If I say the word “luxury,” the average Joe may think of a yacht or a five-star hotel. If you’re in radio, the word “luxury” elicits thoughts of one thing – stability.
Stability is exactly what ESPN 97.5 and 92.5 enjoyed with its afternoon drive show. Fred Faour and AJ Hoffman hosted The Blitz for more than a decade. But that stability ended in July, when Hoffman left the Houston station for a new opportunity in Las Vegas.
“We could count on them to do great radio for us for over ten years,” station owner David Gow told me. “And so it was a bit of a surprise when AJ came in and said that he had this really exciting opportunity. It was right in his wheelhouse and he had the chance to move to Las Vegas and be part of the growth in gambling content. So, yes, it was a surprise.”
When change is required, some allow the pressure of the moment to cause them to panic. But that isn’t what Gow did. Sure, there’s always some trepidation when dealing with “what comes next,” but David chose to think big. He had a chance to take a brand with great history in its market and inject new life into it.
He started thinking about the next chapter of ESPN 97.5 and 92.5, and what it needed to look and sound like. It’s what convinced him the time was right to build an entirely new afternoon show.
To make the idea a reality, Gow started first by looking inside his building. He was fortunate to have a talented fast rising star in Jake Asman who he was able to move over from SportsMap Radio, which he also owns. The next part of the process included bringing in Texas native Brad Kellner, who had been part of the afternoon show on 104.9 The Horn in Austin, and adding Houston sports radio veteran Cody Stoots who had previously hosted for SportsRadio 610 and Gow Media’s sports brands. The new program would be built around three hosts, all with different backgrounds, each under the age of forty.
Though youth may be a great building block, Gow says that it was the individual talents, not just their ages that give him confidence in what they can create for the station moving forward.
“With those guys, we’re picking up three personalities who will be very strong in radio. They are formatically tight, and they are deeply knowledgeable about sports, especially the Houston teams,” Gow said. “In addition to being strong in radio, they are very digitally savvy. They do a great job of taking the content that they create and pushing it out over all the different platforms. Obviously that means Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, but also YouTube. These guys are content creators who will reach audiences in many different ways.”
The new afternoon show has been titled ‘The Wheelhouse’. It’ll launch on Monday August 16 at 3pm. The program will be given four hours per day to make its mark on the local sports radio audience.
Giving an established brand new life doesn’t end though with changing just one day part. Gow also looked at his midday schedule and recognized an opportunity to strengthen the hour by hour programming, while creating a new sound for Joel Blank’s program, the former Rockets broadcaster who has been with the station for several years now.
To create a new identity, Gow and his team decided to bring in Jeremy Branham as Blank’s new partner. The move puts Blank in position to become an even stronger igniter with his opinions while putting the responsibilities of the ins and outs on Branham’s plate, something he’s very skilled at executing.
“Jeremy’s a real pro. He’s the voice of the University of Houston. He is very savvy about topic selection and understands how to run a show. We think pairing him with Joel will help us create a very strong show from Noon to 3, one that has the potential to be one of the best shows in Houston.”
Blank and Branham’s new show will be called ‘The Killer B’s’, playing off each of the host’s last name’s and a popular term among Houston Astros fans during the Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Lance Berkman and Carlos Beltran years. Joel and Jeremy, just like ‘The Wheelhouse’, will also hit the air on the 16th.
The next chapter for ESPN 97.5 and 92.5 is all about connecting with the city’s most passionate sports fans. Gow insists that the station is “committed to local shows and local programing” and though most of the attention right now will land on the two new shows, ESPN 97.5 and 92.5 still boasts some of the most familiar and successful talents in the market in Lance Zierlein, John Granato, and Charlie Pallilo. Former afternoon co-host Fred Faour will also continue with the station in a newly created position as the brand’s Sports Betting Analyst.
An important part of the station’s growth moving forward will depend on forming stronger relationships with city’s local teams, media members, and sports fans. Gow says that he and his staff are committed to continuing to build those connections in order to bring fans the content they want and expect.
Though local will still be the focus, Gow knows that there are also certain benefits that come along with being an ESPN affiliate. It’s a partnership he intends to take full advantage of.
“One of the great things about the ESPN brand is that we can bring high profile national voices and perspectives on our airwaves to talk about our local teams. We look forward to voicing our own local opinions, but we also want to include those national voices in local conversations when sports news warrants it.”
Change is never easy. But sometimes circumstances make it a necessity. In this case, a career opportunity for AJ Hoffman made David Gow rethink the present and future of ESPN 97.5 and 92.5. It led the brand to four new voices, and two new shows with a lot of talent and promise, which the Houston sports radio audience will have a chance to judge for themselves starting Monday August 16th.
But writing a new chapter isn’t always easy and long-term successes don’t get measured on Day 1 reactions. There was a time when Houston listeners wondered if The Blitz would work out. Over a decade later, those questions have been answered. Now it’s up to The Wheelhouse and The Killer B’s to make sure that the station’s next chapter is as exciting as the last.
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.
