History
Origins
The Locked On Podcast Network — also commonly known as Locked On Sports — was established in June 2016 by David Locke, the radio voice of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association. [1] The network began as a single audio podcast, Locked On Jazz, [2] the name of the show (and eventually the network) being an obvious play on the surname of the founder and host.
In a 2019 interview, Locke observed that after having been named play-by-play announcer of the Utah Jazz, he came to realize that "the job had changed" and that he could no longer simply call 82 games without fan interaction. [2] He indicates that Locked On Jazz emerged as a vehicle to "create a relationship with the fan base, year-round, so that you’re talking to them on game day but also communicating with them on Twitter or Facebook." [2]
The company established headquarters in Park City, Utah. [1]
Sale to Tegna
In January 2021 the Locked On Podcast Network was sold to communications giant Tegna, a digital and broadcasting spin-off of the Gannett newspaper group. [1] Terms of the purchase were not disclosed at the time of sale. [1]
Under terms of the sale, Locked On's CEO David Locke, COO Carl Weinstein, and four other full-time staff members were hired by Tegna. [1] Locke remained president of the Locked on Podcast Network as of early 2022. [3]
Move to YouTube
In May 2021 Locked On Sports expanded from audio to video podcasting when it launched its first YouTube channel. [3] The move spurred growth of the network, with Tegna reporting a 48 percent gain in audience during 2021, for a total of 115 million podcast listens and views. [3] During that year Locked On Sports produced about 700 podcast episodes per week. [3]
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