David Barron looks at Trey Wingo’s added host duties at ESPN Radio.
Longtime network host will join Golic on revamped morning radio show
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Trey Wingo always has been a night owl, which is not necessarily a good foundation for someone whose new job will require him to greet the day at 2:30 a.m.
Wingo will join Mike Golic as co-host of ESPN Radio’s morning drive time show beginning at 5 a.m. CT weekdays starting Monday. In Houston, the Golic-Wingo show can be heard from 5-7 a.m. at 97.5 FM and from 7-9 a.m. at 97.5-2 FM/94.1 FM.
He succeeds Golic’s longtime on-air partner, Mike Greenberg, who will launch an ESPN morning show next year with Michelle Beadle and Jalen Rose.
“Naps will be important,” said Wingo, the Baylor University graduate who has been at ESPN since 1997.
Alas, naps will be in short supply for a while. Wingo will continue hosting “NFL Live” and “NFL Prime Time” through the Super Bowl. Afterward, he will cut back to one “NFL Live” show per week plus the NFL draft, the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction and other special events.
Other than the early start time, the transition should be painless. Wingo has been the regular guest host for Greenberg and Golic, and Golic and Wingo both live in the same Connecticut town.
“When you have a chance to do something new after 20 years at the same company, it’s exciting,” Wingo said. “I’m not a hot take guy. I don’t throw out declarative statements that can’t be proven just to have an argument. We will have a nuanced discussion based on information. If you’re looking for somebody to scream and yell, we’re not doing that.”
He will be able to expand his horizons beyond the NFL, which means he can talk about his alma mater. Wingo was dismayed by the revelations of misconduct under the Art Briles regime but hopes Matt Rhule eventually will bring the Bears back.
“It definitely has not been great,” Wingo said. “People keep telling me that the alphabet has more ‘w’s’ than Baylor, which is not fun to hear. But I’m hopeful that Matt will get things going, and this time, we need to get it right.”
Wingo also was dismayed by the untimely end to the season for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
“He threw more (TD) passes than Dan Marino did in his first seven games, and (Seattle’s) Richard Sherman texted me that he had the best game he had seen by any quarterback they played,” Wingo said. “And he’s a great young man, so to see him go down was just the worst.”
Zierlein returns Monday
Trey Wingo and Mike Golic debut their partnership Monday; Lance Zierlein will renew his longtime association with John Granato on the Gow Broadcasting stations 97.5 FM and 97.5-2 FM/94.1 FM.
Zierlein and Granato will start work at 7 a.m., an hour later than most morning drive-time shows, owing to Zierlein’s understandable desire for an extra hour of sleep. Zierlein will work until 9:30 a.m. and said the 2½-hour duration of the show will benefit the hosts and listeners.
“We will be more fastpaced,” he said. “Because it’s more of a sprint, you don’t have to save anything and you won’t get tired of topics.
“It’s a lot different than doing a four-hour show. Now you’re like a closer coming in throwing 100 mph fastballs. You can go as fast as you want, which will be good from an energy standpoint, and the listeners will benefit.”
The final (9-10 a.m.) hour of Zierlein-Granato, the Golic-Wingo show and the final (6-7 p.m.) hour of the Fred Faour-A.J Hoffman show will be split between 97.5 FM and 94.1 FM or simulcast, which station owner David Gow embraces even though it has the potential to confuse listeners.
Maybe Gow and his minions should come up with something that resembles the days of Dallas-Fort Worth radio when WBAP and WFAA shared the 570 AM and 820 AM frequencies. When it came time to switch from one station to another, they would ring a cowbell on the air. Seriously.
Elmendorf on fence
As Dave South prepares for his final regular-season game calling radio playby-play for Texas A&M football, analyst Dave Elmendorf also is considering his options.
Elmendorf said he has had conversations with Learfield Sports, which owns the Aggies’ broadcast rights, “but we didn’t resolve anything. I’m still thinking about it. I’m sure a decision will come in the offseason.”
That decision will be made by Jon Heidtke, who manages Learfield’s association with A&M.
Texans’ ratings slumping
The Texans’ ratings slump continues despite their win Sunday over the Cardinals, which generated a 16.3 Nielsen rating and 37 share on KRIV (Channel 26).
Once again, and I’m only sort of halfway joking, it’s those long sermons and late Sunday lunches doing them in.
The first half-hour averaged a 12.1 rating and the first hour a 13.5 rating.