The ESPN Radio facelift: More Colin, Gottlieb in the afternoon, which probably shifts ...

Part of the meetings in Bristol, Conn., this week attended by KSPN-AM (710) new VP and general manager Chris Berry and program director Larry Gifford involved adjustments to the national ESPN Radio programming, which the local stuff is built around.

They've decided that in a two-part move, ESPN Radio will change this way in the near future to add a new show, boost the hours of a couple others and switch someone else to East Coast drive ...

OK, enough of a tease. As of Feb. 2, it'll be (with West Coast times, of course):

3 to 7 a.m.: Mike & Mike in the Morning
7 to 10 a.m.: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
10 a.m. to noon: Tirico & Van Pelt
Noon to 1 p.m.: Scott Van Pelt Show
1 to 4 p.m.: The Doug Gottlieb Show -- new to the lineup.
4 to 5 p.m.: Football Tonight
5 to 7 p.m.: The Brian Kenny Show
7 to 10 p.m.: ESPN live news and info block
10 p.m. to 2 a.m.: AllNight with Jason Smith
2 to 3 a.m.: SportsCenter

Starting March 16, Cowherd adds an hour on the backend (running 7 to 11 a.m.), while the Van Pelt solo stint (thankfully) ends, keeping the Tirico and Van Pelt combo from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. -- which Van Pelt seems to host solo too often enough.

So what does it mean for the local programming on KSPN?

Most likely, our sources tell us that with Gottlieb, a So Cal native moving from nights to days, he'll be on the air in L.A. in that 1-to-4 slot and shift the Steve Mason and John Ireland show back to its original 4 to 7 p.m. time, covering up the national show from Kenney, the ESPN "SportsCenter" anchor. Brian Long will also stay in the loop, probably during that 7 to 10 p.m. "news and info block" with Dave Denholm and do their show from the new ESPN Zone in L.A. Live across from Staples Center to add the live vibe.

Other factors that could alter this scenario:

==The Lakers start partnering with KSPN this fall with their games ... does Mychael Thompson, who will stay on a radio analyst, find a role in a sport-talk show at the station? Can you envision a situation where he does the Lakers games for one station but keeps his sports-talk co-host role at KLAC-AM (570), which is in his current contract and pays him more than if he just did the games?

==With all the dough that ESPN is spending on new studios for the local radio station (on-air talent as well as sales staff, etc.), can they afford to be so network-heavy on programming? It would make more sense that they do this to accomodate more local programming.

==Gifford gave Gottleib a tryout at the station as a consideration as a local host once Dave Dameshek was blown out. Does Jim Pastor, the overseeing boss at KSPN (as well as the ESPN Radio owned-and-operated affiliates in Chicago and Dallas) really like Gotteib enough to OK him going to the L.A. audience?