The news didn’t come as a shock. When Doug Gottlieb announced he would step away from his daily program on FOX Sports Radio, very few, if any, were left asking questions. Gottlieb was entering his second season as head coach of the men’s basketball team at Wisconsin–Green Bay, and when he took the position in May of 2024, many assumed his days at the network were numbered. The role required a level of focus and attention he likely had never faced before.
To his credit, Gottlieb tried to do both. That effort deserves acknowledgment. Ultimately, however, his future outweighed his present and even his successful past. He recognized that his growth potential was greater in college basketball than in syndicated national sports radio.
Who replaces him remains an unknown commodity. Jon “Stugotz” Weiner is the new afternoon host on FOX Sports Radio beginning in 2026. The move raises a familiar question: Is this another example of broadcast companies leaning on the past instead of committing to the development of the next generation?
I touched on this earlier in the month while writing about Craig Carton’s return to WFAN, the same station that once attempted to lure Weiner for its open program director role. Too often, local sports radio stations across the country abandon long-term development plans in favor of what once worked. They reach back into the same bag of tricks, hoping history will repeat itself.
That trend extends beyond local sports radio.
Nationally syndicated networks operate much the same way. Gottlieb himself built a career across CBS Sports Network, ESPN Radio, and FOX Sports Radio. Colin Cowherd has worked at FOX and ESPN. Dan Patrick followed a similar path. Even Mike Greenberg returned to ESPN Radio after the end of Mike & Mike. The recycling of familiar voices has become common practice at every level of the industry.
This isn’t a criticism of the executives making these decisions. It’s an observation about perception. Too often, the message sent is that building for the future isn’t as important as protecting the present. Meanwhile, the younger audiences the industry claims to covet continue to age and migrate to new platforms, while the audience sports radio was built upon steadily ages out.
That’s what makes the hire of Weiner so interesting.
For more than two decades, Weiner thrived as a co-host alongside Dan Le Batard. From 790 The Ticket in Miami to ESPN Radio’s national stage and now Meadowlark Media, he played the role perfectly. He was the ideal complement, a reliable B working seamlessly with a strong A.
Earlier this year, Weiner began charting his own course. He reduced his appearances on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, despite the show continuing to use his nickname as part of its branding. He hasn’t appeared on the program since July and launched Stugotz & Company, a podcast built around guest-driven conversations without filters or time constraints. The project leaned heavily on the loyalty of the established Le Batard audience to establish his own personal momentum.
In the six months since stepping away from Meadowlark’s flagship show, Weiner has quietly built his own podcast network. He hosts God Bless Football with producer Mikey A and a rotating cast of guests, along with Stugotz & Company and Stugotz & Hochman which follows a similar format. The effort has produced tangible results, including more than 13,000 YouTube subscribers and a title sponsorship from FanDuel.
That progress caught the attention of FOX Sports Radio, which tabbed Weiner as the afternoon follow-up to Colin Cowherd.
There’s no denying FOX Sports Radio values name recognition greatly. Weiner built his by spending two decades attached to Le Batard. He excelled as the B, but this move requires him to become the A. That transition isn’t easy, regardless of experience.
The A role demands authority. It’s the voice listeners tune in to hear when the biggest stories break. For most of his career, Weiner reacted, responded, and amplified. Now, he must drive the conversation. Whether he can command attention at that level remains to be seen.
Still, the larger issue isn’t Weiner.
The move once again highlights how rooted the industry remains in its past. Contrast this with Westwood One Sports, which announced their lineup set to debut Monday. Instead of leaning on a familiar industry name, the network made a calculated bet on the future by hiring Drake Toll. Young, ambitious, and multi-platform savvy, Toll blends experience from the Savannah Bananas and the Locked On Podcast Network to reach an evolving audience. The same can be said about the additions of Chris Bleck and Adam Abdalla among other names on the new network.
That’s a different kind of thinking. It’s disruptive by design with a focus on meeting the audience of tomorrow.
The addition of Weiner to the FOX Sports Radio lineup isn’t the problem. It’s a symptom. It reflects an industry increasingly hesitant to take risks, fearful that developing new voices could jeopardize ratings, revenue, or affiliates today for the chance of more impact down the road.
The irony is that the next generation isn’t waiting to be invited in. They’re already building audiences on platforms traditional radio barely acknowledges. At some point, the sports radio industry must stop recycling old playbooks and start drawing new ones. The industry can’t continue rotating the same voices while wondering why its audience keeps aging out. In the attention economy, risk isn’t optional. It’s required.
If sports radio doesn’t embrace that reality, it won’t just lose relevance. It’ll lose its future.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. 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. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
“This isn’t a criticism of the executives making these decisions.” Hmmm, sort of sounds like it is…