Dianna Russini’s BetUS Show Debuts After Website Delay

Dianna Russini’s new weekly show, The Russini Report, premiered about 45 minutes late on November 11 after its website went down, following a return to sports media after several months away. The BetUS program, scheduled to begin at noon Eastern time, appeared online at about 12:45 p.m., according to the report.

For more than 30 minutes, the website displayed a slideshow accompanied by looping elevator music. A spokeswoman for Russini’s public-relations representative, Melissa Nathan, attributed the delay to heavy website traffic. The show’s account said the premiere drew a record audience, but the outage’s cause was not confirmed.

The rollout also left viewers uncertain about the show’s format. BetUS had promoted the program as live, while the uploaded episode appeared to be prerecorded. The report did not establish when the episode was recorded.

Once available, the hourlong debut covered the NFL trade deadline and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s contract status. Guests included Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, SiriusXM host Damon Amendolara and Philadelphia radio host Spike Eskin. Russini did not directly discuss New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel or the...