Charles Barkley isn’t just a sports analyst; he’s a force of nature, one that even billion-dollar networks struggle to tame “The notion that I’m going to be working like a dog into my mid-60s, that’s definitely not going to happen,” Charles Barkley had made himself quite clear on the SI Media Podcast. Chuck is 62 and he prefers to stick to certain working conditions and ethics. He won’t work for long hours! Even when he spoke to NBC and Amazon, he wanted to ensure that his conditions are met.

Luckily, his loyalty to Turner stopped him from leaving. Once he sets his mind to something, it’s hard to change his thoughts. Not even a billion-dollar company could succeed in forcing Chuck to follow their rules. They faced failure too. Do you remember when Ernie Johnson revealed that neither Chuck and nor O’Neal attended the production meetings?

If you had doubts, this might clear those up as well. The latest segment of The Dan Patrick Show featured Ernie Johnson as a guest. Speaking of Barkley and Johnson’s duties to cover March Madness for CBS (valued at $1,6 billion as per GuruFocus), Patrick asked about how is this different from their usual duties to cover NBA.

“I think the biggest difference is Clark Kellogg. He’s so tied into the college game. He’s a guy you just lean on like crazy because for us it’s we pay attention to the college game but our focus is the NBA. So you really need to have a guy like Clark or Seth Davis in the Atlanta studio or Jay Wright somebody like that,” Johnson said explaining how a veteran who has knowledge of college basketball is important. 

Following this, he detailed the hilarious story where Chuck refused CBS’ s one important rule. “I think just in the terms of the vibe and how we do the show. I think it took a little while, but CBS, with the way they do things, they kind of said okay… You guys can do this.” 

“I mean the first year, they wanted the guys in for a production meeting two hours before we went on the air and Chuck said well that’s a hard no,” he added. Reminding them of his condition, Chuck refused the demands. The rules are simple as we said before, he doesn’t want to work long hours after turning 60. He also doesn’t attend the production meetings at Turner as per Johnson.

Barkley’s firm stance against CBS’s production meeting requirements directly point to one thing: the delicate balance between personalities and network protocols. Since the NCAA tournament TV deal began in 2011, CBS and Turner Sports have operated in a joint venture, pooling their resources and talent, and even their on-air personalities. This partnership requires a delicate navigation, as seen in the differing production meeting expectations.

Even as Inside the NBA is expected to shift under ESPN next season, the Philadelphia 76ers legend has this one concern. Following Greg Gumbel’s passing after his battle with cancer, the reins were handed to Johnson to take over as host. He paid a heartwarming tribute to the legend during one of the segments.

Ernie Johnson’s tribute to Greg Gumbel 

The CBS Sports anchor passed away last December at the age of 78. He was one of the most beloved members in the college scene for his work. Since the NCAA tournament TV deal began in 2011, the late legend and the CBS team have worked closely with the Turner Sports crew. Barkley too has had the experience of working with Gumbel. His passing was a big shock to the fans.

Before the opening game between Creighton and Louisville, Johnson paid homage to the legend for his incredible work. “Just after Christmas we learned that cancer had taken his life and we were crushed. A void was left that will never be filled. We wear his pin on our jackets, and we carry his memory in our hearts.” Kellogg and Barkley too shared some words to reminisce the legend.

Gumbel joined CBS in 1989. And when he joined the company for the second time after a few stints at different networks, he became the host of College Basketball on CBS. While the fans have begun to adjust to CBS’ new March Madness lineup, Gumbel will forever be missed.