MIke and Mike on ESPN Radio

To compare the John Beilein show that my class was able to listen in a few weeks ago, I listed to Mike and Mike today on ESPN from 9:30-10am.

The first thing I notice is the mere Speed of the program. They try to pack as much information, topics and interviews into the show as possible. They fly through everything, so although they dont go into the depth that the John Beilein show did. They keep your attention with different leagues, teams and players. Perhaps they hope that at least one thing will catch your attention, perhaps they are seeking to satisfy a large, national audience. I felt that the commercials were few but long in length and every time they had someone else with them ready to roll.

The level of questions were not as personal or conversational as the John Beilein show, it was more like an interview, like a journalist interviewing the person. It was not a FDR fireside chat and it was no 60 minutes. It was a “we have a list of 5 questions that we need to ask in 5 minutes so lets get through it.” For some this volume of information will be attractive, to get to know as many things in a short period of time. For example, they speak of the NFL lockout and how that will impact new quarterbacks, such as Derek Anderson from the Arizona Cardinals. They Spoke of the Steelers and how if they win their 3rd in 6 years they can put in the dynasty talk. And they spoke of the difficulty of Polamalu for receivers.

I found it interesting how they promoted certain Brands right before commercial breaks. When they interviewed Larry Fitzgerald from the Arizona Cardinals, it was neat to hear them promote “Here for Good,” an organization who does elementary school library makeovers and they had just complete done in Dallas and Larry was going to be there. They asked him how the kids usually welcome NFL stars like himself and he said they are always so excited to see the players in person. After the thrill they start comparing the players to NFL greats or to their local team like the Cowboy right in front of the players themselves. So Larry always gets a Kick out of that when he hears them. For anyone wondering, Larry Fitzgerald calls the Steelers to win the game in a low scoring match.

Mike and Mike was defiantly different than the John Beilein show, but the differences make sense. John Beilein show is concentrated for a very specific segment of the population:

1) local radio listeners who are 2) Michigan fans and 3) who follow Michigan Basketball.

Mike and Mike are:

1) national radio listeners who are 2) sport fans who 3) have all different types of sport and league interests.

Because of this narrow and general audience segmentation, the John Beilein show can be more intimate, almost like you were hearing Coach Beilein talking to you personally, where as Mike and Mike is like a TV news interview -- you get what you get. Its just a rapid amount of news like CNN just flying through the stands, one lined up alter the other. Which one do I prefer? I am not sure because when I listen I am always doing something on the move. John Beilein show is more thorough but Mike and Mike gets through more topics, so you cant really go wrong. As long as I can download them as podcasts and listen to them on demand, I am a happy fan.