It’s been nearly two months since the COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented shutdowns nationwide and continues to ravage the sports radio industry. Tuesday evening, Raheel Ramzanali and Barry Laminack both announced they were being let go from Gow Media’s ESPN 97.5 in Houston.
A member of the original KGOW staff, fresh out of college in 2007, Ramzanali had been in his current stint as a sports radio host with GOW Media since 2015. Ramzanali co-hosted the late morning show on ESPN Houston alongside John Granato and their producer Del Olaleye from 9 – 11am.
Additional changes at ESPN Houston saw Barry Laminack let go from The Usual Suspects, which he co-hosted daily from 1 – 4pm with Joel Blank. For both Laminack and Ramzanali, it was not a performance issue, but the unfortunate reality of companies making cuts to combat the negative economic impacts of a global pandemic.
“I didn’t have any sponsors at this time,” Laminack said during a live chat on YouTube. “We’re in one of the worst financial crises in this country’s history and they just couldn’t afford to pay me without sponsors”
Laminack isn’t sure of his next career move, but in addition to his sports radio background, he also entertains audiences as a stand-up comic and still plans to do so.
The changes will create changes to ESPN Houston’s weekday lineup. The Bench with Lance Zierlein & John Granato will be extended now to 7a-11a. In the midday, Laminack’s former co-host Joel Blank will join Charlie Pallilo for a new show from 11a-2p. ESPN Radio’s ‘Will Cain Show‘ will be added to the weekday schedule to fill 2p-4p and The Blitz with Fred Faour & AJ Hoffman stays in tact in afternoons from 4p-7p.
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.
