In August of 2022, local shows at 1250 The Fan in Milwaukee were discontinued in favor of national programming from CBS Sports Radio, now called Infinity Sports Network. Steve Fifer has been with the station since the launch in January 2005 and while other hosts looked for hosting opportunities elsewhere, he stayed on becoming the station’s Assistant Program Director. He learned the ropes on how the management side works, hosted local podcasts like “Curd and Long,” “Green and Growing” and “Spare/Time Bowling Show” and also did some fill-in hosting on stations in other markets.
While Fifer missed local shows, he had zero intentions of leaving the radio station.
“There were days along the way when big things would happen locally where it’s like man, I wish I had a talk show today,” said Fifer. “I was asked before if I would want to leave and I didn’t want to leave. I love the people who work in this building. I had no inclination at any point to leave this building or go anywhere.”
That loyalty and patience has paid off for Fifer because a little over two years later, local programming is back.
This past March, Fifer helped turn the clock back just a little when he started hosting Milwaukee Bucks postgame shows on “The Fan” and the reaction was overwhelming.
“It was like the old days,” said Fifer. “It was huge. It was absolutely over the top huge. It gave me a lot of hope for the future going forward that a lot of the people who were listening before were right back in it again and a lot of social media right back in it again.”
And then, the station announced the launch of Wisconsin Sports Daily, a live and local show weekdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. hosted by Fifer. It didn’t take long for the station’s loyal listeners from the past to return and also offer Fifer some feedback on what the show should sound like.
“Everybody came with their ideas and opinions of what was missing in the market, what this show needs to be about and so forth,” said Fifer. “It’s been a very positive experience for sure.”
And so has the experience learning the business side over the last 2 ½ years. Fifer has worked closely with several Audacy executives including Mitch Rosen, Operations Director and Brand Manager of 670 The Score in Chicago and the Vice President of the BetQL Network. While The Fan continued to carry national programming, Fifer was absorbing the business side of the industry like a sponge.
A lot of that knowledge came from Rosen.
“He’s taught me a lot about the business,” said Fifer. “I’ve learned a lot from him as far as just more of the professional side of how to be a programmer, how to work with talent, how to work with producers and how to work with people outside of the company. The last year and a half to two years, even though there hasn’t been local programming, I’ve learned a lot and grown a lot and matured a lot and I’m ready for the next step.”
And now that The Fan has taken those first couple of steps back into the local game with the Bucks postgame shows and now Wisconsin Sports Daily, perhaps it’s time to go “Back to the Future” and bring back some more local programming.
Is it possible?
Not only is it possible, it’s the vision.
“That’s the hope and the plan is to eventually over the course of time is to eventually get this thing back to close to where it was as far as doing more local programming,” said Fifer. “That’s going to be a process. It’s going to probably be baby steps here over the course of time to try and work its way back up again. Hopefully, at some point in the future, we’re able to do that.”
That vision is not just to restore local programming to The Fan, but the vision also includes returning the station to dominance in a crowded Milwaukee sports radio landscape.
The Fan is one of four sports talk stations in town and the goal would eventually be to be on top.
“I don’t think it’s an impossible dream to think we can be right back in this battle again,” said Fifer. “I think we will be and eventually be back to being number one again in this market.”
Steve Fifer has been a loyal soldier to Audacy and The Fan in Milwaukee. He could have left when the station went national, but he stayed and now there is excitement over the return of a local show and what could lie ahead down the road.
Peter Schwartz writes weekly sports radio features for Barrett Media. He has been involved in New York sports media for over three decades, and has worked for notable brands such as WFAN, CBS Sports Radio, WCBS 880, ESPN New York, and FOX News Radio. Peter has also served as play by play announcer for the New Yok Riptide, New York Dragons, New York Hitmen, Varsity Media and the Long Island Sports Network. You can find him on Twitter @SchwartzSports or email him at DragonsRadio@aol.com.
