Marchand Sports Media

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.andrewmarchand.comIn the 39-minute sports media podcast, Andrew Marchand and John Ourand talk about why the NFL should be greedy in their next TV deals, but maybe not too greedy.The NFL should consider the long-term viability of the networks as it balances the streaming era.It is The Monthly, Marchand & Ourand, on “The Main Event with Andrew Marchand.”For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.comThe Rundown …* How greedy should the NFL get in its potential opt-out media deals—or is there a real risk of breaking its traditional partners?* Why Marchand wouldn’t change too much on how the NFL sells its TV packages* The scars of losing the NFL never leave * Ourand makes up a term talking about the NFL creating extra bidders* Marchand & Ourand disagree about how a new elite streaming package would work* Ourand has a “Quarterback package” idea that Marchand can’t comprehend* Ourand thinks it is overrated with MLB, etc., that fans don’t find games* Could the NFL create a very skinny, elite package for streamers* Ourand brings up the NFL playing on Saturdays for some reason* Reaction to Jon Meterparel saying the Patriots-Chargers is the best game of the weekend* Why did Amazon Prime Video receive the top wild card weekend game between the Packers and Bears * Inside how the NFL balances FOX, NBC, CBS, ESPN and Prime Video with recent scheduling* The misunderstanding about Peacock’s business* What Peacock needs to do next* Explaining the RSN situation with DAZN and Main Street Sports* What is next in the local sports business with MLB, NBA and NHL* YouTube TV growing with its interface* An argument could be made for MLB to put all its games on YouTube in front of a paywall* With Christian Oestlien & Justin Connolly, YouTube is serious on sports* How Marchand and Ourand is now twice monthly* Sponsor: WSC Sports … Tell them Marchand sent you* On Deck Tuesday: Marchand & Meterparel

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.andrewmarchand.comIn the 36-minute sports media podcast, Andrew Marchand and Jon Meterparel analyze the dominance of the NFL on the media landscape.Who made the right calls and who didn’t from the booths to the boardrooms. And what is next …For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.comThe Rundown …* NFL’s TV dominance in the top 100 shows of 2025 and a quiz* How do you create a new top NFL package for streamers* A package with the best games for the streamers? Sounds like SNF* Mike Tirico’s big moment * Sean McDonough is college football’s gold standard.* Mark Jones had a rough one * The issues with ESPN’s No. 2 NFL team of Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky and Louis Riddick Jr.* Where does Troy Aikman advising the Dolphins lead * Assessing Matt Ryan’s CBS exit* Where Travis Kelce could fit in TV* Drew Brees update* The broadcast crews that click and some that don’t* What events made the Top 100 shows outside of football* Who did best on the wild card weekend TV schedule* J.J. Watt was breakout star of the regular season* The issue with CBS and Fox’s final Sunday schedules* Props to Daryl Johnston* Grading Tom McCarthy’s Myles Garrett sack record call* Ross Tucker, on the rise* Will there be an NFL coach in the booth ever again* Will Meterparel be invited to the Kelce-Swift wedding* Gary Danielson’s goodbye* What were the four non-sports in the Top 100* Richard Deitsch leaves The Athletic* On Deck: Marchand & Ourand, The Monthly* Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.andrewmarchand.comThe New York Post lead sports columnist Mike Vaccaro may be one of the last of the legendary general sports newspaper columnists. From Jimmy Cannon to Dick Young to Mike Lupica, New York has been a sports newspaper town forever, led by the top columnists. Vaccaro has continued that tradition. He’s also a best-selling author with his latest, The Bosses of the Bronx: The Endless Drama of the Yankees Under the House of Steinbrenner out this spring.Vaccaro is the guest on the 52-minute “The Main Event with Andrew Marchand.”For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.comThe Rundown …* How in the 1970s, Vaccaro first dreamed of being a sports columnist for the New York Post when his dad brought him to Shea Stadium* From Ian O’Connor to Mark Kriegel to Wally Matthews, Vaccaro had big competition * Former New York Post sports editor Greg Gallo told Vaccaro that “sometimes I have to hire a search party to get the point out of your column”* What type of athlete was Vaccaro growing up* How did he get Gallo to hire him at The Post* Jerry Izenberg, Dave Anderson and Steve Serby were all great mentors* How a college-aged Vaccaro wrote Lupica a letter and Lupica wrote back …* Later, the relationship changed * Vacarro said he wasn’t perfect either in the relationship when it was Post vs. News* His relationship with Harvey Araton, Anderson and George Vecsey were better* The great advice he received from Anderson and O’Connor* The St. Bonaventure connection from Adrian Wojnarowski, Chris LaPlaca, Tim Bontemps and more* Assessing Woj as the St. Bonaventure Men’s Basketball GM* What Vaccaro’s first jobs were like* How Vaccaro was fired in Fayetteville* His fight with Frank Broyles over Title IX that led to issues* He would annually call the guy who fired him with a profane message* How a Peter Hamill line stuck with him over the firing* Editor Bill Burr giving him a second chance* Marchand tells how he was almost fired from his first job in Texas* How Vaccaro gives credit to his father for how to act* In the Kansas City Star, Vaccaro had to compete with Joe Posnanski, Jason Whitlock and more in what was an All-Star staff* How he is happy for others, like Steve Politi, when they do award-winning work* His rivalry with Frank Isola …* How Isola should’ve been a 20-year newspaper sports columnist* Why Lou Lamoriello has been the best person to cover * A tremendous Lamoriello/Larry Brooks story* How Lamoriello gave Rick Pitino his break* What Vaccaro has learned in ripping Steve Phillips and Jeff Wilpon* Calling Wilpon, “Paris” as in Hilton* Yelling with Steve Phillips about making his wife cry … and a good line* Isiah Thomas appearing in a clown suit on the back page* His editor at Harper/Collins, Sean Desmond, hatched the idea for the Steinbrenner book* The new book is written in Vaccaro’s columnist’s voice* Steinbrenner calling Vaccaro in the middle of the night* Discussing the Yankee payroll today compared to yesteryear* Vaccaro goes through the process dealing with his leg amputation* How it has impacted his job* Vaccaro fears the Papa Clicker reviewRelated Sports Media Podcasts* New York Times Best Seller Ian O’Connor tells the stories of legends* How Woj became a Hall of Famer* Mike Tyson, Mark Kriegel & the making of the ‘Baddest Man’* How Joel Sherman became a New York baseball institution * Peter King’s legendary stories* How Adam Schefter became the most prolific NFL insider ever* How Chris (Mad Dog) Russo became the greatest sports talk show host of all-time* Frank Isola’s trip from New York sports media institution to the national spotlight* Kobe, Woj & Ramona* How Tyler Dunne made his NFL longform Substack work* Sponsor: WSC Sports … Tell them Marchand sent you* On Deck Tuesday: Marchand & Meterparel

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.andrewmarchand.comIn the 28-minute sports media podcast, Andrew Marchand & Jon Meterparel look at what’s ahead in 2026, which begins with Mike Tirico. Tirico will host the Winter Olympics, call his first Super Bowl and be the lead voice on NBA on NBC’s playoff coverage. We ring in 2026 on “Marchand & Meterparel: Everybody Loves Sports Media.”For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.comThe Rundown …* Why the Mike Tirico signing by NBC in 2016 was one of the best sports media ones over the last decade* Rick Cordella and NBC have made the network and Peacock a year-round destination* The Great Rebundling and Peacock* People will pay a little more for convenience* YouTube TV’s graph is going up* People love a good interface* What are YouTube’s goals* The NFL will threaten or will opt out of its 11-year, $110 billion deals* Amazon Prime Video is ahead in the race for a potential Super Bowl on a digital platform, but …* The MLBPA will be very interested in what is happening with TV rights with labor strife potentially on the horizon* Why Marchand isn’t sure the World Cup will have as huge an impact on the United States * Why Marchand likes the NBA television and streaming deals* ESPN is going to be hyping its 2026-2027 Super Bowl* Who is on Marchand & Meterparel’s unofficial ESPN Mt. Rushmore* Meterparel’s New Year’s Resolutions for broadcasters * Bloopers!* On Deck: Mike Vaccaro is The Main Event* Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.andrewmarchand.comIn the 47-minute sports media podcast, NBC Sports Executive Vice President of Communications, Greg Hughes, provides insight and great stories into his nearly four decades in the business from TNT Sports to NBC. Hughes tells tales from the PR wars inside Rudy Martzke’s old USA Today column, his relationships with stars and how to deal with social media. Plus, much more on “The Main Event with Andrew Marchand.”For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.comThe Rundown …* Hughes is tight with Charles Barkley and tells the story of how TNT Sports lured Barkley to Atlanta* Barkley is a very generous guy in a lot of different ways* As the EVP communications for NBC Sports, what is Hughes trying to accomplish* What do folks do right at networks * How you build relationships with the people who cover the media* What PR people have to be able to say to reporters* Hughes’ policy of never lying* The importance of Versant CEO Mark Lazarus on Hughes’ career* Why Lazarus had Hughes move his office next to Lazarus’* The media critics from Rudy Martzke to Richard Sandomir to …* How TNT Sports first had to punch up at the networks* Fighting with his friends and foes from Vince Wladika, Lou D’Ermilio, Chris LaPlaca, Ed Markey and Kevin Sullivan* The famous Mike Soltys quote on Keith Olbermann* Incredible Hughes’ USA Today line over a Fox Sports mistake* Hughes’ relationship with Martzke bonded over Wisconsin* Dealing with Warren Moon controversy as a player/analyst for TNT* How Hughes transitioned from TNT Sports to NBC Sports * “Being invited to leave” from TNT Sports, along with Lazarus* He only went to NBC because of Lazarus* How Hughes fostered relationships with Bob Costas and Al Michaels, etc. when he arrived at NBC* How does Hughes handle when NBC Sports is being criticized* How to handle highly critical social media* Hughes has been at two perfect games* Lazarus wanted to leave one, but Hughes wouldn’t* Bud Selig blasting the head of Time-Warner* How Hughes owns several restaurants and bars* He only would go to NBC if he kept the bars* Hughes says some nice things about his NBC colleagues* The All-Star-Super Bowl-Olympic itinerary with Rick CordellaRelated Sports Media Podcasts* How an ESPN Original navigated the Worldwide Leader in Attention* Rick Cordella explains NBC’s NBA logic & how sports drives Peacock* The dynamic ways Mark Shapiro sees the future of media* From Steve Jobs to Roger Goodell: Hans Schroeder & the NFL’s power in media* On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel* Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com