No One Has Ever Heard Of A Single Name In ESPN's New Radio Lineup
ESPN Radio was long known for its all-star lineups. At one point, the radio lineup consisted of "Mike & Mike," "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," and the "SVP and Russillo Show" back-to-back-to-back.
Other successful programs under the ESPN Radio umbrella included "The Tony Kornheiser Show," "The Will Cain Show," and "The Dan Patrick Show."
Yet names of that caliber can no longer be heard across ESPN Radio affiliates. And that's an understatement. The network announced its latest lineup change Tuesday, and we sincerely wonder if a single one of our readers has heard of a single name on the list.
Here is the new ESPN Radio lineup, beginning on Feb. 10:
- 6-10 a.m. Unsportsmanlike: Evan Cohen, Chris Canty, and Michelle Smallmon
- 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Clinton & Friends: Clinton Yates
- 12-3 p.m. Joe & Q: Joe Fortenbaugh and ‘Q’ Myers
- 3-7 p.m. Freddie and Harry: Freddie Coleman and Harry Douglas
- 7-10 p.m. Amber & Ian: Amber Wilson and Ian Fitzsimmons
- 10 p.m.- 1 a.m. GameNight 1-6 a.m.
- SportsCenter AllNight
Who?
"Q" Meyers? Michelle Smallmon? Amber Wilson?
Huh?
One might wonder how ESPN Radio went from employing some of the biggest names in sports media to a cast of characters even the hardest of hardcore sports fans wouldn't know from Adam.
To answer that question, let us take you back one decade ago.
In 2015, Colin Cowherd departed ESPN for FS1 and Fox Sports Radio (iHeart). ESPN replaced Cowherd with Dan Le Batard from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m, and filled Le Batard's afternoon drive slot (4 to 7) with Bomani Jones. Both moves were disastrous.
Almost immediately, Le Batard lost ESPN's most prized national affiliate at the time, ESPN LA 710 in Los Angeles. Affiliates dwindled from there. Bomani had even less success in the afternoon, losing over 90 national affiliates.
ESPN's Senior VP of Audio, Traug Keller, later admitted that the network failed to replace Cowherd. "I do regret letting Colin Cowherd get away," Keller said in 2020.
You don't say?
Two years later, ESPN moved Mike Greenberg from "Mike & Mike" to head a new morning television show called "Get Up." Despite what critics said, Greenberg is incredibly underrated.
"Mike & Mike" was a cash cow, generating more revenue per year than even "PTI" and "First Take." Its successor, "Golic & Wingo," was not that. Around the same time, Fox Sports Radio made serious gains in the mornings due to a show readers might recall entitled, "OutKick the Coverage with Clay Travis."
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 05: A view of the logo during ESPN The Party on February 5, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for ESPN)
Big Names And Success Once Filled ESPN's Radio Lineup
ESPN Radio did, however, stumble upon some success in 2018. The network canceled Bomani's radio show and debuted "The Will Cain Show" in his place. ESPN routinely touted the success of Cain's show, specifically its double-digit year-over-year growth compared to Bomani. Cain had eventually picked up the key Los Angeles affiliate that Le Batard lost.
As OutKick reported in 2020, ESPN discussed promoting Will Cain to morning radio in hopes of re-establishing its flagship hours. The network saw Cain as the next Cowherd and Greenberg.
However, Cain took an offer from Fox News instead. On that note, Will Cain will assume the 4 p.m. weekday time slot on Fox News starting next Tuesday, building on the success of his digital show on Fox News Audio.
Put simply, ESPN Radio was unable to fill the void Cain left. The additions of Chiney Ogwumike, Mike Golic Jr., and Zubin Mehenti were not it. ESPN tried saving the ship by giving Mike Greenberg and Max Kellerman afternoon shows in 2020. But Greenberg and Kellerman were already stretched too thin with daily television shows.
In 2021, ESPN removed Kellerman from "First Take" and paired him with Keyshawn Johnson and Jay Williams to host a new morning radio program
. While the hosts had name recognition, the trio was flawed as a unit.
Kellerman and Johnson's egos clashed. Johnson did the show from Los Angeles while Kellerman and Williams were based in New York. Williams was running on just four hours of sleep, often co-hosting "NBA Countdown" the night before.
Finally, Kellerman was in a lame duck position, knowing he wouldn't last after Stephen A. Smith admittedly had him demoted from "First Take." Ultimately, ESPN laid off Kellerman and Johnson in 2023.
That is how ESPN went from radio dominance to a lineup insulting to its legacy.
And it's not as if radio is no longer a feasible business. Quite the opposite. While the blog boys are less likely to aggregate content from radio, an Edison study last month found that 69% of all news audio content is consumed on AM/FM radio.
Many successful radio shows still exist today, such as "The Dave Ramsey Show," "Clay & Buck," and "The Mark Levin Show." Even sports talk is still quite lucrative; see Cowherd, Dan Patrick, and Doug Gottlieb.
The problem with ESPN Radio is not the radio medium, but the hosts behind the microphone. Clinton Yates is not the next Tony Kornheiser. Evan Cohen and Michelle Smallmon, whoever they are, are not the next Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic.
ESPN operated under the assumption that it made the stars. For decades, that was the case. However, in 2025, stars make the lineup. And ESPN Radio is without a single star – or a name most fans even recognize.