Brian Mitchell Out at ESPN 980

Imagine my elation this morning to read through news feeds and notice that Brian Mitchell’s contract would not be renewed at ESPN 980. Not that I, or anyone, should actively cheer for someone to lose their job, but I do cheer for people who aren’t good at their job being forced towards a more suitable career option.

Brian Mitchell’s talent is hating. ESPN 980 shouldn’t be the venue for it.

The station, much like the franchise it covers, are run by a formula that I don’t particularly understand, and apparently, neither does the Washington sports radio market.

Now we hear that Rick “Doc” Walker will replace Mitchell and the recently-cut Al Koken on John Thompson’s 2 PM show. Both Mitchell and Koken are contract non-renewals, we’re told. Kevin Sheehan, who had hosted with Walker, will now do the noon “Locker Room” show solo. Redskins owner Dan Snyder’s RZ is cutting staff and its personnel budget due to the sluggish ad market and due to WTEM’s sluggish ratings - 20th place in the latest PPM numbers…..

In radio, you can’t have carbon copies of people up and down your roster and expect people to tune in and listen throughout the day. Rick "Doc" Walker already fit the bill for the old school, tough talking former Redskin, and paired with Kevin Sheehan, they made for a decent mix of insight and emotion on "The Locker Room."

Brian Mitchell with John Thompson was never a good idea, and only exposed the calamity of the pairing when Mitchell showed his lack of savvy and professionalism in last year’s on-air clash with Clinton Portis. Mitchell’s "former player" perspective offered little more than “show some heart out there, stop talking and play ball, players today don’t understand.” And maybe that works with a lot of the listening demographic.

But it wasn’t unique enough, entertaining enough or credible enough to keep him around in lean economic times. If he was a lightening rod for controversy, or was supremely insightful in his work, Mitchell would still be on the air. The fact that he is not, while Doc Walker remains and will replace Mitchell on “The John Thompson Show,” indicates two things:

Mitchell was never good, and 980 management still doesn’t get how to diversify it’s format.

We’ll get more old school flava from Big John and his new hating sidekick, Doc Walker. The 40-and-over crowd is going to hate Mitchell’s departure, but they’ll get over it once the first “they haven’t won a damn thang” is uttered by the Thompson-Walker Old School Inc.

But the Inc. has one less member, and the station and its listeners are better off for it.