Last year, we learned that ESPN was breaking-up their successful morning sports duo of “Mike & Mike” and sending each in a different direction. For eighteen years, former NFL defensive tackle Mike Golic sparred with affable sportswriter Mike Greenberg in the morning drive show for ESPN Radio and, later, on ESPN2.
This highly unlikely professional duo had something special which is hard to replicate. Golic, whose bigger-than-life physical stature made him the tough guy, and Greenberg, whose insightful writing and out-of-left-field questioning style made him the protagonist, were simply a joy to listen to. They made sports talk fun and spawned countless national and local radio wannabes.
Then, ESPN announced the duo was splitting up and going in different directions.
Last fall, the “Mike & Mike” show became “Golic and Wingo” with Trey Wingo trying to fill the shoes of Mike Greenberg. Though Wingo has talent, the spark of fun that Greenberg injected into the show with his unusual line of questions to Golic is sorely missed. As much as I am a Mike Golic fan, “Golic and Wingo” just doesn’t sound like either one of them is having any fun.
Enter Phase 2. On Monday, ESPN television will begin its new weekday morning show featuring Mike Greenberg. This time, Greeny will be paired with former NBA star, Jalen Rose, and ESPN on-air personality, Michelle Beadle. The show will be called, “Get Up!” (brought to you by Viagra? nyuk, nyuk, nyuk).
Greenberg claims the new show will be about sports and only sports. Pardon my sarcasm, but it looks to me like ESPN is assembling a multi-personality cast to compete with morning television shows such as Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, and the like. ESPN has been known to venture into a left-of-center position on many social and political issues in recent years. It is hard for me to believe that this show will be any different.
It is also a very costly venture – if only for the personalities alone. While ESPN has laid off hundreds of staff workers due to diminishing revenues, the three stars of this shiny new ESPN morning show won’t be underpaid. According to one source, Greenberg will be earning $6.5 million, Beadle $5 million, and Rose about $3 million.
On the same day Mike Greenberg’s new television show debuts on ESPN, Mike Golic’s new venture is being pushed further into television obscurity. Beginning Monday, the televised portion of “Golic & Wingo” will be banished from ESPN2 and will be simulcast on ESPNews.
In my television market (and many nationally), ESPN and ESPN2 are on consecutive channels. Being the trouble-making conspiracy theorist that I am, it would appear that ESPN is trying to avoid having the two “Mikes” living next to each other – even on the television dial. Seriously, why else would ESPN choose to relocate Mike Golic’s program on the same day that Greenberg’s new show debuts?
I like Mike Greenberg and wish him well. Personally, I have doubts about how informative and entertaining his new team will be, but television is all about appearances, isn’t it?
For Mike Golic, radio is a completely different animal. I truly hope he can find that spark of fun that Greenberg was able to provide during their “Mike & Mike” days again soon. Radio is entertainment, too, but it is also a theater of the mind and requires a lot of creativity in order to build loyal listeners.
Will the two “Mike” shows succeed? It certainly looks like ESPN has given Greenberg’s venture all of the resources needed for success, while the company has literally ripped a sail off of Golic’s boat by banishing his morning show further down the dial.
Great chemistry is hard to replicate. Did ESPN make the right moves by splitting-up “Mike & Mike” or will they blow-up the chemistry laboratory (again) by messing with the magic formula that brought so much success?