Redskins: a tale of a team and its radio station

Every Monday morning, Section 215’s Akiem Bailum gives an in-depth and unfiltered look at all of the latest sports news in The Monday Morning Realist.

When you are a radio nut like me, one has a tendency to pick up on certain stories involving the business that do not necessarily always get regular coverage.

This is for good reason, after all. After all, in the grand scheme of things, it is only radio.

But, a controversy has since unfolded in Washington, D.C. that one may or may not have heard about involving Dan Snyder, Washington Redskins owner. Snyder also owns a chain of radio stations in the D.C. metro area along with another in Virginia that airs his team’s games.

A media personality that was supposed to start a morning drive-time radio show in Washington has since been fired from the Snyder-owned sports outlet, because of backlash to what that scribe has written about the team from within the organization.

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Here’s the backstory: Dan Snyder, Washington Redskins owner, owns radio station WTEM-AM ESPN 980 in Washington, D.C. ESPN 980, you guessed it, is the flagship station of the Redskins along with being the D.C. area’s ESPN affiliate. Among those who have shows on 980 is Pardon the Interruption’s Tony Kornheiser.

ESPN 980 had always aired the syndicated Mike and Mike in mornings—a requirement that Bristol sends out to its radio affiliates. But, Snyder’s Red Zebra Broadcasting apparently wanted to try something somewhat different.

The strategy was that WTEM wanted to have a morning drive-time show that would not only compete with “The Sports Junkies” on competing station, CBS-owned WJFK-FM 106.7 The Fan, but also would appeal to the African-American radio audience of Washington, D.C.

That black audience is one that is very lucrative given that D.C. as a city is essentially 50 percent black.

So, 980 had an idea to start a new morning show called “The Man Cave.” One of its “cave dwellers” (if you will) would have been someone by the name of Jason Reid.

No, not the Jason Reid who is one of the leaders of the movement to return NBA basketball to Seattle, but Jason Reid the columnist for the Washington Post. The same Jason Reid who has said less than flattering things in the past about Dan Snyder.

In fact, Reid was so excited about the opportunity to broadcast on the 980 station that he left his position at the Post, to accept the gig. Also, reportedly, the newspaper never wanted Reid to leave, but understood why he was ready to take the next step in his sports journalism career.

Eventually, Reid never was able to begin his show. The Man Cave was never built. Ultimately, everyone pointed their fingers in the direction of Dan Snyder and the fact that he owns the station. It appeared to be a case of “state-run radio” where only those who would be willing to sing the praises of Snyder and the Redskins would be allowed local shows on the station.

Eventually, a report came out that said that Washington general manager Bruce Allen, not Snyder, was the reason why Reid was canned. Whether it was Snyder or Allen, the report still confirms that backlash within the Redskins was the reason as to why Reid never began the morning show.

Plus, remember on top of that that Reid left his post at the Washington Post to assume his position at WTEM.

Additionally, 980’s rival, 106.7 the Fan has since ran liners that rail WTEM as having only a bunch of Snyder “yes men” on his station as opposed to the “unbiased, unfiltered, and uncensored” sports talk of WJFK.

Notice that this (almost) always seems to happen when a team is losing? When a team is losing, that team’s relationship with the media almost always becomes testier and testier and testier. Realists, has there been a case of a team trying to control the media narrative when that team is winning?

And in Washington, D.C., it is well-known that Snyder plays favorites when it comes to media. Along with his radio station, Snyder also has a relationship with WJLA-TV, D.C.’s ABC station that occupies channel 7. It is also ironic that Reid, a Post writer, would make a transition to a Snyder-owned outlet, when the Redskins’ relationship with the smaller Washington Times is much more well-established.

The Times, a smaller, right-leaning paper is able to produce more Redskins-centric content that will not be found with the Post, the paper whose relationship with Snyder is not exactly as cozy as landing in a pile of Redskins cheerleader pom-poms.

The last thing that is needed with all of the controversy regarding the Redskins’ name and the handling of its supposed-to-be franchise quarterback is another PR snafu. So, what happens? Another PR snafu.

As is life under the Snyder Administration in the nation’s capital.

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