Sports Radio News
Texas Sports Media Pays Tribute To Audacy Broadcast Engineer Ted Nichols-Payne
“Ted Nichols-Payne was 56 years old.”

Published
6 months agoon
By
BSM Staff
Ted Nichols-Payne collapsed outside of Globe Life Field in Arlington after Sunday’s game. He was pronounced dead at a hospital later that day.
He served as the broadcast engineer for the Texas Rangers for nearly 30 years. His death drew reactions not just from sports media in the Dallas Metroplex, but from across the state of Texas. Everyone had fond memories and high praise for Nichols-Payne.
”We are devastated at what happened here today, Rangers radio voice Matt Hicks said on air, “and we just want people that were in Ted’s family and those that knew and loved Ted to know how much we are hurting right now and how much we wish for all of you that knew him and loved him a sense of peace to come when you think about Ted and all he meant to all of those that he knew.”
“I listen to broadcasts around the league,” said Rangers broadcaster Jared Sandler as he fought back tears. “There is no better engineer than Ted Nichols-Payne.”
Shan Shariff remembered Ted Nichols-Payne on 105.3 The Fan on Monday morning. He said that Ted was actually not a big sports fan. His one obsession was cycling. What kept him working on Rangers and Cowboys broadcasts was his love of radio. It is something that was valuable to the industry beyond just the Audacy stations he worked for.
“When we get to Oxnard for the State of the Cowboys presser, you should see every radio station rely on Ted. The Ticket, everyone, uses Ted to get Mike McCarthy’s presser daily. Did it for J-Geezy, same for Jerry and Steven and everyone that is going to talk. He was the engineer for the Metroplex.”
More colleagues took to social media to share their thoughts and memories of Ted Nichols-Payne.
Where do I start? When I landed my dream job covering sports radio covering the Cowboys with @iamelf for @1053thefan it was Ted Nichols Payne documenting every moment of it and rarely turning the camera on himself. Always behind the scenes but an integral part. This one sucks 💔 pic.twitter.com/v1VdeyvSSb
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) July 11, 2022
When people work together for decades, they are family. We lost a family member today. The BELOVED engineer of @dallascowboys and @rangers radio broadcasts, Ted Nichols-Payne, died suddenly at 56. We are speechless. Perfect at his job. Better human. Gutted.
— Brad Sham (@Boys_Vox) July 10, 2022
Our friend Ted Nichols-Payne has left us. Ive had nothing but the upmost respect for him as a radio pro and human being for my entire Fan tenure. He had such grace. Always made my day better seeing him. My deepest sympathies to his daughters who he loved so much.
— Gavin Dawson 🕉 (@gavindawson) July 10, 2022
I have no words. Ted Nichols-Payne was a phenomenal engineer and an even more phenomenal human. He believed in me even in those instances when I couldn’t believe in myself. His passing is truly awful. Rest easy, TNP.
— Jasmine Sadry (@JasmineSadry) July 10, 2022
Ted Nichols-Payne was world class – as an engineer and a human. Worked with him on everything from high school football to college football to one night in the Cowboys radio booth. Quick wit, gentle soul, and he made everyone sound their best. Not believing this. RIP TNP.
— Ted Emrich (@tedemrich) July 10, 2022
Ted Nichols-Payne was one of the nicest, most unique, authentic, well- respected men I ever met in the business. He was the engineering standard. I got legit joy reading his long, well-thought out Facebook posts. Gone way too soon, but never cheated a day of life. RIP, TNP.
— Landry Locker (@LandryLocker) July 10, 2022
The two teams that Nichols-Payne worked for also sent out messages of condolence.
We were all deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Ted Nichols-Payne, long-time radio network engineer and friend to all that knew him. We send our deepest condolences to his three daughters, his friends and family and to the Audacy family.
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) July 10, 2022
The Texas Rangers send their thoughts and prayers to the family of the team’s radio network engineer Ted Nichols-Payne, who passed away suddenly on Sunday afternoon at the age of 56. He was the the primary radio engineer of Rangers broadcasts for most of the last 30 years.
— John Blake (@RangerBlake) July 10, 2022
Ted Nichols-Payne was 56 years old.
Sports Radio News
Steak Shapiro Apologizes, Says He Didn’t Think Stetson Bennett Criticism Was ‘That Inflamatory’
“You were just trying to play music and not ignore the fans. Still don’t think it was a great speech, but again, you’re the biggest football hero in Georgia football history.”

Published
5 hours agoon
January 18, 2023By
BSM Staff
Wednesday’s edition of The Steakhouse was one Atlanta sports fans were waiting for. Late Tuesday night, Steak Shapiro took to Twitter to promise that he would address Stetson Bennett IV’s reaction to his criticism of the way the quarterback behaved at Georgia’s National Championship parade on Saturday.
“The notion is that Steak was basically roasted,” he said of the coverage the social media spat received. “He was put on the grill and taken to task.”
Shapiro had tweeted that he did not think it was a good look for Bennett to be on his phone during the championship parade and that his speech seemed more about settling old grudges than it was about celebrating the team or the fans. In a message on Twitter, which began by addressing Shapiro as “Mr. Med Rare”, Bennett explained that he was using his phone to play music in the car he was riding in. He was not ignoring the moment or the fans.
After giving Bennett credit for coming up with a funny nickname, Steak Shapiro said that he was surprised that the quarterback took the criticism so personally.
“My job is to give an opinion. I didn’t think it was that inflammatory. I didn’t think it was that dramatic.”
He added that has no problem with Stetson’s disdain for the media. He just thought the parade should have been about the fans and the accomplishment rather than Stetson Bennett IV trying to settle old grudges. Still, Shapiro wanted to make it clear that he does not hate the Georgia quarterback. He remains one of Bennett’s most vocal fans.
“On three or four occasions, I was lambasted because I said I thought he was the greatest player in Georgia history, and I said that before he won the national title,” Shapiro said. “I said that when they had the undefeated regular season, and then people started saying ‘stop saying that about Stetson’ or ‘Stetson’s overrated’. I just kinda had his back the entire year and probably had his back the last two years. I just didn’t think Saturday was a great day. That is what I have been saying, and I stand by it. I just didn’t think it was a great-looking day.”
Steak Shapiro did offer an apology to Bennett. He said that if the quarterback was just trying to play music on his phone, that isn’t that big of a deal, and if he had known that is what was happening, his reaction may have been different.
“My bad,” he concluded. “You were just trying to play music and not ignore the fans. Still don’t think it was a great speech, but again, you’re the biggest football hero in Georgia football history. You’re one of the iconic sports figures — maybe number one — in a town of Hank Aaron, and Chipper Jones, and Domonique Wilkins, and Matt Ryan, and Deion Sanders. You’re probably number one all time.”
Sports Radio News
Brian Gebhardt to Serve as Program Director of Sactown Sports 1140
“Learning under skilled leaders such as Terry Foxx, Sean Thompson, Reggie Rouse, and Mike Conti helped prepare Gebhardt for the next step.”

Published
8 hours agoon
January 18, 2023By
BSM Staff
Sactown Sports 1140 has found their next program director. After an extensive search, GM Steve Cottingim and Bonneville Sacramento’s Group Director of Programming Chad Rufer have found their next leader in Atlanta, GA, tabbing Brian Gebhardt to guide the brand’s programming department.
Gebhardt heads west to join Bonneville Sacramento after enjoying over seven years of success at 92.9 The Game. He has served recently as the Executive Producer of the ‘Andy & Randy’ show featuring Randy McMichael and Andy Bunker. During his time with the Atlanta sports station, Gebhardt has learned under skilled leaders such as Terry Foxx, Sean Thompson, Reggie Rouse, and Mike Conti. Those experiences prepared Gebhardt for the next step, as did working with numerous on-air talents who have helped The Game become a model of consistency in Georgia.
“Brian’s experience working with both premiere talent and professional sports franchises will help us help the Sactown Sports brand grow both on-air and on-line ,” said Cottingim.
“Brian demonstrated to us a real passion for leading extraordinary talent,” shared Rufer. “We are very confident that he will help us grow Sactown Sports into Sacramento’s premiere sports brand.”
“I can’t wait to get started and I am beyond excited to be working with Bonneville,” added Gebhardt.
The hiring of the Georgia native as new PD allows Nick Cattles to focus exclusively on hosting the station’s afternoon show, a role he’s wanted to invest more time. Cattles joined Sactown Sports in November 2021 and has pulled double duty since arriving in Northern California. He hired Ramie Makhlouf as his afternoon drive co-host and the duo have built a solid foundation in afternoons. Having the ability now to focus solely on the show should allow Cattles and Ramie to elevate their program even more.
The first day on the job for Gebhardt will be Monday February 3rd. Depending on what develops with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC playoffs, there’s a possibility he could be walking into two straight weeks of Super Bowl planning. Regardless, Gebhardt has a new market to learn, a new team to meet, a new company to deliver results for, and an opportunity to take a big step in his radio career.
Sports Radio News
DNVR Sports Files Injunction Against Bonneville Over Denver Sports Brand
“We can’t allow someone that represents the exact opposite of us to damage the goodwill of our brand or create confusion in the community.”

Published
10 hours agoon
January 18, 2023By
BSM Staff
After Bonneville International unveiled new branding for its Denver Sports properties, digital outlet DNVR Sports has filed an injunction to stop the radio company from utilizing the brand and logos.
In a Twitter thread, ALLCITY Network CEO Brandon Spano claimed DNVR Sports has already seen listeners, viewers, and readers confuse the two brands. “We can’t allow someone that represents the exact opposite of us to damage the goodwill of our brand or create confusion in the community,” Spano tweeted.
I want to make this statement so that our community understands why we're doing this.
— Spano (@BrandonSpano) January 17, 2023
We hate media beefs as much as everyone else but we can't allow someone that represents the exact opposite of us to damage the goodwill of our brand or create confusion in the community. https://t.co/mp2ZsrXl07
“Our branding was created purposefully, to be different from the way sports networks traditionally looked,” he said in another tweet. “To represent the city of Denver in a simple way while removing us from the gloss and pretentiousness of sports media. To create something that brings people together.”
Spano added that ALLCITY sent Bonneville a cease-and-desist letter last week, but claims the company failed to respond, so an injunction has been filed.
The Denver Sports branding utilized by Bonneville — which encompasses 104.3 The Fan and ESPN Denver — features a black and white city skyline as well as the Rocky Mountains inside a hexagon with block lettering. The DNVR Sports logo is a rectangle, similar to the city of Denver flag, with the sun centered between the mountain peaks and a block “DNVR” below the rectangle.
The complaint filed by StudioIP LLC — the law firm representing ALLCITY — claims the branding used by Bonneville constitutes “trademark infringement, unfair competition, trade dress infringement, dilution by tarnishment, and tortious interference arising out of Bonneville’s trademark infringement of Plaintiff’s trademarks,” according to Westword.
Bonneville has denied any wrongdoing, saying the accusations “have absolutely no merit, and our legal counsel is preparing a formal response. Denver Sports remains committed to delivering the most in-depth and inclusive local sports content for all Denver sports fans.”