“Mike & Mike” is going to add a third person to its on-air cast this summer and relocate the show to New York City in the winter, two of several tweaks planned for ESPN’s popular radio show.
Molly Qerim is leaving NFL Network to move cross-country and join morning radio show hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. This marks the first time the show has added a permanent third voice since Greenberg and Golic first started working together in 1998, when Greenberg was a substitute host. He became the show’s permanent host in December 1999.
The show plans to move from its current Bristol location to New York City around the Super Bowl. The move, which is said to be pushed by President John Skipper, has the potential to bring higher profile guests into the “Mike & Mike” studio.
ESPN declined to comment. NFL Network acknowledged that Qerim is leaving next month. Executive producer Eric Weinberger emailed: “We’re sad to see Molly go, but we are appreciative of all her hard work for the NFL Media Group. We wish her the best of luck.”
“Mike & Mike” has proved to be a successful franchise for ESPN, which started simulcasting the show on television in 2004. It now is on ESPN2 every weekday morning.
ESPN insiders are looking to tweak the show to ensure that it does not become stale. The addition of Qerim and the move to Manhattan are two steps that will breathe new life into the 15-year-old show.
Qerim is leaving her job as one of the hosts for “NFL AM,” NFL Network’s daily morning show that has gone on hiatus until the preseason starts. Its last show was Friday, and NFL Network executives plan to make some subtle changes to it when it comes back.
Qerim has had on-air roles at CBS and covered the UFC on ESPN, the former Versus and Fox Sports 1.
Credit to Sports Business Daily who originally published this story
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
