Following the Jacksonville Jaguars win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the Chicago Bears’ officially clinched the No. 1 selection in the 2024 National Football League Draft, a pick they are getting from Carolina. Although the team is not making the playoffs this year, a point of emphasis off the field was on its new radio broadcasts, produced and disseminated throughout the Chicago marketplace by ESPN Chicago, owned and operated by Good Karma Brands.
The outlet inked a multi-year contract to become the team’s new flagship radio station after it had spent more than two decades affiliated with WBBM NewsRadio 780 and 105.9 FM. As a result, ESPN Chicago is now the radio flagship station for the Chicago Bears and Chicago White Sox, two teams that consistently generate interest and engagement across the “Windy City.”
In having these play-by-play rights, it is fundamental to emphasize live and local programming surrounding the games themselves. Danny Zederman, director of content for Good Karma Brands in Chicago, has control over what goes over the airwaves of the station, which includes AM 1000 and 100.3 FM (HD2). Moreover, consumers can access the content utilizing the ESPN Chicago mobile app and through a variety of outlets online in addition to being able to listen to programming afterwards as a podcast.
“Right now, we’ve got live sports on our air year-round,” Zederman said. “So, if there’s something you want to hear and there’s live sports happening, you’re going to hear it on ESPN Chicago.”
Throughout the day, ESPN Chicago consumers can listen to a variety of local programming, including shows hosted by David Kaplan, Jonathan Hood, Carmen DeFalco and Tom Waddle. All these programs discuss the Bears at length throughout the entire year, part of a quartet of content buckets that Zederman wants filled at all times. The station would be talking about the Bears just as much if it was not the flagship home of the team; rather, the difference comes in the access it is able to receive.
For example, Waddle & Silvy broadcast their program once per week from Halas Hall, the team’s official practice facility. The radio studio is approximately 100 yards away from where general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus have their offices. Aside from the proximity, ESPN Chicago is ensuring that the relationship does not affect the integrity of its lineup.
“If the play on the field is bad, our talent has every right to say it’s bad,” Zederman explained. “If things need to change, our talent has every right to say things need to change. The Bears are aware of it; they understand it.”
Having a mutual understanding about the importance of balancing objectivity with subjectivity has played a part in an innovation within the live game broadcasts. On a given gameday, ESPN Chicago has a plethora of Bears-related programming leading up to the contest itself, which is broadcast by play-by-play announcer Jeff Joniak and color commentator Tom Thayer.
Most of these shows implement callers and allow them to express their opinion about the game, in addition to keeping viewers informed about the latest team news. Additionally, the outlet airs proprietary one-on-one interviews with quarterback Justin Fields and Eberflus.
Halftime stands out because of the 15-minute clock in which outlets must recap the first half, give scores from around the league and preview what’s coming up. With a change in station concurrent with innovations in technology and altering consumption habits, ESPN Chicago decided to take a markedly different approach.
Zederman and the rest of ESPN Chicago are cognizant that part of the outlet’s value proposition is in its sports talk programming. Because of this, they decided to lean into that by creating a show of this ilk in lieu of the traditional halftime program. Featuring afternoon personality Marc Silverman, the program begins with a brief recap of the first half before implementing callers. Fans evidently want to react to what occurred and are interested in what others have to say about the game.
“We found quickly that it was a popular thing because now the phone lines are lit up before even [the] midway point of the second quarter,” Zederman said. “People are calling in when there’s still 10 minutes left in the second quarter, and our phone lines, by the time we get to halftime, are just overflowing with people that want to participate.”
The station can accommodate about six to seven callers during a typical halftime, but it had to overcome early challenges. Upon initially beginning this new endeavor, the time passed quickly, underscoring the importance of effective call screening. Although it is modeled after a sports talk show, it does not have the wherewithal to implement long greetings or other chatter.
“Everybody’s got to get ready to just fire off whether they want to say something negative or positive or whatever,” Zederman said, “but we’re moving fast at halftime.”
Silverman previously covered the Bears as a beat reporter for WGN Radio and joined ESPN Chicago upon its launch in 1998. Ahead of every contest, he works as a co-host on the pregame show alongside Dionne Miller and Lance Briggs and then watches the contest from the radio booth at Soldier Field.
Once the game reaches the halfway mark, he starts the program by discussing the play on the field and what adjustments, if any, need to be made. Then the calls begin and take up most of the remainder of the program. In essence, this in-game programming represents a deviation back to the native sports talk format of the station.
“I think just because something’s always done one way doesn’t mean that you can’t do it a different way, and I’m grateful that we were given the opportunity to try something new and different and fresh,” Zederman said. “We could have easily just gone along and done the highlights and done the normal halftime, but we took a risk; we tried something new.”
As time goes on, Zederman believes the station will alter other areas of the broadcast, but having a solid base off which to work was integral to producing such possibilities. Although the station does not need the Bears’ approval to make changes, it presented the new format to the organization as part of retaining a strong partnership.
“They like the creative approach we’re taking,” Zederman said. “They like the idea that we’re trying different things and things that might work [or] things that might not work, but we have ideas because to us this is really, really important.”
More than half of NFL teams are affiliated with a flagship radio outlet that focuses on sports talk, which continues to garner sizable audiences across various platforms. The impact of the NFL on television is palpable, and the interest translates to radio where many outlets have football discussion as a prominent aspect of programming. ESPN Chicago is no exception.
There was no guarantee this model would yield success, but the return on investment is ostensibly paying dividends. Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, the presenting sponsor for the halftime show, has had great results by virtue of being associated with this endeavor. People at the station are interested in the program because of its different approach, and fans are calling in droves to try to receive airtime.
“If the game’s on a Sunday at noon, everybody’s either watching or listening to the Chicago Bears in this market,” Zederman said. “We know that – it’s a fanbase that just loves it. Would taking calls at halftime work in Philly? I think it absolutely would. Would it work in New York? I think it absolutely would because they have the same kind of fanbase that’s just absolutely obsessed with their football team.”
ESPN Chicago has prioritized digital content over the last several years, developing its own mobile application and giving fans more ways to interact with the outlet. Last year resulted in significant growth on these platforms, including YouTube and Twitch, avenues through which the station simulcasts its programming and produces original digital shorts.
“We don’t want people to have to look for us; we’re going to show up,” Zederman said. “Wherever you consume content, ESPN Chicago will be there. The Bears have the same philosophy, so we’ve been doing a lot of digital stuff and they’ve been embracing it and we’ve been embracing their stuff and it’s a lot of cross-promotion.”
There has not been a bevy of criticism directed towards the halftime program during the season, but the outlet knows there are improvements to be made. While Silverman is active on social media and frequently responds to fans, Zederman wishes there was a way to include all the fans who call in.
“Luckily it’s had a lot of success,” Zederman said. “People have been very interested and I think it’s been great content. That’s really the most important thing.”
Taking calls at halftime was the first step in a larger process related to transforming the broadcasts, a step of which could include introducing an alternate-style stream down the road. Currently, the station simulcasts all programming from AM 1000 onto the 100.3 FM frequency, its HD2 station, and it remains unknown if the outlet would consider introducing programming unique to the latter. The goal during this first season has been to effectively air the games and perfect the process before further changes are made. Exploring the capabilities within streaming is an ostensible next step as the broadcasts continue to develop over time.
“We’re going to try to do a lot of new, different, innovative things on these Bears broadcasts,” Zederman said. “Taking calls at halftime was just the start.”
Derek Futterman is a contributing editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, find him on X @derekfutterman.
