Beginning at midnight Sunday, ESPN syndicated programming will return to WLQR-FM 106.5 (The Ticket).
This means the return of ESPN's drive-time ratings juggernaut Mike & Mike in the Morning and goodbye to CBS's Gio And Jones (Chris Jones and Brian Giannotti).
The switch to ESPN's syndicated radio programming only affects the CBS talk shows, said Andy Stuart, the regional vice president and market manager for Cumulus Media Toledo, which owns WLQR.
The station's local shows, The Bob Frantz Afternoon Extravaganza from 3 to 5 p.m., and Drive Time with Mike Miller from 5 to 6 p.m., will continue without changes, as will the Ticket's live broadcasts of Ohio State University football and basketball as well as local high school games.
Since WLQR dropped ESPN programming for CBS Sports Radio nearly three years ago there has been a substantial drop in audience — particularly in the morning — just as it has for almost every Cumulus-owned sports talk radio station that made the switch.
"[CBS Sports Radio] never turned out [to be] what we hoped it would be, and after this period of time it was my decision to change it back to ESPN," Stuart said of the decision.
"... The ESPN brand is so powerful in the sports fan community that everything else just pales in comparison."
First Published December 10, 2015, 4:52 p.m.
