Sports media veteran Jon “Stugotz” Weiner is taking over FOX Sports Radio’s afternoon drive slot, and longtime collaborator Dan Le Batard publicly celebrated the milestone while teasing a possible return to his own show later this month.
During Monday’s episode of The Dan Le Batard Show, Le Batard offered “a hearty congratulations” to Weiner. Le Batard noted the move marked a return to the live radio format that first defined Weiner’s career.
“He is doing afternoons, and returning to his lifelong love of live radio. He really missed it. Afternoons are where we started a long time ago, on live radio, and he returns to his roots,” Le Batard said.
Le Batard also acknowledged that fans may still see Weiner on his program in the very near future. In May of last year, Barrett Media reported that Weiner would be stepping back from his appearances on The Dan Le Batard Show.
“We are expecting and hoping that he’ll be back this month, but we were hoping and expecting that the last couple of months as well. So I think he’s going to be back this month, but he’s very busy. He’s doing afternoons now on FOX Sports Radio,” he added.
Weiner, a 20-year veteran alongside Le Batard, signed a long-term, multiplatform deal with iHeartMedia last month. Weiner succeeds Doug Gottlieb in the timeslot. Gottlieb decided to step away to focus on coaching Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball.
Despite his national move, Weiner confirmed plans to appear on The Dan Le Batard Show for nine dates in January. The appearances provide a temporary return to familiarity for the show’s audience. Weiner said the offer was made with listeners in mind.
“To give our audience a reason to kind of relax. Take a deep breath, this is not the end,” Weiner said. “Dan and Meadowlark have been nice enough to offer me nine dates in January to come in and do the show. Nine of them. I don’t have to accept them all, but I did accept them all.”
However, Weiner was careful to manage expectations. He noted that his presence is ultimately subject to decisions made by Le Batard and Meadowlark Media, not him.
“If, for whatever reason, after the new year, you don’t hear me nine times in January on the show with Dan, then that is a decision not made by me,” Weiner said. “That decision will be made by Dan and Meadowlark.”
Weiner credited iHeartMedia, FOX Sports, and FanDuel for their flexibility. Their support allowed him to maintain his longtime partnership with Le Batard and Meadowlark Media.
“The people that I have partnered with … have all been incredibly flexible and understanding of a 20-year relationship between me and Dan,” Weiner said on his Stugotz & Company podcast. “They know how much that show and that audience mean to me and have all given me permission to continue doing work with Dan and for Meadowlark Media as I see fit.”
Weiner’s FOX Sports Radio program is slated to debut this month.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
