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The Mikes Are Moving To Manhattan

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Star Participant
ESPN is taking its longtime morning radio show “Mike & Mike” from its home at the sports media giant’s Bristol, Conn. headquarters to ABC’s studio in New York City, where the two companies within the Walt Disney Co. empire plan to work together on programming tie-ins.

The Wall Street Journal reports beginning next February — the day after the Super Bowl — Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic will broadcast from a set directly above ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

The two programs will share talent. GMA’s Robin Roberts, for example, may appear on “Mike & Mike” to talk sports, ABC analyst Ryan Smith could join to cover legal matters, while chief meteorologist Ginger Zee could report on how a weather event may affect sporting events.

Greenberg and Golic will likewise appear on “GMA,” according to ESPN, which plans to announce the move at its “upfront” event for advertisers on Tuesday.

The one-two punch of “Mike & Mike” and “GMA” will enable the ABC and ESPN advertising sales teams to sell joint ad deals.
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http://mediaconfidential.blogspot.com/2015/05/nyc-radio-mikes-are-moving-to-manhattan.html
 
This should raise their profile to some degree. I doubt it'll result in much change in ratings.
 
Could this be the start of a bigger migration of programming and people to NYC? Truthfully, I'm amazed that Disney would keep such an important part of its empire in Bristol rather than in a media and marketing hub like New York.
 
I'm sure the city of Bristol would fight it tooth-and-nail, as that's their largest taxpayer. I can't imagine midtown Manhattan being any cheaper than west central Connecticut would be. I also have a friend who works for ESPN, but has never mentioned anything about Mike & Mike.
 
I have to think the operational and studio infrastructure will remain in Bristol because it's simply just cheaper to operate there. When ESPNZone was in business a lot of shows did remotes from there both on ESPN Radio and ESPN TV. I view the location with GMA as replacing that with the notable change being that one of their main shows, Mike & Mike will broadcast from there full time.
 
I'm surprised. I would've though ESPN would simply have driven them to the City from Connecticut every day. Hard to believe that The Mouse would accept this kind of push back from a synergy strategy. The Mikes are taking a chance. It's not as if they aren't expendable.
 
THE Robin Roberts died in 2010. The one at ABC is an imposter. You'd think a sports network, at least would recognize that. And I thought the unions kept talent from using someone else's name (even if it was their real name, and the other person used it as a "stage name").
 
Oscar Madison said:
THE Robin Roberts died in 2010. The one at ABC is an imposter. You'd think a sports network, at least would recognize that. And I thought the unions kept talent from using someone else's name (even if it was their real name, and the other person used it as a "stage name").
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No one would ever confuse the female, black college basketball player turned sportscaster with the male, white professional baseball player turned sportscaster. Neither is/was a movie/stage performer, and Robin Roberts is/was both their real names. If the living Robin Roberts were somehow trying to profit off the dead Robin Roberts' reputation, you might have a case. But she is no more trying to pass herself off as a baseball Hall of Famer from the '50s and '60s than Jim Lampley the Arkansas-Little Rock basketball player of the '80s (and briefly a Philadelphia 76er) was trying to pass himself off as Jim Lampley the sportscaster. (Although I once saw the basketballer referred to in print as Jim "Back To You, Keith" Lampley, a Chris Berman-esque reference to announcer Lampley's early days as a sideline reporter for ABC college football games.)

I went to school with a guy who jocked at the campus radio station under the air name of "Ted Williams." He wasn't a sports fan and had no idea that there was a famous Ted Williams who played baseball. I assume he'd have been able to use that name if he'd wanted to in his professional career. He didn't, though.

By the way, can I have your autograph, Mr. Klugman? Funny, I thought you were dead!
 
THE Robin Roberts did color for the Phillies, which meant he joined AFTRA. Just like whathername.

And THE ROBIN ROBERTS attended Michigan State on basketball scholarship. He played basketball for the Spartans and after one year, joined the baseball team, as well.

Roger Ailes' first sock puppet was "Mike Douglas," real name Michael Dowd. Actor Michael Douglas' name is really Danielovitch but he was allowed to be "Michael Douglas" (but not Mike). Actor Michael Keaton's real name is Michael Douglas but he is not allowed to use it professionally.

ESPN is in Briston because the founding owners were from Hartford, and they were able to find affordable land in Bristol and the town allowed them to put up big ugly satellite dishes. Cap Cities bought ESPN (and ABC) in 1985.
 
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umfan said:
I'm surprised. I would've though ESPN would simply have driven them to the City from Connecticut every day. Hard to believe that The Mouse would accept this kind of push back from a synergy strategy. The Mikes are taking a chance. It's not as if they aren't expendable.
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Mike & Mike and Cowherd are the main reasons for ESPN Radio to exist outside of live games. They are the hosts that are seriously marketed. The rest of the schedule is filler.
 
The budget issues are all the more reason that The Mikes need to heed corporate desires. They may be what ESPN Radio markets around now, but that marketing machine can be adjusted to a new, more compliant host(s). Also might be an issue when the contracts are up. They are good, but not irreplaceable.
 
CTListener said:
Could this be the start of a bigger migration of programming and people to NYC? Truthfully, I'm amazed that Disney would keep such an important part of its empire in Bristol rather than in a media and marketing hub like New York.
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That being said, it wouldn't be surprising if Disney maintained some kind of prescence in the Bristol area EVEN IF it's just a place for Disney to move its East Coast operations to in the event that (Heaven forbid of course) the Disney building ever comes under attack (Let's face it - ANYTHING with the Disney name IS A TERRORIST TARGET !!!)

JMO.....

Cheers & 73 :)
 
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