By Jeff Moss
DetroitSportsRag@GMail.com
March 31, 2016

On the day that WXYT-FM talk show host Mike Valenti’s contract was set to expire, the DSR can exclusively report the city’s most popular sports talk host will be returning to the CBS Radio property on a ten-year deal.

After a long period of negotiations between Valenti’s agent Mort Meisner and the seemingly up-for-sale 97.1, the two sides agreed to continue the mutually beneficial relationship for the next decade.

This isn’t a shock to anyone associated with this website. Sources told the DSR earlier this year that neither Valenti nor his wife, Melissa Valenti, had any interest in leaving the Detroit area.

Even though CBS Radio had made overtures to Valenti’s representation regarding East Coast opportunities in larger markets, it became clear that Valenti wasn’t going to jet. Valenti’s refusal to relocate plus the abject ratings failure of Detroit Sports 105.1 left the Michigan State graduate with few viable alternatives to remaining at 97.1.

Sources informed the DSR that Valenti had no interest in trying to resuscitate 105.1. For their part, the Greater Media executives at WMGC-FM did not believe Valenti would be a “game-changer” for the amount of money he’d command.

Some in the market thought 105.1 would make a run at Valenti. That failed to materialize once Greater Media was apparently swindled out of the Detroit Tigers rights after believing they had outbid CBS Radio for that proven ratings winner. But as stated earlier, neither party seemed interested in joining forces.

So, without any real alternative, the negotiations between Meisner and CBS became a tug-of-war that went down to the last minute. We have learned that Valenti’s former boss and mentor, radio legend Tom Bigby, was even brought in from Texas to mediate the situation — resulting in a satisfactory result for Valenti.

And while Valenti didn’t max out his apparent worth by moving to Philadelphia or New York City, the ten-year deal obviously will make Valenti the highest-paid sports talker in town and his continued ability to afford flaming tomahawk steaks shouldn’t be in question.