Jim Goulart

Steve Czaban, Brian Butch, part of radio layoffs, have exited 97.3 The Game morning show *** More via JR Radcliffe of the Journal-Sentinel: Morning sports-talk radio hosts Steve Czaban and Brian Butch will no longer be heard in the mornings on 97.3-FM The Game (WRNW), part of a round of cuts by iHeart Media. The website RadioInsight also indicated that the layoffs include Tim Scott, the director of news and sports programming in Milwaukee and Madison, and evening co-host Matt Schneidman, who still covers the Packers for The Athletic. Scott had been with the company since 1998. The changes also impact listeners to the broadcast on 1070-AM (WTSO) in Madison. The Milwaukee Business Journal confirmed the layoffs Oct. 8. The site Barrett Media cited sources that The Game is in the process of moving away from sports and set to become a music station. It's unclear what that would potentially mean for the Packers and Wisconsin Badgers broadcasts that currently air on the station. Czaban was a popular figure in Milwaukee radio despite unique circumstances; he has remained based in Washington, D.C., since joining The Game in 2019. Before that, he had been a regular contributor to another wildly popular Milwaukee morning show, the "Bob and Brian" show on 102.9 FM, making appearances for two decades. At the time, Czaban also hosted an afternoon drive show at an ESPN affiliate in Washington, and he's done nationally syndicated work for multiple high-profile outlets. When 97.3 WRNW flipped from contemporary-hit radio to all-sports, Czaban became the morning-drive host shortly thereafter. In 2022, he signed an extension for the radio station that had landed broadcast rights to Green Bay Packers games in 2021. Butch, who joined the program regularly in 2024, has his own following as a former University of Wisconsin basketball standout and alumnus of Appleton West High School. Butch has also served as a game analyst for college basketball games on the Big Ten Network and FOX Sports, in addition to Badgers men's basketball radio broadcasts. The moves come at a time of upheaval in Milwaukee radio. Rock station 102.1-FM (WLUM) recently changed formats after 19 years. Meanwhile, 1250-AM The Fan recently beefed up its sports talk lineup, including the addition of former Packers fullback John Kuhn, himself a recent casualty of layoffs at The Game. The Game also cut ties with longtime host Mike Heller in September.

Thursday 10/9: Via WTMJ's Morning News (download link): Matt Arnold Via ESPN Wisconsin's "Wilde and Tausch" (download link): Bill Schroeder Via 97.3's "No BS Show": Tim Allen (go to the 04:50 minute mark) Via WTMJ's Midday News (download link): Lane Grindle Via WSCO's "The Show with Balky" (download link): Paul Dietrich from Brew Crew Ball (go to the 06:30 minute mark) Via 105.7 The Fan's "Nine 2 Noon Show": "670 Chicago The Score's David Haugh, who shared his thoughts on the Cubs game 3 win over the Brewers at Wrigley Field" Via the Fan Milwaukee's "Mason Crosby Show": Andrew Wagner of Forbes Sports

More from Tuesday 10/7: Via WTMJ's Midday News (download link): Adam McCalvy Via 105.7 The Fan's "Nine 2 Noon Show": Vinny Rottino Via the "Wisconsin Sports Daily Show" with Steve "Sparky" Fifer: "Co-Host of Foul Territory & former Brewers Catcher Erik Kratz discusses the Brewers 2025 Postseason run. Erik breaks down the contributions from guys like Miz & Chourio" Via the "Wisconsin Sports Daily Show" with Steve "Sparky" Fifer: BrewerFanatic's Jack Stern *** Wednesday 10/8: Via WTMJ's Morning News (download link): Jeff Levering Via Foul Territory: North Side Territory host and The Athletic Cubs reporter, Patrick Mooney Via 97.3's "No BS Show": Jeff Levering Via 105.7 The Fan's "Nine 2 Noon Show": Andrew Wagner of Forbes Sports Via WSCO's "The Show with Balky" (download link): Matt Carroll of the "Cold Brew Podcast" (go to the 06:45 minute mark) Via ESPN Wisconsin's "Homer Hour" (all download links): Jason Kendall Jerry Augustine Doug Henry Joe Randa Via WTMJ's Afternoon News (download link): Jerry Augustine Via 97.3's Drew & KB: Matt Vasgersian (go to the 18:35 minute mark) Via the "Wisconsin Sports Daily Show" with Steve "Sparky" Fifer: Jon Heyman Postgame Shows after the 4-3 Game Three loss to the Cubs: Via BrewerFanatic: "Jason Wang and Brock Beauchamp talk about the Brewers' first loss of the postseason" WTMJ with Bob Brainerd - Jerry Augustine is Bob's guest 97.3 The Game with Tim Allen and crew Locked on Postcast with Brandon Sneide - "Tough Night in Wrigley, Brewers Miss Chances" Locked on Brewers with Chuck Freimund - "Can the Brewers Recover in Game 4?"

Tuesday 10/7: Via WTMJ's Morning News (download link): Vinny Rottino Via WTMJ's Morning News (download link): "Lori Nickel of the Journal-Sentinel joins the program and we discuss the personal lives of our athletes on our favorite sports team. Should we care? What if they are the BEST guys? Enter Sal Frelick. Lori details her latest piece highlighting the Brewers player who has more than one charity he supports – giving up his own time to help out." Via ESPN Wisconsin's "Jen, Gabe and Chewy" (download link): Jeff Levering Via "Foul Territory": "So, you’re in a fanbase on the outside looking in. We kick up a new series selling you on reasons to root for another team this October. Let's start with the Milwaukee Brewers." (go to the 20:00 minute mark) Postgame Shows after the 7-3 Game Two win over the Cubs: Via BrewerFanatic: "Jake McKibbin and Jason Wang talk about the Brewers' big win in game two of the NLDS. Andrew Vaughn homered, and Jacob Misiorowski made his postseason debut for Pat Murphy's squad." WTMJ with Bob Brainerd - Jerry Augustine is Bob's guest 97.3 The Game with Tim Allen and crew Locked on Postcast with Brandon Sneide - "Brewers Stays Hot, Smash 3 Homers" Locked on Brewers with Chuck Freimund - "Unstoppable: Bullpen Rises to Put Brewers on the Brink of Playoff Series win over Cubs"

Monday 10/6: Via WTMJ's Morning News (download link): Dom Cotroneo Via 97.3's "Czabe and Butch Show": Vinny Rottino (go to the 04:45 minute mark) Via 97.3's "Czabe and Butch Show": Lane Grindle (go to the 21:15 minute mark) Via WTMJ's Midday News (download link): Jeff Levering Via 105.7 The Fan's "Nine 2 Noon Show": "FS1's Danny Parkins breaks down the Cubs' playoff struggles against the Brewers as well as offering insights on Counsell's transition to the Cubs and makes bold predictions for Chicago's future." Via 105.7 The Fan's "Nine 2 Noon Show": "Josh Maurer, play-by-play announcer for the Brewers Radio Network, offers insider perspectives on Jackson Chourio's injury status and the team's pitching plans for Game 2." Via WTMJ's Afternoon News (download link): Bob Brainerd Via WTMJ's Afternoon News (download link): Lane Grindle Via the "Wisconsin Sports Daily Show" with Steve "Sparky" Fifer: "670 The Score Chicago's David Haugh breaks down the Cubs falling apart in Game 1 of the NLDS. David explains how he thinks the Cubs will come back in Game 2 to try and counter the Brewers." Via "The Bill Michaels Show" (Hour One): Tim Dillard (go to the 29:00 minute mark) Via the "Wisconsin Sports Daily Show" with Steve "Sparky" Fifer: "Vinny Rottino previews Brewers vs. Cubs tonight & what Game 1 signals for the series moving forward. Vinny breaks down the Brewers interesting decision to start Aaron Ashby." Via 97.3's Drew & KB: Tim Dillard (go to the 27:15 minute mark)

It appears LHP Thomas Pannone has signed a new minor league deal after spending all of 2025 on the IL, so a good chance he’ll be in the system in 2026. The Baseball America link is from today. The MLB Trade Rumors link is from March.

Sunday 10/5: Latest Milwaukee Tailgate Podcast - "On this episode, the guys talked all about the Brewers big game one win, the early offensive explosion, what might have been Freddy's best playoff start to date and the bullpen doing it's thing. They also talked about the playoff roster, how things line up for the rest of the series and, of course, Chicago traffic.." Via the Journal Sentinel Podcast: "The Brewers scored six runs in the opening inning and prevailed over the Cubs in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, 9-3, but not without a serious cause for concern. Brewers reporter Curt Hogg and host JR Radcliffe break down what they saw at American Family Field, from the electric pro-Brewers crowd to an interesting starting-pitcher decision by former Brewers manager Craig Counsell. The Jackson Chourio injury is top-of-mind; will he be OK enough to play in this series going forward? They discuss the aggressive start, the Game 2 pitching plan, old friend Aaron Civale, an interesting Counsell comment and more. In Three Up Three Down (36:46), they discuss the NLDS roster decisions that stick out and Peralta's big outing. In Remembrew When (54:00), JR looks back at another six-run outburst in Brewers playoff history. And in Curt Blanche (59:30), Curt wonders how players really feel about Counsell. Locked on Brewers with Chuck Freimund - "Brewers' Murphy Unconventional Pitching Strategy for Game 2"

Saturday 10/4: Locked on Brewers with Chuck Freimund - "Chuck and Sam Olber from Locked on Cubs break down the upcoming series" Postgame Shows after the 9-3 Game One win over the Cubs: WTMJ with Bob Brainerd - Jerry Augustine is Bob's guest 97.3 The Game with Tim Allen and crew Locked on Postcast with Brandon Sneide - "Brewers Bats Explode, Peralta Shines as Brewers Roll" Locked on Brewers with Chuck Freimund - "Brewers' Offense Silences Critics in Game 1"

LHP Bruce Zimmermann elected free agency after his DFA.

More from Friday 10/3: Via WTMJ's Midday News (download link): President of Business Operations Rick Schlesinger Via WTMJ's Afternoon News (download link): Lane Grindle Via ESPN Wisconsin's "The Homer Hour" (download link): Jerry Augustine Via 105.7 The Fan's "Nine 2 Noon Show": "FanDuel Sports analyst Vinny Rottino breaks down the highly anticipated MLB playoff series between the Brewers and Cubs. From pitching strategies to roster decisions, Vinny offers insider insights on key players like Freddy Peralta, William Contreras, and Blake Perkins." Via 105.7 The Fan's "Nine 2 Noon Show": "Laurence Holmes from Chicago's 670 The Score breaks down the high-stakes MLB playoff series between the Cubs and Brewers. Holmes discussed Craig Counsell's dramatic move from Milwaukee to Chicago, adding emotional fuel to an already intense rivalry." Via "The Bill Michaels Show" (Hour Two): Chuck Freimund (go to the 01:30 minute mark)

Friday 10/3: Via the BrewerFanatic Podcast with our own Spencer Michaelis and Jack Stern: "Here Come the Cubs" Via the "Brewers Unfiltered" Podcast: "Christian Yelich is no stranger to the postseason. Going in as the best team in baseball — that’s new. Yeli talks to Sophia Minnaert about how this year’s squad is different from years past, leadership in the clubhouse, hitting in the leadoff spot and keeping the team focused during the stretch run." Via the Journal Sentinel Podcast: "Yep, it's the Cubs. The Brewers know their first-round opponent and also know that the NL Division Series will get started at 1:08 p.m. Saturday. Can the Brewers send Craig Counsell packing or will their heated rival stand in the way? Brewers reporter Curt Hogg and host JR Radcliffe look at the matchup and then take reader questions on a variety of topics like Jacob Misiorowski, rally towels, Joey Ortiz, Rhys Hoskins and more." Via ESPN Wisconsin's "Jen, Gabe and Chewy" (download link): Lane Grindle Via 97.3's ‘Czabe and Butch’ (Hour Two): Sophia Minnaert (go to the 31:15 minute mark) Via WTMJ's Morning News (download link): Adam McCalvy Via ESPN Wisconsin's "Jen, Gabe and Chewy" (download link): "Craig Karmazin talks about the excitement in Milwaukee for the Brewers facing the Chicago Cubs and the hated Craig Counsell this weekend in the NLDS of the MLB Playoffs." Via ESPN Wisconsin's "Jen, Gabe and Chewy" (download link): "Marti Wronski, COO of the Brewers, talks about the Brewers vs Cubs series, including the opening time of the lots, parking, tickets and all things Brewers playoffs in Milwaukee!" Via the "Brew Crew Scoop" Podcast: Brewers-Cubs NLDS Preview Via the "View from Bernie's Chalet" Podcast: Bring on the Cubs, NLDS Preview

Thursday 10/2: WTMJ's "Brewers Weekly" with Dom Cotroneo - "We are combining some of the brightest minds on the Brewers to join the show ahead of the NLDS. Dom welcomes MLB.com beat reporter Adam McCalvy and host of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's MicroBrew podcast JR Radcliffe to discuss three things (or more) on their minds ahead of the start of the Brewers postseason run." Via ESPN Wisconsin's "Wilde and Tausch" (download link): "Brian Anderson - also lead broadcaster for the MLB on TBS - joins the show as the Brewers prepare to begin their postseason run at American Family Field." Via WTMJ's Morning News (download link): Matt Arnold Via "Foul Territory": "Quinn Priester reveals his favorite childhood ballclub and explains how he's preparing for the postseason. Priester also took us through his journey to this point, his ridiculous winning run with the Brew Crew and his relationship with tablets for prep." Via WTMJ's Midday News (download link): Brian Anderson Via 97.3's ‘Czabe and Butch’ (Hour Two): Shaun Marefka of the Brewers Team Store (go to the 13:10 minute mark) Via 97.3's ‘Czabe and Butch’ (Hour Two): Hunter Baumgardt (go to the 31:10 minute mark) Locked on Brewers with Chuck Freimund - "Brewers and Cubs Clash in Epic Playoff Battle" - John Papadopoulos from ESPN LaCrosse is Chuck's guest Via WSCO's "The Show with Balky" (download link): Paul Dietrich from Brew Crew Ball (go to the 06:00 minute mark) Via 97.3's Drew & KB: Brewers VP Mike Cosentino talks playoff ticket sales (go to the 09:40 minute mark) Via the "Wisconsin Sports Daily Show" with Steve "Sparky" Fifer: "Tim Dillard discusses whether or not the Brewers are paying attention to the rest of the playoffs as they prepare for their own run. Tim talks about what it's like for a young player in their first playoffs." Via 97.3's Drew & KB: Cecelia Gore (Executive Director of Brewers Community Foundation) talks Brewers playoffs! (go to the 26:40 minute mark) Via 97.3's Drew & KB: Paul Wagner, former Brewers pitcher and Wisconsin native (go to the 26:25 minute mark)

Wednesday 10/1: Via WTMJ's Morning News (download link): Jeff Levering Via 97.3's "The Steve Czaban Show": Jeff Levering Via 105.7 The Fan's "Nine 2 Noon Show": "Andrew Wagner breaks down the Brewers' pitching situation, highlighting Brandon Woodruff's uncertain status and potential rotation adjustments. The discussion covers playoff strategies, including the possibility of using an opener, and analyzes Milwaukee's strengths and weaknesses heading into October." Via the Fan Milwaukee's "Mason Crosby Show": Craig Coshun VIDEO via Fox 6 News Milwaukee: Vinny Rottino Via WSCO's "The Show with Balky" (download link): Matt Carroll of the "Cold Brew Podcast" (go to the 05:40 minute mark) Via 97.3's Drew & KB: Bill Schroeder (go to the 24:15 minute mark) Locked on Brewers with Chuck Freimund - "Freddy Peralta Commands Game 1 Start for Brewers" - David Gasper from 97.3 The Game is Chuck's guest Via "The Bill Michaels Show" (Hour Three): Tim Allen (go to the 29:00 minute mark)

Just-released (good luck to both LHP Brandon Knarr and RHP Aidan Maldonado) have been removed from the initial post in this thread.

Tuesday 9/30: Via WTMJ's Morning News (download link): Pat Murphy Via ESPN Wisconsin's "Jen, Gabe and Chewy" (download link): Jeff Levering Via WTMJ's Midday News (download link): Adam McCalvy Via "The Bill Michaels Show" (Hour Two): Chuck Freimund (go to the 29:00 minute mark) Locked on Brewers with Chuck Freimund - "Milwaukee's 97-Win Season on the Line - Can Brewers Silence Critics in October?" - Hunter Baumgardt from 97.3 The Game is Chuck's guest

Monday 9/29: Via WTMJ's Morning News (download link): Dom Cotroneo Via 97.3's ‘Czabe and Butch’ (Hour Two): Vinny Rottino of FanDuel Sports (go to the 07:50 minute mark) Via WTMJ's Midday News (download link): Jeff Levering Via the Brew Crew Review Podcast: "Postseason Predictions 2025" Via the "Brew Crew Scoop" Podcast: "The 2025 Brewers broke the franchise record for wins with their 97th win in the season finale Sunday! We talked about the series this weekend and briefly touched on the regular season as a whole. We dove deep into the four Wild Card matchups, specifically the one that the Brewers await the winner of."

Apologies for my Friday/Saturday absence - Sunday 9/21: Latest Milwaukee Tailgate Podcast - "The Brewers regular season is now over, and we talked as little as possible about the last week of it, tried to assess the season as a whole to date and look ahead to the playoffs with a game of "who do you trust" on the pitching side and whole bunch of questions." Via the Journal Sentinel Podcast: "The Brewers achieved a franchise-record 97 victories, the best record in baseball and the top seed for the upcoming playoffs and now comes a week of waiting before the division series begins. Brewers reporter Curt Hogg and host JR Radcliffe explore the questions surrounding the postseason like which matchup -- Cubs or Padres -- would be better for Milwaukee and what questions stand out when it comes to the postseason roster. Will Jacob Misiorowski be on it? What about Rhys Hoskins? Does the offense's struggles in September portend anything at all? What happened to Isaac Collins? Also, please forgive the slap-happy hosts recording after a 40-40 Packers tie. In Three Up Three Down (42:35), we've got managers flipping pancakes, Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich at leadoff. In Remembrew When, JR looks back at a different wild day of season finales (59:00). In Curt Blanche (1:04:45), Curt takes the playoff format to task, and JR offers a take you probably didn't expect. Then, JR is joined by Sal Frelick (1:13:45) who, among other topics, discusses his crazy home run from the 2024 playoffs." Postgame Shows after the 4-2 win over Cincinnati in the season finale: WTMJ with Dom Cotroneo - Craig Coshun is Dom's guest 97.3 The Game with Tim Allen and crew Locked on Postcast with Brandon Sneide Locked on Brewers with Chuck Freimund - "Will Brewers' Regular Season Success translate into Post Season Success"

From a business perspective...as the article details.