Jarrett Payton says he wanted something different. Now he has it, starting Monday as he’ll be the new co-host in morning drive alongside David Haugh on 104.3 The Score.
What We Know: The Score fired longtime morning co-host Mike Mulligan and midday co-host Marshall Harris last Friday. Payton, who spent a decade at WGN before departing in July, steps in as Haugh’s new partner. Together, they’ll host Haugh & Payton weekdays from 5:30 to 10 a.m. starting August 31. Moreover, Payton is the son of Bears Hall of Famer Walter Payton. In his first comments since being named the new co-host, Payton told 104.3 The Score’s Rahimi & Grote that he needed a new challenge.
What They Said: (All quote via 104.3 The Score):
Jarrett Payton looking forward to a new challenge with 104.3 The Score: “It’s a new challenge. I was way too comfortable at doing what I was doing. When you do something for so long, you get comfortable. I need a new challenge.”
Jarrett Payton on his love for sports radio: “It’s something that I haven’t done in a while. It’s always been my passion to be on radio. That’s where getting into this business, where it all started for me. I was doing an hour show down at the Illinois Center for broadcasting back in the day, not knowing how many people were actually listening to me. But it was wasn’t about that. It was about figuring out how this process goes being on air and being an on air talent.”
Jarrett Payton on the shift in his professional life: “Ten years at WGN, most amazing time in my life. I had a chance to do one of my dream jobs. To give people in the evenings and late at night what the sports talk was at nighttime. Now, it’s just shifting to early in the morning. We’re setting the table now. I couldn’t be happier to working with David Haugh.”
Jarrett Payton is appreciative for everyone in media that congratulated him: “I do have to say thank you to all the OGs in the game. I literally have heard from all of them. All of them that have hit me up. I want to say thank you if they’re listening. Thank you. I appreciate you because it showed me that it’s the hard work that gets you here.”
Jarrett Payton appreciative for those who doubt him: “Thank you to the haters. That’s the motivation. Now I’m motivated. All my life, that’s what people have always said. You can’t do this. You’ll never play college football. You’ll never make it to the NFL. That’s always been the motivation for me. To prove people wrong, but also to prove it to yourself that you can actually do it.”
What Remains Unclear: The Score hasn’t named a replacement for Mulligan’s Sunday Bears gameday duties as of yet. Likewise, no additional staffing moves have been announced beyond Mulligan and Harris’s exits.
What It Means: Payton framed his decade at WGN as a dream job, yet he’s clearly ready to reset the table in mornings. Radio, he noted, is where his broadcasting career actually began, back at Illinois Center for Broadcasting. Therefore, this move reads less like reinvention and more like a return. Meanwhile, Payton credited both supporters and skeptics for pushing him here, suggesting the same drive that built his athletic career now fuels this next chapter.
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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.