A late morning show titledThe Beat of Sports is hosted by Marc Daniels, the radio voice of theUCF Knights. Bianchi and Daniels join for an hour long crossover show from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. calledThe Bridge. Then Daniels takes over until noon. Chris Vazquez is the producer/co-host forThe Beat of Sports.
Weekday afternoons featureThe Herd with Colin Cowherd, followed byIn The Zone with Brandon Kravitz. The Shot Doctor (Mike Josephs[5]) was part of the show until his retirement in 2020. Tyler Caron currently serves as producer/co-host to 'In The Zone' The remainder of the nighttime and overnight hours, as well as the weekends, featureFox Sports Radio syndicated programming andbrokered programming as well asESPN Radio.
In March 1988, the station was bought byGuy Gannett Communications, becoming an affiliate of theABC Talk Radio Network and airingCBS Radio News, plus local news with an eleven person staff.[7] Thecall sign changed to WWNZ ("Wins") on May 12, 1988. Gannett raised the power from 5KW non-directional day and 1KW 3 tower directional nights, to 50,000 watts both day and night from the new site in Lake County just outside Orange County. The new the site used 6 towers with one specially configured wagon wheel top array to better control the nighttime skywave.[8]
Paxson Communications acquired the station in February 1992.[9] Clive Thomas was the midday host, while Jim Philips was on in the afternoons.[10][11]
WQTM debuted as asports talk station, originally branded as "540 The Team", on January 2, 1995 on AM 540 in Orlando.[12] The station officially changed its call letters to WQTM in the spring of 1996.[13][14] In March 1998, Marc Daniels took over asprogram director, replacing Dick Sheetz.[15] In January 2001, WQTM transitioned over to 740-AM by simulcasting on both frequencies for one month.[16] Beginning in February 2001, the transition over to AM 740 was complete, and AM 540 becameWFLF (NewsRadio 540 WFLA).
During its original run as a sport talk station,740 The Team carried several local shows:
From 1995-1997, the morning show debuted featuring Jerry O'Neill and Greg Warmoth.[12] For a brief time "Slats" replaced O'Neill, but O'Neill eventually returned.[17]
From 1997-2000, the morning show starred Jerry O'Neill & The Shot Doctor.[18] A third host, "Mandy" joined the duo for a period of time.[19]
From 2000-2002, Pat Clarke andCharles Davis hosted the morning program.[20]
Keep 'N Score from 9-10 a.m. hosted byOrlando Sentinel columnists Jerry Greene, Mike Bianchi, Lynn Hoppes, and others.[21]
Coach and Company from 3-6 p.m. hosted by Marc Daniels, the voice ofUCF Knights accompanied by then-Florida Gators reporter "Stunning" Steve Egan. "The Freak" Mark Lloyd was also part of the show through 2001, after which he left and joined theWWE announcing staff.
The Finish Line from 6-9 p.m. hosted by Knights sideline reporter Jerry O'Neill along with The Shot Doctor and Mike Tuck.
On October 12, 2006, Clear Channel announced the dismissal of twelve-year program director, and show host Marc Daniels.[25] The move was made as part of budget cuts. Steve Egan was also dismissed.[26] Speculation in anOrlando Sentinel article suggested the station would possibly undergo a format change.[27] On November 10, 2006, it was announced that WQTM's summer 2006 ratings fell to an average of 0.6 (84,000 listeners), falling behind competitor1080 WHOO.[28]
On October 1, 2007, WQTM changed its morning lineup. It droppedKeep 'N Score, a one-hour show hosted byOrlando Sentinel columnists which had run since April 2003,[21] andFox Sports Radio'sOut of Bounds, in favor of the newly re-launchedThe Dan Patrick Show from 9 a.m. to noon.[29]
In January 2008, further changes were made at 740 AM, and other Clear Channel-owned stations in the market. The frequency transitioned to a Spanish-language format, branded as La Preciosa 740.[30][31] Pat Campbell was released from540 WFLA's morning show.[32]Dan Sileo's morning show was put in its place at 540, and it was simulcast onWDAE inTampa as well.The Finish Line, sans Jerry O'Neill, also moved to 540 (taking the 6-9 p.m. timeslot).[33] The Shot Doctor now hosted with Mike Tuck, while O'Neill left to join rival WHOO.[34]The Jim Rome Show was picked up by WHOO, and theTampa Bay Buccaneers affiliation switched toRealRadio 104.1.
After only one year as a Spanish-language format, Clear Channel announced on January 23, 2009, that AM 740 would return to the sports talk format.[35] WQTM received new call letters WYGM, and began broadcasting on February 15, 2009. The station re-branded itself as "740 The Game" (the previous moniker"The Team" had been snagged during the sabbatical by WHOO), and resumed its affiliation withFox Sports Radio.[36] It also continued as the flagship forUCF, an affiliation that had been continuous throughout the Spanish-language format. During its first several months back as a sports talk format, WYGM aired programs such asThe Dan Patrick Show,The Jim Rome Show, andOrlando Predatorsarena football.
In May 2009,The Dan Sileo Show transitioned back from540 WFLA and became the 6-9 a.m. morning drive program.The Finish Line, however, did not return. Initially, The Shot Doctor was fired by Clear Channel and Mike Tuck moved toWHOO to reunite with Jerry O'Neill (Tuck and O'Neill[37][38]). Later in the year, however, The Shot Doctor returned to WYGM to host a new show, titledThe Sports Rx, from 3-6 p.m. with Brandon Kravitz.[39]
In October 2010,Dan Sileo was dropped from WYGM to focus on the Tampa Bay market.[40] He was soon replaced byMike Bianchi in the 6-9 a.m. morning slot, in an effort to establish a more Orlando-centric morning show.[41] Bianchi's show debuted, initially with co-host Brian Fritz, on November 15, 2010.[42]
By 2012, original anchor Marc Daniels (who had spent time atWHOO), returned to AM 740, and started a new late morning program,The Beat of Sports, co-hosted for a time by Jerry Greene formerly of theOrlando Sentinel.[37][38] It marked Greene's return to AM 740, after co-hostingKeep 'N' Score several years earlier. Greene died in 2016.[43]
On October 1, 2015, WYGM began simulcasting on FM translator W246BO (moved from 97.1), transmitting fromDeltona. The stations were rebranded as "96.9 The Game".[44] The translatorcall sign later changed to W245CL. In 2010, WYGM began simulcasting on the HD3 subchannel of sister stationWTKS-FM. On May 6, 2012, WYGM switched its HD Radio simulcast from WTKS-FM-HD3 to WJRR-HD2 with the demise of "Channel X".
In August 2017, Jerry O'Neill left WHOO and rejoined 740 The Game, reuniting with The Shot Doctor and they resumed their afternoon showThe Finish Line. Brandon Kravitz moved to the morning show with Mike Bianchi.[45]
In 2019, longtime host Jerry O'Neill retired from his program (The Finish Line), and also retired as a sideline reporter forUCF football.[46] Brandon Kravitz, moved back to afternoons, re-joining The Shot Doctor in a revamped show titledIn The Zone.[47]
