2025 was as eventful of a year as ever for the sports radio industry. While hires and layoffs again dominated many headlines, several industry shifts defined the year’s overall storyline. The sports radio landscape once again looks very different from where it started as comes to a close.
Barrett Media is looking back at sports radio’s top stories of 2025. The list is led by Dan Bernstein’s departure from 670 The Score in Chicago.
#5 – iHeartMedia Layoffs Force Format Flip at 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee
The fallout from layoffs is never easy. It’s difficult for staff from the management ranks down to the part-time board operators. However, the fallout from this year’s round of layoffs from iHeartMedia claimed one of the top sports radio brands in the company as Milwaukee’s 97.3 The Game flipped formats due to the round of layoffs within the market.
The first sign was the station cutting midday host Mike Heller in September after 25 years with the company. Then a month later, Barrett Media reported a format flip coming with the ongoing cuts with the company was near. 97.3 The Game served as the Green Bay Packers’ flagship station since 2022. Layoffs forced the station to flip to an Adult Contemporary format. The Packers broadcasts moved midseason to 95.7 Big-FM.
Program Director Tim Scott along with the highly rated morning show of Steve Czaban and Brian Butch were out. Several other hosts and producers also saw their name to the chopping block, while the remaining talent were subject to continue hosting shows for a YouTube audience and some coverage with the company’s Madison market.
Change leads to opportunity, which is what Audacy took advantage of with the hole that 97.3 The Game provided. The company formed the Wisconsin Sports Radio Network with Milwaukee’s 105.7 The Fan serving as the flagship, expanding reach into multiple markets where The Game was reached. It will be interesting to see how the Green Bay Packers radio rights move forward into 2026 and beyond. Good Karma Brands founder Craig Karmazin has expressed publicly he’d be interested in the rights returning to the company in the near future.
#4 – Westwood One Sports Adds Jim Rome, Takes Reins From Infinity Sports Network
When Audacy and Cumulus Media announced the merger of the Infinity Sports Network and the BetMGM Network to form Westwood One Sports, there was much speculation about the on air lineup. With the announcement coming just over two months before the targeted date of launch, many decisions had to be made and quickly.
One of those decisions was probably the easiest. Jim Rome was announced as the flagship afternoon drive show for the new network airing weekdays from 3pm-6pm est. The long standing successful program would serve as the face of the network as the other programming choices would have to be made.
As the partnership formed, Westwood One assumed programming and distribution for most syndicated sports shows. Audacy agreed to continue producing popular BetMGM Network programs on the new network. These include You Better You Bet with Nick Kostos and BetMGM Tonight. BetMGM remaind the presenting partner and the exclusive sportsbook partner of the BetMGM Network programs which made the new lineup.
Cumulus Media veteran programmer Bruce Gilbert then went to work. He hired former SportsRadio 610 program director Armen Williams to serve as the executive director of Westwood One Sports. The duo then sought out who would the new network house as their flagship weekday voices, taking a different approach instead of relying on much of the in house talent with the two former networks. The hires of Drake C. Toll in morning drive and middays with Chris Bleck and Adam Abdalla signaled a strategy based on not what has been, but what could be moving forward.
With the network officially launched as of yesterday, 2026 will be filled with storylines. They will focus on how Westwood One Sports bet on future growth over maintaining the industry’s status quo.
#3 – ESPN Radio Adds Rich Eisen
When Rich Eisen announced his return to ESPN in May of this year, many speculated if that would mean that ESPN Radio could also be a destination for the daily radio program. The original announcement only contained mentions of the show streaming on the upcoming ESPN direct-to-consumer platform and Disney+. Yet news of an official addition of Eisen to the radio network had still yet to be determined.
Then the summer came, and Eisen was returning fully to his home. ESPN rolled out the red carpet as Rich Eisen could be heard right in time for football season on ESPN Radio in addition to SiriusXM, and seen Disney+ and ESPN+ beginning in the fall. Since Mike Greenberg departed his radio show earlier this year, there were questions surrounding the focus of the radio network for the company. Many asked if ESPN Radio meant anything anymore as some of the biggest names in sports media have found other terrain to conquer after leaving the network.
The addition of Eisen to the ESPN Radio lineup was a loud response, and many major markets bought in. ESPN Chicago added Eisen to the lineup in a two-hour block. That was followed by ESPN Los Angeles keeping all three hours of Eisen in the second largest market of the country. ESPN New York and ESPN Cleveland were next in line. It was an all out assault to get Rich Eisen in as many markets as possible as the returning champion of the network came home. The marketing muscle of ESPN was in full swing with Eisen’s return coinciding with the launch of the network’s direct-to-consumer app.
Now, the questions that once surrounded the network have ceased. Eisen has become the face of what ESPN Radio’s current generation can hold up against its competitors. For the first time in over two decades, he found himself at home. He was in a better situation than when he had left it.
#2 – Craig Carton Returns to WFAN for Third Time, Major Lineup Shuffle Follows
When Breakfast Ball on FS1 was cancelled, the sports radio hot stove began to heat up. Craig Carton, who departed WFAN in 2022 for FOX Sports, was once again a free agent. Even though he was still signed with FOX Sports and was pivoting to continue his working relationship with the company, rumors began swirling about a third return to the station that he twice dominated in the ratings and headlines.
After months of speculation, rumor became reality. Craig Carton was returning to WFAN for a third time. He will continue producing his own podcast with Red Seat Ventures and FOX Sports. The news came as a surprise to no one. Even those who said it would not happen believed it eventually would. The decision itself to bring back Carton however had ripple effects on the rest of the WFAN lineup. With Carton already succeeding in two dayparts, questions emerged about how the lineup would take shape. There were also concerns about potential casualties resulting from the move.
Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata ended up in the end as the on-air casualties of the roster addition, and handled their exit with extreme class. WFAN announced that Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber would shift from afternoon drive to middays. Carton would move into afternoons with new co-host Chris McMonigle. The station worked with Tierney and Licata to ensure a professional exit. This allowed the two talents to leave on their own terms. A rare occurrence in the industry, but one that both took seriously and executed flawlessly.
Moving into 2026, WFAN begins the year with the second different on air lineup in the last three years. It will be notable to see if the addition of Carton breathes new life into the radio station that has been destination sports radio for New York City sports fans for generations.
#1 – Dan Bernstein Fired From 670 The Score
Without a doubt, the biggest sports radio story this year involved the firing of longtime 670 The Score host Dan Bernstein. After 30 years with Chicago’s sports talk leader, Bernstein was removed following a social media exchange. The incident involved a follower on Twitter, now known as X. Bernstein posted a photo of himself catching a large fish with the caption, “This was a helluva fight.” A follower claimed the fish was a pregnant northern pike. The user criticized Bernstein for killing it.
That reply sparked a contentious argument on the platform between Bernstein and the follower over the criticism of the photo. As the exchange escalated, Bernstein threatened the follower. As a result, he was suspended for a week and then fired. Bernstein was also removed from the board of directors of Camp One Step, a charity that provides camp experiences for children battling cancer.
Bernstein’s removal was celebrated by some, including Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy. It also was seen as an unfortunate moment where talent should use the incident to reconsider their approach to connection with social media. After over three decades, 670 The Score was on the hunt for a new lead host to retain the audience impact that Bernstein left behind and push forward into a new era for the radio station. Ultimately, Bernstein’s former co-hosts in Leila Rahimi and Marshall Harris were selected to take the reigns in April.
Bernstein remained quiet, never speaking out following his dismissal from his longtime home. Then over the summer, Bernstein announced his return. Not to the Chicago sports radio airwaves, but for an exclusive and unfiltered approach to a podcast called Dan Bernstein: Unfilitered.
He rejoined longtime executive producer Matt Abbatacola. Together, they became the destination podcast for Hubbard Radio under the 312 Sports network umbrella. Bernstein used the debut episode to break his silence on his exit from 670 The Score. Taking accountability, and sharing in his journey of therapy and self reflection. Using the unfortunate moment of the spring to turn a new leaf and find what he long missed about a love for sports and talking about sports.
The Dan Bernstein firing saga dominated attention across the industry. It was an easy choice as the top sports radio story of 2025.
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