Colin Cowherd leaving ESPN Radio

[JIMSOULS]

Though he'll obviously be getting more money, I like to think this is also due to the deterioration of the ESPN brand. It's hard to work for a company when you become embarrassed by it (I know because this once happened to me).

http://money.cnn.com/2015/07/16/media/colin-cowherd-leaving-espn/

 

[bobojcd]

Uh......no.

Cowherd is leaving because his ego won't allow him to stay. ESPN just gave Scott Van Pelt a huge contract and is building a midnight show around him, and Cowherd thought it should have been him. The only way he was staying was if he got more cash than Van Pelt. Period.

When Sportsnation went to the west coast and Colin opted to stay on the east coast and leave the show, his assumption was that ESPN would be building a new TV platform for him. While that was talked about early on, nothing ever came of it. Now ESPN gives Van Pelt a show (who Cowherd doesn't get along with) and offers Cowherd a raise, but not nearly what Van Pelt is getting.

I, for one, won't miss him. In fact, I think this is great news for ESPN Radio. I'm sure he'll end up making more money, but will be talking to a MUCH smaller audience, ie. Chris "Mad Dog" Russo leaving WFAN.

 

[Pirate6711]

ESPN has been dropping a lot of guys primarily so they don't have to pay them (Cowherd, Simmons, and Olbermann were coming up on contract renewals) and are cutting costs to existing programs, especially on the radio side (nixed the Mike & Mike move to Manhattan, dropped Van Pelt from radio, and declined to renew Cowherd), so what's happening doesn't match your narrative. And why would Cowherd of all people be embarrassed by ESPN? He's arguably the worst race-baitor on the network.

The cost-cutting moves are interesting. ESPN is definitely making investments in gameday production, particularly in college football and the NFL. Bigger investments are also being made in the SEC Network. The cost of ESPN has put a strain on cable bills passed on to customers and the required ESPN expense is a leading factor to cord cutting. There are strong rumors of a standalone ESPN streaming channel being rolled out that will not require a cable or dish subscription (similar to the change HBO GO made earlier this year) to generate a new revenue stream.

 

[Pirate6711]

I, for one, won't miss him. In fact, I think this is great news for ESPN Radio. I'm sure he'll end up making more money, but will be talking to a MUCH smaller audience, ie. Chris "Mad Dog" Russo leaving WFAN

He's going to Fox Sports and he will make more money, have fewer listeners and viewers, but will give Fox Sports a name brand (nobody cares about Francesca outside of metro NYC) who can fill desperate needs on multiple platforms. Also, his former boss is the current president of Fox Sports.

 

[bobojcd]

He's going to Fox Sports and he will make more money, have fewer listeners and viewers, but will give Fox Sports a name brand (nobody cares about Francesca outside of metro NYC) who can fill desperate needs on multiple platforms. Also, his former boss is the current president of Fox Sports.

I've been living in Orlando for five years. I'm a bartender. Lots of sports fans in my bar. I hear people quoting Mike Francesca at least three times a week. More than any other sports radio personality, that's for sure. The idea that Francesca is a non-entity outside of NYC is ludicrous.

 

[Seton75]

What other sports talk people do is work in the world Mike and the Mad Dog invented.

 

[Pirate6711]

I've been living in Orlando for five years. I'm a bartender. Lots of sports fans in my bar. I hear people quoting Mike Francesca at least three times a week. More than any other sports radio personality, that's for sure. The idea that Francesca is a non-entity outside of NYC is ludicrous.

You're in Orlando with lots of transplants. In Charlotte, the only people I ever hear refer to him are originally from NJ. For everybody else, it's regional guys and ESPN Radio. Cowherd has been on a prime spot on ESPN Radio for over 10 years and has a national presence. Francesca has never had that kind of reach.

 

[bobojcd]

I'm no fan of Francesca, and you can believe what you want, but Francesca has been on national television (thats television, not radio) since before Cowherd was hired at ESPN.

I think because you don't like him you're downgrading Francescas national presence.

 

[Pirate6711]

I'm no fan of Francesca, and you can believe what you want, but Francesca has been on national television (thats television, not radio) since before Cowherd was hired at ESPN.

I think because you don't like him you're downgrading Francescas national presence.

I have no real opinion on Mike, but I'm not a fan of Colin and his shtick. The difference is that Colin is much more relevant right now and can draw in people from across the country on multiple platforms.

Fox has struggled with programming on FS1 and FS2 primarily because they have given shows (original content, not including Mike's simulcast) to personalities who have no following and Regis Philbin (what a disaster). They have started to put a small dent into ESPN due to the live TV contracts, primarily NFL, college football, golf, and soccer, but if they want to get any market share outside of live sports, they need to stop with experiments and invest in guys like Cowherd. That direction was solidified when they hired Jamie Horowitz earlier this year. ESPN has been cutting costs with its personalities up for big raises and Horowitz has been gunning for Cowherd ever since Fox hired him.

He'll probably move back to his native West Coast, have a radio show that will be simulcast, have a recorded TV show like he did with Sports Nation that will air in the late afternoon, and make regular contributions to the FS1 and FS2 flagship programs.

 

[HallBall02]

In my opinion, Colin is much more popular nationwide, more intelligent and more entertaining than Francesca. In my eyes not even comparable.

If you poll popularity in just NY metro (maybe in areas of Florida with ny metro retirees as), Francesca is probably more popular. The age demographic that likes him is much older as well.

 

[JIMSOULS]

My favorite sports talk show ever was the one Jack Spector hosted on WMCA at the end of the '60s and beginning of the '70s. It was a rare sports talk show in that it was fun and even welcomed young callers. Spector was a true pioneer in sports talk even though his radio background was as a disc jockey. Perhaps that's why he was so good at it. He was congenial and didn't try to be a know-it-all. Little-known fact: The call screener on Spector's sports talk show was the pre-Good Times Jimmie Walker. He was the first voice you heard when you called, which I did a few times when I was 12 or 13. He was even funny doing that, which made a young caller like me feel at ease.

My other favorite sports talk hosts were Bob Ley (on Hall Line), Bill Mazer, and Art Rust Jr. I was listening to Mazer on WHN during a Nets post-game show when he asked Virginia Squires guard Fatty Taylor what coach Al Bianchi said to the team at half time. Taylor's answer began with "You f***ing guys." A shocking moment in my young life. The hosts back then were personable and provided companionship to the listener, which is what the best radio hosts have typically done.

Mostly everyone since has been plain rude, smart-alecky, and full of themselves (a style pioneered by Spector's WMCA replacement, John Sterling). Sports is light entertainment and is supposed to be nothing more than fun. Why would anyone listen to hosts who take sports and themselves so serious? We have three sports talk stations here in the sticks mixed in with political hate radio and several contemporary country stations. All horrible. Whatever happened to good radio? These days even the college stations stink. As it is none of these national shows add anything to local markets.

 

[Seton75]

Good radio is in the ears of the beholder I guess. Back before FAN, even a sports nut like me didn't know much about those stations. I knew they existed but didn't care enough to find out what station they were on.

 

[HallLine69]

Anybody remember Bill Mazer and Benny the Fan when they did a sports talk show together in the early 60's?

 

[hall_fan]

I don't understand this love for Mike Francesca, he is so disrespectful to his callers and has never ever complimented a caller, just tells them that they are wrong, and his points are so annoying on sports he doesn't watch, when he talks about the Rangers that is the worst, I don't know if he's ever watched a hockey game in his life. He talks sports like your friend at the water cooler, which to me brings no insight.

HE FALLS ASLEEP ON THE AIR, ALMOST ONCE A WEEK!

Also Cowherd, while his attitude rubs some people the wrong way, is so smart and his points may be out there sometimes but they make you think, and he explains them so well. Also, his show got the best of the best for guests, and he handled them so well, ex. Jim Harabaugh disaster.

Colin was my favorite show on ESPN Radio and it wasn't even close, I am sincerely going to miss his show, and how it made you actually think, and was a pleasure to listen to

 

[shupat08]

Remember when Mike F gave a "live play by play" of golf? It was a few weeks ago, it was weird and awkward. A lot of dead air and then things like "okay he chipped it" *deadair for 10-15 seconds* "okay it's going to be about a 15-20 foot put" *deadair for 10-15 seconds*

 

[Seton75]

I am not a fan of Mike and preferred mad dog way over him. But like him or not, their success paved the way for sports talk radio. At some level you have to respect success. And he still owns the ratings book like he has for 30 years. I don't like Rush but his popularity speaks for itself.

 

[Halldan1]

What’s next for Colin Cowherd after ESPN departure?

By Ryan Lazo

July 17, 2015 | 1:44am

Colin Cowherd Photo: Getty Images for SXSW

The mass exodus from ESPN continued Thursday with the announced departure of radio personality Colin Cowherd after 12 years with the network.

While Cowherd deciding to move on from ESPN is not surprising — the host had made pointed comments about Bill Simmons’ departure, candidly speaking about it showed everyone is replaceable — it leaves the network in a bind in its weekday programming.

The national radio voice follows in the footsteps of Keith Olbermann, whose return to ESPN ended after two year when he was not retained earlier this month, and Simmons, who was essentially fired in June. Simmons founded Grantland, a sports and pop-culture website owned by ESPN.

Olbermann’s return involved hosting a half-hour show on ESPN2 where his pointed and sometimes controversial commentaries drew ire.

But unlike Olbermann and Simmons, who both had been suspended by ESPN brass for remarks they made or tweeted, Cowherd never found himself being reprimanded.

“We’ve enjoyed a mutually beneficial run with Colin for over a decade,” ESPN president John Skipper said in a statement. “He came to national prominence on ESPN with his unique perspective on sports and society. Endings also bring new beginnings, for ESPN and Colin, and we thank him and wish him the best.”

Cowherd’s contract with ESPN is set to expire this year, and a likely pay raise was in his future, prompting the split. According to multiple reports, Cowherd is in talks to join FOX Sports, which would pair the personality with former ESPN producer Jamie Horowitz, who produced “SportsNation” when it featured Cowherd.

 

[bobojcd]

It just goes to show to-each-their-own, because I think Cowherd has never made a cogent point in his life. He doesn't strike me as a sports fan at all, more like a radio guy who only says things to get a reaction. Others here are saying what a smart guy he is and I just don't see it. I've always found his intellect to be rather shallow, like he can only understand the very basic level of any given scenario, and incapable of providing any real insight.

 

[NYShoreGuy]

Uh......no.

Cowherd is leaving because his ego won't allow him to stay. ESPN just gave Scott Van Pelt a huge contract and is building a midnight show around him, and Cowherd thought it should have been him. The only way he was staying was if he got more cash than Van Pelt. Period.

When Sportsnation went to the west coast and Colin opted to stay on the east coast and leave the show, his assumption was that ESPN would be building a new TV platform for him. While that was talked about early on, nothing ever came of it. Now ESPN gives Van Pelt a show (who Cowherd doesn't get along with) and offers Cowherd a raise, but not nearly what Van Pelt is getting.

I, for one, won't miss him. In fact, I think this is great news for ESPN Radio. I'm sure he'll end up making more money, but will be talking to a MUCH smaller audience, ie. Chris "Mad Dog" Russo leaving WFAN.

let me give some facts

disney is unhappy with the bottom line at bristol because although they are bringing the same revenues as they have been the last few years, their operating budget has grown because they chose to broker longterm rightsholding deals for live events and college conf affiliations which is mucho money

espn had a lot of talent up by the end of the summer, disney has told skipper to trim down, so while svp got rewarded for his loyalty, he lost the radio show which he prob wished he could still do but he is going to be the main man 12-1 on sportscenter 5 nights a week, can't turn that down, horowitz left espn for a cup of team at nbc today show and now landed at fox sports and fox sports one, he is a colin guy ie sportsnation, colin had his weekday radio gig plus that new sunday show for nfl that was pretty blah, colin has never anchored sportscenter

in the span of 3 months espn has said no to simmons, olbermann and cowherd

i have no doubts cowherd is headed to fox, olbermann i can see him going back to news politics at msnbc, they could use the personality esp with election year coming up or maybe he goes the path of glenn beck and launches his own media platform, i believe simmons will end up being a time warner/turner guy eventually with platforms on bleacher report, hbo and cnn

for espn to be on the air each month they bring in about the top money for the amount of homes they are in plus carriage fee to individual cable subscribers (you the consumer)

even mike and mike is no longer moving to times square after the new year like espn promoted at their annual upfront

 

[Bobbie Solo]

fwiw shoreguy, people both me & u know have told me Olbermann burned his bridges bad at MSNBC like he has almost everywhere else. I generally agree with his politics & his on-air style both with sports and politics can be clever (yet grating sometimes as well haha) but the man is a bit of a sociopath. And i don't think he has enough of a following to start his own thing, although perhaps I am wrong on that.

 

[knights1212]

Wasn't Colin on ESPN TV also or am I mistaken?

 

[Pirate6711]

Wasn't Colin on ESPN TV also or am I mistaken?

Yes. He and Michelle Beadle were the original hosts of SportsNation on ESPN or ESPN2.

 

[JIMSOULS]

Francesa is bad when talking sports, but should stick to that rather than try to show off his musical "knowledge."

When Dick Clark died, Francesa told his audience that American Bandstand introduced American TV audiences to Elvis Presley. He was wrong as Elvis' first mass TV exposure was a pair of famous appearances on the Milton Berle Show.

Another time Francesa authoritatively stated that while John Lennon was the most talented Beatle, Paul McCartney was a better guitarist. A caller then told Francesa that his statement was absurd since McCartney primarily played bass. .Francesa hung up on the guy pretty quick.

 

[Seton75]

I bet McCartney was a better guitarist than John. By John's accounts, he could barely play. Paul played guitar till Stu S quit.

I am not a Mike fan as I have said, but I hear he was terrific on 911, and if Milton Berle introed the US to Elvis, Mike and MD introed sports talk radio to us. He is wrong about stuff. Who isn't. He is arrogant, dismissive of callers, and other than FB, the baseball and the golf majors, he doesn't seem that into it anymore. He still did what he did and is a giant in his field (and in his pants...).

 

[its haLL baLL]

I've been living in Orlando for five years. I'm a bartender. Lots of sports fans in my bar. I hear people quoting Mike Francesca at least three times a week. More than any other sports radio personality, that's for sure. The idea that Francesca is a non-entity outside of NYC is ludicrous.

I live in Boston. The sports talk radio shows up here actually play clips of Francesa on their own shows at times. He is more popular than people realize. Many of my coworkers, who are born and raised New Englanders, are very familiar with Mike Francesa as well.

 

[JIMSOULS]

I bet McCartney was a better guitarist than John. By John's accounts, he could barely play. Paul played guitar till Stu S quit.

I am not a Mike fan as I have said, but I hear he was terrific on 911, and if Milton Berle introed the US to Elvis, Mike and MD introed sports talk radio to us. He is wrong about stuff. Who isn't. He is arrogant, dismissive of callers, and other than FB, the baseball and the golf majors, he doesn't seem that into it anymore. He still did what he did and is a giant in his field (and in his pants...).

I'll concede that he did what he did, but being dismissive of callers is a huge negative. People call his show to talk about sports, not rocket science. They pick up the phone and dial it because they think they have something to add. Not allowing them to do that is horrible and shouldn't be the norm. That's why I liked Jack Spector and Bill Mazer. They were respectable to their callers and audience and let them have their say, even when they were just 12 years old. I like Steve Sommers much more than Francesa. Sommers is not an expert and doesn't try to be. He's a throwback to personality radio and tries to have fun. Back when I listened to that station Sommers would often make me laugh. Francesa never once did that, at least not in a good way.

 

[NYShoreGuy]

Yes. He and Michelle Beadle were the original hosts of SportsNation on ESPN or ESPN2.

that was a jamie horowtiz concept

 

[NYShoreGuy]

I have no real opinion on Mike, but I'm not a fan of Colin and his shtick. The difference is that Colin is much more relevant right now and can draw in people from across the country on multiple platforms.

Fox has struggled with programming on FS1 and FS2 primarily because they have given shows (original content, not including Mike's simulcast) to personalities who have no following and Regis Philbin (what a disaster). They have started to put a small dent into ESPN due to the live TV contracts, primarily NFL, college football, golf, and soccer, but if they want to get any market share outside of live sports, they need to stop with experiments and invest in guys like Cowherd. That direction was solidified when they hired Jamie Horowitz earlier this year. ESPN has been cutting costs with its personalities up for big raises and Horowitz has been gunning for Cowherd ever since Fox hired him.

He'll probably move back to his native West Coast, have a radio show that will be simulcast, have a recorded TV show like he did with Sports Nation that will air in the late afternoon, and make regular contributions to the FS1 and FS2 flagship programs.

fox has longterm coverage deal with espn and international soccer and within first year on air their new cable arm fs1 cancelled both the weekday nfl daily show and the weekday soccer daily show; fox just dumped newsroom jobs in LA because they overhired to begin with pre launch late spring early summer 2013, fox at a rsn level disbanded all of the team beat writers per team effective june 30, the most ridiculous sports media note ever: tom gage who was a longtime tigers beat man is being inducted into cooperstown next weekend with the spink award which is given to one baseball writer each year, his publication the detroit news cancelled his services over the winter and fs detroit cancelled his services via big fox june 30

fs1/fs2 most consistent daytime program has either been mike simulcast or live event soccer via uefa, wwc or gold cup i don't believe they have a big following for america's pregame and i think they will have another revolution by sept for new studio shows based on who (personalities) fall to them

the katie nolan show i am not a fan of because she got a great pro chance but has little pedigree to carry a weekly variety sports show

fox is big on nascar/ufc/mlb/nfl/usga/motocross/ and soon nhra, they have a bunch of deals that reflect the fact they want to fill up their programming schedule with live sport event content and have little studio show marriage to the content

fox would have liked to be a player for nba but turner and disney put an end to that fast and now with their slashing of how they do business they won't have on site reporting for live events that they are not rightsholding to on a day to day leve

 

[BabyBlue]

I don't understand this love for Mike Francesca, he is so disrespectful to his callers and has never ever complimented a caller, just tells them that they are wrong, and his points are so annoying on sports he doesn't watch, when he talks about the Rangers that is the worst, I don't know if he's ever watched a hockey game in his life. He talks sports like your friend at the water cooler, which to me brings no insight.

HE FALLS ASLEEP ON THE AIR, ALMOST ONCE A WEEK!

Also Cowherd, while his attitude rubs some people the wrong way, is so smart and his points may be out there sometimes but they make you think, and he explains them so well. Also, his show got the best of the best for guests, and he handled them so well, ex. Jim Harabaugh disaster.

Colin was my favorite show on ESPN Radio and it wasn't even close, I am sincerely going to miss his show, and how it made you actually think, and was a pleasure to listen to

I'm 100% with you! Francesca's voice makes me cringe. He becomes such a whiney baby when someone doesn't agree with his comments. And there's only so many "one time when I was with Bill Parcells'..." stories I can take.

I don't always agree with Cowerd but he gives you such a different view than your typical sports radio host and it made you think a different way. Perhaps he has/had a big ego but I will miss him.

 

[Fordham_57]

Francesa is bad when talking sports, but should stick to that rather than try to show off his musical "knowledge."

When Dick Clark died, Francesa told his audience that American Bandstand introduced American TV audiences to Elvis Presley. He was wrong as Elvis' first mass TV exposure was a pair of famous appearances on the Milton Berle Show.

Another time Francesa authoritatively stated that while John Lennon was the most talented Beatle, Paul McCartney was a better guitarist. A caller then told Francesa that his statement was absurd since McCartney primarily played bass. .Francesa hung up on the guy pretty quick.

It has always been my understanding that the Beetles were first introduced to American audiences on The Ed Sullivan Show. Frank

 

[Fordham_57]

I have no real opinion on Mike, but I'm not a fan of Colin and his shtick. The difference is that Colin is much more relevant right now and can draw in people from across the country on multiple platforms.

Fox has struggled with programming on FS1 and FS2 primarily because they have given shows (original content, not including Mike's simulcast) to personalities who have no following and Regis Philbin (what a disaster). They have started to put a small dent into ESPN due to the live TV contracts, primarily NFL, college football, golf, and soccer, but if they want to get any market share outside of live sports, they need to stop with experiments and invest in guys like Cowherd. That direction was solidified when they hired Jamie Horowitz earlier this year. ESPN has been cutting costs with its personalities up for big raises and Horowitz has been gunning for Cowherd ever since Fox hired him.

He'll probably move back to his native West Coast, have a radio show that will be simulcast, have a recorded TV show like he did with Sports Nation that will air in the late afternoon, and make regular contributions to the FS1 and FS2 flagship programs.

I believe Cowherd just bought a home in South Bay. Frank

 

[Seton75]

I'll concede that he did what he did, but being dismissive of callers is a huge negative. People call his show to talk about sports, not rocket science. They pick up the phone and dial it because they think they have something to add. Not allowing them to do that is horrible and shouldn't be the norm. That's why I liked Jack Spector and Bill Mazer. They were respectable to their callers and audience and let them have their say, even when they were just 12 years old. I like Steve Sommers much more than Francesa. Sommers is not an expert and doesn't try to be. He's a throwback to personality radio and tries to have fun. Back when I listened to that station Sommers would often make me laugh. Francesa never once did that, at least not in a good way.

I used to like somers but can't take him anymore. Can we complain about francesca shortcomings and not bring up the time when Steve's question to strawberry was so long Darryl fell asleep by the time ss finished asking it... What Mike does works. I think he sounds like a jerk when he yells at callers, and when he repeats himself three times it drives me nuts. But he has the biggest job and still dominates as he has since he helped make this format viable. If you put somers on in drive time the ratings would tank and your career in radio would be over.