ESPN Radio 980 DC next Monday will finally debut its hyped morning show hosted by Jason Reid and Chris Paul after a two-week delay that came following someone making "prank calls" to the station claiming to be ESPN President John Skipper and "demanding the show's cancellation," according to Hobson & Farhi of the WASHINGTON POST. The show, called "The Man Cave," was set to hit the air on March 16, but was "abruptly shelved in a move that prompted accusations" that Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder "was seeking to kill the program." Snyder owns the station through his Red Zebra Broadcasting unit, and Reid, a former Washington Post sports columnist, is known for his "criticism of team management." It remains unclear whether Snyder or the Redskins "had anything to do" with the delay. However, sources said that the person making the calls to the station mimicked Skipper's "Southern drawl and knew enough about ESPN 980's inner workings to initially convince station executives that they were from Skipper." The sources added that one of the calls "threatened legal trouble for the station and possible financial penalties if it bumped 'Mike and Mike' for 'The Man Cave.'" The caller also used a number "with an 860 area code -- in Connecticut, where ESPN is headquartered." One source said that Red Zebra CEO Rick Carmean "told people the show was dead" and that Skipper "had killed it." Carmean also "alerted Redskins management about the calls." Hobson & Farhi report the ruse was uncovered when Redskins President Bruce Allen, after "hearing that Skipper was upset about something at WTEM," called Skipper to assure him that he "would look into Skipper's concerns." Sources said that a "confused Skipper thanked Allen, then called his deputies at ESPN and asked them to figure out what Allen had been talking about" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/25).
