Brawndo Posted July 26 Report Share Posted July 26 Jeff Marek who cohosted the 32 Thoughts Podcast with Elliott Friedman and had his own weekday radio show on Sportsnet is no longer with the company. For those of us in the Buffalo Area his radio show was a great alternative to WGR550’s Constant Bills Talk. ( He is also a Sabres Fan. Hopefully he starts his own Podcast or is hired by another media outlet 6 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
French Collection Posted July 26 Report Share Posted July 26 26 minutes ago, Brawndo said: Jeff Marek who cohosted the 32 Thoughts Podcast with Elliott Friedman and had his own weekday radio show on Sportsnet is no longer with the company. For those of us in the Buffalo Area his radio show was a great alternative to WGR550’s Constant Bills Talk. ( He is also a Sabres Fan. Hopefully he starts his own Podcast or is hired by another media outlet It would be nice if he did some Sabres specific stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjd1001 Posted July 26 Report Share Posted July 26 1 hour ago, Brawndo said: Jeff Marek who cohosted the 32 Thoughts Podcast with Elliott Friedman and had his own weekday radio show on Sportsnet is no longer with the company. For those of us in the Buffalo Area his radio show was a great alternative to WGR550’s Constant Bills Talk. ( He is also a Sabres Fan. Hopefully he starts his own Podcast or is hired by another media outlet I know the Bills are the thing the general public cares about more in the area. I get it. I was a Bills season ticket holder for over a decade (a while ago). But I was starting to think I was the only one that noticed they seem to be 90% Bills. I can't think of specifics, but I KNOW there were times the Sabres played a game the night before, and the Bills didn't do much, it was either a Tuesday between games or maybe even the offseason they they let a middle-of-the-roster guy go (something like that) and they still would give the Bills as much, if not more, time than the Sabres. I mean, if the Sabres played a game the night before, at least LEAD off the show the next morning with it. (sometimes they do, but many times they don't.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeSchmoe Posted July 27 Report Share Posted July 27 4 hours ago, mjd1001 said: I know the Bills are the thing the general public cares about more in the area. I get it. I was a Bills season ticket holder for over a decade (a while ago). But I was starting to think I was the only one that noticed they seem to be 90% Bills. I can't think of specifics, but I KNOW there were times the Sabres played a game the night before, and the Bills didn't do much, it was either a Tuesday between games or maybe even the offseason they they let a middle-of-the-roster guy go (something like that) and they still would give the Bills as much, if not more, time than the Sabres. I mean, if the Sabres played a game the night before, at least LEAD off the show the next morning with it. (sometimes they do, but many times they don't.) Yeah, I don't listen as much as I used to because of this. How much can you talk about a team that plays like 20 games or less a year?!?! Sal Capaccio is an instant channel change. There was maybe a 5 year window after the lockout when the Sabres were good and the Bills sucked. Sabres dominated coverage then and I remember Bills fans complaining. I also remember Schopp and the Bulldog openly admitting they prefer hockey to football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#freejame Posted July 27 Report Share Posted July 27 If the Sabres are playing well for an extended period of time, there will be more Sabres talk. Coverage won’t go back to how it was in the aughts as long as the Bills are good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjd1001 Posted July 27 Report Share Posted July 27 9 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said: Yeah, I don't listen as much as I used to because of this. How much can you talk about a team that plays like 20 games or less a year?!?! Sal Capaccio is an instant channel change. There was maybe a 5 year window after the lockout when the Sabres were good and the Bills sucked. Sabres dominated coverage then and I remember Bills fans complaining. I also remember Schopp and the Bulldog openly admitting they prefer hockey to football. Yeah. And I realize for me, its a large part of something just with 'me. I grew up as a little kid in the 80's and into the 90's watching both teams but caring a LOT more about the Bills. Never missed a game, had season tickets with my father and then with a friend. But something happened in the past 10 years where I just don't care as much about the Bills as I used to. My guess is when saturation of coverage gets to be SO much (we know not only locally but nationally how much coverage the NFL gets), it kinda turns me off maybe? I'm still not sure. Maybe if the NHL got that much coverage and the Sabres got that much it would do the same for me? All I know is that I still TRY to listen to WGR in the mornings, but there is only so much talk about the 3rd or 4th Safety on the roster who who is going to be the 6th WR that I can take. Oh, and then hearing "Joe from North Tonawanda" who has been "a season ticket holder for 45 years" call in once a week saying that "defense and running wins championships and the need to run the ball 35 times a game"...I just can't take it anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabres Fan in NS Posted July 27 Report Share Posted July 27 I missed this. I like Jeff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveoath Posted July 27 Report Share Posted July 27 Wonder if he’ll pop up on espn or tsn now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted July 27 Report Share Posted July 27 Never cared for Marek. He used to always bring up the most obscure historical tidbits about a given player or team. Just the way he talked…always came across as look at me, I’m smarter than everyone else. Maybe he has changed over the years. Been at least a few since I have heard him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rasmus_ Posted July 27 Report Share Posted July 27 Marek will probably move to Sirius NHL content. I like him personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brawndo Posted July 27 Author Report Share Posted July 27 (edited) On 7/26/2024 at 6:13 PM, mjd1001 said: I know the Bills are the thing the general public cares about more in the area. I get it. I was a Bills season ticket holder for over a decade (a while ago). But I was starting to think I was the only one that noticed they seem to be 90% Bills. I can't think of specifics, but I KNOW there were times the Sabres played a game the night before, and the Bills didn't do much, it was either a Tuesday between games or maybe even the offseason they they let a middle-of-the-roster guy go (something like that) and they still would give the Bills as much, if not more, time than the Sabres. I mean, if the Sabres played a game the night before, at least LEAD off the show the next morning with it. (sometimes they do, but many times they don't.) I understand that the Bills drive ratings which in turn increases advertising revenues so it makes sense for that to dominate the conversation Listening to them talk about Fantasy Football rather than the Sabres gets old Edited July 29 by Brawndo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PASabreFan Posted July 29 Report Share Posted July 29 On 7/27/2024 at 8:57 AM, Sabres Fan in NS said: I missed this. I like Jeff. Are there any Jeffs you don't like? Dahmer perhaps? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGR4GM Posted July 29 Report Share Posted July 29 On 7/27/2024 at 11:51 AM, Brawndo said: I understand that the Bills drive ratings which in turn increases advertising revenues so it makes sense for that to dominate the conversation Listening to them talk about Football Fantasy Football rather than the Sabres gets old Or when they talk sports betting for an hour. Great, Mahomes passing tds line against the giants is 2.5... I don't need an 20 minutes about it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjd1001 Posted July 29 Report Share Posted July 29 20 minutes ago, LGR4GM said: Or when they talk sports betting for an hour. Great, Mahomes passing tds line against the giants is 2.5... I don't need an 20 minutes about it. Plus does that really drive ratings? I guess they have data saying it must or they wouldn't do it....unless they just give free reign to their hosts to talk about what they want and they go with it? I would think getting guests to talk about the teams is somewhat unique (giving their opinions). Having 'insiders' talk about 'rumors'.....sometimes you can't get those specifics by searching online so to me that has value. But, talking about spreads, about fantasy football, who got the most points last year and who is 'projected' to this year...it seems like that is just a waste of time because all of that can easily be found by looking it on you a computer or phone in 10 seconds or less (at least it is a lot easier to find that than to find other types of talk about the team.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted July 29 Report Share Posted July 29 9 minutes ago, mjd1001 said: Plus does that really drive ratings? I guess they have data saying it must or they wouldn't do it....unless they just give free reign to their hosts to talk about what they want and they go with it? I would think getting guests to talk about the teams is somewhat unique (giving their opinions). Having 'insiders' talk about 'rumors'.....sometimes you can't get those specifics by searching online so to me that has value. But, talking about spreads, about fantasy football, who got the most points last year and who is 'projected' to this year...it seems like that is just a waste of time because all of that can easily be found by looking it on you a computer or phone in 10 seconds or less (at least it is a lot easier to find that than to find other types of talk about the team.) The Fantasy Sports / Betting Line segments might not be an absolute winner ratings wise, but if those segments are sponsored (like beyond the normal advertising levels) then it still likely makes sense to run them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeSchmoe Posted July 30 Report Share Posted July 30 10 hours ago, Taro T said: The Fantasy Sports / Betting Line segments might not be an absolute winner ratings wise, but if those segments are sponsored (like beyond the normal advertising levels) then it still likely makes sense to run them. Maybe in the short term, but if all the listeners leave and don't come back, then you've lost your entire business. With podcasts, my WGR listening is WAY down compared to just a year or two ago. I'm sure there's many more like me. If cutbacks are coming, hopefully they show Schopp the door first. Its clear he's largely lost interest in watching sports. If it wasn't for fantasy sports, he'd probably be pushing his way into a newsroom or something by now. I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but I still like Bullldog. I might not agree with everything he says, but he's still a big fan of hockey and is always happy to talk about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brawndo Posted August 1 Author Report Share Posted August 1 Per the Athletic, Marek was let go as he was sharing picks with Mark Siedel who runs a NHL Scouting Website and Siedel was sharing them on Twitter before the picks were announced. The league was worried the information could be used for betting even though the legitimate sports betting places close betting for draft picks 24 hours prior to the start of a round. Really a BS reason as multiple people tip picks including some NHL Insiders https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5673003/2024/08/01/jeff-marek-sportsnet-nhl-draft-removed/?source=user_shared_article 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGR4GM Posted August 1 Report Share Posted August 1 Just read this story and it is total BS why they fired him. Half a dozen NHL reporters tweet the picks before they are announced. I knew we were getting Benson almost a full minute before the announcement because of twitter. The league was worried it could be used for betting? BS, no they weren't because like all lines they close at certain times because they aren't dumb enough to leave them open until something happens in real life. Being lied to is the worst. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brawndo Posted August 1 Author Report Share Posted August 1 23 minutes ago, LGR4GM said: Just read this story and it is total BS why they fired him. Half a dozen NHL reporters tweet the picks before they are announced. I knew we were getting Benson almost a full minute before the announcement because of twitter. The league was worried it could be used for betting? BS, no they weren't because like all lines they close at certain times because they aren't dumb enough to leave them open until something happens in real life. Being lied to is the worst. Elliotte Friedman tipped the Benson Pick even before the Sabres got to the stage 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porous Five Hole Posted August 1 Report Share Posted August 1 To me, this is more about the convenience of timing in that his contract was up. I would not have fired him for this, but Marek, being a Sportsnet employee, turned Sportsnet into the source of leaked info. It makes sense that Sportsnet wouldn’t be ok with him sharing it. But that has nothing to do with gambling and to associate the leaks under the guise of a gambling matter seems like a load of poop. Given that 1) a new contract was not in place when it expired in a matter of days, and 2) Marek had to sign a confidentiality agreement on the info surrounding his separation, there’s definitely more to the story. And I would be guessing there’s more to it than just draft day. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerreaultForever Posted August 1 Report Share Posted August 1 6 hours ago, LGR4GM said: Just read this story and it is total BS why they fired him. Half a dozen NHL reporters tweet the picks before they are announced. I knew we were getting Benson almost a full minute before the announcement because of twitter. The league was worried it could be used for betting? BS, no they weren't because like all lines they close at certain times because they aren't dumb enough to leave them open until something happens in real life. Being lied to is the worst. Well the Nevada Gaming Commission was apparently investigating him so maybe there is some fire to go with the smoke and not "total BS". The league hasn't done a great job with this sort of stuff but maybe they've decided to change and crack down a little. Not saying that's good, but maybe they feel the leaks and advance info are getting out of hand and he's the first to fall or the scapegoat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveoath Posted August 2 Report Share Posted August 2 (edited) Edited August 2 by steveoath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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