ESPN2's weekday morning shows -- "Mike & Mike" and "First Take" -- have seen their viewership numbers take off in recent months, and Molly Qerim during that time has had a front row seat as a contributor to both shows. After “Mike & Mike” scored its second-best February viewership on record, its Q1 viewership was up 16% from the same period in ’15. “First Take” similarly saw a boost, up 7%. Qerim started with "First Take" over the summer and was brought onto "Mike & Mike" in February the day after the Super Bowl. She said, "Initially, I was a little nervous because it was a big challenge doing both shows," but added she has now "gotten into a rhythm." Qerim, who has had previous stints as a reporter on NFL Network and CBS Sports Network, pointed out what she believes she has brought to the programs. "I am offering a millennial perspective, which is different from the (other contributors on the shows), and a female perspective," she said. But Qerim added of her role on both shows, "At the end of the day, it's the same thing that they’re doing. You’re watching, listening, reading, and hopefully you’re coming in and trying to do your job. I try to work hard, be professional, be fun to work with and be accountable."
DAY IN THE LIFE: "Mike & Mike" rolled into '16 with a new studio. Qerim, who is on set for the last two hours of the show's 6:00-10:00am ET window, noted the show was trying to add more of a visual component, including a graphics package that can pull up video highlights and social media reactions on set. Qerim: "It’s still capitalizing on this radio show that has just dominated the industry for so many years, and adding that visual feed and more voices. Keeping the TV audience engaged as well. I think they’ve done a really great job with that." After "Mike & Mike" wraps up, Qerim said she has around seven minutes to shuffle over to the set of "First Take." The Connecticut native then is on set for another two hours before finishing her airtime. Qerim said she “loves the range that the shows have,” adding her on-air chemistry with Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg “is starting to grow” to the same level she shares with Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith on “First Take.”
BRING IT: Qerim called herself a “gamer” who likes “to be busy." Qerim: "I’ve always been pretty disciplined. I definitely work a lot, but I love it.” As a woman working in sports media, Qerim takes pride in her work ethic and the job she does. “There is part of you as a female -- no question -- that feels like you have to be overprepared and outwork the men because people are automatically going to look at you and say, ‘Well, you didn’t play football,’ or, ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about,’ because you are a female. But there’s been such a change with women in this business, that women now are not only having a presence, but women are having a voice. I really appreciate being a part of that and I hope that continues to grow.”
