Orlando Gets Fourth Sports Talk Station

580 AM (WDBO), Central Florida's oldest radio station, is joining the sports talk fray starting Monday by becoming an ESPN Radio affiliate. That means Orlando will have four full-time sports-talk stations to choose from on the radio dial. For a community with more than a million and a half people, that's a lot of choices for sports coverage, writes Matt Murschel at The Orlando Sentinel.

The website is espn580orlando.com.

Currently, sports fans can choose from 740 AM (WYGM), the Fox Sports affiliate known as 740 The Game; 810 AM (WRSO), the Yahoo! Sports affiliate; and 1080 AM (WHOO), also known as 1080 The Team. The station used to be the home of ESPN programming and now carries NBC Sports Radio. Each of the three stations has a variety of programming, including both local and national sports shows.

ESPN580's line-up includes the locally produced Scott Anez daily 4 to 6. First guest was former Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. 

The 88-year-old WDBO-AM has been the flagship radio station for Orlando Magic since the team started 24 seasons ago, but it has broadcast a news-talk format since 1985. In August 2011, it began simulcasting its shows on former rock station 96.5 FM (WHTQ). But Cox Media Group, which owns both stations, decided to end the simulcast and make the switch to just sports programming on the AM station by adding ESPN.

What will WDBO bring to the sports radio game? For one thing, power.

580 AM has "one of the strongest signals in the Southeast," Traug Keller, ESPN senior vice president, production and business divisions, said in a statement.

The new sports station also plans to play up connections to Disney-owned ESPN and the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World. "The partnership with Disney and Disney Sports here in Orlando is a great move for Cox Media Group," said Susan Larkin, Cox Media Orlando's vice president and market manager.

The ESPN 580 AM lineup will include "Mike & Mike in the Morning" from 6 to 10 a.m., "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and "SVP & Russillo" from 1 to 4 p.m.

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Tom's Take:  It will be interesting to see how soon one of the four drops out of the battle.  WHOO and WRSO just don't have the resources of Cox Media and Clear Channel  Nor do they have the power to cover the entire market day-and-night. No power, no klout.

Also, WDBO airs Orlando Magic basketball, the only major sports franchise in the market.