'First Take, Your Take' To Debut on ESPN Radio

ESPN Radio will launch a new, highly interactive weekday afternoon sports talk show, First Take, Your Take with Jason Fitz, beginning January 20 at 1 p.m. ET. The two-hour show – hosted by Fitz and simulcast on ESPNEWS – will further the most timely conversations from that morning’s edition of ESPN’s marquee debate show First Take.

The most compelling debates by Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman will be utilized to set the table to expand on the top stories of the day with additional opinions, conversation and dissection. Smith will regularly join Fitz on the show to provide his unique brand of commentary. A powerful lineup of sport-specific experts, as well as callers, will add their reactions to propel the discussion during the 1-3 p.m. window, which saw a 21 percent increase in November from 2018 on terrestrial radio with men 25-54. The timeslot also saw an increase of five percent across all platforms.

Jason Fritz

“Sports fans are passionate, they love spirited debate and they know First Take is the must-watch show every morning to learn what Stephen A. and Max think,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president and executive editor, production. “Weaving the best of First Take into this show will set the table for freewheeling discussion. Jason will be joined daily by a lineup of experts and sports fans who call in to further the debate and deliver their strong opinions.”

Fitz added, “I’m excited to host a show aligned with one of the biggest franchises at ESPN that will let me continue to push the First Take topics forward and keep building my relationship with ESPN Radio listeners that means so much to me.”

First Take,Your Take with Jason Fitz will originate from Bristol and will also be available on SiriusXM Channel 80 and via digital distributors Apple Music, iHeartRadio and TuneIn.

Fitz joined ESPN in 2016 and has quickly become a household name across radio programming and the network’s digital platforms. He now hosts the twice-daily show SportsCenter on Snapchat, ESPN Radio’s First and Last and is a regular contributor on Golic and Wingo. Fitz is also a fixture on ESPN’s social media shows surrounding marquee events and key rankings reveals. Prior to ESPN, Fitz was a member of the chart-topping country music group The Band Perry, serving as the band’s musical director and fiddle player.

Fitz’s job, according to Williamson, is to “sort of triangulate” the elements of the show. He will intro Smith’s and Kellerman’s takes on big topics, interact with fans and then have live guests around the segments.

WEPN 98.7 FM, ESPN will go local with a show featuring Bart Scott and Alan Hahn, sources have told The NY Post. Williamson declined to comment. Scott is soon leaving WFAN, where he has hosted afternoon shows for two years.

Entercom, FAN’s parent company, has shifted from offering Scott more and more money to attempt to convince him to change his mind to trying to hold up when he can begin at ESPN Radio, according to sources.