ESPN announced its new weekday TV lineup, highlighted by the debut of The Pat McAfee Show.
McAfee’s show premieres on Thursday, September 7 at noon ET. The first two hours of the show will air on ESPN, ESPN+, and ESPN’s YouTube channel, with the third hour airing exclusively on ESPN+ and ESPN’s YouTube channel.
The premiere of McAfee’s show forces some tweaks to ESPN’s schedule from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET.
Though Max Kellerman’s show premiered two years ago, after McAfee got hired, he was laid off earlier this summer.
The noon SportsCenter, a midday staple on ESPN, has also been axed, with an hour-long edition now airing at 2 p.m.
The rest of ESPN’s schedule throughout the day is unchanged.
Get Up continues to lead off the schedule at 8 a.m., followed by First Take at 10 a.m.
NBA Today at 3 p.m., NFL Live at 4 p.m., Around the Horn at 5 p.m., Pardon the Interruption at 5:30 p.m., concluding with the 6 p.m. SportsCenter.
The “select fall Friday shows will be hosted from College GameDay sites.”
In Week 1, GameDay is heading to Charlotte on September 2. The host site for Week 2 on September 9, after McAfee’s show debuts on ESPN, has yet to be announced.
McAfee said this week that he’d have a live show in Tuscaloosa on Friday, September 8, and will be hosting an ESPN2 alternate broadcast for Texas Vs Alabama, so we can go ahead and assume that’s the Week 2 GameDay host.
ESPN is interested in putting The Pat McAfee Show on the radio, even though McAfee previously said his show does a disservice to the listening audience.
McAfee officially landed at ESPN in May, signing a five-year $85 million contract to bring his talents to the Worldwide Leader. While those talents include being a former radio host, McAfee’s undefined role at ESPN; was not advertised as hosting a radio show.
According to Andrew Marchand and Ryan Glasspiegel of The New York Post, however, ESPN hopes to offer its radio affiliates across the country the opportunity to simulcast McAfee’s daily noon – 3 p.m. show, although it’s not definite.
ESPN needs an influx of celebrity and talent in their weekday radio lineup, and they have a massive sports media celebrity and talent in Pat McAfee.
Previously, McAfee’s show aired on CBS Sports Radio and SiriusXM, making it seem like an obvious fit for ESPN Radio. But since leaving terrestrial and satellite radio, McAfee has put more effort into the video side of his show.
Shortly after signing his massive deal with ESPN, McAfee joined Jimmy Traina’s Sports Illustrated Media Podcast and asked about putting his show on ESPN Radio. While McAfee was open to it, he seemed hesitant to portray it as a great fit.
Putting McAfee on ESPN Radio means more distribution and a bigger platform for his show. But ESPN Radio needs McAfee much more than McAfee needs ESPN Radio.
In recent years, ESPN Radio has gone from a respected media brand to a revolving door of hosts and shows.
The platform was hit hard by recent layoffs, and its morning show featuring Max Kellerman, Keyshawn Johnson, and Jay Williams got halted.
Mike Greenberg provides ESPN Radio with some credibility, but that’s in name only because it’s rare to find him hosting consistently.
Since signing with ESPN, McAfee has incessantly promised fans that his show will not change once it launches on their network this fall.
Putting McAfee on ESPN Radio sounds like a good idea. It either means the show will have to change, or listeners will need to accept the disservice of listening to a show that caters to a viewing audience.
