ESPN Radio acknowledged on Friday that Will Cain is on his way out. While there has been no official comment on his future plans, Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reported that Cain was working on a deal with Fox News all the way back in early April.
How Cain, an outspoken conservative, fits in at Fox News is clear. Where he fits in is a little less clear, but this is a sports media site, so who cares, right? Let’s put Will on the shelf and look at this from ESPN Radio’s point of view.
A lot of names have been thrown around to fill the hole Cain leaves behind. Every name mentioned is from ESPN’s current roster of talent, and that is absolutely the wrong approach. It’s not that Mina Kimes, who has been mentioned as a candidate for a show on ESPN Radio, isn’t talented, but choosing someone in house would be playing it safe and missing a golden opportunity.
The time is right for ESPN Radio to follow the playbook it did in 2004 when it replaced Tony Kornheiser in its late morning slot with Colin Cowherd. The company didn’t ask “Which SportsCenter anchor can also host a radio show?”. It went outside of Bristol and found a great local host that was ready for a national platform.
If ESPN wants to go down that path again, there are plenty of great candidates. Here are five people, in alphabetical order, that have what it takes to make the leap to a national platform and create something truly unique for ESPN Radio.
CHAD DUKES (106.7 the Fan in Washington, DC)
If ESPN Radio wanted to replace one conservative voice with another, Dukes would be an ideal choice. He’s a strong candidate even if ESPN Radio didn’t take politics into account. Howard Stern once said that Dukes is “the kind of sports radio I would listen to.” You don’t get a chance to hire someone like that everyday. With influences like The Sports Junkies and Opie & Anthony, Dukes would bring a unique perspective to the lineup.
MIKE FELGER (98.5 the Sports Hub in Boston)
The powers that be in Bristol are almost certainly familiar with Felger. His show has dominant ratings and is the reigning Major Market Personality of the Year at the Marconi Awards. The only move to make for Felger to take the next step is going national. Plus, his TV and reporting experience could make him a valuable multi-platform asset for ESPN’s NFL coverage.
CARRINGTON HARRISON (610 Sports in Kansas City)
Carrington is one of the most creative local hosts in the business today and knows how to engage listeners of all ages. Case in point, his Kanye Madness Bracket took the Internet by storm two years ago. It would be easy to dismiss comparisons to Bomani Jones and Nick Wright as conveniently about the commonalities of race and geography, but Carrington Harrison comes from the same school of intelligent discourse and measured takes. Sports radio needs more of that.
DANNY PARKINS (670 the Score in Chicago)
Danny Parkins has stood out and been a winner everywhere he has been. ESPN Radio has certainly taken notice, given that he and Dan McNeil have overtaken Waddle and Silvy in the ratings. Plus, he’s a young dude that could be a long term investment for ESPN just like Colin Cowherd was 16 years ago.
MIKE VALENTI (97.1 the Ticket in Detroit)
Let’s be clear. While I think Mike Valenti would be a home run hire, I know it is the longest of long shots. Entercom has a lot invested in Valenti, and would probably find a way to give him a prime spot on CBS Sports Radio if he ever said being on a national platform is his only priority. There is a reason for that. The guy is outspoken and unapologetic in his opinions. He has absolutely perfected channeling the frustrations of Detroit sports fans into content and if he could do that on a national level, he could become the cornerstone ESPN Radio is missing right now.
ESPN is always looking for new stars, and radio is the perfect place to develop that star. It’s a platform that relies on personality. Look at what ESPN did with Cowherd and Dan Le Batard. Look what FOX did with Nick Wright.
Look, this is also a chance to re-establish ESPN Radio’s identity separate from ESPN. Right now, every show that airs from 6 am until 9 pm features someone that also has a TV presence with the company. Maybe that is good for name recognition, but is it always good for content? Radio and television are two totally different skill sets.
Finally, it is worth thinking about Andrew Marchand’s report in the New York Post from last month. According to Marchand, there is a major shakeup coming that might include new shows in every prime day part.
If that is true, ESPN Radio is going to need some really strong shows to soften the blow for affiliates. If the network were to hire one of the five above talents right now and put him in the 3-6 pm window, it would give the show time to develop and find direction so that it is ready to be put in a day part with higher clearance when the full overhaul comes to fruition.
It takes time to build a star, which is probably why we are hearing so many names already established on TV as candidates to fill radio roles. Once you get past name recognition, I struggle to see the benefit of that strategy. ESPN took a chance once before on a host that walked through the door with a ton of talent and no fame and it turned out to be a home run. There’s no reason the network couldn’t do it again.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
Too bad Dukes has a history of opening his mouth about right wing issues and making racially charged jokes that still haunt him gig to gig. I can’t see a culturally aware network like ESPN hiring him, especially in this political climate. Not to mention he openly admits to not caring about sports and only does it because his channel flipped formats.
Voice of the @Vikings , Paul Allen @PAOnTheMic …., @KFan1003 in Minnesota, has to a finalist. He says @DanBarreiroKFAN may be the PRIMETIME playa? PA is the voice the audience can relate to the most and his charming, adaptable characteristics with perfect match @madproducer1 along side; I think everyone is familiar with his ….loose commentary!!
Nice article but the best choice and a internal candidate would be Jorge Sedano. He’s great.