Show notes
Frazer Rice and Bram Weinstein, the "Voice of the Washington Commanders," discuss the shift in sports media for entrepreneurs. The current state of sports journalism is in flux, especially with the decline of the Washington Post's sports section and its implications for local coverage. We explore the opportunities that come from this void. (Including the potential for new media ventures and the challenges of monetizing content in a fractured media landscape). The discussion also touches on the future of the Washington Commanders, the importance of audience engagement, and the evolving nature of podcasting and digital media.https://youtu.be/O0syDGcSkvUhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/3Ut9QRj7X9QD1pGEA6y6qt?si=39nLO2reQ8SK_nj0zenzDAEditing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)TakeawaysThe Washington Post's sports section closure is seen as a significant loss.There is a growing opportunity for new media companies to fill the coverage void.Monetizing media ventures requires innovative strategies and diverse revenue streams.Podcasters face challenges in gaining audience traction and monetization.The Commanders' future depends on effective roster changes and health improvements.Engagement with the audience is crucial for media success.Digital platforms like YouTube provide exposure but limited revenue.The media landscape is rapidly changing, requiring adaptability.Local sports coverage is essential for community engagement.The importance of maintaining journalistic integrity in a changing media environment.SPORTS MEDIA FOR ENTREPRENEURS CHAPTERSDISCOVERING BRAM, THE COMMANDERS, AND AMPIRE MEDIABRAM on SPOTIFYAMPIRE MEDIA ON YOUTUBEAMPIRE MEDIA WEBSITETranscript of "SPORTS MEDIA FOR ENTREPRENEURS"Frazer Rice (Bram N Weinstein (Frazer Rice (Bram N Weinstein (Frazer Rice (But from your perspective, How do you make sense of that and what does it look like going forward for a city essentially that has all the major sports and the major paper not really covering it?Bram N Weinstein (And the idea that it would not cover its sports teams, or Metro desk, which, I know, you know, for our purposes, we focused a lot on the sports desk being shuttered. The Metro desk is too. So the Washington Post not covering the mayor's office, city council meetings like in especially in these political times where, you know, the district budget is held by the federal government. To me, it doesn't even it doesn't compute that that wouldn't exist. as far as like the sports section goes, which I think is like the lesser of the two real problems with this, but obviously is a real problem is, you I think for me, it feels like a death. I grew up reading the Washington Post. A lot of the reasons why I wanted to do what I wanted to do was through osmosis of reading Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon and Tom Boswell and all of the great writers that came through the Washington Post.And I just don't really understand how it's not within the business model to be part of this. At the same time, you know, it does open opportunities for entrepreneurs like myself who have media companies and are always looking for new talent and always looking for openings. And I can tell you that void is going to get filled. But I do think it is sad that the Washington Post could not figure out a way to modernize itself to allow its coverage to continue for its loyal readership. This is a local paper that isn't covering local news. That is astoundingly terrible in terms of a business practice to me.Frazer Rice (And it's a shame that the Washington Post either couldn't pivot in that direction or otherwise make sense of things.Bram N Weinstein (And I read this quote recently from, the old ownership group, the Graham family, who basically said. "You know, the newspaper is a grocery store. Like you are supposed to go in there and pick all the different things that you want. And hopefully there's something for everybody or hopefully a number of things for everybody. And in modern times, the New York Times has done a very good job of putting together a new modern grocery store for people. So there's a variety of different things that does subsidize the important work that it does. And in the end, like to me, the New York Times and the Washington Post and maybe the Wall Street Journal.Are the three most important newspaper entities, if you can call them that, in the United States of America. And for one of them to not understand their role in protecting democracy, in covering our world, in informing the readership, whether it's locally or nationally, to me is an absconding responsibility. So I don't know what the answer is. Again, I'm not like demanding Jeff Bezos just…money to keep things subsidized. Like it is a business and I understand that, but there must have been better ways to go about it or maybe, you know, sell it to someone who does have ideas because it's important for its foundations to remain intact. And so I just, you know, for me, it's, been hard to digest, honestly. And like to your original question of like, like, how do you make sense of it? I really don't. I don't make any sense of it.Frazer Rice (There's an opportunity there. But even like the local hotbed sports like lacrosse, they're completely ignored, I would imagine. And that might be a way to sort of get some grassroots component going.Bram N Weinstein (Frazer Rice (Bram N Weinstein (Frazer Rice (Bram N Weinstein (...