Marc Silverman was aware that ESPN 1000 was pursuing the Bears’ radio rights last year. And though he’s very happy to be co-hosting the afternoon show with Tom Waddle, he wanted a piece of the action if the station landed the team.
After the sides came to an agreement, director of content Danny Zederman asked “Silvy” if he’d host the pregame show.
Silverman’s response: “What took you so long?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that to be cocky,” Silverman said. “I was very thankful and thrilled that he asked. But I really wanted to be a part of this on the ground floor because I’ve been in on the ground floor every step of the way for ESPN 1000.”
On Saturday, Silverman, the last remaining original employee at the 25-year-old station, will be the first voice heard on the new flagship of the Bears Radio Network. He’ll open the pregame show at 10 a.m., two hours before kickoff of the preseason opener against the Titans, alongside ABC 7 anchor Dionne Miller. When the regular season kicks off, they’ll be joined by former Bears linebacker Lance Briggs.
Silverman’s involvement is part of Zederman’s plan to make ESPN 1000’s shoulder programming an extension of the station’s shows. Miller co-hosts on Saturday afternoons with Peggy Kusinski, who will join midday host John Jurkovic on the postgame show. Chris Bleck and Adam Abdalla, who often fill in for Mike Greenberg’s national show in late mornings, will co-host a local pre-pregame show.
“It’s familiarity,” Zederman said. “I know the Bears are going to bring ears to ESPN Chicago that might not be here Monday through Friday. But there are going to be the fans that listen to us all the time, and they like the familiarity of that. And I think we’re very lucky here at ESPN Chicago that we have some very talented people, so why not showcase them on the biggest platform?”
Before joining ESPN 1000 in 1998, Silverman covered the Bears for WGN Radio. His first training camp was in 1995 in Platteville, Wisconsin, where Erik Kramer beat out Steve Walsh for the quarterback job and went on to set the franchise record for passing yards in a season (3,838).
In addition to covering the team for ESPN 1000, Silverman hosted the station’s Bears pregame show from 2003 to ’05 with former Bears Dave Duerson and Steve McMichael. Afterward, he began hosting a talk show full-time, but he’s eager to get back to his roots.
“It’s going to be completely different,” he said. “I’m a completely different host than I was. I’m more relaxed, more confident. Where the Bears are is huge, and that played a huge role in this. They’re at this perfect crossroads that I feel like they can get to the other side as a franchise that’s finally pointed in the right direction. We’ve got them at the exact right time.”
Silverman also will host the halftime show, where he’ll try a different format: taking calls.
“When Silvy agreed to do this and I was thinking, what are we going to do at halftime, what does Silvy do well?” Zederman said. “Silvy’s biggest strength is he is an incredible sports talk radio host. I thought, let’s not just play highlights, let’s not just give stats. Let’s actually have halftime be entertaining.”
“It’s going to be interesting,” Silverman said. “But I think it’s great on paper. We’re going to see how it works. But in today’s environment, if you’re listening to the radio, you probably already know how they scored. Instead of just your prototypical halftime show, let’s give them some substance.”
In the regular season, the halftime show also will include a celebrity interview. Silverman will speak with a Bears fan celebrity, whom the station plans to reveal on Fridays on “Waddle & Silvy,” about the game.
Zederman won’t mess with the success of play-by-play voice Jeff Joniak and analyst Tom Thayer, who return for their 23rd season together. In fact, he aims to give the popular duo more airtime by giving them fewer ad reads. Predecessor WBBM’s broadcast was overridden by them.
“We tried incredibly hard to declutter the game broadcast,” Zederman said. “Props to our market manager, Keith Williams, and our play-by-play sales manager, Andrew Delaney, for working with me on this. I know how important it is to sell things in a game broadcast, but I also know listening to it in the past that the sponsorships and the mentions can get in the way of the game.”
That also will free up time for former Bears fullback and new sideline reporter Jason McKie, whom Zederman wants to serve as a second analyst.
“Jeff Dickerson told me years ago, ‘Watch this guy Jason McKie. He could be a superstar in broadcasting if he wants to be,’ ” Zederman said, citing the ESPN 1000 Bears reporter who died in 2021. “I wanted somebody that played the game. He’s such an engaging personality who knows the game so well, and he’s so connected to it. He’s still the head coach at Carmel Catholic High School.”
In a surprise, neither Waddle nor morning co-host David Kaplan are part of the programming lineup. Both are tight on time this year, Kaplan with other endeavors and Waddle with two daughters getting married. But the door isn’t closed on either becoming involved next year.
So when “Silvy” takes the mic Saturday, how will he open ESPN 1000’s first Bears broadcast?
“These are the things that I’ve been asking myself while I’ve been showering,” he said. “Because the first game that we’re on the air is really a big deal. So I expect to say something like, Bears fans are trusting us with this great task and living up to that will be a part of it.”
Remote patrol
- Adam Amin, former Bears quarterback Jim Miller and sideline reporter Lou Canellis return to call the Bears’ preseason games on FOX 32.
- Alex Faust, Ryan Spilborghs and reporter Tricia Whitaker will call the Cubs-Blue Jays game Friday for Apple TV+.
- Jeff Levering and Tom Verducci will call the Brewers-White Sox game Saturday for FOX.
- NBA TV will carry the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony, which includes Chicago native and former Bull Dwyane Wade, at 6 p.m. Saturday.
