Detroit Radio: How WMGC's Sports 105.1 FM Failed

Tom Mazawey and Sean Baligian, two show hosts at Detroit Sports WMGC 105.1 FM, explained Thursday some of the mistakes and failures that led to the station discontinuing its sports-talk format Wednesday after a 34-month run.

The Detroit Free-Press reports questionable programming decisions, failing to provide a Detroit-centric morning show and the handling of the station’s key personality, Drew Lane, were among the key problems.

But the biggest nail in the coffin came last fall, according to Mazawey. That’s when WMGC, owned by Greater Media, lost a bid for the Detroit Tigers' radio broadcast rights to The Ticket WXYT 97.1 FM.

Drew Lane

Mazawey said it wasn’t a fair negotiation after two Tigers executives broke a promise to make it a sealed-bid offer and tipped off The Ticket executives about the offer from Greater Media and WMGC, although a source close to the negotiations on the team's side told the Free Press late Thursday that there was never a sealed-bid offer as part of the process but declined further comment.

“That was the start, really. We needed them. If we got them, we were on the map.”

In February, Baligian began hosting the 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. show with Mazawey and Marc Fellhauer. But for the first 30 months of its existence, WMGC, an ESPN affiliate, carried ESPN’s syndicated show “Mike and Mike.” Baligian said that didn’t cut it in a town crazy about its Detroit teams.

“My goodness, when you think about it, for the 34 months that the station existed, 30 of those months had a national show, quite frankly, a New York-based show. I just don’t think that’s a good business model at all. I think by the time they learned that, I guess in retrospect, it was probably too late.

Another problem was trying to make Drew Lane, a longtime Detroit radio personality known for his general banter, take a more sports-centric tack. Lane’s contract was not renewed in October.

“Drew Lane was our linchpin,” Mazawey said. “We built the station around him, and then they go and tell him, ‘Well, you know what? We want you to change your show after 30 years in the business,’ or whatever he’s been at it.

“And we were fourth in (the ratings among 25- to 54-year-olds) at that point with Drew as our lead. He brought in, I think, a quarter million dollars the first five months, I think. People loved him. (Advertisers) were lining up to sign up with him. Once they pulled him, that was the last straw. No Tigers, no Red Wings and then no Drew. There’s the mistake.”