It may be the end of an era. According to Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch, ESPN is considering ending its long running morning show Mike & Mike. The morning drive time program airs on ESPN Radio from 6-10 am and is simulcast on ESPN2.
Mike Greenberg is rumored to be moved over as lead host of his own morning talk show on ESPN to air from 6-10 am. The new show would potentially have elements of SportsCenter—which currently airs at that time—as well as a traditional morning show.
It’s no secret that the cable giant has been struggling with ratings the last few years and are in major cost cutting mode. The network is still profitable but the marketplace has grown more competitive and viewers have many options during that time slot. While Mike & Mike remain popular the move is likely in response to help bolster ratings on ESPN during the SportsCenter time slot.
Rumors have been flying around Bristol for a while regarding potential changes to the show. In May 2015 ESPN said the show would move from Bristol to ABC’s Times Square studio in NYC. The move was intended to turn Mike & Mike into a morning show a la Good Morning America. Including potential interaction with the ABC show, which like ESPN is under the Disney umbrella. But, it never happened. The show has also seen a variety of co-hosts added to the dais, with the hopes of bringing in different audiences. Traug Keller who is in charge of ESPN’s audio business spoke to Deitsch and said:
I will tell you that a litmus test of mine for Mike & Mike and how it fits in with the brand is I want Mike & Mike to be able to be on with the moms driving the kids in the backseat to school. We get feedback on that, and it matters. It matters to our brand. Do we want to have the sports show of record where commissioners want to come to get their point of view across? Yes. All that stuff matters. It actually allows us to deliver an audience that advertisers feel very comfortable in and more and more today advertisers are trying to stay away from controversial talk.
That was back in March, it now looks like the network has moved towards seriously considering a change. I can’t say I’m surprised, ESPN has grown into a behemoth. The thing that big companies have to fear is becoming too stagnant. As you grow in size, innovation and edginess are buzzwords that make the suits nervous. I realize a lot of money is at stake but you can’t be afraid to be ahead and set the curve.