Talkers Magazine Profiles Colin Cowherd
As Seen & Herd on FOX
TALKERS | February 3, 2017
By Mike Kinosian
Managing Editor
TALKERS
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ĢżLOS ANGELES ā Aside from an admittedly significant asterisk, the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1988 (and about one-third of 1989) utilized just three leftfielders ā Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Jim Rice. The fine print, of course, would exclude several years of Williamsā military service in both the second World War and the Korean War.
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Trades have always been omnipresent in sports with the biggest superstars not exempt. ĢżConsider the long-circulated rumor, for instance, that the Red Sox and Yankees contemplated a Ted Williams-Joe DiMaggio deal. ĢżYears earlier, the two rival organizations were involved with the historic transaction that moved the contract of āThe Bambinoā himself, Babe Ruth, from Beantown.
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Owing to free agency though, it is increasingly rare to see ballplayers such as āThe Splendid Splinterā Williams, āYaz,ā and Rice (all Hall of Famers) spend their entire career with the same team.
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On the flipside, broadcasting is notorious for having talent bounce around from place to place with non-compete clauses, if applicable, the lone ā albeit temporary ā barrier.
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With several more fulltime national sports radio networks on the scene, we have recently witnessed monumental free agent shifts on that level, including Jim Rome and Dan Patrick exiting ESPN to CBS Sports Radio and FOX Sports Radio, respectively.
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No Herd feelings
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Another major name was added to that list in September 2015 when Colin Cowherd bolted ESPN for FOX Sports Radio. āIt has been a fun and easy transition,ā the Eastern Washington University alum remarks. āThis is just moving from one great company to another. I am doing the exact same thing with a much larger staff, more support, and more promotion. My wife [Ann] and I made a decision a year before I left ESPN that we were going to live somewhere else ā preferably California.ā
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Neither Cowherd nor his wife had roots in New England. Both wanted a warmer climate than that found in ESPN-headquartered Bristol, Connecticut and as Cowherd acknowledges they wanted āto be closer to a big city. I felt as though we had ābeen there/done thatā with central Connecticut.ā
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Six months before departing ESPN, Cowherd was transparent about the possibility that he would be cutting ties with his Bristol University cohorts. āThey treated me very well,ā he recounts. ā[ESPN senior vice president/production business units] Traug Keller and I kept in constant communication. ĢżWe were never disingenuous with each other at all. He was very honest and fair with me. So many people had supported me there. I told him from the very beginning because I didnāt want to leave a bad taste in the mouth of management. They had been very nice to me and I consider Traug to be a good friend. I didnāt want to burn bridges and be like [the Baltimore Colts who left for Indianapolis] in the middle of the night.ā
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Employed by ESPN for well over 10 years, Cowherd fostered numerous friendships there. āI have a great deal of respect for their brand and their mission, but it was just time to move,ā he comments. āIt got a little political with that company in my last year there and I felt it was time to do something. Many times when you leave a company, there are hard feelings but I donāt have any; hopefully, they donāt, either.ā
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Culture at the two entities is different with Cowherd opining that ESPN is a bit like the NFL, āItās all about the shield and the brand. FOX is a leaner company and more like the NBA. They elevate the name on the back of the jersey as much as the front of the jersey.ā
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Some of that might be attributable to geography as FOX Radio Sports is 3,000 miles away from Bristol in show business mecca Los Angeles. āESPN is the worldās best factory and everyone is on a conveyor belt,ā Cowherd Ģżanalogizes. ĢżOn the other hand, āFOX feels a little like a movie set. Itās okay with FOX if you are a big, strong personality. Iāve never once talked about ābrandā over here. When I started doing radio at ESPN, my bosses would say that itās mostly about information. I would push back and say if I am boring but informative, Iām fired. If I am extremely entertaining and pretty informative, youāre giving me a seven-figure contract. The reality is that radio should be more dangerous. It is unedited, ad-libbed, and free-form. Thereās a little stand-up, a little ranting, a little painting and you are going to spill a little on the canvas. I think my personality fits the FOX ecosystem a little better than the current ESPN ecosystem, which has gotten much more politically correct in the last several years. ESPN was getting a little too āsafeā for my taste. I thought FOX would be the perfect landing spot for me.ā
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Built for sports radio
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From the time he was eight years old, Grayland, Washington native Cowherd envisioned a broadcasting career. āIām often told that Iām lucky I get to do what I love for a living,ā he muses. āI donāt know if itās luck ā this is what I always wanted to do and I aggressively pursued it. I was a very opinionated local sportscaster but I felt I was pigeonholed doing local television. I wanted to do more opinion-based material. I did many commentaries on local television. Thankfully, the sports talk radio industry has grown and there are opportunities for people with strong opinions. I think I was built to do sports talk radio.ā
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As much as he liked the people in his small hometown, Cowherd always recognized that heād never stay, since the sportaholic knew there was something else out there for him. āSome people have tough times and canāt dig their way out of them, but theyāve made me better,ā he contends. āEvery obstacle I had in my life to this point has made me what I am.ā
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After graduating from college in 1985, Cowherd aspired to become the next Vin Scully. Without a penny in his pocket, he paged himself at a San Diego baseball confab just to get his name out there, lamenting, āI was a nobody from nowhereville.ā
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Notwithstanding that the odds heavily stacked against him, Cowherd ā among a field of 300 applicants ā managed to land one of two available opportunities, an all-encompassing position with the Las Vegas Stars, the then AA affiliate of the San Diego Padres. āI was this young kid who went from rural America to showgirls and gambling. I gained a lot of confidence and just kind of found myself.ā
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Initially placed in sales, Cowherd was also promised that he could do an inning of radio play-by-play. Over the next three years, he talked his way into getting a weekend job at KVBC-TV, Las Vegas, eventually becoming the stationās sports director.
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A morning drive spot in 1996 on Paxson Communicationsā WZTM, Tampa ā820 The Teamā gave Cowherd radio exposure and he scored a local Emmy for WTVT-TV, Tampaās āBuc Sunday.ā From there, it was on to Portland. āThe argument could be made that Iāve had nothing but breaks,ā the five-time Nevada Sportscaster of the Year concedes. āI got my television footing in Las Vegas; radio footing in Tampa; and felt I really grew in Portland. I had success in Portland and was well received by management, the press, and the public.ā
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Through sheer grit, ambition, and some good fortune, Cowherd ā who hosted āThe Herdā on Portland sports outlet KFXX-AM āThe Fanā and anchored weeknight sports in that Oregon market for KGW-TV ā landed at ESPN Radio in late-March 2004. His weekday (10:00 am ā 1:00 pm, ET) offering, āThe Herd with Colin Cowherd,ā replaced āThe Tony Kornheiser Show.ā
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Topic selection holds the key
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Passion for the industry was easy to detect whenever Cowherd had job interviews, although he declares his ābreaksā have come as a result of āmeeting quality people.ā
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Specifically in that context, he cites FOX Sports National Networks president Jamie Horowitz, who chose Cowherd as the original co-host of āSportsNationā in July 2009, as well as former ESPN president George Bodenheimer. āIn addition, I am better served in my life to have Nick Khan as my agent,ā he enthuses. āI have had a great opportunity to work with very stellar people. I cannot distill it to one moment, one tape, or one interview. It is an accumulation of working with talented people and thatās the biggest break that anyone can get.ā
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Produced/distributed under a long-term agreement between FOX Sports and iHeartMediaās ĄĒÓŃŹÓʵ, FOX Sports Radio has several of its shows ā including the daily one Cowherd oversees from 12:00 noon ā 3:00 pm (ET) ā simulcast on FS1. āIf you donāt have a television component with your radio show, you are at a severe disadvantage,ā he insists. ā[ESPNās Mike Greenberg & Mike Golic] can attribute television to a great deal of their success. I try to be aware of both audiences, but I know there are times Iāll do something that might not serve those listening on radio as well as it serves the television audience.ā
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Mondays during the football season constitute the only broadcasts where Cowherd ever feels āboxed-in,ā as that is when he senses a requirement to stay on a limited number of topics. āAnyone in political talk radio is interesting the day of ā and the day after ā the election but I always enjoy the challenge of doing a Tuesday show in August or a Wednesday one in July because those are hard ones to do,ā he maintains. āWhen I walk in, thereās no lead story. My strength as a broadcaster is finding nuggets on a slow day.ā
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Enjoying the theories of sports, heās not only fascinated by what happened but why something occurred. āI donāt mind projecting on that and saying this is whatās going to happen or this is what I propose might happen, Cowherd proclaims. āMy audience demands that I give football picks on Friday, even though I only hit about 57%. Listeners donāt punish me for being wrong ā they punish me by choosing the wrong topics or for not being interesting. I have always thought the keys to this business are topic selection and being interesting, not opinions or being right or wrong.ā
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Much like singer/songwriters are reluctant in choosing a favorite among their portfolio, Cowherd tries not to place one sport above another, preferring that the audience drive the bus in that area. āThey tell me what they love and it is my job to make it compelling,ā he assesses. āIf I lived in Canada, I would talk more about hockey. If I lived in London, I would talk more about soccer. Here in the United States though, betting elevates passion and we ābet football.āā
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For that reason, Cowherd does primarily pigskin-geared broadcasts for roughly six solid months, August 15 through February 15. āI never let football get too far away from my talking points,ā he explains. āI watch ratings, my downloads, and I read all the articles on what people watch. The audience is telling me what they want. People who go to a fast-food place donāt want a salad ā they want [burgers]. I donāt have anything against tennis and Iāll attack a compelling story that happens at Wimbledon, but you are missing the point by talking about the French Open the day of the Michigan-Ohio State game. Itās my job to deliver what the audience tells me it wants. Thereās a reason a grocery store has more milk, bread, and eggs than anchovies. Someone else can have a store filled with anchovies ā mine has the freshest milk and the best bread and eggs.ā
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How sports radio should sound
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When Cowherd lived in the east, heād listen to CBS Radio-owned WFAN, New Yorkās Mike Francesa for his take on a big Yankees story because, āI felt that was his field of expertise. There is a lot of talent out there and I think many hosts have what I consider āspecialties.ā I am not an expert or sometimes not even that intuitive on what works. I [often] like some people others donāt.
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Local sports personalities Mark Madden (3:00 pm ā 6:00 pm on iHeartMedia Pittsburgh alternative ā105.9 The Xā); Dan Dakich (12:00 noon ā 3:00 pm on Emmis Indianapolisā WFNI āIndyās Sportscenterā); and Jim Traber (āThe Afternoon Sports Beatā on Cumulus Media Oklahoma Cityās WWLS ā98.1 The Sports Animalā) are āstaggeringly talentedā in Cowherdās opinion and he suggests, āThere are some syndicated hosts who are not as talented. When I seek information, I prefer a very dry delivery on nuts, bolts, and data. Sports radio to me is like music: Itās just the mood I happen to be in at the time. If I really want to get the insight on certain things, I move to certain people.ā
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Not to minimize teams, but those who can sit behind a microphone and talk by themselves gain Cowherdās highest admiration. āI donāt need a partner, or to chuckle with my producers all day,ā he emphasizes. āTalking to the audience for three or four hours a day is a skill that Iāve tried to hone my entire life. It is significantly harder than tandem radio, which can be really effective. Many people do it very well but I am very happy with the choice I made and I do not want a partner.ā
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Even so, he is quick to praise āHerdline Newsā host Kristine Leahy. āI went out of my way to hire her so I could have someone to [offer] a different perspective at times,ā he beams of Boston University grad Leahy, whose impressive burgeoning vitae includes NBCās āAmerican Ninja Warriorā; Entercom Boston sports powerhouse WEEI; two years as a host and in-house team reporter for the Boston Celtics; lead sports anchor for Bostonās WFXT-TV (channel 25); and anchor/reporter duties at Los Angelesā KCBS-TV (channel 2) and co-owned KCAL-TV (channel 9). āI wanted to have a female voice on the show. When I left ESPN, I had more time than usual to listen to radio and what I heard was a steady stream of male voices. I finally was in a position of power and I thought I might never have this much leverage again. Instead of limping into it, I defiantly said, āThis is what sports radio should sound like.ā Kristine has an opinion, is well connected, and tremendously resourceful. She adds something real and tangible to the show ā Iām very proud of that.ā
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Although Cowherd does not believe in doing a guest-driven program, he wants guests in his show; heās not partial to a caller-intensive sports broadcast either. āI have tried to build a show and a brand based on my beliefs, my theories, and certain methodologies,ā he states. āI have a certain belief system on why things are and a lot of the things that I talk about in sports have a ābusinessā feel to them. Whenever I speak to young broadcasters, I [urge them] to develop topics without rambling and taking the audience somewhere. Thereās a difference between two people talking about sports and [a host] who takes the audience someplace by stating a belief or theory. I am well prepared; come with great enthusiasm; am thoughtful, and I do my homework. If those qualities are important, I think the audience can hear them in my craft.ā
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Having never bought into the āguy-talkā approach to sports talk radio and calling it ājuvenile,ā Cowherd succinctly notes, āIt never interested me. There is a special skill called ārestraint.ā No one is ever as funny as they think they are. I try to stay in the meat and potatoes lane.ā
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Once or twice a day, however, he will have a 60-90-second diversion on a particular personal thought. Mostly though, Cowherd, whose daily FOX program airs on just over 120 radio affiliates including iHeartMedia-owned Los Angeles flagship KLAC āAM 570 LA Sports,ā tries to remain āin the fairway without getting in the weeds.ā
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Extremely contented to own content
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ĢżPolitics is something Cowherd would delve into from time to time during his first few years at ESPN, but nowadays has greatly curtailed that sort of on-air discussion. āOver the last eight to 10 years, I have noticed there is very little room for moderate discourse, he cautions. āNo one is in the middle. If I talk about politics, I immediately turn off 50% of the audience. It used to be that someone would listen to the other side, but they wonāt now. The country has become more divided, so I donāt think there is any āwinā for me to talk about politics.ā
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Ratings for the AM radio station he was on would be the only thing Cowherd would see 20 years ago. Now, however, he is privy to stats for radio; television; SiriusXM (FOX Sports on SiriusXM channel 83 launched January 20); Facebook; podcasts; digital; and Twitter responses. There were 26.7 million total downloads for Herd podcasts in 2016, while the 24/7 iHeartRadio channel The Herd gets an estimated one million listening hours each month. āRadio is a unique business because I can be fortified in seven or eight different ways for the same, exact content,ā he points out. āIf you have some business aptitude and you can line up all of this, it can be greatly beneficial.ā
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Perseverance and a strong work ethic helped in enabling Cowherd to own a certain percentage of his show and website, as well as having a financial say in his podcasts. A partnership between Cowherd, ĄĒÓŃŹÓʵ, and Red Seat Ventures ā TheHerdNow.com ā debuted last August. āI wanted to own my content the same way Howard Stern, Oprah Winfrey, and Glenn Beck do with theirs,ā he candidly admits. āI didnāt want to be just an employee ā I wanted to be an employer with a production company. The difference between what Iām doing and what the people at ESPN are doing is that I have a contract that allows me to own my content. Overwhelmingly, the goal for me has always been to do that. More than anything, that was really the primary reason for the move [from ESPN to FOX].ā
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Social media is something Cowherd ā who considers himself an āopinionā person and not a newsman ā is aware of, although he stresses, āI wonāt be paralyzed by it because [a large percentage] of my audience is not on it. I try to put out polished, edited pieces on Twitter to make my audience aware of work that has already been done but I donāt use a sledgehammer. I donāt spend a lot of time on it and I almost see it as a utility. You can get yourself in trouble on Twitter, so I use it minimally.ā
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By the same token though, he places tremendous value on another social media platform. āIf there is anything in our business that is undervalued by on-air people ā itās Facebook,ā Cowherd strongly underscores. āWe are big believers in it and I think Facebook is an elephant compared to the mosquito that is Twitter. My audience is on my podcast; the television simulcast; and iHeartRadio. Out of respect to my audience, I pay attention to what interests them.ā
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Active, annoying, and unexciting
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Following the release of āYou HERD Meā in 2013, āAuthorā was added to Cowherdās resume; Raw: My 100% Grade-A, Unfiltered, Inside Look at Sports (Gallery Books 2015) was released two years later in October 2015. āRadio is storytelling; television is dynamic; and books are smart,ā he reasons. āThey are all different and they all have meaning. My books were meant to show another side of me and that I can go far deeper into topics. My books are very much like my radio show [although] sometimes in radio, we just skim the surface a mile wide and an inch deep.ā
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In addition to working out, and attending sporting events and concerts, Cowherd finds time to travel extensively with his wife; he and Ann spent Christmas in Hawaii. In the next three months, they will be headed to Seattle; Mexico; Jackson Hole (Wyoming); Park City (Utah); and Santa Fe. āI have a pretty robust life and I go on many two- and three-day trips,ā the father of two divulges. āAs I have gotten older, I have pruned my tree: I have a small core group of friends and family who mean a ton to me. I love my profession and I love my job but I donāt waste a lot of time now.ā
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Binge movie-watcher/binge book-reader Cowherd will read two books or see three movies in a vacation day. āI just watched M. Night Shyamalanās āSplitā and thought it was very well-acted, interesting, and pretty creepy,ā he reviews. āI like to be active and donāt enjoy just sitting around. Itās good for me to be busy. I like to reenergize but Iāve never been a āweek-long vacationā guy. I can take off from my show on Friday, but by Sunday afternoon, Iām ready to come home. On Monday, Iām ready to talk on the radio again. I really enjoy combing over sports data and the process of prepping for a show. I get great joy not just from the outcome but the process. Everyone loves to win the game but I think managers and coaches love the process of developing the game plan.ā
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An offspring of whom Cowherd fondly describes as āno-nonsense, commonsenseā parents (āI was so lucky to have them ā I wouldnāt change my life and my parents for anythingā), he downplays himself as being unexciting. āA reality show about my life would be so boring that it would be called āCancelled.āā
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Several people have tried to have him change it, but āColin Cowherdā is indeed his real name and it was the first thing he addressed on his ESPN Radio show nearly 13 years ago. āIām not a guy who fakes his name or wears a hairpiece. Thatās just not my thing. For better or worse, my strength is my honesty. If Iām angry, I sound like it; if Iām giggly, I sound like that, too. Iām that annoying guy who sits next to you on the plane and wants to talk.ā
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Not on Marconiās radar
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All this week, leading up to Sundayās New England Patriots-Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl contest, Cowherd is in the host city ā Houston ā emanating his show from just outside the George R. Brown Convention Center. āGenerally, if you give me the better defense, the more experienced roster, and the better coach, I like that,ā Cowherd asserts, seemingly leaning toward the Patriots, but he adds, thereās āa certain dynamicā to Atlantaās offense. āIt is so diverse and so fast. I think itās going to be an all-timer and not a blowout. We will probably head to the fourth quarter with two world-class quarterbacks [New Englandās Tom Brady and Atlantaās Matt Ryan] in a shootout. These two teams will be exchanging blows six minutes into the game ā it will be that type of an affair.ā
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Just one-third (16 months) into his four-year FOX contract, Cowherd quips, āIt feels as if I have been here for years. Goals Iāve set for myself are very attainable and the growth is not slowing. George Bodenheimer once told me that he works on having a 10-year plan. I thought that was just remarkable and it sort of changed the way I think. Since that conversation, I have always tried not to be a prisoner of the moment but watch the business and market develop. The natural DNA of a broadcaster is to live in the moment but I am going to keep an open mind and try to be very nimble emotionally ā whatever comes, comes.ā
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Keenly aware of the changing times, a philosophical Cowherd reflects, āI am in a really good place right now, working with remarkable people and that cannot be understated. I think I do thought-provoking sports radio. The greatest strength any of us could have is to continue building relationships and let some things develop. I doubt that when Marconi started this business, he would have predicted Facebook and podcasts. If you love your job and work with people who share your passion, that may not last. I am in that space right now and I feel like the luckiest damn sports broadcaster in the country.ā
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Contact TALKERS managing editor Mike Kinosian at Kinosian@TALKERS.com.ā
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