Posts in Expected Value
Matt Doyle - Senior Writer & Analyst, MLSsoccer.com

Matt Doyle is a Senior Writer for MLSsoccer.com and has been covering the league for over a decade. His ‘Armchair Analyst’ column is considered required reading for MLS fans around the globe. He also appears on ‘Extratime’, an MLSsoccer.com podcast that covers the league in depth twice a week. In this conversation, Matt talks about…

  • The 2023 MLS season

  • MLS’s new Apple TV deal and what his role will look like

  • How he got into soccer & soccer writing

  • How he uses data in his writing and analysis

  • What to do when the numbers don’t match the ‘eye test’

  • Soccer stats he’s not fond of

  • Advice for using numbers in writing

  • His favorite episode of ‘Firefly’

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Matt.

Show Links

  • Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattDoyle76

  • To check out ‘Armchair Analyst’ and the rest of Matt’s writing, click here.

  • To check out ‘Extratime’, click here.

  • Follow ‘Extratime’ on Twitter: @Extratime

  • Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

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Rodrik David - Founder, Right Step Advising

Rodrick David is the founder of Right Step Advising, a company dedicated to helping agents, athletes and schools figure out the next right step for them and their football careers. Before that, he was a scout for the Atlanta Falcons. In this conversation, Rodrik talks about…

  • His reaction to Super Bowl LVII & how he watched the game through a scout’s lens

  • His career path from college to being an NFL scout

  • How data is used in the college scouting process

  • What information teams gather at events like the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, and Pro Days

  • What part of a scout’s job is aided by data

  • How agents & players are using data in relation to NIL

  • What he would do with the No. 1 pick if he was Chicago

  • Standouts and sleepers in the 2023 NFL Draft

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Rodrik.

Show Links

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

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Kalyn Kahler - Senior NFL Writer, The Athletic

Kalyn Kahler is a senior NFL writer for The Athletic, covering the league from a national perspective. She has a traditional journalism background and also likes to use numbers in her stories. She is a graduate of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism and has previously worked for Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, and Defector Media. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Colorado Springs Gazette, among other publications. In this conversation, Kalyn talks about…

  • Her path from Medill to The Athletic

  • Her general approach to using stats in stories

  • What she took away from working with Peter King

  • The evolution of data in journalism

  • How coaches and players react when she brings up stats to them

  • Advice for someone looking to break into the sports media field

  • Why she’s not a fan of even numbers

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Kalyn.

Show Links

  • Follow Kalyn on Twitter: @kalynkahler

  • To see Kalyn’s work at The Athletic, click here.

  • To check out Kalyn’s website, click here.

  • To read her piece on how the Eagles used the QB rush to their advantage, click here.

  • To read her piece on why NFL coaches call for shotgun at the goal line, click here.

  • To read her piece on how a cow becomes a football, click here.

  • Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

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Joe Hultzen - MLB Team Lead, TruMedia

Joe Hultzen recently joined TruMedia as our MLB Team Lead. His decade-long experience in MLB allows him to provide clients with the services they need to maximize TruMedia’s product. He has held roles in the Baseball Operations, Advance Video Scouting, and Player Valuation departments. In this conversation, Joe talks about…

  • The best thing about working for a MLB team

  • The challenges of working for a MLB team

  • The biggest surprise about working for a MLB team

  • How the use of data evolved over the course of his decade with MLB teams

  • The key to communicating data well

  • His approach to communicating with front offices compared to players

  • What skills to develop when searching for a job with a MLB team

  • His favorite “how-did-I-get-here” moment

  • Where to eat when in Pittsburgh

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Joe.

Show Links

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

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Cristian Perez - Former Advance Scouting Coach, Cincinnati Reds

This week, we’re doing things a bit differently on Expected Value. Producer Sergio De La Espriella has taken over Expected Value and conducted an interview in Spanish, as a way of expanding accessibility to data and analytics information to the Spanish-speaking public. Our Spanish-speaking guest is Cristian Perez. Cristian is coming off a four year stint with the Cincinnati Reds where he served as an Assistant Bullpen & Advances Scouting Coach. He also played college baseball at Duke University & the University of Southern California. In this conversation, Julio talks about…

  • How he ended up getting into baseball

  • His earliest experience with baseball analytics

  • Why forming relationships is such an important part of coaching

  • How much access Latin American players have to analytics

  • What can be done to make analytics more digestable to Latin American players

  • His favorite moments from his playing career and his time as a MLB coach

  • His favorite place to eat in South Florida

Show Links

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

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Lauren Poe - Sports Analytics Developer, ESPN

Lauren Poe is part of ESPN’s sports analytics team, which is responsible for metrics like Total QBR, Power Indices for Basketball, Football, and Soccer, and Strength of Record for college football. She has a degree in Mathematics from the University of Oklahoma, spent time as a math teacher, and got her ESPN in the Stats and Analysis department. In this conversation, Lauren talks about…

  • Her career path from math teacher to ESPN

  • Her early years in the ESPN Stats & Analysis group

  • The challenges and importance of data cleaning

  • Steps she took to join ESPN’s analytics team

  • What she does as a sports analytics developer

  • Creating and maintaining ESPN’s metrics

  • Her favorite college football metrics

  • Communicating data well in writie

  • How she watches games, especially Oklahoma football

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Lauren.

Show Links

  • Follow Lauren on Twitter: @laurenpoe.

  • Follow the Women in Sports Data on Twitter: @WinSportsData.

  • To check out the Women in Sports Data website, click here.

  • To check out ESPN’s 2022 College Football Playoff predictor, click here.

  • To check great article explaining ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), click here.

  • Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

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Julio Costa - Data Scientist, Fulham Football Club

This week, we’re doing things a bit differently on Expected Value. Producer Sergio De La Espriella has taken over Expected Value and conducted an interview in Spanish, as a way of expanding accessibility to data and analytics information to the Spanish-speaking public. Our first Spanish-speaking guest is Julio Costa, data scientist for Fulham F.C. in the Premier League. Julio has an unorthodox background that includes studying in the United States, running his own analytics blog, and a history of coaching. In this conversation, Julio talks about…

  • His day to day duties as a data scientist.

  • His interaction with the players and coaching staff.

  • How data is prioritized at Fulham vs at other places he has been.

  • His journey to arriving at Fulham.

  • What he learned from his time at the University of Texas at Austin.

  • The Analysts Eye and how that impacted his career.

  • What he looks for when watching a match.

  • Tips for those looking to become a soccer data scientist.

  • His soccer fandom history coming from Portugal.

  • His favorite place to eat in London.

Show Links

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

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Sarah Rudd - Vice President, Blue Crow Sports Group

Sarah Rudd is one of the early pioneers of modern soccer analytics, being heavily involved in the evolution of soccer analytics over the last 10-15 years. Rudd recently joined Blue Crow Sports Group after spending time with Arsenal in the Premier League. Sarah is half of the “First Family” of soccer analytics, being married to Ravi Ramineni, another top soccer analytics mind who previously worked as the Director of Analytics for the Seattle Sounders. Ravi was on Expected Value a couple of years ago, making them the first wife-and-husband combo to appear on the podcast. In this conversation, Sarah talks about…

  • Her academic background and early professional path before transitioning into soccer

  • The 2011 presentation that put her on the soccer analytics map

  • What she did at StatDNA (the company Arsenal bought to be their in-house analytics group)

  • How the acceptance of analytics changed during her decade with Arsenal

  • Bridging the stereotypical gap between scouting and analytics

  • Working on the private side of soccer analytics

  • Advantages and disadvantages of a club doing everything in-house

  • Her new company Blue Crow Sport Group and what they’re up to

  • How she and her husband Ravi watch soccer games

  • What she’s done to track her excitement level during World Cup matches

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Sarah.

Show Links

  • Follow Sarah on Twitter: @srudd_ok.

  • To check out Sarah on LinkedIn, click here.

  • To check out Sarah’s 2011 NESSIS presentation, click here.

  • To take a look at a Guardian piece on StatDNA being bought by Arsenal, click here.

  • To check out a NY Times article on Arsenal and soccer analytics, click here.

  • For more on Blue Crow Sports Group, click here.

  • For more on Blue Crow Sports Group’s recent purchase of C.D. Leganes, click here.

  • Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

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Chris Cleary - Ole Miss Baseball Volunteer Assistant Coach

Chris Cleary is fresh off winning a national championship in his 4th season with the Ole Miss program, the 2nd national championship in Ole Miss athletics history. The Rebels were 7-14 in conference play at one point and turned their season around en route to a national championship. Chris joined the Rebels in August of 2018 as the Coordinator of Operations before being promoted to his current role in July of 2020. In this conversation, Chris talks about…

  • The College World Series experience and Ole Miss’ bounce back

  • Why the state of Mississippi has had so much college baseball success recently

  • What he does with the team and how analytics in incorporated into his process

  • How he uses data to help Ole Miss in the field, at the plate, and on the mound

  • The art of communicating that data to players

  • How data has evolved in college baseball over the past decade

  • Where to eat in Oxford

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Chris.

Show Links

  • Follow Chris on Twitter: @ccleary05.

  • To check out Chris’ biography, click here.

  • To take a look at Ole Miss baseball’s facilities tour, click here.

  • To check out Chris’ case study on the Cubs infield outs from 2019, click here.

  • Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

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Robin Lund - Pitching Coach, University of Iowa

Robin Lund just wrapped up his fourth season with the Iowa Hawkeyes and his third season as the pitching coach. Iowa pitchers finished the season top-five in the country in ERA, K%, and opponents batting average, among other stats. Before he joined the Iowa staff, Robin spent over 15 years as an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology as UNI. In this conversation, Robin talks about…

  • His journey to becoming the Iowa Hawkeyes pitching coach

  • His work as a kinesiology professor and how that applies to coaching

  • How he got into traditional baseball analytics

  • His approach to baseball data as someone who came from the sports science side

  • Working with Iowa’s highly-regarded student manager program

  • Advice for data-minded people working with baseball people

  • Balancing individual pitcher plans with team-wide goals and approaches

  • Where to eat in Iowa City

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Robin.

Show Links

  • Follow Robin on Twitter: @Lunderton.

  • To check out Robin’s biography, click here.

  • For more on Robin’s path to Iowa, click here.

  • For more on Robin’s passion for cooking, click here.

  • For more on Iowa’s student manager program, click here.

  • Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

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Seth Partnow - Director of Basketball, StatsBomb

Seth Partnow was formerly the Director of Basketball Research for the Milwaukee Bucks, and he now writes for The Athletic and is the Director of Basketball for the data company StatsBomb. Last November he released a book titled: The Midrange Theory, Basketball’s Evolution in the Age of Analytics. In this conversation, Seth talks about…

  • His book The Midrange Theory, Basketball’s Evolution in the Age of Analytics

  • The first two games of the 2022 NBA Finals

  • How he watches games and looks at data afterwards

  • The state of NBA analytics in general

  • His path from law school to the NBA

  • Advice for anyone interested in basketball analytics

  • His Luc Longley story

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Seth.

Show Links

  • Follow Seth on Twitter: @SethPartnow.

  • To read Seth’s writing on The Athletic, click here.

  • To buy Seth’s book The Midrange Theory, click here.

  • To buy Thinking Basketball, click here.

  • To buy Basketball on Paper, click here.

  • To check out Cleaning the Glass, click here.

  • To catch up on Kevin Pelton’s writing, follow him on Twitter: @kpelton.

  • For more information on Seth’s favorite Milwaukee spot The Vanguard, click here.

  • Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

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Fernando Palomo - ESPN Play-by-Play Commentator

Fernando Palomo has worked at ESPN since 2000 as an anchor and soccer play-by-play commentator, both in English and Spanish. Fernando has covered multiple major soccer events including World Cups, Euros, and the UEFA Champions League. He has been one of the more receptive soccer people to using data and advanced stats on TV and frequently uses analytics in his broadcasts. In this conversation, Fernando talks about…

  • The upcoming Liverpool-Real Madrid Champions League final

  • What he looks for in soccer stats

  • How he uses data as an announcer

  • The differences in calling a game in English vs Spanish

  • How data is used and received differently in two languages

  • A track and field record that he still holds in his native El Salvador

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Fernando.

Show Links

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

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Robyn Ritchie - 2022 NFL Big Data Bowl Champion

Robyn Ritchie, a PhD student at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, is part of the team that won the NFL’s Big Data Bowl this year. This was the fourth annual Big Data Bowl, put on by Mike Lopez and the league’s analytics staff, and the topic this year was special teams, with each team given a set of tracking data and asked to come up with analysis and strategies based on that data. Robyn and her teammates (Brendan Kumagai, Ryker Moreau, Elijah Cavan) bested over 200 contestants with their entry, entitled “Punt Returns: Using the Math to Find the Path” In this conversation, Robyn talks about…

  • Exactly what data she and her team used

  • How they approached the contest

  • What methods and tools they used along the way

  • Challenges they ran into

  • Communicating their ideas effectively

  • Her path to getting a master’s and a PhD in statistics

  • Why Simon Fraser has produced so many good sports analysts

  • Her advice for people looking to get into the field

  • Her work in curling analytics (yes, curling!)

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Robyn.

Show Links

  • Follow Robyn on Twitter: @RR_SportsStats.

  • For more on the Big Data Bowl, click here.

  • To watch the 2022 Big Data Bowl Finals, click here.

  • To see the Kaggle Robyn referenced in the episode, click here.

  • For more on the Canadian Statistics Student Conference, click here.

  • Check out the Winnipeg Free Press’ piece on Robyn by clicking here.

  • Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

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Mike Tannenbaum - Founder, The 33rd Team

Mike Tannenbaum started working in the NFL as an intern with the Saints back in 1994, and he worked his way up with the Browns, Saints and Jets, becoming the Jets general manager in 2006, then the Dolphins executive vice president of football operations in 2015. Mike is now the founder of The 33rd Team, a football think tank and media platform. In this conversation, Mike talks about…

  • The AFC and NFC Championship games

  • How Mike watches football games from a general manager’s perspective

  • What The 33rd Team is and how The 33rd Team uses analytics, including their Comprehensive Passing Metric

  • How data was used when Mike first started in the 90s vs how data is used now

  • Mike’s experience appearing on an episode of CSI:NY

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Mike.

Show Links

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn

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Chip Hale - Arizona Baseball Head Coach

Chip Hale won a national title as a player with Arizona back in 1986, played seven years in the major leagues, then spent 15 years as a major-league coach and manger. He won a World Series as the Nationals bench coach in 2019, and then took over the Arizona baseball program last summer. In this conversation, Chip talks about…

  • The evolution of data availability over the course of his playing and coaching career

  • What information college teams have access to

  • What college kids expect from data and how they use it

  • How he balances stats and the eye test when making in-game decisions

  • Keys to communicating with players

  • Managing a couple innings in the 2019 World Series

  • Memories from winning the 1986 NCAA title with Arizona

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Chip.

Show Links

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn

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Jill Reiner & Ella Summer - NFL Big Data Bowl winners

Jill Reiner and Ella Summer won the college division of this year’s NFL Big Data Bowl, which asked participants to “evaluate defensive performance on passing plays.” In these conversations, Jill and Ella will talk about….

- What they’re studying in school
- How they got interested in the Big Data Bowl and decided to join the competition
- Their approaches and methodologies in evaluating pass defense performance
- What surprised them as they dove into the data
- What next steps they’d ideally take to examine the topic further
- Keys to communicating their work effectively
- Other work they’ve done in sports analytics

Then TruMedia’s Andy Cox, who was a Big Data Bowl judge, joins the show to discuss the process of evaluating entries, along with what Jill and Ella did well.

Show links
- Follow Jill on Twitter: @jillhreiner
- Follow Jill’s black labs on Instagram: @archieandbodie
- Jill’s Big Data Bowl submission on Kaggle
- Denison interview with Jill
- Follow Ella on Twitter: @EllaSummer17
- Ella’s Big Data Bowl submission on Kaggle
- Announcement of Big Data Bowl winners
- Watch the Big Data Bowl winners and presentations
- Ben Baldwin’s Big Data Bowl summary on The Athletic
- Follow TruMedia on Twitter: @TruMediaSports

Listen here or wherever you get podcasts: Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn

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Robbie Robinson - Mets Complex Manager & Catching Instructor

Robbie Robinson is a Complex Manager and Catching Instructor for the New York Mets. In this conversation, Robbie talks about…

- His baseball career path
- What he does for the Mets in his current role
- The evolution of available data over the past decade
- Using data to both know yourself and know others
- Keys to communicating data and the importance of relationships
- What data helps in evaluating the catching process
- Catcher framing data and applying that to catching technique
- Advice for analyst types looking to interact with players and coaches
- His how-did-I-get-here moment with a Hall-of-Fame player

Show links
- Follow Robbie on Twitter: @robrobinson23
- TruMedia job openings
- Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter

Listen here or wherever you get podcasts: Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn

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Alex Vigderman - Lead Research Analyst, Sports Info Solutions

Alex Vigderman is a Lead Research Analyst at Sports Info Solutions, and he talks about…

- What Sports Info Solutions does
- What he does as Lead Research Analyst
- Compiling the SIS Football Rookie Handbook and takeaways from its statistical analysis
- Analyzing strengths and weaknesses of Florida QB Kyle Trask
- The draft prospect that numbers suggest is undervalued
- Sports Info Solutions’ Total Points model, which measures individual contribution in football
- Creating metrics without necessarily knowing a player’s intent on a play
- Fine-tuning the Defensive Runs Saved stat
- The SIS defensive fantasy baseball draft
- Takeaways from this year’s SABR conference
- His path into sports analytics, as a psychology major at Penn

Show links
- Follow Alex on Twitter: @vigmanoncampus
- Purchase the SIS Football Rookie Handbook or e-book
- Total Points: a primer and a look at the future
- Sports Info Solutions DRS draft
- Software Engineer job opening at TruMedia
- Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter

Listen here or wherever you get podcasts: Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn

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John Tobias - Sports Statistics Professor & TV Statistician

John Tobias is a professor of sports statistics and analytics at UNC-Charlotte, and he also works as a TV statistician for a variety of sports. In this conversation, John talks about…

- His unconventional path to working in both TV and the academic world
- What a statistician does during a broadcast
- How to choose what stats are given to talent
- Challenges to live TV
- How advanced stats factor into TV
- Communicating stats concisely in broadcasts
- Components that go into teaching sports statistics
- Advice for students and people interested in a sports analytics career
- Diversity (or lack thereof) in the sports analytics world
- Suggestions for making the field more diverse
- His favorite event he’s covered working in TV

Show links
- Follow John on Twitter and Instagram
- John’s bio at UNC-Charlotte
- Boston Globe article on diversity in sports analytics
- Strength in Numbers charity

Listen here or wherever you get podcasts: Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn

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Mike Petriello - MLB.com

Mike Petriello is a writer and analyst for MLB.com, host of the Ballpark Dimensions podcast, and analyst on ESPN’s Statcast broadcasts. In this conversation, Mike talks about…

- The Rays pulling Blake Snell in the sixth inning of Game 6, and the fallout of that move
- How he decides what to write about
- His process for diving into the data
- His articles on Cody Bellinger’s fielding prowess and the different arm angles of the Rays pitching staff
- How to communicate complex ideas in writing
- What’s on the Statcast horizon
- Preparing for the Statcast broadcasts
- Differences in communicating data on TV compared to writing
- His career path to being a baseball writer
- Advice for aspiring baseball writers

Show links
- @mike_petriello on Twitter
- Ballpark Dimensions podcast
- Cody Belinger’s fielding excellence
- Arm angles of Rays pitchers
- No one shifts DJ LeMahieu
- Mike’s career path
- Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter

Listen here or wherever you get podcasts: Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn

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