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Sweeny Murti: New Job With MLB Offers Creativity WFAN Job Did Not

“I’m excited to kind of see where this goes. I worked for a traditional radio station for a very long period of time. What we put on the radio was very distinct and kind of in a straight line.”

Ricky Keeler

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Sweeney Murti is set to begin a new chapter in his life. After being at WFAN for almost 30 years and covering the Yankees for the radio station the last 22 seasons, Murti starts a new role as a senior media contributor for MLB media.

Murti was a guest on the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast on Monday and he talked about what his new role would be at MLB and how it gives him some room to be creative, which is different.

“I’m excited to kind of see where this goes. I worked for a traditional radio station for a very long period of time. What we put on the radio was very distinct and kind of in a straight line…This kind of has some room for creativity here.”

Murti told Deitsch about how the business has changed over the last 20+ years and that the information he would first give to WFAN is easily accessible now.

“It probably became less cost-effective to send me all over the country to cover games when you are able to get information in other sorts of fashion. I used to call Mike Francesa to give him the Yankees lineup everyday. Now the Yankees themselves are the first to post their lineup on Twitter. We were trying to find different ways to keep it relevant and matter whether it’s having podcasts or trying to find audiences for different things. We were all trying to do that. I just don’t think there’s an easy answer to this.”

Even though Murti was still able to do his job covering the Yankees, he was not on the road as much and it wasn’t easy for him to do the job.

For part of those 21 years on the Yankees beat, Murti covered Derek Jeter, who is now going to be doing work for FOX . Murti gave his expectation for how he thinks Jeter will do and he thinks it will be easy for the former captain to avoid controversy:

“I don’t think he is ever going to walk into controversy. If you saw The Captain, he has opinions and he wasn’t afraid to give them in that forum. Most of it was about him and the people around him. I’m a little curious how it is going to be with different teams. He never wanted to walk into controversy and was very astute in doing that. He’s a smart guy. He knows a lot about the game of baseball from the playing side and the business side.”

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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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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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