Sports Fan Radio Network

The Sports Fan Radio Network was a national sports talk radio network that existed from 1993 through 2001, when it abruptly folded.

History

Launch

SportsFan Radio Network officially debuted in 1993 with 80 hours of programming per month. Based in Las Vegas, the network broadcast its flagship show SportsFan Tonight from the Sports Theatre in the Las Vegas Hilton. Original hosts of the show were Geoff Nathanson and long time NFL scribe Howard Balzer.

1994-2000

By 1994, SportsFan expanded to a 24/7 format, seven days a week. The signature show, SportsFan Tonight moved its broadcast location from the

CBS Sportsline to broadcast two shows daily. One program was hosted by Craig Carton, the other "The Drive" with Scott Kaplan and Sid Rosenberg. Later they landed a handful of other significant names, including Nanci Donellan (a.k.a. "The Fabulous Sports Babe") from ESPN Radio. Keith Olbermann

also hosted a few shows.

Closure

In 2001, however, the network began facing intense pressure from upstart network

One on One Sports, Sports Fan Radio Network began dismantling. Eventually, Donnellan was fired one week before the Super Bowl

, leaving J. T. the Brick and Scott Ferrall as some of the remaining hosts, hosting two live shifts plus replays throughout the day. The network folded in May 2001, ceding most of its affiliates to Fox.

Former hosts

After being released by Sports Fan, The Fabulous Sports Babe took an approximately 6-year break from radio broadcasting, during which she underwent treatment for cancer. She returned in sporadic guest hosting gigs in 2007, and in April 2008, returned full-time as the co-host of "Brantley and the Babe" on WHBO in Tampa Bay. After various stops on Tampa Bay area radio stations, she left radio again in 2014.

Chuck Powell hosted news talk and FM morning radio in Phoenix from 2003 to 2009. He's now with Seattle's KJR from 10a-Noon.

After the folding of Sports Fan, Frank Andrews, whose real name is Angelo Fracassi, changed his stage name to "Zig" and went to work in his native Western New York, for the now

Mad Dog Radio

.

Soren Petro now hosts "The Program" in Kansas City on 810 WHB, one of the largest sports talk stations in the country (covering six states).

After the dissolution of SFRN, J. T. the Brick was almost immediately hired by Fox Sports Radio, where he is today.

Howard 101

prior to joining CBS.

Sporting News Radio

and later moved to Sirius XM Radio.

Dave Cokin and Steve Cofield stayed in Las Vegas, hosting on ESPN920 and FoxSportsRadio1460. They teamed up for DC and the Sunshine Man on ESPN1100 from 2007 to 2011. They currently do shows on ESPN1100/100.9 FM, Cokin from 2–3 and Cofield 3–6.

"The Sports Pig" hosted in Boise, and then back in Las Vegas on FoxSportsRadio1460. He was joined by Cofield for "Steve and the Sports Pig" from 2004 to 2007. He died in 2012 at age 52.

San Diego. Rosenberg went on to greater fame as a co-host at WFAN, working alongside the likes of Joe Benigno and Don Imus, eventually inheriting Imus's time slot after his retirement and death. Jorge Sedano now hosts The Sedano Show

nationally on ESPN Radio.

Ryan Williams, hired from WFAN when SFRN launched 24/7, hosted weekends and moved to mornings teaming up with fellow host Steve Cofield, with major affiliates in Tampa, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Las Vegas. Williams moved to the program director position and was also responsible for discovering Chris Russo (Russell), Bill Lekas and Brandon Tierney, providing them with their first national presence in the industry.

Boomer and Carton in the Morning

on WFAN, but was convicted on federal fraud charges and reported to prison in June 2019.

John Phillips was with CBS Radio Pittsburgh 93.7 The Fan working as a sports anchor/reporter and talk-show host.

Sirius NFL Radio

.

Bruce Schein currently produces (and appears on-air) on Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo's television program High Heat on the MLB Network.

There was also a weekend host by the name of Chris Russo (not the same Chris Russo of Mike and the Mad Dog fame); he hosted the Redskins pre-and post game shows on the Washington Redskins radio network. He's now a host and the Redskins Insider for ESPN980 in 2005.

thestreet.com

.

Eric Pollero, who hosted and produced the show "SportsFan Conversations", went on to work at CBS SportsLine in Florida. Eric is currently an account executive with WSJS/Curtis Media Group in North Carolina.

Geoff Nathanson went on to work in television and radio as a play-by-play announcer and host at LA powerhouse radio station KNX 1070. He also developed into the go-to guy for TV sportscaster parts and commercials, working in a famous LeBron James Powerade spot, a Lance Armstrong Nike commercial, a Gordie Howe IBM spot and a David Eckstein Del Taco commercial. He has appeared as a recurring character in the ABC Family Channel series, "Make it or Break it" as well as on "Providence", King of Queens" and hosted the World Championship of Fantasy Football on Versus.

Former station

At least one affiliate, KSFN in

CBS Sports Radio

station.

References

^ "Winstar Files for Bankruptcy, Blames Lucent". Los Angeles Times. April 19, 2001. Retrieved April 15, 2015.

External links

Official Web site

[1] "Winstar Files for Bankruptcy, Blames Lucent". Los Angeles Times. April 19, 2001. Retrieved April 15, 2015.