“The Michael Kay Show” will take place in afternoons, ending an era in New York radio: sources

The end of a New York sports radio era will come to an end as “The Michael Kay Show” will soon air its final show in the afternoon slot on ESPN New York, sources briefed on the decision said The athlete.

While Kay will remain on the air at midday, the battle between Kay and his ESPN New York cohorts against their archenemies on WFAN, which includes Mike Francesa, Chris Russo, Evan Roberts and Craig Carton, is now over, marking the conclusion of what was one of the most entertaining and controversial periods in the history of the medium in New York. The Afternoon Kay Show has been around for 22 years.

Nearly two years ago, Kay flirted with leaving afternoons, but ESPN went to great financial lengths to keep him. This time, as ESPN and the radio business evolved, Kay’s desire to have a more manageable schedule earlier in the day and the lack of an overwhelming offer to stay in the afternoon were considered deciding factors, according to sources briefed on discussions.

The final afternoon show is scheduled to take place next Friday, December 13th.

Kay, the star of the program, whose most successful recent phase also featured Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg, is not leaving the airwaves entirely; Kay will appear as a solo act on ESPN New York from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET, streaming on its own app and found on 880 AM in New York.

In the afternoons, La Greca and Rosenberg are expected to stay and be joined by Alan Hahn, a former journalist and long-time TV and radio personality, although no contracts have been signed yet.

All new programs begin January 6th.

Hahn was on-site with former NFL Pro Bowl linebacker Bart Scott from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET. The scheduled show, featuring La Graca, Rosenberg and Hahn, will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. ET.

The YES simulcast for Kay’s new time slot and afternoons has yet to be determined. YES and ESPN had some preliminary discussions but couldn’t reach an agreement until the radio station finalized its lineup. These discussions should continue after the agreements are concluded.

ESPN declined to comment.

In the new format, Scott is expected to move to 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET with Dan Graca. This would eliminate Mike Greenberg’s national show starting at 880 AM. This is not as big a factor as it was when ESPN’s local radio signal was on the more desirable frequency of 98.7 FM.

In New York, ESPN still provides the on-air anchors for local programming, while Good Karma Brands manages the marketing and advertising departments.

Mornings on ESPN New York will see Rick DiPietro and Dave Rothenberg continue where they found their footing and gained popularity, although WFAN’s Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti are still the top sports morning shows, often ranked #1 across New York Radio.

The feud between the networks, which climaxed when Kay and Francesa engaged in a war of words that raised anticipation as to who would win Nielsen Audio Radio’s ratings, had already dissipated with ESPN New York using Good Karma had stopped using Neilsen’s spreadsheets as it focused more on digital growth.

Kay, 63, will continue to be the Yankees’ TV voice on YES, but will now appear as a solo artist at middays, moving down the order as the era of sports radio in New York comes to an end.

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(Photo: Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)