NEW YORK — If you turn to ESPN on New Year's Day looking for Mike Greenberg's new morning show, you might be disappointed.
The premiere of Greenberg's new solo show will likely be delayed for months because of construction delays at ESPN's expensive new South Street Seaport studio in Manhattan, sources tell Sporting News, and it might not premiere until spring 2018.
ESPN declined to comment for this story. During its upfront presentation to advertisers in May, ESPN announced Greenberg's show would debut Jan. 1, 2018 (7 a.m to 10 a.m. ET).
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Building new facilities in the Big Apple is a notoriously slow and expensive process. The construction delays surrounding ESPN's new Manhattan studio also raise questions about the timing of the network's new afternoon show with Bomani Jones and Pablo Torre, which is supposed to debut Jan. 2, 2018 (noon to 1 p.m. ET), and be recorded in the same South Street Seaport studio. The Jones-Torre program could be delayed for months, too, sources said.
ESPN has options. The company has spent millions over the last decade building state-of-the-art studios at its Bristol, Conn., headquarters. ESPN could decide to shoot the two new shows at its corporate campus until the Manhattan studio is ready, or it could find temporary studio space in Manhattan until its new set is ready. Sister Disney network ABC shoots "Good Morning America" in a studio overlooking Times Square.
Meanwhile, the talent lineup surrounding Greenberg on his new show is firming up. Michelle Beadle will leave "SportsNation" and relocate back to the East Coast to work with Greenberg. During a recent episode of "SportsNation," Beadle's co-host Marcellus Wiley openly joked about her moving to New York from Los Angeles.
Their co-hosts will likely be NBA analyst Jalen Rose and an NFL/college football analyst. Damien Woody and Anthony "Booger" McFarland are under consideration. Both have appeared frequently with Greenberg and longtime partner Mike Golic on "Mike & Mike in the Morning."
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Sporting News first broke the news that Beadle, Rose and McFarland were in the running to join Greenberg as co-hosts of the show that will also featuring a rotating guest list of ESPN personalities and athletes/celebrities.
ESPN's revamped management has high hopes for Greenberg's show. They see it as an opportunity to take back viewers lost to FS1's "Undisputed" and NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" show.
"Ultimately, they want the cast of this show to be 'The Avengers,'" a source said.