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Minding My Business: SiriusXM Senior VP/Sports Programming Steve Cohen

Name: Steve Cohen

Position: SiriusXM Senior VP/Sports Programming

Where I’m from: The Bronx, N.Y.

Where I call home: Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.

Focusing on right now: Beginning with MLB and All-Star week of course, and with that we’ll have multiple channels down there doing coverage so that’s kind of cool. We’ll be broadcasting on-site this week and right from the field so we get to interview all the players on the field. The access that MLB gives us to broadcast from the field is really unprecedented.

Best advice: Honesty, integrity, character and accountability are all very, very important. I expect complete transparency with my co-workers and employees. You’ve got to work hard to get ahead, you’ve got to take ownership of the product that you’re working on. You’ve got to take pride in that. You don’t steal other people’s work and take it for your own. This is stuff that goes on in the business as far as in the media that frankly is amateurish.

Execs I admire: These people have really helped me in my growth especially as someone who puts his philosophy into play and puts his stamp on something. I was lucky enough to work for BILL PARCELLS for over a decade as his personal researcher and we got pretty close. The thing that I noticed and learned from Parcells, among many, many things, was how to go into a team and change the culture. The other person who’s meant a lot to me is BILL BELICHICK, and I watch in amazement how Bill builds a team, rebuilds a team, changes his game plans each week. Look, it’s the same thing in managing your people. Play to their strengths to get the most out of them.

Must have for a new hire: I treat everybody the same way and there are expectations. The first expectation is you’re going to work as hard as I do and you’re going to try to make us better. Every day you come to work you should strive to be better than the previous day. I’m demanding. I’m going to break your chops, I expect you to break my chops. We want to enjoy doing what we do. We want to have fun but there’s a time for fun and there’s a time to put your nose to the grindstone and work really hard.

Book shelf: I’m a vociferous reader of news so I’d much rather read newspapers and magazines, web pages and all that. I love every morning reading newspapers, especially the New York Post, on my iPad. I’m constantly reading all day. I’ve always loved STEPHEN COVEY.

Must-have music: This is why I got into radio. I was a heavy metal, hard-rock disc jockey back in the ‘80s. I’m going to see GUNS N’ ROSES at a show for our subscribers.

First thing in the morning: I believe in preparation, preparation and more preparation so I’m checking my calendar before I got to bed. When I get up in the morning, I take care of my business at home: Put the garbage out, recyclables, whatever it is, get the dogs out and then I’m ready to go. I wake up ready.

Talking tech: We’re doing some amazing things with our app. We have some cool stuff coming out. I marvel at what Netflix, YouTube and Amazon have done with their streaming of video. The future is now. I’m totally hooked on Twitter. Not only do you get the news but you get opinions from people you respect so I can cut to the chase and go to my favorite writers and see what they’re thinking and saying.

Food for thought: If they said this is your final meal it would be a big ol' cheeseburger, medium, American cheese, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup and fries, and I’d wash it down with a chocolate egg cream.

How I unwind: I like to play golf with my best friends. Three of the guys I’ve known for 30 or 40 years and grew up with and we can just totally be goofballs and act the fool. Whether we play well or not we don’t care because we’re with each other. Outside of that, I love going to the beach with my family. We go up to Cape Cod every year and we just have a wonderful time.

Day in the life: I’ve got to oversee all these channels so I’m in constant communication with my program directors. We’re in the business of communication so you better be darn good at communicating. I’m looking for the next great talent. I’m looking for the players who are retiring and managers and coaches who are retiring and bringing them in. Every day it’s my job to make us better at what we do.

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