When ESPN New York made changes to its schedule in 2021, including adding a new, local morning show, Rick DiPietro had to change his wake-up call. In his previous seven years on the air, DiPietro had hosted shows at virtually every time of day outside of the morning show, honing his craft and building a connection with audiences.
The enthusiastic crowd he had previously watched from his vantage point between the posts now made its presence felt over the phone lines, forging individual connections through discussions and debates about sports. Although getting up at 2:30 a.m. ET isn’t getting any easier, he feels fortunate to have a platform in New York, raise his family and maintain his connection to competition.
DiPietro doesn’t get to the studio until an hour and a half after he wakes up, and he goes through a morning routine beforehand to avoid slacking and underpreparation. On the nights before a show, he tries to stay up as late as possible to watch a number of sporting events, and completes the rest of his film studies in the morning via DVR replay. Before the sun comes up, DiPietro is on his way to New York City, where he meets with producers RJ Santillo and Ray Santiago and morning co-host Dave Rothenberg.
Whenever he’s on the air, DiPietro tries to convey his true personality to the audience and refrains from inventing his character. Much like his colleagues, who he is frequently asked about by fans of the show, he speaks with the same humor, banter and wit that have made him a lasting on-air personality.
“Honestly, I act the same way I would in front of my buddies or at home,” DiPietro said. “Nothing really changes, and the best part about it all is that it doesn’t have to be a show. My relationship with these guys is the same on the air as it is off the air.”
DiPietro wants to provide his listeners with information on athletes, teams and leagues in the sports landscape, but he also recognizes the need to add entertaining content to such discussions. For example, the show features a block called “Stump Rothenberg,” in which DiPietro’s co-host is asked questions that require deep thought to properly answer. Rothenberg is living his dream, DiPietro explained, and brings his passion to his knowledge and skills as a host.
“What I think makes him the best and why I love him so much is that I can pretty much say anything I want to him and it doesn’t bother him at all,” DiPietro explained. “It’s not going to end with him being mad at me and there’s not going to be an argument. We both have that kind of personality where we don’t mind putting up with things. There’s not much you could say that would hurt our feelings.”
Creating and maintaining an environment in which to host a successful morning program involved mutual trust and constant consideration of the audience. There are differing opinions about the role of callers in sports talk radio, but the DiPietro & Rothenberg The program made its stance clear by devoting segments to issues raised by listeners.
“It’s funny because a lot of times it’s not even about sports topics,” DiPietro said. “It can be, ‘What’s your favorite sandwich?’ or something completely spontaneous, so as soon as you mention it, the phone lines light up and you’re taking calls about it. So it really gives them a chance to have a point of view, to go back and forth, to have a discussion — that’s the fun part of a discussion — and then kind of be their sounding board for whatever they want to talk about.”
When DiPietro began working the morning drive, he expressed a desire for the program to replicate a locker room-like environment. Incorporating lighthearted exuberance and a fun, upbeat mood while staying on top of what needs to be discussed has produced a game plan the team hopes to implement, reminiscent of DiPietro’s 10-year NHL career as a goalie for the New York Islanders, which featured flashes of success despite its ups and downs.
As an athlete, DiPietro was averse to sports talk radio because he wanted to remain impervious to public opinion. After retiring, he happened to hear Alan Hahn, a reporter who used to cover the Islanders. Newsdaywhile hosting a radio show. Someone asked Hahn a question about the NHL that DiPietro knew the answer to, so he texted the information. After revealing the message he received, Hahn implored DiPietro to give it a try in the fresh air, a request he eventually granted after proving he was persistent.
“I went into town with him one night to fill in for Dave (Rothenberg) — ironically, it was Dave’s show, his show from 7 to 10, we filled in — and he kind of marked the last show,” DiPietro said. “It was, ‘We’re going to keep doing this until they tell us to stop,’ so we did it again the next night.”
ESPN New York made changes to its on-air schedule ahead of the 2014 NHL season, introducing a three-hour weekday evening show co-hosted by DiPietro and Hahn. The duo, who became known as Rooster & Humpty turned out to be a happy coincidence and built on the trust that had been built during DiPietro’s playing days.
Before Hahn asked DiPietro to accept a job in the industry, he spoke with him about working with media representatives. The conversation laid the foundation for their relationship, which expanded over the years as the show flourished, moved to the noon time slot and received a simulcast of highlights on MSG Networks.
The network added former NFL defensive lineman and Super Bowl champion Chris Canty to its program in 2016, giving listeners a firsthand perspective from an athlete who had recently quit the sport. A year later, ESPN New York made further changes to the program, bringing Hahn back to the evening show where he started and adding Rothenberg to the midday show with DiPietro and Canty.
“The last thing we wanted to do was interrupt each other and everything else,” DiPietro said, “and I think, I don’t know that I bring anything to the table, which is to be quick-witted and throw in a comment, and that’s not so easy with three people. So it wasn’t too hard, but going from two to three you have to adjust.”
Good Karma Brands officially took over operations of ESPN New York 98.7 FM and purchased the 1050 AM frequency as part of a larger transaction with The Walt Disney Company that is expected to close in 2022. The implementation of a dual management structure, with executives from both companies having oversight of different areas of the station, brought some changes, but DiPietro still believes the station is growing and able to connect with its listeners.
With the lease for the 98.7 FM frequency expiring at the end of August, Good Karma Brands has decided not to enter into a new contract with owner Emmis Communications and is now recommending that listeners reset their preferences. Internal company data shows that 60% of ESPN New York listeners are not received via terrestrial radio. Instead, Good Karma Brands is now focusing on digital distribution, but retaining the AM component.
“There are a lot of ways to find us. We’re trying to get all the people who are listening to us now on 98.7. It’s not going to be easy and we have a lot of work ahead of us,” DiPietro said. “But we believe we can put on a really good four-hour show and that the people who like us will find us.”
The company also stopped subscribing to Nielsen’s market ratings data earlier this year, eliminating the traditional method of evaluating programs and assessing the competition. DiPietro used statistics and other yardsticks to measure his success as a hockey player, and he had used other quantitative benchmarks to evaluate the broadcast company. Although the proverbial scoreboard is no longer accessible to the broadcaster, he trusts Good Karma Brands and the vision the company has in developing its offerings.
“Right now we’re doing the simulcast on 98.7 (and) 1050 AM,” DiPietro said. “Our app is great — the ESPN New York app is a great app — so we’re just playing by feel here, but as far as their vision, I trust what Good Karma is doing.”
Because he can’t rely on traditional ratings to systematically calculate the show, DiPietro connects benchmarks and touchpoints using a variety of different factors. One of those intangible reference points is that as a baseball coach for his son’s team, he gets recognition for his work on television. DiPietro recalls that at a recent baseball game, someone came up to him and said how much he enjoyed listening to him on the morning drive – a recurring pattern. Even though the show itself takes place in the studios at the same time of day, it is neither monotonous nor onerous.
“As hard as it is to get up every day, go there, see the guys, talk about sports (and) have selfish laughs, I think that’s why I wanted it to create a locker room type atmosphere,” DiPietro said. “The thing I miss most about professional sports is the locker room, the camaraderie with my teammates, and that’s something we built with the show, that kind of brotherhood you feel when you’re part of a team.”
DiPietro wants to continue hosting Morning Drive in New York City and help ESPN New York thrive by changing discovery and consumption habits. As a professional athlete, he didn’t want to see the maroon glow of goals on the boards, but he has a different take on the lighting in the studio. Parallel to the rapid and sustained growth in hockey, DiPietro wants to embody the same for the morning radio program with the ever-present fear of failure. The four hours will continue to be filled with informative sports talk, banter and entertainment to create content worth rewatching when the sun comes up again.
“Be entertaining, do your job — you can’t just show up, especially here,” DiPietro said. “In New York, if you want to do a radio or TV show, people will smell you right away if you don’t know what you’re talking about. So make sure you’re on top of everything, be prepared and then be yourself. Don’t be contrived.”
Derek Futterman is an editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. He has also worked in a variety of roles in multimedia production – including live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – as well as digital content development and management. Previously, he interned at Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and was senior sports producer at NY2C. To connect with him, find him on X @derekfutterman.
