Courtesy Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

(January 3, 2010) Out of habit Saturday, I punched the button of my radio that tuned in 1250 on radio dial. For a split second, the sound of teeny-bopper music was startling. Then I remembered: 1250 ESPN is no more.

What would Myron be thinking?

The station made great by the great Cope is a sad memory. It officially became Disney Radio Saturday, some three months after it abandoned almost all local programming. The one-time go-to station for Pittsburgh sports talk no longer exists.

Hoping to fill some of the void and already on the air is ESPN 970. The former Fox Sports Radio 970 has picked up ESPN national programming and effective this morning changed its name and most of its shows.

But can it gain a foothold against The Fan (KDKA-FM, 93.7) now entrenched and growing in popularity although less than a year old?

Say this for Clear Channel, the owner of 970 ESPN, it’s making a better effort than it has in the past. For most of its existence, 970 has been along for the ride, more of an afterthought for the six-station Pittsburgh cluster.

This time around, though, Clear Channel appears to be making more of an effort. That might have something to do with the competition for the Pittsburgh advertising dollar between the six Clear Channel stations and the four of the CBS Group, of which The Fan is one.

Toward making itself better, Clear Channel is bringing back Stan Savran, the biggest name in Pittsburgh sports radio. He debuted this morning for one hour, 10 a.m to 11 a.m. but a week after the Steeler season concludes his show will stretch to two hours.

If Clear Channel truly is serious about challenging The Fan, it will make two other moves:

* Hire Guy Junker, Savran’s long-time on-air partner. His duties as WTAE sports director are an obstacle to his return to radio, but not an insurmountable one.

* Remove the contractual constraints that would keep a Savran-Junker or just a Savran show from airing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Currently, the noon to 2 p.m. slot falls to Jim Rome because of a contractual issue. As big as he is nationally, Rome has never had an impact in Pittsburgh. He brings nothing to the station.

Scott Van Pelt, an ESPN national program, will air from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and ``The Joe Bendel Show,'' previously heard from 3 to 7, will now air from 4 to 7.

With ``Mike and Mike in the Morning’’ starting the day, 970 ESPN has a nice lineup. Whether it can challenge The Fan remains to be determined.

But it will have a better chance with Savran eventually taking Rome’s two hours and an even better one if Junker can join Savran.

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