Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Mike Francesa Leaving Fox Sports 1?


If you've listened to Mike Francesa's show lately, it's obvious that the Sports Pope isn't happy about his simulcast on Fox Sports 1. Despite being able to reach more homes than the YES Network ever could, his show has been constantly interrupted because of European soccer and NASCAR qualifying. 

Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead reports that Francesa may be leaving the FS1 deal to sign with the MSG Network soon. This makes a lot of sense because MSG currently has no local sports radio show simulcasts on it's air. Their old simulcast, "Boomer and Carton," went national to CBSSN. Francesa could fill in hours upon hours of airtime for the RSN which has rights to none of the baseball teams playing in New York over the summer.

Although a move to MSG makes the most sense, I wouldn't let Francesa slip so easily if I was Fox. Here's my plan to keep Francesa at Fox.

1. Make him a contributor to "Fox NFL Sunday," the highest rated NFL pregame show
2. Convince him that Fox Sports will make him relevant on YouTube by distributing clips from his show on their page just as they've already done in the past.
3. Simulcast his show on Fox Sports Net affiliates across the nation as well as Fox Sports 1. 
4. Put him back on YES Network even if it's on an overflow channel and move Michael Kay to Fox Sports 2 or get rid of his contract. If none of this works, sub-license Francesa's show to MSG.
5. Make Francesa the centerpiece of Fox Sports' app. No matter what television station the show is airing on that day, Francesa is always available live and uninterrupted on the Fox Sports app/website.

In conclusion, Francesa would air everyday on Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports Net affiliates (including YES Network in the best case scenario) and on FoxSports.com/Fox Sports app (uninterrupted). 

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