“ESPN Milwaukee” has announced plans to expand local programming and split up its AM and FM signals during the daytime.
Beginning June 4, “94.5 ESPN” (WKTI) will have local programming from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and “540 ESPN” (WAUK Jackson-Milwaukee) will carry the national ESPN Radio feed most of the day.
Former Packer Mark Chmura is joining the daily “94.5 ESPN” lineup to co-host a morning show with Gabe Neitzel from 7 to 9. Jason Wilde and Mark Tauscher will air from 9 to Noon followed by an hour with Greg Matzek, who’s moving over from sister Good Karma Brands station WTMJ/620. Former NBA player Tony Smith is joining the station to co-host with Bryan Dee from 1 to 3, followed by Steve “The Homer” True and Gabe Neitzel from 3 to 6 and WTMJ’s Doug Russell from 6 to 8.
Russell will also host “ESPN Milwaukee Podcenter” from 3 to 6 p.m. on “540 ESPN,” which will carry national programming the rest of the day with local inserts. WTMJ will drop evening sports talk in favor of general talk, except when the Bucks or Brewers are playing.
The “ESPN Milwaukee” stations are in a crowded sports radio market that also includes iHeartMedia’s “97.3 The Game” (WRNW), iHeart’s “The Big 920” (WOKY), and Entercom’s “105.7 The Fan” (W289CB and WSSP/1250). Both “The Game” and “The Fan” have 12 daily weekday hours of local and state programming, including a new morning show on “The Game” hosted by national sports talk veteran Steve Czaban, and “The Big 920” also offers a local two-hour morning show.
Added up, that’s 42 hours of local and state sports talk programming every weekday in Milwaukee.