Freddie Coleman has been the elder statesman of ESPN Radio as he nears wrapping up his 21st year on the radio network. Coleman has been the reliable fixture of the weekday programming lineup over his time on the network. He’s worked with a wide range of co-hosts during his time as lead host of ESPN Gamenight, as well as a seven-year run on Freddie and Fitzsimmons with co-host Ian Fitzsimmons. In September of 2023, ESPN Radio named Coleman, along with former NFL pro Harry Douglas, as the station’s new afternoon drive program entitled Freddie and Harry.
Coleman’s radio roots date back to 1999 when he became the first African American program director of Oldies 97 WCZX in Poughkeepsie, NY. From his humble beginnings in radio, he has served in both management and talent roles to play-by-play and beyond. A 1987 graduate of Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, Coleman currently is one member of a very diverse weekday lineup on ESPN Radio, which is one issue the sports radio format continues to struggle with—how to tackle the issue of diversity, which continues to lack overall in the format.
“What are you afraid of?” questioned Coleman when asked how he would advise broadcasting leaders about how to approach the issue of diversity in sports radio. “I use this a lot when it comes to not just minorities in broadcasting, but even women in broadcasting. What are you afraid of? Because if somebody is really talented, their skin color or their gender shouldn’t matter.”
ESPN Radio’s current weekday lineup showcases representation of different voices from white to African American to female in every daypart. A true example of how a national sports radio brand has evolved with the times where inclusion is not only warranted, but it’s expected of the product. The distinction between what ESPN Radio has crafted versus the greater majority of local sports radio brands is evident to many who work in the field, including Coleman.
“If you’re worrying somebody of color can’t entertain somebody, then that’s just really silly,” said Coleman. “Just read a history book once in a while to see how Black people, women, Asian people, Hispanic people have been good. They’ve done extremely well in the entertainment field.”
This past February, the annual Barrett Media Top 20 series returned, and once again the results showed a lack of minority and female representation, most notably at the program director level. Of the top twenty major market program directors, only one female (Amanda Brown – Denver Sports 104.3) and no person of color made the list. Of the top twenty mid-market program directors, no female was represented and only one person of color made the list (Q Myers – ESPN 1100/Raider Nation Radio 920). The issue of incorporating diversity into a local sports radio brands begins at the leadership level, the decision-maker if you will—something which Coleman noted in his previous experience as a programmer beginning his career.
“I’m speaking from my perspective of being the first Black program director in the history of Hudson Valley radio,” said Coleman. “They didn’t hire me to prove a point. They believed I was the best candidate for the job, and they weren’t worried about how that reaction was going to be. Because they put me in a position where I was going to succeed and not fail, and I wound up succeeding because they took a chance on me.”
Coleman has been the beneficiary of people continuing to take a chance on him his entire career, leading to new opportunities throughout his nearly two decades at ESPN Radio. When the opportunity came for the network to choose a new afternoon show following a lineup change ending Canty and Carlin in the timeslot, Coleman was selected and looked forward to the challenge of doing drive-time radio on a national syndicator.
“I couldn’t wait for it because I always believed that if I got a chance to be in a prime position, I was gonna be able to make that work,” Coleman stated. “It was tough seeing people, and not trying to slight them in any way. But it was pretty tough seeing people get those kinds of opportunities either in morning drive or afternoon drive whether it’s here at ESPN Radio or other places. I’m thinking, ‘OK, is that person that much better than me’ or ‘what do they have that maybe I don’t have?’ Maybe it wasn’t my time, but there were so many different answers that you can have involving that.”
The program Freddie and Harry was born and paired Coleman with another new partner on the radio in former NFL wide receiver Harry Douglas. The ten-year football veteran joined ESPN in 2019 and began as a contributor to all ESPN’s studio shows for all sports, including co-hosting Countdown to College Gameday. Pairing Douglas with Coleman was an instant success with chemistry and entertainment coming through the speakers.
While many radio talents may consider it a massive undertaking to work with a new partner in a larger timeslot, Coleman was not fazed by the opportunity to work alongside Douglas.
“I wouldn’t say it was a challenge,” Coleman noted. “I think when you work with anybody, it could be a challenge in how you’re going to make it fit; how you’re going to make sure that that person is heard and that you’re going to be heard as well. That’s always going to be a great challenge that I love embracing. If you’re putting out great content, you could be a Hall of Fame football player or a guy who was a scrub, or a woman who was a scrub. I don’t care. If you’re compelling, you make things better that way. I’m all for that.”
Now nearly two years into the role as the afternoon drive program for ESPN Radio, Coleman believes the continued trust and belief by upper management laid the seeds for the successes he’s experienced in recent years, through the opportunities he was offered.
“I think a big sea change for me was when I had a chance to fill in on earlier shows,” said Coleman. “The more I got a chance to do that, I think that kind of opened up a lot of eyes when it came to the management team here at ESPN Radio. Then to find somebody like Harry Douglas and then putting us together in afternoon drive shows exactly how much faith they had in both of us.”
Balancing his love for sports with a passion for music and entertainment has always been a defining core characteristic of any program Coleman is a part of. From ‘Love Friday’ to the ‘Afternoon Cool,’ every show is built on the foundation of creativity and keeping the listener involved.
No singular talent on ESPN Radio’s weekday lineup is as inclusive as Coleman, who every weekday speaks with his social media following as much as his radio listener base. Coleman has always put a focus on keeping the entire audience engaged, whether it’s contributing to the program or offering up where his social audience can find on-demand content. This, Coleman believes, has led to a deeper and more impactful connection with his audience more than ever.
“Put out your product on as many platforms as possible,” said Coleman. “I think the more platforms you can put your content, your product, and yourself out there, that’s only going to be a benefit. It’s not going to be a demerit. That really came about when I said, ‘Let’s embrace this’ because this is something that is part of the communication process.”
To sustain longevity, you must evolve. ESPN Radio’s Freddie Coleman is a shining example of a talent that continues to evolve with the times.
Sports radio must also evolve. It’s no longer a question if there needs to be more diversity in sports radio. Instead, it’s now required in order to sustain longevity with the ever-changing demographics of the consumer.
For sports radio, perhaps the lessons of Freddie Coleman’s path could serve as an example of how to embrace its own evolution. An African American child born and raised in Brooklyn and a graduate of Mansfield University. Given a single opportunity before the turn of the millennium and has turned that opportunity into a lasting and impactful career.
If growing the business and changing it for the better is still the goal, Freddie Coleman is the artist sharing his own personal illustration on radio’s forward path.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
John Mamola is a columnist for Barrett Media. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. Honored to be a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Media and honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL). Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
