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Bob Valvano Off ESPN 680 To Deal With Health Issues

“Last year, Valvano was diagnosed with monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis, a condition where a higher-than-normal number of identical B cells are found in an individual’s blood, and it could be a precursor to leukemia.”

Brandon Contes

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Battling health issues, ESPN 680 Louisville radio host Bob Valvano announced he’s taking a leave of absence from his daily afternoon show to address his well-being. 

As reported by Andrew Bucholtz of Awful Announcing, Valvano made the announcement that he’ll be taking time away from his radio show on Tuesday. Valvano painted a rather bleak picture of his current health status, but hopefully the time off will help him get some answers.

“This is something, I don’t know what it is, but it’s not good,” Valvano said. “I’ve had terrible back problems that go all the way back to last October, and it got to a point about a week ago where it was worse than anything I’d ever gone through, including my heart attacks. Honest to god, it made my heart attack look like a walk in the park. It was terrible. I still don’t really have answers for that.”

Last year, Valvano was diagnosed with monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis, a condition where a higher-than-normal number of identical B cells are found in an individual’s blood, and it could be a precursor to leukemia.

“Those of you that know, I had a leukemia scare a few years ago, and I don’t know if this is related to that,” Valvano said during his Tuesday show. “I don’t know anything about anything. I just know that I’m taking too many pills, and I feel awful, and I’m in pain, and this is no life. This is absolutely no life.”

Cancer took the life of Bob’s brother, Jim Valvano at the young age of 47 in 1993. After giving the famous speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards saying “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up,” the legendary coach partnered with ESPN to launch the Jimmy V Foundation, which has raised more than $250 million for cancer research since its inception.

The ESPN 680 radio host said he’ll be taking off at least through next week and already has multiple doctors’ appointments scheduled. 

“Something’s going on, and I don’t know what it is. My head hurts, I’ve got pain in my stomach, my back is awful, I have a heart situation, I’m exhausted all the time. And then this last episode with the drugs scared the crap out of me, really, really scared the daylights out of me.”

A longtime sports radio host, the 64-year-old Valvano fills the noon – 3p timeslot on ESPN 680. Hopefully he’s able to get some clarity on his health situation in the next couple of weeks and make his on-air return soon. 

Sports Radio News

Dan Patrick: NBC Created ‘Something That Was Brilliant’ With Flex Scheduling

“Networks were so upset that NBC would go ‘Hey, you know what? We’re gonna take that game and we’re gonna have it on Sunday night.’ Then FOX and CBS would be scrambling there.”

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Roger Goodell wants flex scheduling to come to Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football package. It could happen this season, but we won’t know for sure until May after league owners decided to table a vote on the proposal. On Wednesday, FOX Sports Radio’s Dan Patrick joined the chorus of critics calling it a bad idea.

Patrick said that the league always prioritizes revenue. If it were thinking about the fans, this isn’t something that would even be discussed.

The idea of flex scheduling was first introduced for NBC’s Sunday Night Football package in 2006. The goal was to make sure the prime time TV package could deliver high quality games every week.

“NBC did something that was brilliant where they were able to flex Sunday night games,” Patrick said. “Everyone wanted it.”

While the fate of flex scheduling for Thursdays remains up in the air, we do know that flex scheduling is coming to Monday Night Football on ESPN this season. Patrick, who worked for NBC when the practice was introduced, said that it always took care of one broadcast partner by screwing others.

“Networks were so upset that NBC would go ‘Hey, you know what? We’re gonna take that game and we’re gonna have it on Sunday night.’ Then FOX and CBS would be scrambling there.”

Dan Patrick suggested that perhaps Amazon’s Prime Video doesn’t deserve the same treatment as NBC or ESPN. Far fewer people watch the Thursday night game than any other primetime NFL contest.

Whether or not flex scheduling comes to Thursday Night Football, Patrick says it does not guarantee to change the package’s reputation for delivering largely unappealing games.

“I’ve long said it’s crazy to say you have to play Sunday and then turn around and play Thursday and we’d always go ‘Man, these Thursday games aren’t good,’” he concluded. “Well, was it the matchup or just the quality of play?”

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Sports Radio News

106.7 The Fan Extends Deal to Remain Washington Nationals Flagship

“We’re looking forward to continuing to serve as the home for everything Nats for the foreseeable future…”

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106.7 The Fan has announced it has reached a multi-year extension with the Washington Nationals to remain as the MLB club’s radio flagship.

Nationals fans will continue to hear game broadcasts on the station, and those living inside the club’s broadcast territory will be able to stream the radio broadcasts on the Audacy app.

“Opening Day is finally here and we’re thrilled to celebrate the return of baseball season by extending our partnership with the Washington Nationals,” said Audacy Washington D.C. Senior Vice President and Market Manager Ivy Savoy-Smith. “We’re looking forward to continuing to serve as the home for everything Nats for the foreseeable future and give the team’s fans a front row seat to the action on the field and top storylines throughout the year.”

The Nationals have called 106.7 The Fan home since the 2011 season. Beyond game broadcasts, the station will welcome Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo to The Sports Junkies every Wednesday at 9:00 AM throughout the season. The station will also air segments titled “Nats Insider”, hosted by broadcaster Dan Kolko that feature player interviews and features. Those segments will air all along the Nationals Radio Network.

“We couldn’t be happier to partner with Audacy in bringing Nationals fans even more of the interviews and exclusive access they love,” said Lerner Sports Group COO Alan H. Gottlieb. “From in-depth interviews with execs and top players, to off-the-field profiles and more Spanish and English bilingual content than ever before, Audacy offers a comprehensive look at our ball club from all angles.”

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Sports Radio News

Todd Markiewicz Departing 97.1 The Fan

“He has left an indelible mark in the Columbus market and within the sports/talk radio world by building The Fan with excellent programming, dominant ratings, and overall market share.”

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Longtime 97.1 The Fan Vice President and Market Manager Todd Markiewicz has announced he is leaving the sports radio station.

Markiewicz has been named the President of the 1870 Society, a Name, Image, and Likeness collective working with Ohio State athletics and Learfield to devise NIL strategy, fundraising, and logistics.

In an internal memo, Tegna Columbus President and General Manager John Cardenas credited Markiewicz for helping to establish the brand as “the powerhouse sports station in the country. He has left an indelible mark in the Columbus market and within the sports/talk radio world by building The Fan with excellent programming, dominant ratings, and overall market share.”

Markiewicz joined the station in 2010. Under his leadership, 97.1 The Fan has routinely ranked as the highest-rated station in the Columbus market.

His final day with the station will be Friday, May 26th.

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