Mike & Mike, ESPN Radio and ESPN2's weekday morning show (6 - 10 a.m. ET) hosted by Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, will debut an enhanced studio set on Monday, Feb. 8. FIRST TAKE moderator Molly Qerim will officially join the show that day, and for the last two hours (8-10 a.m.) will present a variety of content including news and breaking news updates and the hottest trending topics on the sports social media scene. Each edition of Mike & Mike will end with an interaction between the show's hosts and First Take's Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith, facilitated by Qerim, to bridge the transition between ESPN2's morning programs. FIRST TAKE follows Mike & Mike at 10 a.m.
The updated approximately 1,700-square-foot space features several enhancements including:
A 270-degree desk, which will allow for more personal, face-to-face conversation between Greenberg and Golic and their guests;
A 9.5-feet-by-8-feet feature wall that will feature the new magazine-inspired graphics package;
A behind-the-scenes live social integration space that will enable the show's research team to easily cue up live social posts;
An playback device that gives Greenberg and Golic the ability to trigger their own video from the host desk, in addition to soundbites;
A touchscreen monitor for select segments;
A floor-to-ceiling bobblehead display of the show's iconic collection, previously located on the Mike & Mike desk, set in a wall behind the new desk that includes 72 figurines.
In addition, the show will debut a new theme, which was created by Man Made Music in coordination with ESPN. Mirroring the outspoken nature of the show's two hosts, it juxtaposes the show's new magazine-inspired graphics package with an infectious groove and a live pop horn section.
Debut Week Guests
Mike & Mike will kick off the studio unveiling with special guests through the week (February 8 - 12), including Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien (Monday) and running back Arian Foster (Tuesday); NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson (Tuesday); and former NFLers Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens (Wednesday). Additional guests will be announced later.
SportsCenter:AM
Also on February 8, at 7 a.m.,
ESPN will launch SportsCenter:AM, a new format for ESPN's signature news and information program designed to serve sports fans as they go about their early morning routine. Starting earlier than a live
SPORTSCENTER ever has on a regular basis, the three-hour program will display a new vision with a greater emphasis on highlights and video, and a faster pace and more personality, while understanding the demands and time restrictions of morning viewers. SportsCenter:AM and Mike & Mike will work closely to share resources.
Mike & Mike, the number one sports morning show in America, is broadcast 6 - 10 a.m., Monday - Friday, and can be heard on
ESPN Radio and via ESPNRadio.com, the
ESPN app, SiriusXM Channel 80, Apple iTunes, Slacker Radio and TuneIn. The show is also simulcast on ESPN2. In December, Mike & Mike had its second-most viewed month ever - and best since December 2010 (335,000 viewers) - with 321,000 viewers (up 28% from December 2014, from 247,000 viewers). The show posted consecutive monthly milestones in the fall of 2015: most-watched September and November since 2011, best October ever (and third best month overall).
About
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, the country's largest sports radio network,
ESPN DEPORTES Radio,ESPNRadio.com, and
ESPN Audio on Demand comprise
ESPN Audio.
ESPN Radio, which launched January 1, 1992, provides more than 9,000 hours of talk and event content annually, reaching 20 million listeners a week on 500 nationwide stations, including more than 375 full-time affiliates and clearance in the top 25 markets.
ESPN owns and/or operates stations in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
ESPN Radio programming is also available on SiriusXM and via digital distributors iTunes Radio, Slacker Radio and TuneIn.
ESPN Audio listeners logged more than 9.4 billion total listening minutes in 2015, up 20 percent from the previous year, and 242 million session starts, with an average time spent listening of more than 38 minutes.
ESPN Audio launched its first podcast in 2005, and in 2015
ESPN Audio podcasts were downloaded 366 million times, an increase of 16 percent compared to the previous year.
Image courtesy of ESPN
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