Sports Fan Radio Network

Last updated

The Sports Fan Radio Network was a national sports talk radio network that existed from 1993 through 2001, when it abruptly folded.

Contents

History

Launch

SportsFan Radio Network officially debuted in 1993 with 80 hours of programming per month. Based in Las Vegas, the network broadcast its flagship show SportsFan Tonight from the Sports Theatre in the Las Vegas Hilton. Original hosts of the show were Geoff Nathanson and long time NFL scribe Howard Balzer.

1994-2000

By 1994, SportsFan expanded to a 24/7 format, seven days a week. The signature show, SportsFan Tonight moved its broadcast location from the MGM Grand Las Vegas in 1994. Later it moved to the sportsbook at the Mandalay Bay. The daily line up included baseball's all-time hit leader Pete Rose, as well as a stable of young talent. Others hosting shows over the years included former NFL QB Sean Salisbury, former NFL All-Pro Tim Ryan, Fox and CBS host James Brown, longtime broadcaster Pat O'Brien, former NBA coach Matt Goukas, NHL great Phil Esposito, former NFL All-Pro Bob Golic and former NCAA basketball coaches Bill Frieder and Fran Fraschilla. Other hosts included Bruce Schein, Chris Russo (now Russell), J. T. the Brick, Steve Cofield, Rob Tepper, Chuck Powell, Ryan Williams,Marty Tirrell, Ken Miller, Soren Petro, Rob Fischer, Mike "The Sports Pig" Responts, John Phillips, John Rabe, Brandon Tierney, Jim Brinson, Chad Andrus. Scott Ferrall, Dave Cokin, Eric Pollero, Tim Neverett and others. By the late '90s, SportsFan partnered with CBS Sportsline to broadcast two shows daily. One program was hosted by Craig Carton, the other "The Drive" with Scott Kaplan and Sid Rosenberg. Later they landed a handful of other significant names, including Nanci Donellan (a.k.a. "The Fabulous Sports Babe") from ESPN Radio. Keith Olbermann also hosted a few shows.

Closure

In 2001, however, the network began facing intense pressure from upstart network Fox Sports Radio, which had the major backing of industry giant Clear Channel Communications. Additionally, SFRN's parent company, Winstar Communications, a NASDAQ-traded telecommunications firm, began experiencing severe financial trouble (which eventually ended in bankruptcy). [1] Determining that the network could not compete with ESPN, Fox, and One on One Sports, Sports Fan Radio Network began dismantling. Eventually, Donnellan was fired one week before the Super Bowl, leaving J. T. the Brick and Scott Ferrall as some of the remaining hosts, hosting two live shifts plus replays throughout the day. The network folded in May 2001, ceding most of its affiliates to Fox.

Former hosts

After being released by Sports Fan, The Fabulous Sports Babe took an approximately 6-year break from radio broadcasting, during which she underwent treatment for cancer. She returned in sporadic guest hosting gigs in 2007, and in April 2008, returned full-time as the co-host of "Brantley and the Babe" on WHBO in Tampa Bay. After various stops on Tampa Bay area radio stations, she left radio again in 2014.

Chuck Powell hosted news talk and FM morning radio in Phoenix from 2003 to 2009. He's now with Seattle's KJR from 10a-Noon.

After the folding of Sports Fan, Frank Andrews, whose real name is Angelo Fracassi, changed his stage name to "Zig" and went to work in his native Western New York, for the now defunct radio station WNSA. After that station was sold off, Zig landed a job at Sirius Satellite Radio, where he hosted NHL Live (until that show moved to XM) and is currently a weekend anchor for Sirius NFL Radio and Mad Dog Radio.

Soren Petro now hosts "The Program" in Kansas City on 810 WHB, one of the largest sports talk stations in the country (covering six states).

After the dissolution of SFRN, J. T. the Brick was almost immediately hired by Fox Sports Radio, where he is today.

Scott Ferrall currently works for CBS Sports Radio; he spent several years at Sirius XM Radio's Howard 101 prior to joining CBS.

Bill Lekas went to Sporting News Radio and later moved to Sirius XM Radio.

Dave Cokin and Steve Cofield stayed in Las Vegas, hosting on ESPN920 and FoxSportsRadio1460. They teamed up for DC and the Sunshine Man on ESPN1100 from 2007 to 2011. They currently do shows on ESPN1100/100.9 FM, Cokin from 2–3 and Cofield 3–6.

"The Sports Pig" hosted in Boise, and then back in Las Vegas on FoxSportsRadio1460. He was joined by Cofield for "Steve and the Sports Pig" from 2004 to 2007. He died in 2012 at age 52.

Scott Kaplan and Sid Rosenberg would go on to be the original co-hosts of The Sports Guys on WNEW-FM. Kaplan now works at XEPRS-AM in San Diego. Rosenberg went on to greater fame as a co-host at WFAN, working alongside the likes of Joe Benigno and Don Imus, eventually inheriting Imus's time slot after his retirement and death. Jorge Sedano now hosts The Sedano Show nationally on ESPN Radio.

Ryan Williams, hired from WFAN when SFRN launched 24/7, hosted weekends and moved to mornings teaming up with fellow host Steve Cofield, with major affiliates in Tampa, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Las Vegas. Williams moved to the program director position and was also responsible for discovering Chris Russo (Russell), Bill Lekas and Brandon Tierney, providing them with their first national presence in the industry.

Craig Carton was a co-host Boomer and Carton in the Morning on WFAN, but was convicted on federal fraud charges and reported to prison in June 2019.

John Phillips was with CBS Radio Pittsburgh 93.7 The Fan working as a sports anchor/reporter and talk-show host.

Tim Ryan is now with the NFL on Fox and Sirius NFL Radio.

Bruce Schein currently produces (and appears on-air) on Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo's television program High Heat on the MLB Network.

There was also a weekend host by the name of Chris Russo (not the same Chris Russo of Mike and the Mad Dog fame); he hosted the Redskins pre-and post game shows on the Washington Redskins radio network. He's now a host and the Redskins Insider for ESPN980 in 2005.

Rocco Pendola hosted a show on the network. He is no longer in radio and works as a freelance writer, recently appearing as a regular on thestreet.com.

Eric Pollero, who hosted and produced the show "SportsFan Conversations", went on to work at CBS SportsLine in Florida. Eric is currently an account executive with WSJS/Curtis Media Group in North Carolina.

Geoff Nathanson went on to work in television and radio as a play-by-play announcer and host at LA powerhouse radio station KNX 1070. He also developed into the go-to guy for TV sportscaster parts and commercials, working in a famous LeBron James Powerade spot, a Lance Armstrong Nike commercial, a Gordie Howe IBM spot and a David Eckstein Del Taco commercial. He has appeared as a recurring character in the ABC Family Channel series, "Make it or Break it" as well as on "Providence", King of Queens" and hosted the World Championship of Fantasy Football on Versus.

Former station

At least one affiliate, KSFN in Las Vegas, Nevada (the flagship station of Frank Andrews's and Papa Joe's program), took its call sign from the network. It later became KXST, a CBS Sports Radio station.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Russo</span> American sports radio personality

Christopher Michael Russo, also known as "Mad Dog", is an American sports radio personality best known as the former co-host of the Mike and the Mad Dog sports radio program with Mike Francesa, which was broadcast on WFAN in New York City and simulcasted on the YES Network. Russo joined Sirius XM Radio in August 2008 and operates his own channel, Mad Dog Sports Radio. He also hosts an afternoon radio show, Mad Dog Unleashed, SiriusXM Ch. 82 Mad Dog Sports Radio. Russo also joined MLB Network on March 31, 2014 and hosts his own show, High Heat, and as of 2021, co-hosts with Alanna Rizzo. He also frequently appears on ESPN’s First Take. Russo was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame on November 1, 2022.

WFAN is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York, carrying a sports radio format known as "Sports Radio 66 AM and 101.9 FM" or "The Fan". Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves the New York metropolitan area while its 50,000-watt clear channel signal can be heard at night throughout much of the eastern United States and Canada. WFAN's studios are located in the Hudson Square neighborhood of lower Manhattan and its transmitter is located on High Island in the Bronx. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WFAN is simulcast over WFAN-FM, and is available online via Audacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Eisen</span> American sports television journalist

Richard Eisen is an American television sportscaster and radio host. Since 2003, he has worked for NFL Network as a host of various pregame, halftime, and postgame shows. He also hosts a daily sports radio show, The Rich Eisen Show. From 1996 to 2003, he worked at ESPN, most prominently as an anchor of SportsCenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Sports Radio</span> American sports radio network

Fox Sports Radio is an American sports radio network. Based in Los Angeles, California, the network is operated and managed by Premiere Networks in a content partnership with Fox Corporation's Fox Sports division and iHeartMedia, parent company of Premiere Networks. With studios also in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Tampa, Phoenix, Tulsa, Cincinnati, and Las Vegas, Fox Sports Radio is broadcast on more than 400 stations, as well as FoxSports.com on MSN and iHeartRadio.

Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and callers. Many sports talk stations also carry play-by-play of local sports teams as part of their regular programming

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Francesa</span> Sports radio host

Michael Patrick Francesa is an American sports-radio talk-show host. Together with Chris Russo, he launched Mike and the Mad Dog in 1989 on WFAN in New York City, which ran until 2008 and is one of the most successful sports-talk radio programs in American history.

John Tournour, better known as JT the Brick, is a sports talk radio host based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He currently hosts "Brick at Night With JT the Brick" on Sirius XM Satellite Radio's Mad Dog Sports Radio, a show on KRLV in Las Vegas, and various programs for the Las Vegas Raiders including the team's radio pregame show. Tournour graduated from SUNY Geneseo in 1987 with a degree in Speech Communication. He was also president of Delta Kappa Tau fraternity and a member of the rugby team.

<i>Mike and the Mad Dog</i> American sports talk radio program

Mike and the Mad Dog was an American sports radio show hosted by Mike Francesa and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo that aired in afternoons on WFAN in New York City from September 1989 to August 2008. From 2002 the show was simulcast on television on the YES Network. On the radio, the show was simulcast beginning 2007 on WQYK in Tampa, Florida, and from 2004 until 2007 on WROW in Albany, New York.

Scott Ferrall is an American sports talk radio personality who hosts two shows on the SportsGrid video streaming service, Scott Ferrall: Coast to Coast and In-Game Live.

Gabriel Morency is a Canadian sports broadcaster, who hosted the daily shows Morency and Covers Experts on Hardcore Sports Radio as well as Sports Rage on both Hardcore Sports Radio (HSR) and The Score Television Network. He was also a host on Team 1040 in Vancouver and Team 990 in Montreal. In November 2018 he launched a new show with Corey Parsons and Michelle Serpico, The Morning After on FNTSY Sports Network in New York City. He now hosts several shows for Sportsgrid TV alongside Scott Ferrall, live from the Meadowlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evan Roberts (sportscaster)</span> American sports radio personality (born 1983)

Evan Roberts is an American sports radio personality. He co-hosts the Evan and Tiki radio show, along with Tiki Barber, on the New York radio stations WFAN-AM and WFAN-FM.

The NFL on Westwood One Sports is the branding for Cumulus Broadcasting subsidiary Westwood One's radio coverage of the National Football League. These games are distributed throughout the United States and Canada. The broadcasts were previously branded with the CBS Radio and Dial Global marques; CBS Radio was the original Westwood One's parent company and Dial Global purchased the company in 2011. Dial Global has since reverted its name to Westwood One after merging with Cumulus Media Networks.

Bruce Murray is an American sports radio personality and the host of a daily radio show on SiriusXM's NFL Radio. Murray is the host of the "SiriusXM Blitz", heard Monday through Friday from 11AM - 3PM eastern time. Murray can also be heard hosting "Time to let it fly with Murray and Lye", on the SiriusXM PGA Channel with former touring pro, Mark Lye. He has been with SiriusXM and its predecessor, Sirius Satellite Radio, since 2006, when he began as co-host of The Mike and Murray Show ; he would also host the Red Zone on Sirius NFL Radio."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tina Cervasio</span> American sports anchor

Tina Cervasio is an American sports anchor. She is the lead sports anchor for Good Day New York on Fox 5 NY WNYW and the host of Sports Extra on Sunday nights at 10:30 in New York City. She has worked for CBS Sports Network as a sideline reporter, SiriusXM NBA Radio as a host, the New York Red Bulls television broadcasts as the pre-game and halftime host and reporter. Cervasio is the winner of Seven New York Emmy Awards as part of the New York Knicks Broadcasts on MSG Networks from 2008 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Carton</span> American radio personality

Craig Harris Carton is an American radio and television personality. He was the co-host of the Carton and Roberts sports radio program on WFAN in New York City, and is seen nationally on Fox Sports 1 as host of The Carton Show weekday mornings. He previously co-hosted Boomer and Carton on WFAN and later CBS Sports Network from 2007 to 2017.

Glenn Younes is a former sports radio personality, philanthropist and founder of Corner Unit Media. On August 22, 2011 he started on Baltimore's 105.7 The Fan WJZ-FM which is licensed to Catonsville, MD. He will also be part of pre- and post-game show broadcasts of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens on 105.7 The Fan.

<i>Boomer and Gio</i> American morning drive sports radio show

Boomer and Gio is a morning drive sports radio program on WFAN-AM and WFAN-FM in New York City. It is hosted by former National Football League player Boomer Esiason and radio personality Gregg Giannotti.

Adam Schein is an American radio and TV sportscaster. He has worked for Sirius XM and CBS Sports Network.

The New York Sports radio WFAN, first broadcast on July 1, 1987 at 1050AM replacing WHN. WFAN was the first all sports station in the United States. The station's current frequency, 660AM. was formerly known as WNBC and first transmitted on March 2, 1922. WFAN moved to 660AM at 5:30PM Eastern Time on October 7, 1988 when WNBC signed off for the last time.

Zach Gelb is an American sports talk radio personality who is best known as host of the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio.

References

  1. "Winstar Files for Bankruptcy, Blames Lucent". Los Angeles Times. April 19, 2001. Retrieved April 15, 2015.