Thanks to technological advancements, the sports media landscape is undergoing a fascinating transformation. For instance, Jim Rome, known for his popular radio show, is poised to leverage this change by simulcasting his program on Twitter/X.
This move, which allows listeners to access his show through social media, came well before Rome’s recent podcast interview with Kevin Harlan. Their conversation further highlighted the evolving media landscape, with Harlan acknowledging the rise of podcasts and streaming services as new ways to consume sports content.
The veteran play-by-play broadcaster acknowledged that radio is entering a transformative period.
“Clearly, radio is in a transitional phase right now, AM and FM radio,” said Harlan. “I think they’re trying to continually grow up a little bit, search and see what’s the sweet spot; they’re getting a little closer. Podcasts — like this — have clearly enhanced different audio ways of consuming information. I listen to podcasts all the time, including (Jim Rome’s) and enjoy everything that they mean.
“I do think live sports on radio will always have a place. I do think live talk shows — sports and news — will always have a place. I don’t know where music fits. And I don’t know where some of the other traffic is. Clearly, it is big, still in bigger cities, bigger markets; that has a place. That’s continuing to evolve. I don’t know if it’s sorted out, Jim, but it sure is fascinating to watch.
“And TV, the streaming thing is just like, all we do on TNT and CBS now is read about Paramount Plus and Max and all these different ways to stream and consume the visual medium that TV is. I don’t know where broadcast networks are going to be, quite frankly, but I do know streaming has got so much momentum and so much in back of it.
“And these networks are always looking 5, 10, 20 years ahead that, man, they’re pushing that streaming stuff on us all the time. And they know people can’t be in front of their TVs at home, but they’re out driving around so they could listen. Or they could maybe be waiting for a plane so they can watch on their phones.”
Harlan emphasizes the rapid pace of change in the industry. In his early 60s, he’s looking forward to working another decade, but even then, he admits the future is uncertain. He reflects on the past decade, highlighting how much the landscape has transformed with technologies that weren’t even on the radar 10 years ago.
“It’s so weird. I guess I hope I can — like you — evolve and stay on top of it,” he told Rome. “Until the last broadcast, I do; I just hope I’m doing the best. I don’t want to look in the mirror when I’m in my mid-70s; my time has come and gone; I’ve done my last game, and I’m now enjoying retirement. I don’t want to look back and say, ‘I wish I would’ve, I wish I would’ve worked harder, I wish I would’ve thought more, I wish I would’ve done more self-evaluation.
“I’m trying to check those boxes right now and think about them every day. I don’t want to have any ‘I wishes.’ I want to say, ‘I’m so satisfied. I gave whatever I had, and you know what, at the end of the day, I can live with that. I can go to sleep at night thinking I did the best I can.’
“If we all said that in all of our professions, we’d probably be in a pretty good place. But I say it to myself every day: I don’t want to let these next 10 years go to waste. I want to do the best I can and stay on top of my job.”
