ESPN Releases Newly Altered Weekday Radio Schedule To Begin In '18

TIME ON MY SIDE: SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote what the schedule "makes clear is that ESPN management valued" Stephen A. Smith over Ryen Russillo in terms of "giving him the higher-profile slot." When it comes to a national sports talk show, potential affiliates are "much more likely to take a late morning or early afternoon national show than drive time, where most major cities employ local people given the huge interest in local sports." ESPN management has "obviously been trying" to get Will Cain "more reps across the brand given he is a conservative political voice." This slot will "give him volume in addition to his appearances on First Take" (SI.com, 11/19).

A NEW FAN: Incoming N.Y.-based WFAN radio host Maggie Gray said of getting called about the position, "I was shocked. I asked [WFAN VP/Programming Mark Chernoff]: ‘Is this real? How interested are you?’ And they said, ‘We’re very interested,’ and then things started to move very, very quickly." On Long Island, Neil Best noted Gray will be the "first woman on WFAN's daytime schedule" since '01. Gray: "I don’t know if it matters, male, female, or what race you are. If the chemistry is good, people are going to like it" (NEWSDAY, 11/18). In N.Y., Bob Raissman wrote WFAN execs were "holding out hope they could land their number one target -- Max Kellerman." If Kellerman "agreed to take the gig, FAN likely would’ve gone with a two-man team," featuring Kellerman and Chris Carlin. Sources said that Kellerman was "looking for around" $3M per year. The three hosts WFAN "eventually hired make roughly -- COMBINED -- about one-third of what Kellerman was asking for" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/19).