Dan Patrick announced on his radio show Monday that he was leaving ESPN after 18 years. He made sure to say he was leaving on good terms, but that didn’t stop station managers from D.C. to L.A. from running for some Alka Seltzer as sports radio’s business landscape changed drastically.
One station manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told me, “ESPN will have a hell of a time replacing Dan and we will look at a number of options.”
So what next for Patrick?
Moving to MSNBC, where he would replace Don Imus on TV (while having the show syndicated on CBS radio), would be a natural and he could work with both political people and sports stars just like he did at ESPN — but cash-in big time.
Also, do not leave out the possibility on one last pitch by “The Price is Right,” whose producers have said they wanted a replacement by the end of the month. However, they may feel that waiting for Patrick might be worth yet a third offer.
Patrick leaving ESPN Radio will open up the 1-4 p.m. time slot at over 300 radio stations nationwide to new programming. While the network will no doubt offer a replacement, the local stations will likely take that time back or some will add his main competitor, Jim Rome, as a proven replacement.
Patrick’s last day will be Aug. 19 and that entire week he will look back at memorable moments from the show — in addition to featuring special guest appearances and interviews.
In a statement released by the network, Patrick said: “I’ve spent a third of my life at ESPN. All my children were born while I was employed here. I feel privileged to have had this opportunity and I have extremely mixed emotions about leaving. With that said, I told ESPN that I believe it’s time for me to try something different, something that will also be challenging and rewarding. While I’m not sure what that will be, I am grateful to ESPN for its willingness to allow me to pursue new endeavors.”
We’ll all be watching to see where Patrick ends up.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this! on www.examiner.com
