The end of a New York sports radio era will conclude as “The Michael Kay Show” will soon broadcast its last program in the afternoon time slot on ESPN New York, sources briefed on the decision told The Athletic.
While Kay will remain on the air in mid-days, the battle between Kay and his ESPN New York cohorts against their nemeses on WFAN that have included Mike Francesa, Chris Russo, Evan Roberts and Craig Carton is now over, signifying the conclusion of what was one of the most entertaining and contentious periods in the history of the medium in New York. The afternoon Kay Show has been on for 22 years.
Nearly two years ago, Kay flirted with leaving afternoons, but ESPN made a big financial push to keep him. This time around, with the ESPN and the radio business evolving, Kay’s desire to work a more manageable schedule earlier in the day and the lack of an overwhelming offer for him to remain in the afternoons were considered decisive factors, according to sources briefed on the discussions.
The final afternoon show is expected to be next Friday, Dec. 13.
Kay, the star of the program that also featured Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg in its most successful recent stage, is not leaving the airwaves entirely; Kay will become a solo act from 1-3 p.m. ET on ESPN New York, which is streamed on its own app and can be found on 880 AM in New York.
In the afternoons, La Greca and Rosenberg are expected to stay and be joined by former newspaperman turned longtime TV and radio personality, Alan Hahn, though no deals are yet signed.
All the new programs will begin on Jan. 6th.
Hahn has been on locally with former NFL Pro Bowl linebacker Bart Scott from 1-3 p.m. ET. The proposed show with La Graca, Rosenberg and Hahn will be from 3-7 p.m. ET.
The YES simulcast for Kay’s new time slot and afternoons are still to be determined. YES and ESPN have had some preliminary discussions but could not work out a deal until the radio station had its lineup settled. Those discussions should pick up after the agreements are finalized.
ESPN declined to comment.
In the new format, Scott is expected to shift to 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET with Dan Graca. This would knock Mike Greenberg’s national show from 880 AM. This is not as big of a factor as it was when ESPN’s Radio local signal was on the more desirable 98.7 FM.
In New York, ESPN still provides the on-air hosts for the local programs, while Good Karma Brands runs the marketing and advertising departments.
In the morning on ESPN New York, Rick DiPietro and Dave Rothenberg will continue where they have made inroads and gained popularity, though WFAN’s Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti are still the top sports morning show and often are No. 1 rated in all of New York radio.
The fight between the stations, which reached its peak when Kay and Francesa had a war of words that heightened the anticipation of who would win the Nielsen Audio Radio ratings, had already dissipated as, under Good Karma, ESPN New York had discontinued using Neilsen’s tabulations as it focused more on digital growth.
Kay, 63, will continue as the TV voice of the Yankees on YES, but now will be a solo act in mid-days, moving down in the order as a sports radio era in New York ends.
Required reading
(Photo: Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)
