And once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it.”
I’m not a fan of AOC, but she has a point. The comments made by conservatives about AI porn made using her image are nasty (and senseless). This should be a bipartisan issue. AOC is also not the only well-known person this has happened to. Twitter had to block #TaylorSwift because of AI-generated porn photos. While this prompted the United States Congress to draft a civil law that would allow victims to sue the makers of these AI images, it falls just short of criminalizing the behavior.
Yes, Rep. Neil Hays (R-OK) proposed legislation last year that would criminalize the creation of deep fakes but it has stalled in the halls of Congress.
As for those nasty comments made by conservatives about AOC, they don’t realize this could happen to them. It could happen to their spouses and children. It’s not just celebrities. Those photos you’ve posted of your children from the time they were born, can now be accessed by the pedophiles of the world and turned into porn. A report, published yesterday by Forbes, shows there is already an increase of AI-made child sex abuse images across the web. Are you concerned yet? You should be.
The European Union and the United Kingdom are working on legislation to make it a criminal act. While the proposals are designed to aid those affected by AI porn, they lack targeting AI which is made to subvert or skew political messaging. It’s not just the videos you watch it’s also the articles you read.
While AI videos still have a long way to go before they are truly believable, we’ve extensively reported on media outlets replacing their writers with AI. A December 2023 study by Science Direct found people were able to positively identify AI writing samples only 38.9% of the time. There are now recruiters on Linkedin asking writers (like myself) to teach AI how to write. Sounds interesting until you realize AI would replace my career as a writer.
While Black Rock’s Larry Fink believes AI will “boost wages and productivity,” he needs to recognize there is already an abundance of jobs in sectors outside of finance that are being eliminated by AI. Business Insider, CNET, and CNBC have used ChatGPT to write stories. BuzzFeed is using ChatGPT to personalize content, a job once held by a person. Law offices are now using services to Casetext to research case law or Lawgeex to read contracts. Another job once held by a legal assistant, or law school intern.
These are all entry-level jobs that are being eliminated. How are people going to gain experience if AI is replacing the entry-level? So, while I congratulate Futuri on their AI research robot, can we put the brakes on the in-your-face AI capabilities and just keep it in the background? We are clearly not prepared, nor do we understand, the full scope of damage this technology can and is doing. (Does anyone remember Terminator, Robocop, Blade Runner, or Ex Machina? This does not end well for us.)
This is a very serious bipartisan issue that is being swept under the rug. So, while everyone is worried about what media outlets each one of Trump’s jurors watches, you should be more concerned with how the media is reporting (or lack thereof) on AI. It is more than just our jobs at risk, it’s our dignity and livelihood which is already being negatively impacted by the technology.
Krystina Alarcon Carroll is a columnist and features writer for Barrett News Media.She currently freelances at WPIX in New York, and has previously worked on live, streamed, and syndicated TV programs. Her prior employers have included NY1, Fox News Digital, Law & Crime Network, and Newsmax. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
BNM Writers
ABC Draws Biggest Solar Eclipse Coverage Audience
ABC News’ Eclipse Across America was also simulcast on the Disney-owned cable networks National Geographic Channel.
Published
18 hours agoon
April 17, 2024The solar eclipse that captivated our nation on Apr. 8, for better or for worse, was extensively covered by the major networks. They had broadcast from the key areas where complete totality of the moon directly aligning in front of the sun was observed, from Dallas to Indianapolis to Niagara Falls to Vermont.
ABC, with David Muir and Linsey Davis anchoring from Burlington, Vermont, was the most-watched outlet in eclipse coverage among all key figures, according to Nielsen Media Research. From 2-4 PM ET on Apr. 8, ABC delivered 4.448 million total viewers including 920,000 within the key 25-54 demographic as well as 744,000 adults 18-49.
ABC News’ Eclipse Across America was also simulcast on the Disney-owned cable networks National Geographic Channel (271,000 Total Viewers, 76,000 Adults 25-54 and 69,000 Adults 18-49) and Nat Geo Wild (63,000 Total Viewers, 19,000 Adults 25-54 and 17,000 Adults 18-49).
The eclipse coverage helped National Geographic Channel more than doubled its own weekday performances of 2-4 PM ET from Apr. 1-5: Total Viewers +139%, Adults 25-54 +192%, and Adults 18-49 +237%.
CBS, with Norah O’Donnell and Tony Dokoupil anchoring from Indianapolis, was runner-up among total viewers (2.705 million) while NBC (2.406 million total viewers) – with Lester Holt also in Indianapolis, as well as Al Roker in Dallas – was runner-up among key demos (483,000 adults 25-54; 368,000 adults 18-49).
CBS posted 447,000 adults 25-54 and 339,000 adults 18-49.
On cable news, Fox News Channel was the total viewer leader for the solar eclipse and CNN led in all key demos. As indicated in the network breakdown below, CNN attracted the most added raw viewership and demos (nearly quadrupling its 25-54 and 18-49) compared to the aforementioned Monday through Friday 2-4 p.m. period from Apr. 1-5:
Fox News Channel
- Total Viewers: 2.264 million (+829,000; +58%)
- Adults 25-54: 230,000 (+73,000; +47%)
- Adults 18-49: 155,000 (+54,000; +54%)
CNN
- Total Viewers: 1.643 million (+1,046,000; +175%)
- Adults 25-54: 332,000 (+246,000; +286%)
- Adults 18-49: 221,000 (+163,000; +283%)
MSNBC (compared to Apr. 1-5 @ 1-4 p.m.)
- Total Viewers: 0.916 million (+120,000; +15%)
- Adults 25-54: 121,000 (+41,000; +51%)
- Adults 18-49: 81,000 (+31,000; +62%)
Douglas Pucci is a Bronx native and NYU graduate analyzing news television ratings for Barrett News Media. He did an internship at VH1’s “Pop Up Video” in 1997. After college, Pucci went on to design, build and maintain websites for various non-profit organizations in his hometown of New York City. He has worked alongside media industry observer Marc Berman for over a decade reporting on all things television, first at Cross MediaWorks from 2011-15 then at Programming Insider since 2016. Pucci also contributed to the sports website Awful Announcing. Read more: https://programminginsider.com/author/douglas/