Skip to main content

ESPN Bounces Sage Steele From NBA Countdown

Sage Steele
Sage Steele has been replaced by Michelle Beadle on ESPN's "NBA Countdown."

Fox News reports Steele has been with ESPN for a decade, and has been at the center of several controversies in recent months regarding her conservative political views. In January, Steele came under fire when she complained about protesters of President Donald Trump's travel ban, causing her to miss her flights.

She also faced heat for abruptly ending an interview with Arcade Fire lead singer Win Butler after he voiced his left-leaning political opinions at the NBA's Celebrity All-Star Game, and for criticizing NFL players' decision not to kneel for the National Anthem.

Most recently, Steele found herself in hot water after saying at a conference in February that the "worst racism that I have received ... is from black people.

Michelle Beadle
The staffing shake-up comes amid the network's newly-issued guidelines aimed to limit on-air talent's political commentary.

"Given the intense interest in the most recent presidential election and the fact subsequent political and social discussions often intersected with the sports world, we found it to be an appropriate time to review our guidelines," ESPN’s vice president of global digital content Patrick Stiegman said. "...we wanted the policy to reflect the reality of the world today. There are people talking about politics in ways we have not seen before, and we’re not immune from that."

Steele reportedly is still "very much employed" by ESPN and is leading the network's "SportsCenter on the Road" initiative. Her new role was announced months ago and she is still a "big part" of the company.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fresno Radio: KBOS Adds Monisha Mann For Evenings

Monisha Mann iHeartMedia Fresno announced today that Monisha Mann has been named nighttime host for KBOS 95.5 FM B95, Fresno’s Hip Hop and Hits, effective immediately. Mann will broadcast weeknights 7 p.m. – midnight. Mann will build on B95 night show’s rich legacy of bringing the latest in new and upcoming music to the Central California listeners. “I am beyond excited and grateful for the opportunity to do nights in my hometown at B95,” said Mann. “I look forward to bringing new music to our listeners and I thank the team here in Fresno for believing in me to uphold the standards and ratings of this heritage station.” Mann, a Central California native, is a 15-year radio veteran who began her career as an intern at B95. She returned to the station from holding similar on-air positions in Bakersfield, CA. KBOS 95.5 FM (16.5 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area “Mo is an engaging talent, a social media warrior, and a fierce competitor,” said Steve Weed, Senior Vice President of Programming for...
Post a Comment
Read more

Providence Radio: Tara Granahan Lands Late Mornings On N/T WPRO

Tara Granahan NewsTalk WPRO 630 AM & 99.7 FM has announced that Tara Granahan has been named the permanent 9am-12noon host on the Providence heritage talk station. Tara is an award- winning journalist with a radio and television career that spans over 25 years.  She has reported on politics, local news, and entertainment, and has  interviewed President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Regis Philbin, and many others.  Tara was also nominated for 5 Emmy Awards for her investigating reporting for the “You Paid For It” series on WLNE-TV (ABC-6) in Providence. Tara arrived at WPRO in 2007 and has hosted the morning show, served as sidekick and co-host with former Providence Mayor “Buddy” Cianci, and recently Tara was the host of the 6pm-9pm show on WPRO. Tara has been handling the 9am-12noon show since the start of January. Tara received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Rhode Island in Journalism. She was born and raised in Rhode Island and will continue to be a hug...
Post a Comment
Read more

Entercom-CBS Radio Merger Dominates 1Q Broadcast Deals

U.S. broadcast station mergers and acquisitions (M&A) volume reached $2.76 billion in the first quarter of 2017, according to analysis by Kagan, a media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence. Radio deals accounted for $2.59 billion, with $2.50 billion from just one deal. On February 2, Entercom Communications Corp. and CBS Radio Inc. announced a Reverse Morris Trust tax-free transaction valued at $2.86 billion, in which CBS Corp. would spin off its radio unit. At a 7.0x forward seller’s multiple, the 29 AM and 88 FM stations account for $2.50 billion, making this the largest radio transaction since 2006. The remaining $92.9 million was paid for 61 AM stations, 60 FM stations and 44 low-power stations. The largest deal following the Entercom/CBS merger was Starboard Media Foundation’s acquisition of Immaculate Heart Radio. The religious radio operator assumed an undisclosed amount of debt (estimated at $30.0 million) of Immaculate Heart’s owner IHR Educational Bro...
Post a Comment
Read more