LANSING -- The sports radio landscape changed Monday morning in mid-Michigan.
WVFN The Game 730-AM started a new format that increases its programming to 11 hours of live and local sports talk radio each weekday.
The new weekday lineup:
"The Replay Booth," 6-7 a.m.
"The Morning Show," 7-9 a.m.
"Staudt on Sports," 9 a.m. to noon
"Beyond The Game with Beanie and Brock," noon-3 p.m.
"The Mad Dog Show," 3-6 p.m.
When Tim Staudt, veteran WILX-TV sports anchor, started his long-running "Staudt on Sports" show Monday morning, he described the revamped WVFN as "Lansing's true sports station."
Before the lineup change Monday, WVFN offered eight hours of live and local programming each weekday.
The station, headlined by Staudt's longtime running three-hour morning show, competes with WQTX The Team 92.1-FM, also a sports radio station based in Lansing.
Chris Tyler, Townsquare Media's operations manager, said WVFN's changes are based on what Lansing's "monster sports market" demands. Townsquare Media owns the station.
"We're trying to super-serve the sports fan, and this is the best way to do it," Tyler said.
WQTX offers six hours of live and local programming each weekday that's based solely on sports. It also has nationally syndicated shows like "The Dan Patrick Show" and Fox Sports Radio's "JT The Brick" show.
Michael Patrick Shiels, based in Lansing, also dabbles often in sports-related topics on WQTX with his staff on "Michigan's Big Show." The three-hour morning show focuses primarily on politics, news, travel and entertainment.
Joe Cassady, WQTX's brand manager, congratulated The Game for adding more local programming, but said Monday the rival's stations move won't prompt his station to respond with any lineup changes.
Cassady's station bills itself as "We are there radio" and takes pride in its live broadcasts at games, sports-related events and businesses throughout the community.
"The thing that we have tried to put out in front of us is that we are there," Cassady said of WQTX's philosophy. "Whenever it is happening, whatever is happening, we are there."
Former Lansing State Journal reporter and columnist Jack Ebling headlines WQTX's drive-time 3-6 p.m. coverage with "The Drive with Jack Ebling" show. The station's lineup also includes "The Schuiling Report" with Ryan Schuiling from 1-3 p.m. and "The Spartan Beat" with Rico Beard from 6-7 p.m.
In addition to weekday sports programming, both Lansing stations have experience broadcasting high school sporting events. WQTX doesn't have plans to broadcast high school games, but does daily scoreboard updates and other forms of coverage.
Tyler said WVFN will continue to do weekly live broadcasts of high school games.
More details on WVFN's lineup changes:
"The Replay Booth" is expected to rebroadcast each weekday morning highlights from previous shows.
"The Morning Show," hosted by Will Tieman of the Spartan Spartan Sports Network and his staff, will focus on Michigan State athletics.
Beanie Howell and Brock Palmbos, the former hosts of the "Beanie and Brock" show, will co-host "Beyond the Game." The show is expected to be a mix of sports topics, game analysis, interviews and fan interaction.
David DeMarco will stay as host of "The Mad Dog Show" in its regular 3-6 p.m. time slot.
Eric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at 517-377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.