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WPEN-AM SPORTSRADIO 950 becomes 950 ESPN as of 4/1/08

J

Jul

Guest
Here is the full press release provided to me by someone at WPEN radio:
Greater Media’s WPEN Brings ESPN Radio to Philadelphia



The Biggest Name in Sports and Entertainment Teams Up with

Fastest Growing Sports Station in Philadelphia to Create 950 ESPN





Philadelphia, PA (March 19, 2008): Greater Media, Inc. unveiled details today for the upcoming official debut of 950 ESPN in Philadelphia. The station will officially kick off on Tuesday, April 1, 2008 with Mike and Mike in the morning from 6am to 9am.



Sports fans rise and shine with Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio, featuring SportsCenter anchor Mike Greenberg and former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Mike Golic. Both get the morning started off right with the latest sports news and scores, analysis and listener call-ins, plus big name interviews. It’s a fun, fast-paced morning drive for sports fans.



“We are absolutely thrilled to bring ESPN Radio, the best and biggest brand in sports to the city of Philadelphia said station manager Bob DeBlois."Mike & Mike have the #1 morning show for sports in the country, now Philly fans can listen every day. We look forward to them joining the new 950 ESPN team."



Mike Golic also serves as an analyst for ESPN and ESPN2’s NFL studio programming, as well as for the networks’ college football game coverage. During his seven years in Philadelphia, he began his television career with a weekly segment on the Randle Cunningham Show. He received a Mid-Atlantic Region Emmy Award for his feature “Golic’s Got It.”



Mike Greenberg joined ESPN in September 1996 as an anchor for ESPNEWS, ESPN’s 24-hour sports news network, which launched in November of that year. He was named co-host of The Morning Show on ESPN Radio on December 30, 1999.



Other new lineup details to be announced soon. 950 ESPN also adds the NBA Playoffs, MLB Playoffs and World Series and The BCS National Championship Game to it’s programming lineup which includes, Sunday and Monday Night Football and the Superbowl, The Final Four, and Villanova Basketball.



950 ESPN is owned by Greater Media Philadelphia, Inc., a subsidiary of Greater Media, Inc., the parent company of 23 AM and FM radio stations in the Boston, Charlotte, Detroit, New Jersey and Philadelphia markets. Greater Media also owns a modern printing plant and a group of weekly newspapers in central New Jersey as well as several telecommunications towers located throughout the United States.
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As I suspected, Greater Media obviously isn't committed to the format here in Philadelphia. It's a shame.

You think the current station doesn't show up in the book...just wait for this one.

I was really bummed when I first heard the news, but what does it matter. Outside of Jody Mac they weren't doing it right anyway, so what's the difference?

Local talent (well-known) is the only way to try to compete with WIP. Obviously no one wants to spend the money to do it. If and when anyone does try it again, they should try it on FM. Just to try to get any edge they can against WIP...unless, of course, CBS does it first.

I guess I'll spend even more time listening to the Sirius while I'm in the car.
 
aindik said:
Anyone still think this format is moving to FM?
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All depends on if they keep Jody Mac or not. If he's shown the door, moving to FM would be suicidal. Altho, Mike and Mike in the morning and Jody Mac afternoons might have a shot. Again, they should be reaching out to Tony Bruno to bring him back as a local.

6-10/ Mike and Mike
10-2/Tony Bruno
2-6/ Jody Mac

Put the ESPN crap overnights and weekends and it may have a shot. As a strict repeat of ESPN, it will tank.
 
The date of the switch looks suspicious, but there is a press release on their website. Has anyone on air at 'PEN made mention of the change?
 
True the 4-1 date is suspicious but I tuned in on my way to work today and was PLEASANTLY surprised to NOT hear voice of Foley.....
Per the press releases Bradley is to remain but Foley was shown the door. So his not being there would jive with that. Now if he returns before 4-1...
And while I too would love to see/hear Bruno back..if they did not spend $ before to bring in decent talent..why would they start now? Damn if I would only have won the Powerball...
 
Sounds like rearranging chairs on deck of the Titanic. Is the ESPN radio format doing well anywhere in the country? From what I can see, the brand hasn't really translated from cable to radio.
 
Not sure how well it is doing but if I recall ESPN started it back in the Early/Mid 90's....can't imagine it would be around that long if it was a money vacuum.
 
kzewdude said:
Sounds like rearranging chairs on deck of the Titanic. Is the ESPN radio format doing well anywhere in the country? From what I can see, the brand hasn't really translated from cable to radio.
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No, it is not. It's basically birdfeed that is cheap to program. Like Ronco products, it's: set it and forget it!

If a given market has a local sports talker, that talker usually clobbers the ESPN affiliate (think Boston or NY). In this case, it will be WIP that really takes "950 ESPN" to school. More of a beating than that which has already been inflicted.

Too bad they don't just go back to "real oldies" - that would be great!
 
I would love to see a return to real oldies on either FM or AM. Oldies 950 sounded very good--when the format was on the air. But they refused to go 24/7, leaving the format only on during the work week, and even then only until evenings. The rest of the time was infomercials.

There was also virtually no marketing of the station--I doubt most non-radio geeks even knew the format was on the air, even to this day.
 
Phillyradiogeek said:
I would love to see a return to real oldies on either FM or AM. Oldies 950 sounded very good--when the format was on the air. But they refused to go 24/7, leaving the format only on during the work week, and even then only until evenings. The rest of the time was infomercials.

There was also virtually no marketing of the station--I doubt most non-radio geeks even knew the format was on the air, even to this day.
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Yes, I recall doing business here at the time and making a point to listen to 950 during early evenings. They played a lot of great music which left WOGL's offerings in the dust. Too bad they were never committed to that format.
 
They essentially had become what OGL was in its prime: a playlist from 1955-72, many former OGL jocks (save Kim Martin and the Geator), and the same former OGL presentation.

If they had gone 24/7 with the format, they would have been my favorite station. Heck, if they had streamed the station online so I could listen at work, they would still have been my favorite station. They played my favorite music during the work day, when it was impossible for me to listen.
 
WPEN IS RUN BY CHEAP SKATES AND CONTRARY TO YOUR BELIEF...
WPEN HAS A VERY POOR SIGNAL AND POOR COVERAGE AREA. MANY SECTIONS OF THE DELAWARE VALLEY CAN'T RECEIVE THAT STATION.
 
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