Best Show on Radio Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Today marks the 10th anniversary for "Mike and Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio, and it is a show worth celebrating.

Because of the diverse experiences and talent (former Notre Dame and NFL defensive lineman Mike Golic and former Northwestern student and solid sports journalist Mike Greenberg), and because of ESPN's platform and power, "Mike and Mike" make an impact each and every day on the air.

Like any other show, they're usually topical. Unlike other shows, though, ESPN allows them access to solid experts and guest.

Like any other show hosts, they have things to say. Unlike other show hosts, though, they play almost perfectly of off each other, expressing opinions and insights without sounding pompous or preachy.

It's just a good show, and it has remained strong -- even improved -- during four hours every morning because the on- and off-air team continually adapt and update. While Mike and Mike remain as the consistent building blocks, certain guests, segments and special events change. So the show never gets tiresome or stale. It's familiar and fun.

At the same time, other standards remain, including the upcoming "Sheet of Integrity" challenge around the NCAA Tournament in which the two hosts complete separate bracket sheets for the tournament with an associated wager.

As with all good radio, the hosts bare their souls, share personal stories and come across as people whom listeners like.

Those personalities drive the show more than expertise and opinions. Plus, the production team for the program -- especially as it has diversified through the years and found a simulcast home on ESPN2 -- has only added to the success of "Mike and Mike." Whether on TV or radio, with a great variety of song parodies and skits, the behind-the-scenes team (and they're sometimes front and center, which is nice) plays an important and valuable role in the show's success.

It's one of the best examples of what sports talk radio should strive to be.

Significant, Small Stories: Peyton, Pro Bowl

While hundreds of media members chased stories about the Super Bowl, two stories that emerged Tuesday gave insights about the game that remains four days away and the status of pro football as a monetary and ratings giant, respectively.

First, "Mike and Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio talked with former Colts coach turned motivational speaker and NBC Sports analyst Tony Dungy. It was a nice phone interview with a former Super Bowl-winning coach the week of the game, but it got better when the discussion focused on Colts QB Peyton Manning.

While many respect Manning's commitment to preparation, Dungy related a story that made that point. He said the standout quarterback, one of the best players in the league, drove from Indianapolis to Columbus, Ohio, twice a week in early 2007 to work out with an unknown rookie receiver.

In an effort to better integrate then-Ohio State student Anthony Gonzalez into the Colts' offense, Manning drove nearly three hours each way to make the trip to throw passes to the team's newest receiver. No A-list pro player needs to do that -- unless he wants to maintain his spot among the sport's best and ensure his team's success.

And, as if there was any doubt, the hefty ratings for the Pro Bowl on Sunday probably ensured that game would eventually have a permanent home the week before the Super Bowl in the same stadium as the big game.

About 12.3 million viewers watched the game on ESPN, up from 8.8 million in 2009. This year's game was the most-watched Pro Bowl since 2000, and it earned good ratings opposite the Grammy Awards, which drew nearly 26 million viewers.

The sellout crowd on site also helped ensure the game's future timeslot.

Despite complaints from some analysts and players, soe others enjoyed the location in the continental United States -- and fans most certainly had a good time and responded.

Just as they do in pro baseball and basketball, fans see the game as their own. They know the hits are not hard and the game has little meaning, but they do not care. They're glad to attend in person -- and to watch on TV. That all makes the game marketable for the league, and that means it will remain on the schedule.

Planning, Location Key for ESPN Radio

The more than 55 hours of Super Bowl programming on ESPN Radio, set to originate from South Florida this week, sounds like a lot of work -- but that's only part of the story.

Planning for the numerous shows that will originate from Lummus Park on Miami Beach started months ago, when ESPN's operations team began working with the NFL regarding set location. That location makes ESPN different from most other national sports talk programming throughout Super Bowl week because those other shows typically originate from "Radio Row," table after table of sports stations from across that nation and world that often get set up in the same room of an a nearby convention center.

Even with the planning, live, on-location radio provides challenges.

It means less technology on hand and fewer staff personnel just a few steps away to solve problems. It also means potential distractions with weather (rain the early part of this week) and people watching the live radio shows.

Still, that atmosphere helps -- especially shows like "Mike and Mike in the Morning," with Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic working their 11th Super Bowl week together, and "The Herd with Colin Cowherd." Both shows have talent who can play well off an audience.

"You get a real sense of atmosphere," explained ESPN producer Amanda Gifford about on-site shows. "Colin is usually on his game with an audience. You can feed off the energy of the crowd."

For behind-the-scenes folks such as Gifford (who coordinated planning but did not make the trip to Miami for this week's Super Bowl shows), getting guests to the set on time provides a daily challenge during remote shows, and she prefers to leave nothing to chance.

"Everything is pretty calculated," she said. "I'd rather have everything planned, but I've learned that sometimes you get some great things on the fly and you have to be able to adjust."

Determining which guests are used on a program provides a show's biggest challenge during the week. With all of the activity and media attention, many former players (with guiding publicists) show up at the Super Bowl site to pitch their cause, charity or product.

While smaller shows on Radio Row might take any and all such guests, ESPN Radio shows can be a bit more selective. They have major markets to serve and less time to waste on borderline guests.

"We get a lot of A-listers through Super Bowl week, and we get pitches for a lot of people who aren't considered A-listers," Gifford said. "We make determinations by when they're available, if we're on the air at that time, and if they make sense for our biggest affiliates." For Cowherd, those affiliates are in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and Dallas.

Typically, ESPN's name and the talent and reputation of the hosts produce a potent combination -- with good guests wanting to appear on the shows and the on-air talent making the visits entertaining. The combination produces one of the best weeks of sports talk radio of the year.