PODCAST: Legendary NYC Columnist Bob Raissman Dishes on All Things New York Sports / Sports Media
Iconic Sports Media Expert Jumps On The Pod...
There was a very special guest on this week’s edition of The Andrew Steele Podcast…
We welcomed long-time New York Daily News Sports Media Columnist Bob Raissman to the show!
Bob is a legendary figure within New York Sports Media circles, and it was an absolute honor to chat sports and media with one of my biggest idols and someone who I aspire to emulate in my own career.
With so much going on within the New York sports scene right now - as always - Bob jumped on the pod to help perform a deep dive into a myriad of different topics, including…
New York Jets icon Joe Namath aborted his usual script and absolutely took a flamethrower to Zach Wilson, calling the current Jets QB’s play “disgusting.” It was both a shocking and eye-opening interview on ESPN New York’s ‘The Michael Kay Show’, and Bob explained why Namath’s comments are hugely significant when attempting to add context to the collapse the Jets are currently experiencing.
After more Jets talk, and why Head Coach Robert Saleh and General Manager Joe Douglas could be in danger of losing their jobs over this whole Zach Wilson fiasco, we pivoted to the Giants and why they could benefit from all of the spotlight being on the Jets and not on them.
Given the rest of the world is doing it, it would have been rude for us not to discuss Taylor Swift. We dived into the ‘Swift Mania’ that is currently sweeping the NFL, and why this storyline is further proof that football, and the NFL in particular, is unbeatable and unbreakable in America. As Bob so expertly puts it, football is entertainment and the NFL has a real stranglehold over that right now.
Bob also argues that a big factor behind the NFL’s sustained success is that less is always more.
We then got into some baseball talk in the wake of what has been a miserable year for the two New York teams. We really dug deep into the myriad of problems haunting the Yankees, and why they have some really tough decisions ahead. Bob also points out that Aaron Judge being so vocal on this season’s failures paints a really telling picture about this team’s future and the star slugger’s role in that. Bob then proceeds to reveal a really interesting nugget about Judge’s personality and his outspoken nature.
Bob wonders how the YES Network, which is built on the Yankees, will go about marketing a team that stinks right now in 2024. This franchise has always been about World Series or bust, but their actions in recent years says the opposite. As a result, the PR messaging may have to change next year.
Bob has built his career on covering sports media in New York, and ESPN Radio made a splash this week when they announced that the 98.7 FM signal will go next year, and the radio station will instead focus on the AM dial and on digital. Bob uses his expertize to take us through that news, and explains why it is a big story.
Mike and the Mad Dog made sports talk radio what it is today, and Bob covered that iconic show at the very height of its powers. He is even responsible for the Mad Dog nickname for Chris Russo. So much has changed in that arena since the duo parted ways, and Bob gave his expert opinion on what the biggest differences are and the state of the ratings war between ESPN and WFAN today.
I’m a huge fan of newspapers, and I’m an avid believer that they still hold a tremendous amount of value today. Bob has been a paper guy his whole life, but he doesn’t see the industry enjoying a resurgence anytime soon. He instead is grateful for getting into it when he did, and gives insight into why the digital age has been a major contributor to the newspaper industry’s rapid demise.
We finish the show by getting into a couple of quick-fire questions. Bob gives his realistic and honest expectations for the New York Knicks ahead of the start of the season, and then he puts forward his case as to why Tom Brady will honor his broadcasting commitment with FOX, and why his competitive juices will help him become as big a media success as the Manning brothers.
Happy Listening!
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