Editing ESPN Radio (section)

==History==
[[File:ESPN Radio logo 1992-2008.svg|right|thumb|200px|Logo (1992–2008)]]

ESPN Radio Network was formed in September 1991 by [[ESPN Inc.]] and [[Capital Cities/ABC]], Inc.'s [[Cumulus Media Networks|ABC Radio Networks]]. Twenty-five stations had already signed on as affiliates at its September 5, 1991 announcement, with an expected total of 200 at the January launch. [[Shelby Whitfield]], executive producer of ABC Radio Sports, and John A. Walsh, executive editor of ESPN, were placed in charge of the venture.<ref name=lat>{{cite news|title=ESPN, ABC Planning to Form Sports Radio Network in 1992|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-09-05-sp-2364-story.html|access-date=June 7, 2016|work=Los Angeles Times|agency=Associated Press|date=September 5, 1991}}</ref> The network launched as Sports Radio ESPN on January 1, 1992.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zumoff|first1=Marc|last2=Negin|first2=Max|title=Total Sportscasting: Performance, Production, and Career Development|date=June 20, 2014|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1317906766|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3qTcAwAAQBAJ&q=SportsRadio+ESPN+1992&pg=PT55|access-date=June 7, 2016}}</ref> At first, ESPN Radio broadcast only on weekends.<ref name="bk">{{cite book|last1=Coombs|first1=Danielle Sarver|last2=Batchelor|first2=Bob|title=American History Through American Sports: From Colonial Lacrosse to Extreme Sports, Volume 1|date=2013|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0313379888|page=94|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ln7E8F62iu0C&q=SportsRadio+ESPN+1992&pg=RA2-PA94|access-date=June 9, 2016}}</ref> The network debuted with 16 hours running on 147 affiliates in 43 states. Its initial programming consisted of news shows, update segments, and occasional features.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Battema|first1=Douglas L.|last2=O'Dell|editor1-last=Sterling|editor1-first=Christopher H.|editor2-last=O'Dell|first2=Cary|editor2-first=Cary|title=The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio|chapter=Sports on Radio |date=2010 |publisher= Routledge |isbn= 978-1135176839 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IryLAgAAQBAJ&q=SportsRadio+ESPN+1992&pg=PT2337|access-date=June 9, 2016}}</ref>

By 1996, ESPN Radio had expanded to weekdays<ref name="bk" /> with a show hosted by [[The Fabulous Sports Babe]] (Nancy Donnellan). One hour of that show was simulcast on [[ESPN2]] (1-2 p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern time]]). Two years later, [[Tony Bruno]] and [[Mike Golic]] were brought together for a new morning show, the ''Bruno & Golic Morning Show'' which aired until Bruno left the network in 2000. [[Mike Greenberg]] was named as Bruno's replacement, and the morning show became ''Mike & Mike'', which aired until 2017<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.si.com/tech-media/2017/11/17/espn-radio-mike-and-mike-final-show-mike-greenberg-mike-golic|title=ESPN Radio's 'Mike & Mike' signs off after 18 years|work=SI.com|access-date=November 27, 2017|language=en}}</ref> (and was also simulcast on ESPN2). In January 2010, ''Mike & Mike'' celebrated their 10-year anniversary on ESPN Radio. [[Dan Patrick (sportscaster)|Dan Patrick]] was a mainstay in the afternoons until his departure from ESPN in 2007.

Gradually, ESPN added more [[Dayparting|dayparts]] and became a 24-hour service. In 1995, ESPN Radio gained national radio rights to the NBA. In 1997, it gained the national radio rights to MLB.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} Disney purchased [[WEVD]] from the Forward Association in September 2002 to become [[WEPN (AM)|WEPN]], ESPN Radio's flagship station.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hoffmann|first1=Frank|last2=Dempsey|first2=Jack M.|last3=Manning|first3=Martin J|title=Sports-Talk Radio in America: Its Context and Culture|date=December 6, 2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1136428913 |page=56 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vKa3eLrOpdcC&q=SportsRadio+ESPN+1992&pg=PA56 |access-date= June 8, 2016}}</ref> On June 12, 2007, Disney spun off and merged its [[Cumulus Media Networks|ABC Radio Networks]] with [[Citadel Broadcasting]] into Citadel Communications while retaining its ESPN Radio and [[Radio Disney]] networks and stations.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rosenthal|first1=Phil|title=Disney in deal to merge ABC Radio with Citadel|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2006/02/07/disney-in-deal-to-merge-abc-radio-with-citadel/|access-date=June 7, 2016|work=Chicago Tribune|date=February 7, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |date=June 12, 2007 |title=Disney and Citadel Announce Completion of ABC Radio Merger |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20070612006347/en/Disney-Citadel-Announce-Completion-ABC-Radio-Merger |publisher=The Walt Disney Company & Citadel Broadcasting Corporation |agency=Business Wire |access-date=June 7, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=179170|title=Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Nielsen Ratings, Music News and more!|publisher=FMQB|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924014135/http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=179170|archive-date=September 24, 2015|access-date=December 7, 2015}}</ref>

ESPN Radio is streamed over 215 stations and is ranked first nationally as a sports broadcasting program.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ESPNRadio FAQ page |url=https://www.espn.com/espnradio/story/_/page/radiofaq |access-date=October 4, 2022 |website=ESPN.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gale - Product Login |url=https://galeapps.gale.com/apps/auth?userGroupName=a04fu&sid=googleScholar&da=true&origURL=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.gale.com%2Fps%2Fi.do%3Fid%3DGALE%257CA204474488%26sid%3DgoogleScholar%26v%3D2.1%26it%3Dr%26linkaccess%3Dabs%26issn%3D10686827%26p%3DAONE%26sw%3Dw%26userGroupName%3Da04fu&prodId=AONE |access-date=October 4, 2022 |website=galeapps.gale.com}}</ref> The parent company ESPN focused on radio {{as of|2006|lc=-y}}. With more resources and money spent on it, ESPN radio expanded rapidly.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sandomir |first=Richard |date=August 11, 2006 |title=ABC Sports Is Dead at 45; Stand by for ESPN |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/sports/othersports/11sandomir.html |access-date=October 25, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

On July 28, 2023, amid layoffs occurring across ESPN, [[Good Karma Brands]]—an operator of ESPN Radio affiliates in multiple markets that had also acquired the network's New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago flagships in 2021—assumed the day-to-day operations and advertising sales for the ESPN Radio network.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-31 |title=Sports Media: Good Karma's deal with ESPN Radio a long time coming |url=https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2023/07/31/sports-media.aspx |access-date=2023-07-31 |website=Sports Business Journal |language=en}}</ref>