'Miller and Moulton' enjoying 'Act 3', trying to grow Florida network across the state

The "Miller and Moulton" radio show has been back on the air in Southwest Florida, ironically, right where it got its start — on the ESPN station.

But this version of the show featuring Mark Miller and David Moulton that started on Oct. 18, goes well beyond Fort Myers, Naples, and Cape Coral.

After being let go by FOX Sports Radio SWFL on Aug. 16, the pair hinted on Twitter about a possible "Third Act." The show originally was on ESPN SWFL for 10 years, and then was resurrected on FOX for the last four years.

"It was a great unknown," Miller, 52, said. "I went and got my real estate license. I had no idea if there was going to be an Act 3."

"It's tough to wrap your head around the fact that you've been successful twice yet fired both times," Moulton, 55, said. "We might as well go for the trifecta."

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Enter Marty Booher, who had started a Michigan Sports Network and wanted to bring the same idea to Florida. There had been talks previously but nothing firm had come from them.

"The syndicator had been talking about doing this for a while, but when it did not look like it was going to come together -- at least I didn't think so -- and then all of a sudden, we got let go," Moulton said. "After Labor Day, this looked like it was starting to come together. I was pleasantly surprised, then it was like 'OK, it's a go, and would you like to do our morning show?'"

The show is on from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on ESPN SWFL. It started five days earlier in Tampa/St. Petersburg on AM 1010, 92.1 FM and 103.1 FM and also through Money Talk 1010, which is an app. The Tampa/St. Pete version is on from 6 to 9 a.m.

The co-hosts hope to expand across the state. The show also can be found on the streaming app Twitch.

"We've been in contact with all corners of the state and hoping to be picked up elsewhere," Moulton said.

Both have deep Southwest Florida connections

Miller and Moulton have deep connections to Southwest Florida.

Miller was the first vice president of sales and marketing for the ECHL's Florida Everblades hockey team when it started in 1998 and has worked in various sales and marketing jobs other than the radio show.

Moulton came to the area as a sports anchor on ABC-7, and still has a hand in TV, with NFL coverage on FOX on Thursdays and Sundays as a spotter for Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, with the SEC games on CBS with Gary Danielson in the same role, and with Sirius XM on Mad Dog Radio and NFL Radio. He also is the voice of FGCU athletics and had been a columnist for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press.

But this show doesn't get into Southwest Florida sports. Those who have listened to it over the years, though, already know that the vast percentage of topics Miller and Moulton discussed or guests they had on weren't local. So there's not much of a transition or new knowledge the two have to create.

"If anything we have to get a little more focused on Florida," Miller said. "We thought for this market, it's such national type market. Everybody is from somewhere else.

"We're hoping to be that bridge to the person that we all know. They love the Bucs, the Rays, the Lightning, but they may want to hear about the Big Ten. We all know Florida is such a melting pot of people."

"You've got to cater as close to the backyard as you can but also talking about a lot of other things because most people are from somewhere else," Moulton said.

Miller can't help but see the coincidence that their show is back on ESPN SWFL, albeit as part of a network, after the two were let go in 2017. Miller had been fired from the show by Beasley Broadcasting Group in June 2016 and replaced by Gentry Thomas. When The News-Press wrote a story in January 2017, Moulton was critical of Beasley Broadcasting Group for Miller's firing. The following Monday, Moulton was fired.

"That's funny, come on," Miller said of the show being back on the station in a different version.

ESPN SWFL still has their replacements, Shemon and Sheppard, from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Miller and Moulton are enjoying their third act so far, and it's in a manner that they envisioned over the years but weren't sure it would become a reality.

"I don't know if I would've come back if it wasn't for this, because we should not have been fired either time, and so I guess basically I don't know if if I would've come back if it was just a local show," Moulton said. "But this is different, and this has a chance to be something significant. It could also fail in a year.

"Listen, we've always wanted this. Let's give it a shot. If it works, 'Wow, what a final act.' If it doesn't, 'Well, OK, we gave it a shot.'"

Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com. Support local journalism with this special subscription offer at https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: 'Miller and Moulton' third act includes trying to grow Florida network