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Last year, the Chicago Cubs, in partnership with 670 The Score and several other partners, announced a collaboration to raise funds for cancer research through various events and dubbed the effort “Cubs for a Cure.” The multi-day charity drive featured an auction of game-used gear, a special Cubs Charities 50/50 raffle, and a 24-hour radiothon hosted by 670 The Score host Danny Parkins and all talent from the radio station.
The result of last year’s inaugural efforts combined to raise over one million dollars, with every cent going to cancer research — over $550,000 of which was raised by the radiothon hosted by Parkins. Today, the second annual “Cubs for a Cure” radiothon kicks off as Parkins returns to his hometown to be the guiding voice raising funds once again.
“Make it bigger than it was last year,” Parkins said of the goal of this year’s radiothon. “I think the more years we do it, I think the sky is the limit. Not to be overly braggadocious on it, but I’m very proud of the fact that 100% of it goes to cancer research. We have no overhead — everything is donated.”
Parkins is no stranger to finding avenues to help his community. In June of 2021, Parkins led an effort to raise over $650,000 to start a nonprofit supermarket on the West Side of Chicago, supporting former Chicago Bears linebacker Sam Acho’s charity, “Athletes for Justice.” Those efforts were noticed by Chicago Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney, and the collaboration was born.
“The radiothon is a massive undertaking, but having a partner like the Cubs behind it — that was the holy bleep moment,” Parkins noted.
A Personal Tie That Bonds Forever
The collaboration jump-started access to sponsorships, unique auction items, guest interviews, and donation incentives for the radiothon. The first year was a massive success, raising money for cancer research in honor of Parkins’ late brother, Brad, who passed away in 2023 following his bout with glioblastoma. Parkins dedicated last year’s radiothon in his brother’s memory and is honored to be returning for a second year to host on his former sports radio home of 670 The Score.
“[Audacy Chicago market manager] Kevin Cassidy said the door is always open for your return,” said Parkins. “Given how much my brother meant to me and my whole family. Given that it had taken years of equity in the market to get 670 The Score to turn over 24 hours of airtime basically to me — to program and produce fundraising efforts for the charity that I’m on the board of directors of in my brother’s honor, and have the Cubs sign off on it — a team who hired my brother’s childhood best friend to be their manager [Craig Counsell], it was just not something that I was willing to let go of easily.”
Coincidentally, the final show Parkins would host on 670 The Score was the final day of the telethon. Joined by colleagues and family as he signed off for a final time in 2024, Parkins moved on to join FOX Sports for what became a morning program entitled Breakfast Ball.
“It’s one of the craziest radio endings — as a student of the industry — that I can remember. People don’t get goodbye shows in radio,” explained Parkins. “Not only did I get to do the goodbye show and celebrate the Parkins & Spiegel Show, but then I got to come back the next day and raise $554,000 in my brother’s honor.”
While his career path took him from Chicago to New York, the importance of what the “Cubs for a Cure” radiothon meant to him loomed large. So much so, he insisted that his new contract with FOX Sports include a clause allowing him to return and host the effort annually.
“It wasn’t like a hard negotiation. FOX Sports was an instant ‘yes,’” said Parkins. “It was something that I talked about with them before I signed on the dotted line because it was important to me.”
How Parkins Remained Focused on the Radiothon
Parkins admitted that setting up this year’s edition of the “Cubs for a Cure” radiothon has been his focus for the past couple of months. He labeled himself a “control freak” when it comes to setting up guests, sponsors, donation incentives, and other items for the radiothon — along with his team — keeping focus on ensuring the event will repeat the smashing success of the previous one and more.
When news came that Parkins’ program Breakfast Ball on FS1 had been canceled, Parkins remained focused on the radiothon. He said he didn’t have any downtime because of his focus on the event, while the outside world was discussing what would become of FS1 and FOX Sports’ next move.
“The radiothon for about three months out of the year is like a second full-time job because I do something for it every day,” said Parkins. “I was not golfing and taking an extra vacation. I was just allocating my time.”
Breakfast Ball on FS1 lasted less than a year at the network as Parkins joined former WFAN radio host Craig Carton and NFL on FOX analyst Mark Schlereth. It was Parkins’ first full-time job in television, in which he says he learned a lot about the medium — despite his belief that the skill sets for both are more intertwined than ever.
“I’ll always see myself as a radio guy. I love radio. It has helped me in TV tremendously,” noted Parkins. “I think going from radio to TV is so much easier than going from TV to radio. I’ll always consider myself a radio guy, even if I do TV for the next 30 years.”
Parkins said he enjoyed working with Carton and Schlereth during their time on Breakfast Ball. He said he learned a lot from both talents while building relationships together in New York City.
“They were awesome. They’ve both done so much more TV than I had. I learned just a lot about how you go to makeup, and how you talk over video — the very basic mechanics of doing TV,” said Parkins, who noted it was also his first voyage in hosting mornings. “Craig could not have been more welcoming as ‘Mr. New York,’ and Schlereth could not have been cooler — for two months, my constant in New York. I learned a lot, but more importantly than what I learned, it was just cool to work with those guys.”
What The Future Holds For Parkins
With Breakfast Ball now gone — along with the cancellations of The Facility and Speak — the network had to decide on its future programming plans moving into football season. FOX Sports decided to align in a content partnership with Barstool Sports, where the digital content company will house and produce a two-hour program to air in place of Breakfast Ball and repeat in place of The Facility, leading into the network’s syndication of The Herd w/Colin Cowherd.
Parkins said he’s rooting for everyone to be successful and produce great content because successful shows make for a successful network. He referenced that he knows a bunch of the Barstool Sports staff, who are based in Chicago, and says he’s looking forward to watching the program they create.
As for Parkins’ future with FS1, it was announced that he will be a new part of a new hour on FS1’s First Things First beginning this fall, alongside his longtime friend Nick Wright.
“I think that Nick [Wright], Kevin Wildes, and Chris Broussard have the best chemistry and the best show on sports television today. When I have filled in for any of them or as a guest, I’d like to think that the chemistry hasn’t skipped a beat. That’s because of my chemistry with Nick,” said Parkins. “I think when they were trying to expand the best show on TV, the thing that everybody says they love about First Things First is ‘we love the chemistry.’ I was in a unique position to be able to ensure that nothing would get messed up with that chemistry.”
Parkins, 38, has experienced what many would consider a full career already before the age of 40. He’s risen from hosting in Kansas City, made a trek home to Chicago, and elevated to a daily national television program — on top of being a top fill-in host for Colin Cowherd. Many in the industry would consider those career achievements, but Parkins still hungers for more.
“I want to be as successful at TV as I was at radio, if not more so. The more you know, the more,” said Parkins. “I’m ambitious and very competitive when it comes to my career. I don’t in any way feel like I’ve reached the pinnacle. I want to be as successful at TV as I was in radio, and I want the radiothon to be a lasting legacy in Chicago for my brother.”
To donate to the “Cubs for a Cure” charity effort, you can make your donation here.
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John Mamola is the sports editor and columnist for Barrett Media. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. Honored to be a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Media and honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL). Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.