ESPN switching stations

By John Kiesewetter

Sports radio shows will debut Monday on WSAI-AM

Sports fans will have a new radio alternative when ESPN Radio’s syndicated lineup debuts Monday on Clear Channel’s WSAI-AM (1360).

The “Mike & Mike in the Morning” show, simulcast on ESPN2 with Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg, and the 1 to 4 p.m. call-in show with Mason High School graduate Dan Patrick, will replace taped advice shows on the station.

Clear Channel will continue to broadcast local sports talk on WCKY-AM (1530 HOMER), and Reds, Bengals, UC and Xavier games and “SportsTalk” on WLW-AM (700).

Hamilton’s tiny WMOH-AM (1450), which has been ESPN’s local affiliate for four years, was told this week that Clear Channel was picking up ESPN. WMOH-AM’s weak signal doesn’t reach all of Hamilton County and seldom has enough listeners to be listed in quarterly Arbitron ratings.

“ESPN wants to go with a Cincinnati station that has more power,” WMOH-AM general manager Chris Theiss said.

Local media buyer Rob Riggsbee, owner of Inside Media Inc., said Clear Channel acquired ESPN to keep it away from competitors, especially Cumulus’ new SupertalkFM96.5 (WFTK-FM).

SupertalkFM96.5 broadcasts former WLW-AM sports host Andy Furman from 4 to 7 p.m., syndicated Sporting News Radio on weekends and is expected to debut the “Two Angry Guys” – former Clear Channel sports talk hosts Tom Gamble and Richard Skinner – in late November, he said.

“This is a strategic move to squeeze out Supertalk,” Riggsbee said.

But Karrie Sudbrack, SupertalkFM96.5’s general manager, said the station had no conversations with ESPN and its goal is airing more live, local programming.

Riggsbee questioned whether the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky market “will be able to support this many sports stations.”

Local Clear Channel managers did not respond Friday to several phone messages requesting comment.

“Mike & Mike” and Patrick had aired here on WBOB-AM (1160) until 2003, when it switched to news-talk shows.

This will be the third format for 1360-AM in a year. Clear Channel swapped formats on 1360 and 1530 last July, moving HOMER to the 50,000-watt 1530 AM and dumping Jerry Springer and low-rated liberal Air America programming to weaker 1360.

In December, Clear Channel pulled the plug on liberal talk and replaced it with reruns of consumer experts Clark Howard, Gary Sullivan and other advice shows.

WMOH-AM will continue to broadcast Butler County high school sports while searching for a new format, likely syndicated news-talk shows, Theiss said. His station may drop Miami University sports in a year, he added.