On Long Island, Neil Best writes things were "relatively quiet Monday on Radio Row," but the repurposed ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan soon will be "overrun with (mostly) football-related celebrities and the talk show hosts (and producers) desperate to talk to them." Radio Row is "the place to be to corral stars who make the rounds primarily in the service of corporate sponsors but also to talk football to every nook and cranny of America." This year's Radio Row is "more cramped than usual, as floor space ... is not as easy to come by as in convention centers in the hinterlands." Consequently, the NFL is "not permitting fans to have access to the circus, and it capped the number of stations at 90, in addition to the NFL Network set that dominates the middle of the room" (NEWSDAY, 1/28). Meanwhile, in N.Y., Bob Raissman writes some prominent local radio personalities yesterday were "conspicuously absent" from Radio Row as a "matter of commerce." ESPN Radio N.Y. is "doing some of its shows from a restaurant in Bryant Park," while WFAN is "doing remotes from a candy store in Times Square." Sources said that the candy store "paid WFAN suits nearly $300,000 for the right to house" its broadcasts (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/28).
SIDELINE STAR: ADWEEK's Anthony Crupi sat for a Q&A with Fox' Erin Andrews about her upcoming Super Bowl debut. Andrews said of covering the Super Bowl, "It’s really one of the biggest reasons I wanted to go to Fox. This is a bucket list thing for me." She said of her role as a sideline reporter, "In many ways, it’s like being a spy. I’m privy to conversations that (Fox analysts) Joe (Buck) and Troy (Aikman) aren’t, and it’s my job to convey some of that information back to the booth and to the people watching at home" (ADWEEK.com, 1/26).
INSIDE MAN: GQ's Drew Magary profiled Fox' Jay Glazer, describing him as "the best-connected man in football." If something crazy happens at the Super Bowl, "chances are you'll learn about it" from Glazer, who is "the king of information at a time when there are way more media outlets trying to dig it up." Glazer has a "three-source rule -- he won't run a story with anything less," and as a result his reports "are rarely, if ever, wrong." Glazer claims that he has "never had to correct or retract a story in his career, which would make him an anomaly not just in NFL circles but in the entire profession of journalism." His network of NFL sources is "so vast that he claims players and teams routinely consult with him about coaching hires and free-agent destinations." Glazer said, "I'm an information broker. People call me about players. Players call me about coaches: I'm a free agent -- do I want to work with this guy or this guy? Every locker room talks" (GQ, 2/'14 issue).
SPANISH CONQUEST: In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley noted former NFLer Brady Poppinga will "be the analyst on the Fox Deportes telecast of Super Bowl XLVIII, which will mark the first time the Super Bowl is airing live in Spanish in the U.S." Poppinga "learned to speak Spanish because of a two-year Mormon mission in Uruguay" (JSONLINE.com, 1/27).
