While WEPN/ESPN 1050 is hardly declaring victory, the upstart All-Sports station wants it known that there is growth in them thar hills!

ESPN held a press junket yesterday at the new MLB Fan Cave in Greenwich Village. FishbowlNY met 1050 general manager David Roberts and ESPN Radio SVP and general manager, Mo Davenport.

The WEPN call letters were born in 2003, but ESPN Radio was heard full-time on 1050 dating back to 2001. Despite the powerhouse name attached to the station, WEPN struggled to find its voice, and an audience to hear that voice.

WEPN was born to challenge rival WFAN and to provide a platform to all things ESPN.

Now nearly a decade after officially purchasing the station, ESPN 1050 is pleased to finally make some headway.

“The station is seeing real positive growth,” Roberts tells FishbowlNY.

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As we get ready to usher in 2012, let’s take one more look at the biggest broadcasting stories that FishbowlNY covered in 2011.

In January, Scott Clark closes out a brilliant career at WABC, retiring after nearly a quarter-century at Channel 7.

Maurice DuBois makes his debut as WCBS/Channel 2 lead anchor when he is promoted to nights opposite Kristine Johnson. Chris Wragge shifts his energy to The Early Show, but that wasn’t the last we would hear from him.

Also as 2011 began, veteran radio talk host Curtis Sliwa adds an afternoon shift to his Apple/WNYM duties.

In February, among the notable events, WNBC/Channel 4 welcomes home Shiba Russell from Boston. She was named weekend anchor with David Ushery. Russell fueled speculation that she was Sue Simmons’ “heir apparent,” as the main (if not exclusive) fill-in for the legendary anchor, who started at Channel 4 in 1980.

On the radio, Craig Allen, a veteran in his own right, agrees to a three-year extension as WCBS 880’s chief meteorologist. Two months later, Allen marked 30 years at the station.

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Jared Max, the veteran radio sports anchor, after spending his adult life closeted, came out as gay in May. Max had just started at 1050 ESPN/WEPN, after a long run as morning sportscaster at WCBS 880, when he made the proclamation.

Now Max is reaping the rewards. He’s been included in Out magazine’s Out 100, hitting newstands and online November 22.

“I spent so many years never wanting to be a pioneer, always kind of feeling like I was going to achieve a certain level of success in this career, but always knowing that there’s something that is totally holding [me ] back,” Max tells FishbowlNY.

 Part of Max’s apprehension was the stigma associated with being a “gay sportscaster.”

 ”I thought of it negatively like a wildfire,” Max admits. “But now it’s so positive.”

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We recently reported about the upshot in morning activity at ESPN.

First, FishbowlNY had the first word that Bloomberg Radio/WBBR would outsource a.m. drive sportscasts to ESPN. Then last week, ESPN joined forces with WABC/Channel 7 to also provide morning sports updates.

Of course, ESPN and Channel 7 are under the same Walt Disney Company umbrella.

In an effort to shed some light on the dual dawn operations, FishbowlNY got the comments of Justin Craig, 1050 ESPN/WEPN program director.

“We’re excited to partner with Bloomberg in this endeavor and to provide New York audiences a new outlet for our work to be heard,”  Craig says.

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With a 33-29 vote Friday night, New York joined only five other states to accept same sex marriages. It was a historic day in New York politics and, more important, for the gay community.

Just last month, 1050 ESPN sportscaster Jared Max outed himself on the air and in subsequent interviews.

Max has become a poster boy, of sorts, for gay pride overtaking the city.

Needless to say, Max, 37, is thrilled.

“How couldn’t you be, unless you’re stuck in a place that doesn’t allow you to see civility,” Max tells FishbowlNY.

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Here’s a look at what FishbowlNY stories made the most buzz this week.

1. White House Adds New Position to Deal with Unfavorable Online Media, May 23
2. People.com Editor Comes Out as Transgender, May 20
3. Did Someone Pay for the Leaked Sarah Palin Twitter Story? May 24
4. Women Like The Nook, Men, The iPad, May 23
5. USA Network Takes Over Entire New Yorker Issue, May 23
6. Fortune Magazine Honors the Most Powerful Women, May 25
7. Every Ebony Issue from 1959 to 2008 Now Online, May 20
8. Does Adweek Have a Problem with Female Editors? May 24
9. Disney to Withdraw ‘Seal Team 6′ Trademark Applications, May 25
10. 1050 ESPN’s Jared Max Opens Up on Being Gay, May 24

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Thursday, May 19 was a typical day for most people. However, for sportscaster Jared Max, his world would be changed forever—by his own doing.

That morning, Max announced on his ESPN 1050/WEPN early morning show that he was gay.

“I had to do this for myself,” Max admits. “I’m 37 now [at] what point do I say, ‘This is the one life we know we’re going to have, what the hell am I keeping quiet for? Why am I doing this to myself?”

Max, who came out to his mother when he was 21, was ready to make peace on a larger scale thanks to his cats.
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Breaking: FishbowlNY has learned that WCBS-AM has named interim morning sports anchor Brad Heller to the position permanently. Heller replaces longtime morning sportscaster Jared Max, who left for ESPN 1050/WEPN in March.

Heller has been with Shadow Broadcasting Services, which provides sports reports to the station, throughout much of the last decade.

In 2006, Heller left New York for Columbia, South Carolina, where he was play-by-play voice for the University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team.

Heller attended Syracuse University, like some famous sportscasters before him: Marv Albert, Len Berman, and Bob Costas.   

FishbowlNY attempted to reach WCBS-AM for a comment.

Award-winning Daily News columnist Mike Lupica is taking another stab at radio. He’ll host a show weekdays from 2 to 3 p.m. on 1050 ESPN/WEPN next month. Lupica’s last radio hosting stint was on WFAN 18 years ago.

Our sister site SportsNewser outlines the various adjustments coming to the 1050.

The shake-up means no daytime work for Jodi McDonald and Brandon Tierney. McDonald will be headed to weekend mornings.

You’ll recall last month Jared Max left WCBS-AM for 1050. He was scheduled to start this week. Revving up listeners for the Mike and Mike in the Morning show, Max hosts the 5 to 6 a.m. hour before handling the local updates.

Jared Max spent 11 years as the morning sports anchor on WCBS-AM. As we reported on Friday, Max gave his final report on 880 before heading up the dial to ESPN 1050 (WEPN) April 18. CBS staffers gave Max a nice ovation for his years of service on the station.

 ”…The surprise of that applause in the newsroom is a moment I will always remember,” Max tells FishbowlNY. “Just as I still get chills thinking of, and reliving a grand slam, which I hit an inning after making three errors on one play, costing us two runs, to win our Little League World Series when I was 12 years old.”

Keeping a pre-dawn wake-up intact, Max has a pair of duties waiting for him at ESPN.

From 5 to 6 a.m., Max will host his own show on 1050. Then, he’ll take over the local anchor updates during Mike and Mike in the Morning from 6 to 10 a.m.

But before embarking on the new journey, Max takes one more look at his glorious past.

‘The last couple of days at WCBS tested my ability to not become a messier version of Mark Messier,” Max says. “The last few hours were surreal. I couldn’t have asked for more. I love those guys.”