How ESPN 1000, The Score will maneuver NFL Draft coverage around White Sox, Cubs games

ESPN 1000 and The Score faced a conundrum planning their NFL Draft coverage with baseball games each day of the event. So program directors Mitch Rosen and Danny Zederman got creative.

With the White Sox playing at 6:10 p.m. Thursday on 1000-AM during the first night of the draft (the first round begins at 7), Zederman devised a digital megacast across three platforms. As the new radio home of the Bears, ESPN 1000 will broadcast from the Bears’ draft party at Soldier Field.

“Waddle & Silvy” will preview the draft from 2 to 5:30 p.m. on 1000-AM from the United Club before handing off to the Sox’ pregame show. Bears radio voices Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer will join Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman on what will serve as the station’s primary draft show. Bears tight end Cole Kmet and new wide receiver DJ Moore also will appear. The show will continue from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on the ESPN Chicago app and Twitch.

Also during the draft, “Bleck and Abdalla” will broadcast from the Miller Lite Midway at Soldier Field. Zederman said the show will be a “light-hearted, less-hard-core” look at the draft. It will be available on ESPN 1000’s YouTube channel. And morning co-host David Kaplan will broadcast from the Dr Pepper Patio, conducting interviews that will appear on his YouTube channel.

“We’re not a radio station anymore, we’re a content factory,” Zederman said. “Sports fans want to consume it where they want to consume it. I have to find the fans, not the other way around.”

“Carmen and Jurko” will broadcast from radio row at the draft in Kansas City from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday and Friday. When the Sox play at 6:10 p.m. Friday during the second night of the draft (Round 2 begins at 6), ESPN 1000 will cover the event on its app.

The Score is fortunate that the Cubs have a day game Thursday on 670-AM, but the station still will stream pre-draft coverage from 2 to 4 p.m. on the Audacy app. Gabe Ramirez will host with a rotation of Bears-related guests.

After the Cubs postgame show, around 5 p.m., “Parkins & Spiegel” will serve as The Score’s draft show on 670-AM and last until about 9 p.m. Former Bears coach Dave Wannstedt and longsnapper Patrick Mannelly will join. The show also will be streamed on Twitch. Bulls radio voice Chuck Swirsky takes over at 9 p.m. until midnight.

On Friday, the Cubs play at 5:40 p.m. on 670-AM. Afterward, Mark Grote will host draft coverage from about 9 until midnight. On Saturday, The Score will air coverage from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. before the Cubs game, which begins at 3:05 p.m. Hub Arkush, who’s back after suffering a heart attack in August, will appear starting at noon.

“We feel The Score will have tremendous, comprehensive draft coverage of what could be the biggest draft in the history of the franchise,” Rosen said. “Our team of Bears experts will give fans the best unfiltered opinions on all of The Score content platforms.”