This morning (Nov. 17) ESPN morning sports talk show Mike & Mike ended its run after nearly 18 years on the air. The weekday morning show hosted by Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic debuted on ESPN Radio in 2000 and has been simulcasted on ESPN2 since 2006.

Both Greenberg and Golic will remain at ESPN; Golic will team with sports personality Trey Wingo on a new ESPN Radio morning sports talk show, Golic and Wingo, debuting Nov. 27, while Greenberg will launch a new monring sports talk series beginning April 3 with co-hosts Michelle Beadle and Jalen Rose.

In the months leading up to the show's finale, I had a chance to speak to Mike Greenberg (pictured left) about Mike & Mike’s long run and how the sports talk genre has evolved since the series first debuted.  

TU: Is the end of Mike & Mike bittersweet for you?

Mike Greenberg: Absolutely, my relationship and partnership with Mike Golic was the best thing that ever happened to me in my professional life by far. At the same time I’m excited about new opportunities. [ESPN] came to me and said we have a vision for something new we want to do in the morning, and the more I listened to it the more I thought that it sounded like something that could be spectacular.

One final sign-off. pic.twitter.com/Y6p0RTmZWR

— ESPN (@espn) November 17, 2017

TU: How has the sports talk genre evolved over the years since Mike & Mike launched?

MG: What has happened is the Greek chorus that is our conversation has become very engrained into the process. Certainly since we started at Mike & Mike I’ve seen that grow and become more cemented. I think [sports talk] is part of the big sports picture, but clearly at that heart of it all are the games and the athletes. Our job is just to try and be the most interesting decoration around them that we can.

TU: What is your most memorable moment on Mike & Mike?

MG: It’s so hard to say. If I had to pick one its when I danced with Anna Trebunskaya from Dancing With the Stars coming off a wager, because that was really nerve-racking. I thought it turned out well … I’m not a dancer by any means, but I thought that I had acquitted myself well. There are really too many [moments] to count, but that’s one that jumps to mind.

TU: What will viewers expect to see from your new show?

MG: We’re still in the process of putting that together, but the key word is that it has to be flexible, so on days where there are big stories, we have to cover the news the way SportsCenter always has. At all times we have to bring the analysis, insight, debate and hopefully the humor that we have had on Mike & Mike and some of the studio shows at ESPN for years.

ESPN will shake up its weekday schedule beginning next year, highlighted by a new series featuring Mike Greenberg, the network announced at its upfront presentation Thursday.

Greenberg will lead a New York-based morning show beginning Jan. 1, 2018 that will run from 7 am to 10 am and will feature a mix of news, opinion and analysis, according to network officials.

Greenberg currently hosts the long-running Mike & Mike radio sports talk show with Mike Golic, who later this fall will team with ESPN personality Trey Wingo on a new sports talk show. The daily show will air from 6 am to 10 a.m. ET and will initially be simulcast on ESPN2 before moving to its permanent simulcast home on ESPNU.

“Mike Greenberg fronting a television show in the morning gives us a chance to set the conversation for the whole day, and he is uniquely gifted in taking those fans through that conversation," Connor Schell, senior vice president of original content told Multichannel News. “We feel like we’re getting the best of both worlds – we have incredible strength on the radio that we feel can continue with Mike Golic and Trey Wingo, and we get to launch another show on television with Mike Greenberg.”

The network also announced it will launch an afternoon talk series featuring ESPN Radio’s Bomani Jones and ESPN Magazine’s Pablo Torre. The one-hour live program will air from noon to 1 p.m. on ESPN as well as streamed on the ESPN app and WatchESPN across all devices and platforms, said the network 

In addition, ESPN has signed Torre to a multi-year extension that will allow him to make appearances on a variety of shows and platforms including Around The Horn, Pardon The Interruption, and SportsNation. The deal follows a similar multi-year extension Jones signed with ESPN last December, said the network.

ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike will celebrate 15 years of sports conversation, debate and laughs on Firday morning.

The 15th anniversary of the morning show, which is simulcast on ESPN2, will  emanate from the Downtown Disney stage at Walt Disney World in Orlando on March 6, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. (ET).  Hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic will look back at some of their favorite moments alongside friends and family. 

The landmark show will include performances by Cirque de Soleil, on-site guests, video and audio messages from celebrities and some of the biggest names in sports. The Downtown Disney stage seating area is open to the public, beginning at 5 a.m.

The anniversary episode will feature Greeny and Golic playing a special edition of “Next Question” with every query relating to the 15-year history of the show. Also, Mark Schlereth will interview Chris Golic and Stacy Steponate Greenberg, the hosts’ wives, who have made frequent appearances on the show over the past years. Several on-site guests will offer their memories Mike & Mike memories including: comedian Frank Caliendo, ESPN NFL analysts Cris Carter and Schlereth, First Take’sStephen A. Smith and ESPN.com senior writer Jayson Stark.  Capping the day, a special member of the Disney family will present the hosts with a gift in the program’s final hour to commemorate the milestone.

“Fifteen years of any show is an accomplishment,” said Amanda Gifford, senior director daytime programming. “The success of Mike & Mike is a testament to the hard-work Greeny and Golic put into the show on a daily basis. We’re planning a fun, creative broadcast that will hopefully tell the story of the show over the years. We have several surprises planned along the way – for Greeny and Golic and the fans.”

Mike & Mike is also offering a 24-hour Twitter sweepstakes that will give fans the opportunity to win a Golic- or Greeny-selected trip. Fans must retweet a designated photo from the @MikeandMike twitter handle with the hashtag #MM15Contest for a chance to win.  The winner will be randomly selected and revealed next week.

To show their appreciation to their fans, Greeny and Golic have been sending custom Mike & Mike 15th Anniversary gift baskets to 200 “superfans” who have been especially engaged with the show via Twitter.  Those selected have been asked to tweet a photo of themselves with their baskets using the hashtag #MM15. Listeners and viewers can share additional photos, comments and messages about the anniversary by tweeting @MikeandMike and using the hashtag #MM15. 

Comprehensive 15th anniversary content – including photo galleries, videos and audio – can be found at: http://espn.go.com/espnradio/show?showId=mikeandmike15th.

OWN decided to put its documentary series on the first openly gay NFL football player on hold indefinitely to allow the player to focus on making the St. Louis Rams’ team, OWN co-president Erik Logan confirmed Monday.

OWN’s the Untitled Michael Sam Project, which was set to follow Sam's life as he looked to make the Rams team which drafted him in the second round of the NFL draft, came under criticism last week for potentially serving as a distraction for Sam and the Rams’ football activities.

Speaking on ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike Show Monday morning, Logan said the network assumed it wouldn’t have access to Sam’s on the field or locker room activities, but rather would follow Sam through his off-the-field comments. He added the network ultimately decided to postpone the series after meeting last Thursday with Sam’s representatives and the Rams.

“We came to an understanding that the best decision for Michael right now is for him to focus 100% on football right now,” Logan said. “The most significant thing he can do now is make the team. It was an easy call to make.”

Logan said the network will work in collaboration with the Rams and Michael’s team to figure out the right time to resume the documentary. “It’s a big football story but it’s also much bigger than that,” he said.