Just over a month since The Mighty 1090 went dark, one of their weekday shows found a new radio home. Entercom announced Ben and Woods will be the new morning show on San Diego’s 97.3 The Fan beginning Monday, June 10th.
Ben Higgins and Steve Woods’ tenure on The Mighty 1090 was short-lived, lasting only a year before the station closed its doors in April. The two well-known San Diego sports media personalities though enjoyed ratings success during their inaugural year together on the radio.
The duo and their entire show from 1090, including producer Paul Reindl will once again get to entertain San Diegans, this time on 97.3 The Fan from 5 – 9am each weekday morning. The team made the announcement in a Tweet from their new studio on Wednesday night.
The Fan took advantage of its relationship with the San Diego Padres to make an even bigger splash. The station announced its new morning show in a message on the video board at Petco Park on Wednesday night during the Padres’ 5-2 win over Arizona.
“We are excited to welcome Ben and Steve to 97.3 The Fan,” said Bob Bolinger, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom San Diego. “In a short time “Ben & Woods” has emerged as a highly rated show in San Diego and will be a great addition to our popular local line-up that includes Padres Baseball, Gwynn & Chris, and Coach John Kentera.”
97.3 The Fan launched in early 2018, featuring Dan Sileo in morning drive, but Entercom chose to pull the controversial radio host from their San Diego airwaves last month. Ironically, Ben and Woods replaced Sileo when he departed 1090 for the new 97.3 last year. In the interim, The Fan’s morning show has been hosted by longtime San Diego radio personality, John Kentera.
Prior to shutting down, The Mighty 1090 had regularly beaten 97.3 The Fan according to the local Nielsen radio ratings, leading many to wonder if Entercom would add talent from their now deceased radio rival. Ben and Woods are the first to make the jump to Entercom. Other former 1090 hosts, Darren Smith and Scott Kaplan remain free agents, although Kaplan’s Scott and BR hasn’t missed a day since 1090 went dark, continuing to offer a live show on YouTube and TuneIn.
Ben and Woods will be the second local show on The Fan’s weekday lineup. Tony Gwynn Jr. and Chris Ello host afternoon drive on 97.3, with the rest of the schedule filled out by national shows, featuring Jim Rome from 9am – noon and Doug Gottlieb from noon – 3pm.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
