Comcast SportsNet’s morning show titled Monsters In The Morning is being dropped after one season on the air.
Hosted by former WSCR-AM co-hosts Mike North and Dan Jigeetts, the duo discussed local sports issues of the day, sort of a local version of ESPN’s MIke & Mike in the Morning (which features another WSCR alum, Mike Greenberg.)
CSN and Mike North’s production company (Licorice Ltd.) split the commercial time to sell between the two and Licorice absorbed production costs – mainly by finding a sponsor to help underwrite those production costs. Yours truly praised the way this entrepreneurial model was set up – one which could be used in the future for first-run syndication and other platforms.
But the program lost its major sponsor in June when the sponsor went out of business after the owner was arrested and charged in a ponzi scheme. The owner’s legal problems also forced the closure of Chicago Sports Webio, an internet-radio sports station and website in which North was a major investor. North was ousted from the venture on June 12.
Ratings for Monsters were very low and with the morning show expensive to produce, a mutual decision was made to end the show was made by Comcast SportsNet and Licorice.
The series ends on December 31, the day the show’s contract with Comcast SportsNet expires.
Thought: While this particular experimental model did not work – and it was doomed once we all found the person funding the production was a snake, I still believe this business model still can work -but the risks are higher and you have to watch who you do business with.
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I love this show, just being able to see a show all about Chicago Sports is great especially when its talk radio on the air. I love Mike & Mike but I grew tired of the East Coast biases the show had. Mike & Mike seemed like a show that got great ratings or at least every Chicago sports fan I knew watched it or regularly watched it.
When the guy played them back in June that was a huge setback for them and he's a bastard for doing that b/c it costs people their jobs.
Hopefully Mike North comes back with Jiggai and Jen Jen "The Engine" and do a second run. The chemistry between these guys is unbelievable and I love it when it they debate.
It seems like all my daytime favorites are seeing the axe and its not fair as my Monsters will be gone, Guiding Light, and As the World Turns. I hate this shit b/c garbage programs stay on the air.
I will continue to watch until its over.
I loved the guys on radio with their "JagBag" and "CaneEm" bits. I was very glad to see them reunited on the tv show but it lost a lot of steam after they got screwed by the ass-hole investor this summer. Hope they both land on their feet and get back on the radio/tv together again real soon.