Gow Media Sports “ESPN 97.5” KFNC Mont Belvieu/Houston is reuniting Lance Zierlein and John Granato in mornings from 7am-930am starting Monday, November 27.
The duo hosted mornings together on CBS’ 610 KILT Houston from 1997-2007 before jumping to Gow’s 1560 KGOW. Zierlein then hosted mornings on iHeartMedia’s “Sports 790” KBME until his contract expired in June. Granato has been hosting a pair of midday shows on KFNC with Raheel Ramzanali and Delvin Olaleye from 9-11am and with Sean Salisbury from 11am-1pm. The move will expand KFNC’s local output to 7am-7pm weekdays.
Lance Zierlein and John Granato, whose top-rated morning show led Houston’s sports talk radio market for years, will once again share a broadcast studio starting on Monday, November 27, 2017.
The talented duo will cover morning drive on ESPN 97.5 FM from 7:00 to 9:30 AM each weekday.
“Reuniting John and Lance is a homerun”, said David Gow, CEO of Gow Media. “For years, people have asked me when those two could do a show again, and now the stars have aligned.”
Recognized by the Houston Press for Best Radio Show and as Best Radio Host, and a longtime analyst for NFL.com, Zierlein began his career at rival KILT-AM, before joining Granato for the launch of Gow Media’s 1560 AM in 2007. Zierlein left his most recent post at KBME-AM in June of this year, and has been counting the days until his sanctioned return to terrestrial airwaves.
“I’m really excited about getting back together with John Granato and being part of what David Gow is building with 97.5, Sports Map and Culture Map,” says Zierlein. “John and I had the most talked-about show in Houston because of our chemistry and the fun we had on the air. That’s missing from a lot of the radio shows out there today. It’s time to bring that back in the mornings.”
John Granato, who was been a key player in the growth of Gow Media’s sports properties, enjoyed a successful ten-year run with Zierlein at KILT-AM, where the two shared morning show duties. He shares Zierlein’s enthusiasm for this new chapter in their personal and professional relationship.
“It’s huge for me to have Lance back” reports Granato. “Not only is he a great friend but I owe a lot to him in my career. And he’s one of the funniest guys I know. A lot of people woke up to us over the years. Hopefully they’ll be back and we’ll get a bunch of new people as well. I’m really excited about being in morning drive again (Except that whole waking up early thing).”
Zierlein’s recruitment, and his pairing with former “mic mate” Granato, represents another bold talent acquisition engineered by Gow Media CEO David Gow. Earlier this year, Gow lured Houston broadcast veteran Charlie Pallilo to the Gow Media family. Pallilo now hosts a weekday show on SportsMap 94.1 FM, following a signal switch from 1560 AM.
Reflecting on a 2017 that included Gow Media’s acquisition of CultureMap and the launch of SportsMap.com, David Gow predicts a great future for his Houston-based multi-platform media company. “Lance caps off a great year for us”, observes Gow. “With Ken Hoffman, Charlie Pallilo and now Lance Zierlein joining our already-strong roster of talent, we believe we’ve built the ‘dream team’ that Houston’s sports fans are looking for”.