Chicago is geting some more choices for sports talk

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: North to launch new sports station on the Net : Posted by Ed Sherman at 3/10/2009 6:00 AM CDT on Chicago Business : There's going to be a new sports talk station in town, but you won't find it on your radio dial. : Crain's has learned Mike North's ChicagoSportsWebio.com is putting the finishing touches on a 6 a.m.-to-6 p.m. sports talk outlet. It will include boxer Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, Chet Coppock, Jonathan Hood, Teddy Greenstein and Tim Doyle. Twelve-hour programming is expected to begin in April. : The Web site has been hiring producers and other staffers from WSCR-AM 670 and WMVP-AM 1000. Jesse Rogers, formerly of SCR, will be program director. The station will operate out of studios in Morton Grove. : ChicagoSportsWebio.com is promoting "a major announcement" on its site. However, when contacted, Mr, North declined comment. : "Not talking is a new one for me," he said. "I guess I'm learning." : Mr. North, though, will have plenty to say soon. The site will be co-owned by David Hernandez, CEO of Next Step Medical Staffing. Mr. Hernandez's company also is title sponsor of Mr. North's "Monsters in the Morning" on Comcast SportsNet. : Mr. North did a daily Internet show on ChicagoSportsWebio.com after he left SCR last summer. The site now simulcasts his television show, something that will continue under the new format. : This is a bold move for Mr. North and Mr. Hernandez. They now have to condition sports talk listeners to listen on their computers. : Many people already do, listening to live streams of broadcasts from WSCR and WMVP. So ChicagoSportsWebio.com faces plenty of competition on the Internet, too. : At the end of the day, Webio's success will be determined by what it delivers, according the Bob Snyder, the former general manager of WMVP who now operates a radio consulting company, Beason Broadcast Partners. : "These are some good, talented people, so I imagine the programming will be pretty good," Mr. Snyder said. "If it is of good quality, the streams will have a chance. It all comes down to good content and marketing. Just like every other product." : The owners also are looking to the future when new technology will allow people to access Internet streams in their cars. : "Believe it or not, it will happen, but it's a long way away," Mr. Snyder said. : : Mr. North and Mr. Hernandez appear to be in for the long haul, according to people familiar with the operation. : Here is the tentative lineup: : 6-9 a.m.: Simulcast of "Monsters in the Morning." : 9-11 a.m.: Teddy Greenstein, the college football and golf writer for the Tribune, and Matt Weber, a young upstart from WSCR. : 11-3 p.m.: Jonathan Hood, a host at WMVP, and Tim Doyle, a former Northwestern basketball player who now works for the Big Ten Network. : 3-6: Chet Coppock, the one and only, and Boom Boom Mancini, the successful lightweight boxer during the 1980s. That should be an interesting pairing.

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