ESPN Radio returns to Middle Georgia

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Sports talk radio listeners in middle Georgia have a shiny new gift.

ESPN Radio is back on FM. You can catch it on 93.1 in Macon and 99.5 in Warner Robins.

Bill Shanks is bringing his show over from Fox Sports 1670 AM, where he’s been the last seven years.

In his opinion, if you’re going to be in sports talk radio these days, it has to be on FM.

“AM radio, it’s not dead but it’s not strong,” Shanks says. “You would run into issues with the signal. If there was a storm outside, nobody was listening. We knew that. Just to have that clear signal in Macon and Warner Robins is just so important to us.”

“The Bill Shanks Show” will continue airing weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. with a focus on local sports.

“That sets us apart,” Shanks says. “The local programming, the local content is crucial to us. Now we’re on FM. We’ve got an ESPN affiliation. We’ve got the best brand of sports in broadcasting (with ESPN) so we have a lot to offer with these two new stations.”

There’s more local sports talk every weekday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on “The Middle Georgia Sports Zone.”

That show, formerly known as “The Morning Show” on 1670, is hosted by Russ Brown, Shanks’ co-host in the afternoon, and Daniel Shirley from The Telegraph. Its former time slot, 7 to 9 a.m., will now be occupied by ESPN’s Mike and Mike.