In N.Y., Bob Raissman reported Yankees radio broadcasters John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman will return to the booth in '18 "under new one-year deals." While there has been "some discussion about adding a third 'fill-in' voice, that won’t happen this season" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/17).
LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE: YAHOO SPORTS' Blake Schuster wrote ESPN is "heading down an unfortunate and familiar path" in the accusations against anchor John Buccigross. Rather than "addressing an alleged culture where women say they feel the need to hide pregnancies and brush off sexist comments, ESPN has decided to publicly nitpick an individual claim against one of the network’s more well-known anchors." Schuster wrote the accuser, Adrienne Lawrence, "wanted outsiders to look at ESPN’s culture," but the company "wanted to highlight a specific claim by Lawrence and draw attention there." Schuster: "The bigger picture is more important" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 12/16).
AND THE WINNER IS... SI.com's Richard Deitsch gave out SI's annual sports media awards for the "best and worst of 2017." CBS' Tony Romo was his "Media Person of the Year," while Fox' Joe Buck and John Smoltz was his "Broadcast Team of the Year." ESPN's Hubie Brown was the "Analyst of the Year," while TNT's "Inside the NBA" was the "Best Studio Show." ESPN's Doris Burke was the "Best Sideline Reporter" (SI.com, 12/17).
WINDS OF CHANGE: The N.Y. DAILY NEWS' Raissman noted over the coming months, WFAN-AM is "going to sound much different." Looking to "attract a younger audience, the shows will try to be more conversational with less micro-analysis." Those hours of "second guessing and unrealistic trade-talk will be cut down, giving way to conversation about issues and not always confined to hardcore sports." Raissman: "Will this drive FAN’s traditional audience away and bring in younger listeners?" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/17).
