ESPN Hosts ‘Mike & Mike’ Reportedly Going Their Separate Ways

Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, the principals of ESPN’s long-running Mike & Mike flagship radio show that is also simulcast on one of the network’s TV channels, are reportedly parting ways.

The Mike & Mike on-air tandem may become Mike & Trey as a result of an ongoing network shakeup apparently to boost ratings.

Mike Greenberg is supposedly getting his own ESPN morning TV show to be based in New York City, while Golic could be remaining at the self-described Worldwide Leader in Sports headquarters studios in Bristol, Connecticut, with new radio partner Trey Wingo, who currently anchors SportsCenter and NFL Live.

Mike Greenberg recently signed a new contract with ESPN that pays him about $6.5 million annually, which makes him one of the most highly compensated employees there, the Hollywood Reporter noted.

Programming changes involving the two Mikes and other ESPN personalities come as the sports network is bleeding viewers, as the Inquisitr previously detailed. For whatever reason or combination of reasons, ESPN has reportedly lost 621,000 subscribers in the month of November alone, and approximately 7 million subscribers in the past two years, according to Outkick the Coverage.

Some financial analysts believe that parent company Disney should spin off ESPN, which is on the hook for billions in sports-league programming rights amidst apparently declining revenue.

Happy 25th anniversary @ESPNRadio. We're proud and honored to have been a part of it for the past 17 years. pic.twitter.com/vHbDEoNdAB

— Keyshawn, JWill & Max (@KeyJayandMax) January 4, 2017

“ESPN’s ratings have taken a hit recently, as more subscribers opt to cut the cord,” the Washington Post noted.

About two years ago, network execs planned and then abandoned moving Mike & Mike to New York City studios.

Sports Illustrated first broke the news about the apparent breakup of the Mike & Mike show, with Mike Greenberg going off on a solo venture.

“The new show will have elements of SportsCenter—which currently airs at that time—as well as a traditional morning show. It is expected to be based in New York City. The new program would put an end to end to Greenberg’s on-air partnership with Mike Golic, which began in October 1998. Mike & Mike currently airs weekdays on ESPN Radio from 6–10 a.m. ET and is simulcast on ESPN2…The leading in-house candidate to emerge as a replacement is Trey Wingo, who has experience on ESPN Radio and is one of the network’s signature NFL hosts…There is no timeframe yet for the end of Mike & Mike or the beginning of the new program, but sources said to expect the transition to take place sooner than later.”

SI also indicated that it’s not completely certain if Mike Golic, a former NFL defensive lineman, will stay on with a new radio partner. Mike Golic, Jr. could also be part of the mix.

ESPN has so far declined to make any formal comments on the status of the Mike & Mike show moving forward.

In other developments, at the beginning of the month, ESPN shifted the First Take morning show (where Stephen A. Smith holds forth with Skip Bayless replacement Max Kellerman) from ESPN2 to ESPN. His & Hers co-hosts Michael Smith and Jemele Hill are moving from noontime to the 6 p.m. edition of SportsCenter in February, while the rumored retirement of Sunday NFL Countdown host Chris Berman, who joined ESPN in October 1979, about one month after the network launched, has been confirmed, the New York Post reported.

“Breaking up the Mikes means ESPN has a large radio slot to fill; Mike & Mike has been a revenue-driver for the division for a decade-plus. It’s also the signature show for ESPN in many radio markets across the country…There is risk here in dissolving a program that has generated significant revenue for ESPN. There is also the larger question of what this means for the SportsCenter brand in the morning,” SI added.

Last month, FS1 host Jason Whitlock (formerly of ESPN) called out ESPN for political correctness by satirically renaming the sports network EPCN. Also in December, ESPN public editor (i.e., ombudsman) Jim Brady acknowledged in a very lengthy essay that his previously apolitical network has seemingly become overly politicized in a move to the left, which some media observers claim has had an impact on ratings.

Are you a fan of the Mike & Mike show on ESPN and, if so, do you think splitting up the duo is a good idea?

[Featured Image by Diane Bondareff/Invision for Subway Restaurants/AP Images]