Marc Hochman on Dan Le Batard Show Oral History Credit: Stugotz on YouTube

Jon “Stugotz” Weiner is going it alone as a sports host after two decades alongside Dan Le Batard, and he isn’t holding back.

Last week, Stugotz hosted former Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz executive producer Marc Hochman for their first long-form, on-air conversation since Hochman left the show nearly 15 years ago.

The interview was a mix of South Florida sports talk and reminiscing about the early days of the Le Batard Show, with a healthy dose of shenanigans thrown in, stemming from Meadowlark Media’s ill-fated Oral History miniseries for the show’s 20th anniversary. Hochman was initially left out of the project, but his online complaints resulted in his replacement, Mike Ryan, looping him in separately from the rest of the group. And on-set with Stugotz, he found the perfect space to air his grievances.

“I tried to quit the oral history because I thought it was such an ambush,” Hochman said.

“Well, we quit the oral history,” Stugotz responded, confirming fans’ longstanding assumption that the miniseries was canned midway through.

“I thought it was such an ambush by you and Dan on my character, that after a couple episodes … I would look at the questions and go, ‘Oh I know what they f*cking said about me,” Hochman added. “And it became a defense of myself on something that I thought we were, all three, equal parts of.”

In the oral history, produced by Mike Ryan, Hochman’s replacement, key figures in the show’s history looked back on its origins and evolution. Hochman’s departure just before the show jumped to ESPN was undoubtedly one of the most significant inflection points in the history of the Le Batard Show. When the miniseries launched without his involvement, fans online asked Hochman why he was not involved, to which he responded that he was not invited.

Once the project reached the point at which Hochman entered the story, his audio was edited in, bouncing off the main narrative from Le Batard, Ryan, and Stugotz. It put Hochman, who is understandably proud of the role he played in building one of the most legendary shows in the history of sports media, on the defensive.

As the series expanded, the audience came to understand the seemingly typical disagreements that led to Hochman’s departure. A music radio buff originally, Hochman was a college friend whom Le Batard brought on board to right the ship after a year or so on the air at 790 The Ticket in Miami. Their relationship frayed as Hochman sought to garner more credit for the show’s growth, taking on larger roles at the station and attempting to have his name included in the show’s title.

Per the oral history, ensions mounted one night during a comedy performance Hochman put together in Miami. During the performance, Hochman teased Le Batard over his “big ego” and the forthcoming launch of his television show on ESPN.

From that point on, Hochman and Le Batard never made amends. Hochman was off the show soon after, forced to build up his career in Miami sports talk radio separate from the Le Batard Show juggernaut. All the emotions from that period came surging back for Hochman, Le Batard, and Stugotz during the Oral History recordings.

“It didn’t end great and that’s fine,” Hochman said. “But I was like, ‘Why are they talking about me as if I was a problem child, when I wasn’t a problem child?’ I didn’t perceive myself as a problem child, I thought we were all making some really good radio.”

While Ryan, Le Batard, and Stugotz were in one room conversing about the history of the show for their portions of the miniseries, Hochman merely sent recordings of himself to Ryan for his portions.

“My original idea to participate in the oral history (was) because I was happy … I didn’t have to worry about the show anymore and I didn’t want to reopen old wounds,” Hochman said. “I didn’t know I was going to have an opportunity to defend myself to two guys who weren’t going to hear my defense of myself.”

Hochman felt that the emphasis on his mistakes became disproportionate as the project progressed.

“I was like, I want to do that for the old listeners who deserve a fair oral history rather than me just disappearing into the ether,” Hochman said. “Then about halfway through it … I realized this was just an attack on my character. Which was bizarre to me, because I thought it was going to be a celebration of the show.”

Stugotz concurred.

“So did I, Hoch. It ended up being Mike’s Oral History,” Stugotz said.

“Instead, it became, ‘Hoch was out of control and put his name on the show and then attacked me at a comedy show,” Hochman added.

It is a sad twist of fate that the Le Batard Show Oral History, a project that Le Batard stated was intended to highlight the challenges and successes of keeping a fragile show together for two decades, appears to have undone some of the chemistry that made the Le Batard Show sing. The revelations and disagreements that came to light over its 11-episode run created fractures that seem to go even deeper among the legendary gang of hosts and producers than the issues did when they originally happened.

The oral history ended before it could even reach the show’s departure from ESPN, an exciting time when Le Batard formed Meadowlark Media and struck a pioneering licensing deal with DraftKings. Now, Meadowlark is losing talent month by month while Stugotz launches a competing show and airs its dirty laundry.

About Brendon Kleen

Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.