ESPN Radio "must-carry"

Xkrusdx · May 22, 2011

My question for you P.D.'s and G.M.'s, what programming is must-carry if you are an ESPN affiliate? Are certain stations "grand-fathered" in? And, why does ESPN Radio insist or re-broadcasting (repeating) segments overnight?

If that's the case, (repeating overnight segments), does that mean the only live sports stations 24-7 are Sporting News Radio, WFAN New York, and WIP Philadelphia?

Mainedude2007 · May 22, 2011

Last I knew in order to include the ESPN Radio name in your branding it's 24x2 hours of programming on the weekend, an hour of Mike & Mike and an Hour of the afternoon show.

As for repeating segments, everyone does it. If you have a 4 hour morning drive show, you can replay an interview or redo a segment in the 9am that you did in the 6am hour because most of your audience turns over...Same can be said for all hours of the day. Depending on the time of year or the schedule, all 3 major sports radio networks have done it. During football season ESPN replays their friday night line up of football shows on early saturday mornings. FSR had the Soup programming for several months before picking up Tony Bruno and moving JT The Brick to late late nights. Didn't SNR have a morning show for a time that was a replay of Tood Wright's show? And an afternoon show that was a rebroadcast of the midday show?

Rusty Muck · May 22, 2011

Xkrusdx said:
My question for you P.D.'s and G.M.'s, what programming is must-carry if you are an ESPN affiliate? Are certain stations "grand-fathered" in? And, why does ESPN Radio insist or re-broadcasting (repeating) segments overnight?

If that's the case, (repeating overnight segments), does that mean the only live sports stations 24-7 are Sporting News Radio, WFAN New York, and WIP Philadelphia?

WEEI/850 in Boston is the most notable ESPN Radio affiliate that doesn't carry any of the weekday programming, and eschews any "ESPN" branding. In fact, WEEI syndicates THEIR OWN weekday programming to a network of about ten stations!

KNBR/680 in San Francisco only carries two hours of Mike and Mike (from 3a-5a) but is all live, all local from 5am-10pm. (Their sister sports talker, KTCT/1050, is co-branded as "KNBR" and carries most of the ESPN Radio weekday lineup, plus Rome, Dan Patrick, and Tony Bruno - the latter a longtime fixture of KNBR/680's longtime midday show. Neither station has the ESPN brand in any way.

AFAIK, WSCR/670 in Chicago recently reinstated live programming in overnights by bringing back onetime overnighter Les Grobstein. I don't know if they still clear Dan Patrick, though... and they still carry a smidgen of Sporting News in the weekends.

charlestondxman · May 22, 2011

Mike and Mike are, along with the NBA games they air. Unless they air local or regional programming over it, they are required to pick up the NBA games, even on Sundays.

the golden boy · May 23, 2011

charlestondxman said:
Mike and Mike are, along with the NBA games they air. Unless they air local or regional programming over it, they are required to pick up the NBA games, even on Sundays.

What about the Sunday night baseball games? I don't know of an ESPN station that doesn't carry it.

the golden boy · May 23, 2011

Mainedude2007 said:
Didn't SNR have a morning show for a time that was a replay of Tood Wright's show? And an afternoon show that was a rebroadcast of the midday show?

Yep. Todd Wright's show was re-aired in the mornings until Steve Czaban came aboard. Also, Tim Brando's show was rebroadcasted in the afternoon until Travis Rodgers became a part of SNR.

MR. JAROME_CALVIN · May 25, 2011

@Xkrusdx. They're right what they said.
Sporting News Radio might be live overnights until 4am, as well as Fox Sports Radio on the overnights? Same with the weekends.
For me, ESPN sounds like they are not live on the overnight. They don't have much interaction. The only interaction they have is Text Messages. That makes them too dry. They should have more interaction on there to make them sound more LIVE
I wish all of them "ESPN" , "Fox Sports Radio", and "Sporting News Radio" was live 24/7 EVERYDAY

livingfruitvirus · May 25, 2011

LAUROJRM said:
@Xkrusdx. They're right what they said.
Sporting News Radio might be live overnights until 4am, as well as Fox Sports Radio on the overnights? Same with the weekends.
For me, ESPN sounds like they are not live on the overnight. They don't have much interaction. The only interaction they have is Text Messages. That makes them too dry. They should have more interaction on there to make them sound more LIVE
I wish all of them "ESPN" , "Fox Sports Radio", and "Sporting News Radio" was live 24/7 EVERYDAY

If it wasn't for the fact that so many Fox Sports Radio affiliates choose to air Jim Rome in mid-days, they probably would be live 12-3.

charlestondxman · May 25, 2011

NBA has priority over MLB on ESPN Radio. There was an NBA game on Sunday night and baseball (Cubs-Red Sox), and most of the stations were forced to carry basketball. Only a few of them carried the baseball (like on satellite radio).

Mainedude2007 · May 25, 2011

charlestondxman said:
NBA has priority over MLB on ESPN Radio. There was an NBA game on Sunday night and baseball (Cubs-Red Sox), and most of the stations were forced to carry basketball. Only a few of them carried the baseball (like on satellite radio).

That's because NBA was A) a playoff game and B) fed on the main channel

LAUROJRM said:
@Xkrusdx. They're right what they said.
For me, ESPN sounds like they are not live on the overnight. They don't have much interaction. The only interaction they have is Text Messages. That makes them too dry. They should have more interaction on there to make them sound more LIVE

Weekday overnights on ESPN are done from LA (I think the weekend show is still in Bristol) and I think they pre-record a lot of the interviews but the host is live when he's riffing.