BREAKING NEWS: Josh Lewin Hired as 105.3 The Fan Juggles Lineup

Well, that didn't take long. Less than a month after his nine-year relationship with the Texas Rangers ended, Josh Lewin has been hired by 105.3 The Fan to host a midday sports talk show. Lewin will debut in the 11 a.m.-2 p.m. time slot Monday, November 1 as The Fan unveils...

By Richie Whitt

October 29, 2010

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Well, that didn't take long.

Less than a month after his nine-year relationship with the Texas Rangers ended, Josh Lewin has been hired by 105.3 The Fan to host a midday sports talk show. Lewin will debut in the 11 a.m.-2 p.m. time slot Monday, November 1 as The Fan unveils its new lineup.

Included in the station's switch: Greg Williams and yours truly will shift from middays to the coveted and more visible 2-7 p.m. slot, prompting a head-to-head-head afternoon drive-time matchup between The Fan's Williams, 103.3 ESPN's Randy Galloway (his former radio mentor) and 1310 The Ticket's Mike Rhyner (his long-time radio sidekick).

"After where I've been I'm just thrilled to be back on the radio," Williams says. "But now that I'm here, why not go ahead and kick some ass?"

Lewin is certainly an entertaining, polarizing figure. Seems like Rangers' fans who watched him and analyst Tom Grieve either loved or loathed his style. That quality, of course, gives him the perfect foundation to be a successful radio host.

Lewin's pop-culture references and hip baseline ran a thread through Rangers' games that most viewers wholly embraced but some flatly rejected.

In radio, of course, it's not so much that you're hated or beloved, only that you're not ignored.

"I am at a point in my life where the creative process means a great deal to me," Lewin says. "There's no better medium for self-expression than sports talk radio and no audience more passionate than the DFW sports fan. As much as I'm already missing Rangers' play-by-play, this is too good of a platform, too good of a station, and too good of an opportunity to pass up. It's quite simply a perfect fit, both personally and professionally."

As the Rangers' TV voice Lewin was always prepared and consistently a fun listen. He rubbed some of the old-school seamheads - like, ahem, team president Nolan Ryan - the wrong way because he too often filled 10-1 blowouts with Seinfeld over the staid intricacies of baseball nostalgia.

At The Fan, Lewin will be welcomed - encouraged - to offer his unique blend of infotainment while also allowed the freedom to be a broadcaster on Fox's baseball Game of the Week and the radio play-by-play voice of the NFL's San Diego Chargers. Again, those are weekend duties that ruffled the feathers of Rangers' fans, but won't be an issue at The Fan.

"There's no better time than the first World Series in Texas Rangers' franchise history to introduce Josh to our lineup," says Bruce Gilbert, VP of News/Talk and Sports for CBS Radio Dallas. "And we can't wait for the Fan fans to get to know the many fascinating facets of Josh's magnanimous personality."

Added Lewin, "This is going to be an absolute blast."

For Williams, Monday will commence another chapter in his resurrection. After cutting his teeth with Galloway at WBAP 820 and then dominating metroplex sports radio with Rhyner, Williams was off the air - for reasons that have been well-documented - and flirting with eternal irrelevance. In May he was unemployed and contemplating everything from a radio job in Milwaukee to starting a boat dock company on Lake Granbury. But since his partnership with me on June 1, our ratings have steadily climbed from 1.8 to 3.5 among Men 25-54.

In the September Arbitron ratings, The Fan ranked ahead of ESPN but behind The Ticket.

The station's new lineup beginning Monday ...

5 a.m. - 9 a.m. - Jagger, Gregg Henson and Jasmine

9 a.m. - 11 a.m. - Newy Scruggs

11 a.m. - 2 p.m. - Josh Lewin

2 p.m. - 7 p.m. - Greg Williams and Richie Whitt

7 p.m. - 10 p.m. - Gavin Dawson

10 p.m. - 1 a.m. - Arnie Spanier

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