Mike Lupica, whose radio show has been heard on ESPN New York from 1 to 3 p.m., no longer will appear on the channel. ESPN confirmed Lupica’s departure Monday morning after an inquiry from Newsday.
Lupica had been beaten badly in the ratings by WFAN’s Mike Francesa, who roughly tripled his average audience share in recent ratings periods.
“We appreciate his contributions to the station but have decided to move in a different direction,” ESPN said in a statement. “He will remain a signature voice on ESPN’s ‘Sports Reporters’, where he has been a major contributor to the show’s success for more than 20 years.”
ESPN has not announced a replacement for Lupica, but the leading candidates likely are Alan Hahn and former Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro, a team that primarily has been heard on the station at night, and Ryan Ruocco and Dave Rothenberg, who have been heard from noon to 1 p.m. on the station.
The new local midday show is expected to be on from noon to 3 p.m.
Credit to Newsday who originally published this article
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.
