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Gregg Giannotti Nearly Went To Afternoons

“In the span of 24 hours, Gio went from mornings, to afternoons and back to mornings where he and Esiason have successfully built a new show for WFAN.”

Brandon Contes

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Gio, Maggie and Bart? We don’t know for sure what the combination would have been, but WFAN morning host Gregg Giannotti told the story of how he almost ended up in afternoons for the station three years ago. 

Following Craig Carton’s arrest in Sept. 2017, WFAN gave Boomer Esiason a few different potential co-hosts to try. Although it was widely believed CBS Sports Radio’s Gregg Giannotti was the best fit, Esiason didn’t want a shotgun marriage. 

The former NFL quarterback lost his decade long radio quarterback and Esiason was still getting strong ratings in the aftermath without Carton, so he likely didn’t feel the need to rush into finding a new partner. Meanwhile, WFAN had another big opening to fill with Mike Francesa’s first planned departure from the station set to take place at the end of 2017. Knowing they wanted to move Gio from the network into WFAN’s lineup, they chose to make him part of their new afternoon show instead of waiting for Esiason to decide on his co-host. 

According to Gio, the next morning, a more decisive Esiason called him into his office, tossed him a bag of cauliflower crisps and said “let’s do it…you’re going to mornings, call you’re agent.”

Program director Mark Chernoff soon walked by and Esiason reiterated what he told Gio. 

“Hey Mark,” Gio remembers Esiason saying. “Get the deal done, we’re doing this.”

“Are you sure? Because you weren’t sure” Chernoff awkwardly asked Esiason with Giannotti still standing there. But despite Esiason choosing Gio as his co-host, some people in the company still wanted him in afternoons. 

Chernoff, Esiason, and then EVP of programming Chris Oliviero scheduled an hour-long closed-door meeting to discuss the decision while Gio lurked in the newsroom, which sits just down the hall from the PD’s office. An hour later, out from the mini summit comes Esiason, walking through the newsroom, passing by Gio with a thumbs up and a nod. 

In the span of 24 hours, Gio went from mornings, to afternoons and back to mornings where he and Esiason have successfully built a new show for WFAN.

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KNBR’s Brian Murphy Speaks for First Time After Paul McCaffrey Laid Off

“Paulie Mac is my guy, will forever be my guy. The best thing I could ever wish anyone is that you get to work with someone as loyal, energetic, funny, consistent as the guy his Jersey buddies call ‘Smack’.”

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A photo of Paul McCaffrey and Brian Murphy
(Photo: KNBR)

Earlier this week, KNBR underwent a round of layoffs, affecting a pair of programs on the Bay Area sports station, including the departure of longtime morning host Paul McCaffrey. His longtime partner — Brian Murphy — has taken to X to share his thoughts.

In a thread to X, Murphy shared his admiration for McCaffrey, whom he hosted Murph and Mac with for 18 years.

“Paulie Mac is my guy, will forever be my guy. The best thing I could ever wish anyone is that you get to work with someone as loyal, energetic, funny, consistent as the guy his Jersey buddies call ‘Smack’,” wrote Murphy. “So much love.”

He then shared that everything listeners and fans of the program have shared on social media has been read by the duo, and thanked them for the outpouring of love and support.

Finally, Murphy addressed his future. Fill-in host Dieter Kurtenbach shared on Thursday he did not have a definitive answer about Murphy’s future with the Cumulus-owned station.

However, Brian Murphy has shared he will return to the airwaves on Monday morning.

“I’ll be back Monday morning on KNBR with our guy Markus (Waterboy) Boucher,” Murphy wrote. “Come on. It’s Niners-Eagles. Wouldn’t miss it. As Paulie Mac’s board itself would say: The show goes on.”

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Mike Mulligan: Sports Radio is More Difficult Than Other Formats Think

He shared that he has worked with people on morning shows that he has seen come to a station fully hungover who play music and proceed to sit on the couch.

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Mike Mulligan
Courtesy: Illinois Entertainer

On Friday morning’s edition of Mully & Haugh on 670 The Score in Chicago, co-host Mike Mulligan outlined the difference with music radio that hosts are not continuously talking to the audience, instead taking mic breaks and then interspersing commentary with different songs.

Filling in for David Haugh on Friday’s edition of the program was Gabe Ramirez, who used to work in the format with B96 as the host of its morning show. Mulligan’s assertion about the differences between the two formats resulted in a conversation about the differences between the grenres, with Ramirez explaining the difficulties that music radio hosts face on the air.

“The music station’s still creating content,” Ramirez said. “You get to have a guest – since I am going to defend my music stations – you get to have a guest and toss them a softball question and listen to them rant for five minutes.”

Mulligan disagreed with this perspective, conveying that he does not feel their program provides guests with easy questions. Additionally, he shared that he has worked with people on morning shows that he has seen come to a station fully hungover who play music and proceed to sit on the couch.

“As a former sportswriter, we sit around and we talk about sports,” Mulligan said. “We talk about the sports we cover and we talk about other sports.”

“You have to talk about Justin Fields seven days in a row,” Ramirez replied. “As a morning show for music, you have to come up with new content every day.”

Rather than taking umbrage towards the response, Mike Mulligan explained that the key to effectively performing his job is being able to discuss important stories of the day even when they are not the headlines. Furthermore, he expounded on the commitment that it takes to watch the amount of sporting events and to be properly informed on the action so he is able to take the air.

“That I will agree with,” Ramirez said. “I’ve told people this – they ask me, ‘What’s the biggest difference?’ The prep, without question, is way more difficult in sports radio because everyone that’s listening to you already knows the answers and you have to be equally if not more informed in all of those things.”

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Minnesota Twins Set to Tab Cory Provus as New TV Voice, Kris Atteberry as Lead Radio Announcer

Provus has been the radio voice of the Minnesota Twins since 2012.

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Minnesota Twins

After Dick Bremer exited the Minnesota Twins TV booth in October, the search began for his replacement. The MLB franchise didn’t have to look far, though.

Twins radio voice Cory Provus is reportedly set to become the new TV play-by-play broadcaster for the club, according to a report from Dan Hayes of The Athletic.

Provus has been the radio voice of the Minnesota Twins since 2012. Many immediately tabbed him as the club’s replacement for Bremer, who retired after 40 seasons as the lead television voice of the American League club. Before joining the team in 2012, Provus worked for the Milwaukee Brewers as the number two broadcaster after spending two seasons as the radio pregame host for the Chicago Cubs.

Meanwhile, Kris Atteberry has been signaled as the person set to replace Provus inside the franchise’s radio booth. He has served as the pregame and postgame host for the Minnesota Twins Radio Network since 2007. Atteberry joined the club after spending five years calling games for the then-Independent St. Paul Saints from 2002-2006.

While the television and radio broadcast crews appear set, questions remain about where the team will televise its games in 2024. The club’s contract with Bally Sports North has reportedly expired, and it has yet to sign an agreement with the bankruptcy-laden RSN, or with a local over-the-air television station.

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