Through its news-talk era the WGR line-up featured a variety of programs such as "Breakfast with Bauerle" (Tom Bauerle), "The Fabulous Sports Babe", Chuck Dickerson, Art Wander, "Extension 55" with John Otto, Ron Dobson, John and Ken, Rick Emerson, Joey Reynolds, and several other local and national hosts. Syndicated talk radio host Leslie Marshall, controversial talk radio host J. R. Gach and future WFAN New York morning drive fixture Craig Carton also worked at the station. Jesse Ventura was at one time a candidate to host a show on the station, but lost out to Dobson. The station was, from the network's inception, an affiliate of ESPN Radio, which it carried on the weekends from 1992 to 2013.