Women's Sports Audio Network Aims to Break New Ground
Plus, The Onion finds new owners, TPA gets some kudos, and more.
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Hi, everyone. Parker here.
On Wednesday, iHeartMedia and Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment announced the launch of the Women’s Sports Audio Network (WSAN), the first-ever audio platform dedicated exclusively to women’s sports.
This initiative aims to elevate the profile of women's sports, featuring daily sports reports, podcasts, and event coverage, all hosted by prominent figures like sports media personality Sarah Spain and WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes. As viewership and investment in women's sports continue to rise, WSAN is poised to meet the growing demand for dedicated content, promising to transform how female athletes and their stories are showcased. With a strategic emphasis on accessibility and representation, WSAN will offer an unparalleled window into the dynamic world of women's sports, available across iHeartMedia's digital and broadcast channels.
I had a chance to catch up with Sarah Spain to ask about her involvement with the new venture. Here’s what she had to say:
“I'll be hosting a daily, weekday show dedicated to women's sports. I want to give fans the kinds of stories, interviews and debates we're used to having at our fingertips for men's sports but still have to spend too much time bouncing around different sites and outlets to get when it comes to the women's game. Storytelling and features in women's sports have improved exponentially in recent years but the connective tissue between those big stories is still mostly missing and it's that consistent stream of info that drives fan interest in regular season games, player accomplishment, rivalries and more. There has been momentum building in the space for such a long time I've been a part of creating and building it since espnW launched a dozen years ago — but now, finally, there's enough data and analytics to show decision-makers, sponsors and brands that they've been missing out on big dollars and big deals in women's sports for years. This network will help drive interest, sales, sponsorships and growth. My show will be the destination for women's sports fans every day, featuring top athletes, coaches and reporters and offering women athletes and teams the coverage they've long deserved.”
The Onion finds a buyer
G/O Media has sold the satire website The Onion to a new firm known as Global Tetrahedron. Per Axios, “The four media veterans behind Global Tetrahedron are: former Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson; former NBC News reporter Ben Collins; former TikTok executive Leila Brillson; and former Tumblr executive Danielle Strle.”
In TPA related news…
The New Republic named me one of its “25 Political Influencers to Watch in 2024,” and that was a truly unexpected honor! Thank you!
This week at The Present Age
This week elsewhere
Over at
, another newsletter I occasionally write, I had the opportunity to interview the wonderful about her career as a journalist. If you have a chance, give that a read.That’s it for this week. Please check back again next week for more from The Present Age. Thanks!
- Parker
Congratulations on the well deserved recognition! Thanks for all the good words you write! 😁
Congratulations on the shout out by New Republic. I have really appreciated not only your posts, but you keeping me up-to-date on so much that is going on in media.