ESPN Radio is looking to line up a new Triangle affiliate now that the two local AM radio stations that have been broadcasting the network's sports programs are for sale.

The two simulcast stations, WTSB 1090 in Johnston County and WDUR 1490 in Durham, stopped broadcasting this week to perform maintenance on their transmission towers, said Taylor Zarzour, whose family owns the stations. Both are expected to be back on the air shortly.

He added, however, that his family is seeking a buyer for both radio outlets, and that the stations' office in Raleigh has closed.

Selling the stations is "the best business move," said Zarzour, who declined to elaborate. He also declined to comment on the stations' financial condition.

Zarzour was the stations' programming director and the host of a morning sports talk show, but his show went off the air in June at the conclusion of the Carolina Hurricanes' successful Stanley Cup run. Zarzour said he is no longer an employee of the company.

Brian Hart, the stations' production manager, said he is the stations' only full-time employee.

Although Zarzour said WTSB and WDUR will resume broadcasting ESPN shows when they return to the airwaves, the planned sale of the stations has pushed the network to seek another affiliate.

Jim Roberts, ESPN's executive director of affiliate relations, said the network is negotiating with a local station, which he declined to identify.

"I want to have my product in that market as long as possible," Roberts said. "I would hope that by the end of the month, we would have ... [a deal] wrapped up."

Billy McClatchey, whose Raleigh-based McClatchey Broadcasting leases and operates sports talk station WDNC 620, also known as the Bull, said he is talking to ESPN and is optimistic about reaching an agreement. "Under the right circumstances, we would love to have them back," he said.

McClatchey also owns WRBZ 850, known as the Buzz, which used to run ESPN programming, but cut its ties to the network last year. That relationship fell apart because ESPN wanted the Buzz to carry less local programming in favor of ESPN shows.

The split paved the way for WTSB and WDUR, which already were carrying some ESPN shows, to expand the network programming they broadcast.

McClatchey said he would want to continue carrying local programs on the Bull in conjunction with ESPN shows.

WTSB and WDUR were acquired in separate deals in 2004 by Triangle Sports Broadcasters, which is owned by Zarzour's parents -- Robert J. and Katherine Zarzour of Alabama. Triangle Sports paid $1.5 million for WTSB and $1.1 million for WDUR, according to documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission.

McClatchey said WTSB and WDUR have been "scrappy," but he never viewed them as serious competition. "We were much more concerned about the bigger stations in the market and how we compete with them," he said.

The Buzz ranked 16th and the Bull ranked 29th in the latest Arbitron audience ratings, which stations use to set advertising rates.

WTSB and WDUR didn't submit basic information to Arbitron that would enable them to be included in the ratings, said Arbitron spokeswoman Jessica Benbow.

"Our stations are really small," Zarzour said. WTSB is a 9,000-watt station that is licensed to broadcast during daylight hours only. WDUR is a 1,000-watt station and has no evening broadcast restrictions.

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