The on-again, off-again changes to ESPN Radio morning show Mike & Mike have been a bit of a weird subplot amidst lots of other changes happening in Bristol. The show was reportedly set to move to New York City and add a third host in Molly Qerim while crossing over more with sister shows like Good Morning America and SportsCenter. Then, suddenly, ESPN VP John Wildhack said the pair’s move to New York would be canceled and Qerim went on to replace Cari Champion as Gatekeeper to the Fifth Circle of Hell… aka, First Take moderator.
So when we finally left off, it looked to be business as usual for the long-standing morning show. Alas, now it looks like part of those original changes will finally be implemented after all.
Qerim IS joining Mike & Mike, who are staying in Bristol. Qerim will be a part of the last two hours of the show from 8-10 AM ET every morning. And get ready for this, she’s bringing Skippy and Stephen A. with her “to bridge the transition between ESPN2’s morning programs.” One step closer to ESPN being 24 straight hours of Stephen A. Smith, America…
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.
It’s hard to imagine a show that’s been on the air for almost two decades now being reinvented, but it sure seems like ESPN is trying to do that with Mike & Mike. Not only is the network finally following through with Qerim’s involvement, but the pair will receive a new Bristol studio and a new theme song that ESPN says has “an infectious groove.”
At this point in their careers, Mike & Mike are what they are. And like them or not, they’ve been a huge success for ESPN in their time on the air as one of the network’s longest-running and most-trusted franchises. How much will these changes upset the dynamic that has made Mike & Mike work and how much will they add a boost to a show that hasn’t really evolved that much in the last several years?
Hopefully these moves for Mike & Mike work better than the last time a famous duo added a third member to try to spice things up…
[ESPN]
