livingfruitvirus said:
SportsDotCom said:
Nathan Obral said:
BRice16 said:
the golden boy said:
UpstateNYBill said:
livingfruitvirus said:
Clock wars.
If it's a response to Fox Sports Radio, then that's a bit paranoid. FSR is in such a distant second from ESPN Radio that they can just kick back and relax.
Where I live, there is a lot of stations that have gone to FSR from ESPN in the last two years.
Just the opposite here in MS. I know of two FM sports stations in the state that went from Fox to ESPN. Also, 680 from Memphis and the Homer in Cincinnati are now ESPNs. That had been Fox stations.
I heard they dropped a must-carry requirement for Mike & Mike, which was the one thing holding a lot of stations back from going to ESPN. There were/are a ton of sports stations that are the major force in their market that were/are with FSR because they had successful morning programming they weren't willing to give up.
They dropped the must-carry for M&M? Verrrrry interesting... of course, the entire show is simulcast on ESPN2 anyway... not to mention all of ESPN Radio's streaming options (including all of their O&Os).
It must also have to do with their Boston affiliate (in some ways by default) WEEI's long-standing live-and-local morning show, which in itself is syndicated regionally. They are unable to fulfill the M&M must-carry, nor would they ever be able to.
WAXY in Miami has successful drive time shows (Sedano & LeBatard) and they are an ESPN affiliate much like WEEI. WAXY carries Cowherd & Overnights.
That's because Mike and Mike already have a clearance on WINZ in Miami. WINZ takes Fox Sports Radio for the rest of the day + Jim Rome. Also, doesn't ESPN Radio require cash from stations to carry it?
If I'm correct, WNIZ picked it up after WAXY couldn't clear it.
In Detroit, for a time, M&M were on then(-and-now-current) SNR affiliate WXYT-AM after the then-longtime ESPN affil, WDFN-AM, couldn't clear it. Eventually WXYT picked up ESPN Radio after WDFN switched their primary affiliation to FSR. It didn't last long, as WXYT-AM dropped ESPN Radio - as well as M&M - after they started simulcasting on FM... and only WDFN has picked up ESPN's PBP and some ancillary shows, but doesn't clear any weekday programming otherwise.