Update: 5/24/21: Minihane cut bait with Steve Robinson effective immediately although the latter will get paid through June 18. Robinson’s attitude was apparently more or less the issue. Robinson, according to Kirk, made $100K as Minihane’s producer, which is an enormous salary for the podcast industry.
Update 5/21/21: It looks like Dave Cullinane, the Gerry Callahan Podcast producer, is replacing Steve Robinson. See below.
The Kirk Minihane Show is on hiatus this week, but last week, Steve Robinson, the Barstool Sports podcast’s hard-working executive producer, announced that he was quitting because he’s burned out and stressed out. For whatever reason, it seems like everyone who appears regularly on the podcast has experienced anxiety or related issues.
Instead of a new gig, Steve and his wife are going to tour America (and perhaps elsewhere) on an extended road trip in an RV. Robinson plans to finish up his Barstool run in June.
Robinson claims it has nothing to do with “the best boss he’s every had,” i.e., the mercurial and unpredictable Minihane. However, in a discussion that stretched over two podcast episodes, he included a few footnotes, if not subtext, that suggests interpersonal relations may have played a role in the decision. It would be surprising if it didn’t. He also admitted that he and Kirk are interested in discussing different topics, which may be a bridge too far as far as content moving forward.
Steve indicated that during a particular contentious discussion with Minihane (others might call it being subjected to bullying) in connection with some issues with the podcast’s true-crime spinoff, he realized he was just a hired hand.
He also revealed that he may have stayed with Barstool if the company had offered him a contract at a higher pay rate, in part, because his cut of the show’s advertising revenue disappointed.
He also noted that he’s made enough money in a side hustle (possibly investment related) to facilitate his upcoming adventure.
Minihane recently re-upped with Barstool for three years, but interestingly enough, Barstool supposedly hires producers only an an employment-at-will basis.
Robinson indicated he’s willing to work for Minihane/Barstool on a contract or a part-time basis at some point.
Related story:
An Open Letter to ‘Blind Mike’ and Steve Robinson of The Kirk Minihane Show
Although he owes his career to “right-wing radio” when Boston talk icon Howie Carr pulled him out of relative obscurity, Robinson ruled out ever returning to that venue of which he has been repeatedly dismissive. That said, it does seem that radio is a dying industry if current trends continue.
Producing a right-wing podcast is another matter, however, he conceded.
As this blog previously observed, in addition to orchestrating the production aspects of the Minihane podcast, Robinson handled all or virtually all of the administrative, often mundane, behind-the-scenes details and responsibilities,
With that in mind, Minihane admitted that Steve Robinson is “close to” indispensable which will become even more evident as he looks over resumes for the latter’s replacement.
Sitting in the studio and listen to human laugh track “Blind Mike,” Minihane’s occasional sidekick, guffaw at each and every statement from the host, is probably enough, by itself, to seek greener pastures.
