WFAN

This article is about the current New York sports radio station. For other uses, see WFAN (disambiguation).

WFAN

City of license	New York City
Broadcast area	New York metropolitan area
Branding	Sports Radio 66 The Fan
Slogan	Your Flagship Station For New York Sports
Frequency	660 kHz (also on HD Radio) (also on HD Radio via WXRK-3)
First air date	July 1, 1987 (1987-07-01)
Format	Sports
Language	English
Power	50,000 watts
Class	A
Facility ID	28617
Transmitter coordinates	40°51′35.3″N 73°47′7.6″W / 40.859806°N 73.785444°W / 40.859806; -73.785444
Callsign meaning	the word FAN
Former frequencies	1050 kHz (1987-1988)
Affiliations	Fox Sports Radio Westwood One (national sports telecasts only)
Owner	CBS Radio
Sister stations	WCBS, WCBS-FM, WCBS-TV, WINS, WWFS, WXRK
Webcast	WFAN Webcast
Website	www.wfan.com

WFAN (660 AM), also known as "Sports Radio 66" or "The FAN", is a radio station in New York City. The station broadcasts on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio.^[1] WFAN's studios are located in the combined CBS Radio facility in the West Village section of Manhattan; the transmitter is located on High Island in the Bronx, New York.

WFAN pioneered, and is sometimes referred to as one of the most successful examples of, the sports radio format. Over the years, WFAN has branded itself as the broadcast home to several big names in the world of radio, including the sports-talk team of Mike and the Mad Dog (Mike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo) and the comedian/shock jock/political commentator Don Imus, whose nationally syndicated Imus in the Morning program previously originated on WFAN.^[2]

Early history

Main article: WNBC (AM)

The 660 AM frequency in New York originated as WEAF on March 2, 1922, owned by AT&T. In 1926, WEAF became the flagship station of the NBC Red Network, one of two radio chains operated by the National Broadcasting Company(NBC). By 1928, WEAF was purchased by NBC's parent company, the Radio Corporation of America and became its flagship station.

As a result of the North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement of 1941, WEAF became a clear-channel station and could be heard across most of the eastern half of North America at night. In 1943, the United States Supreme Court, citing antitrust concerns, ordered RCA to sell off one of its radio networks. The company decided to keep the Red Network, and it was rebranded as the NBC Radio Network after the Blue Network was divested to Edward J. Noble. In 1945, the blue network became the American Broadcasting Company(ABC).

WEAF's call letters were changed to WNBC in 1946, then to WRCA in 1954, and back to WNBC in 1960. During the 1960s, WNBC relied less on network programming and adopted a talk format, followed by a switch to a middle-of-the-road music sound. The station spent much of the 1970s and early 1980s flipping between the Top 40 and adult contemporary formats, with varying success. By the middle of the 1980s, WNBC played less music and relied more on personality-driven talk programs with hosts such as Don Imus, Howard Stern, Joey Reynolds, Alan Colmes, and Soupy Sales.

History

The beginning of WFAN

At 3:00 p.m. on July 1, 1987, Emmis Communications-owned WFAN signed on at 1050 kHz, replacing country music station WHN, and billing itself as the world's first 24-hour-per-day sports talk station. The first voice heard on WFAN was that of Suzyn Waldman, with a sports update,^[3] followed by the first show, which was hosted by Jim Lampley. Waldman reported for the station, covering the New York Yankees and New York Knicks for 14 years. Other hosts besides Lampley during WFAN's fifteen months at 1050 kHz included Bill Mazer, Pete Franklin, Greg Gumbel, Art Shamsky, and Ed Coleman. Ann Liguori is also one of the original hosts and was the first woman to host a show on the station. "Hey Liguori, What's the Story" aired the first weekend the station was on the air in 1987 and continued until 2008. WFAN also inherited broadcast rights to the defending World Series champion New York Mets from WHN, who had held the rights for several years.

WFAN moves to 660

In early 1988 General Electric, which now owned NBC through its purchase of RCA two years earlier, announced that it would close the NBC Radio division and sell its stations. In February of that year GE made a multi-station deal with Emmis and, in New York, the WNBC license for 660 was included in the sale. On October 7, 1988 at 5:30 p.m., WFAN moved down the radio dial to replace WNBC at 660 kHz. The last voice heard on WNBC was that of Alan Colmes, who counted down the seconds to WNBC's demise with the legendary NBC chimes (the notes G-E-C) playing in the background. After 66 years, the long history of NBC radio in New York had come to an end.^[4]

In the complicated switch that saw WFAN move to the 660 frequency, the 1050 frequency that was formerly the home of WFAN became that of Spanish-language WUKQ, owned by Spanish Broadcasting System. However, SBS already owned an AM station in the market, Newark-based WSKQ at 620 kHz, and in those days Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules stipulated that companies could own only one AM station per market. As a result, SBS received a temporary waiver to run 1050 while exploring the sale of either AM frequency. SBS chose to keep 620 (it is now WSNR), and 1050 was traded to Forward Communications, which owned WEVD, then at 97.9 FM. After that deal was approved, WEVD's call letters and programming moved to 1050 AM (it is now WEPN and ironically, it is also a sports station), and SBS took over 97.9 as WSKQ-FM. The October NBC-Emmis switch also saw Emmis's WQHT (then at 103.5 MHz.) move to 97.1 MHz., which had been the home of NBC's WYNY. Emmis sold the 103.5 frequency to Westwood One, who also acquired the WYNY call letters and its country music format.

In all this, WFAN retired two of the oldest radio call letters from the dawn of commercial radio: WHN and WNBC.

After the switch

After Don Imus was hired to do the morning show, WFAN's popularity skyrocketed. WFAN's original morning show on 1050 was hosted by Greg Gumbel. The show was a straight-forward sports show (not dis-similar to Mike and Mike in the Morning currently on ESPN Radio), but was not doing well in the ratings. At the time of the switch, sports talk radio was still an untested format with questionable prospects, and the idea of bringing on board a host that appealed to a broader audience would get more people to try the station out. WFAN also benefitted from the inertia from Imus's fans who were used to tuning in to 660 kHz on weekday mornings to listen. WFAN instantly took advantage of its Imus inheritance, for example, it featured a special live monologue by Imus character Billy Sol Hargus from Shea Stadium moments after taking over the 660 frequency.

It quickly became apparent that WFAN's gambit of bringing Imus on board worked. Ratings for the morning show were strong, and it was successful to a point in driving ratings for the rest of WFAN's programming day. This model of using a general-interest morning host for a sports talk radio station (especially at launch) has been used at other sports radio stations across the country and proved that sports radio could indeed be a profitable format.

WFAN was also the first station in the country to roll out sports updates every 20 minutes. These updates, called 20-20 Sports Flashes, are now considered an industry standard. When WFAN first started updates were done every 15 minutes. Additionally, in a nod to the former WNBC, update anchors often end their top-of-the-hour updates with the catchphrase "And that's what's happening...", which is how WNBC on-air news readers had ended their updates.

Other programming that WFAN had at its launch included a mid-morning show with Ed Coleman and Mike Francesa, and an afternoon drive time show with Pete Franklin, who in Cleveland had become one of the first polarizing, outrageous talk show hosts. During his stay in New York, Franklin was probably best known for an incident where he used a four-letter expletive on air, in error, when trying to say "All you folks" (he was not disciplined for the incident.)

Running a close second was a 30-second Franklin diatribe on whether he had been offensive – "Do I offend anyone? I'm not here to offend you, dammit!" ^[5] – that has been replayed ever since, especially on the July 1 WFAN anniversaries.

In a further drive to boost ratings, Imus instigated a feud with Franklin, much as he had with Howard Stern at WNBC in the mid-1980s. Both Imus and Franklin took shots at each other during their shows, Franklin calling Imus "Minus" and Imus recording parodies of radio commercials where he bashed Franklin as a "dinosaur", among other things. Franklin left WFAN in August 1989.

On September 5, 1989, a jointly hosted afternoon drive show with Francesa and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo - who had been a weekend/fill-in host to that time - would premiere. The Mike and the Mad Dog show became the defining show of WFAN, one of the most consistently popular radio shows in New York, and one of the most influential sports talk radio shows in the country.

The combined success of Mike and the Mad Dog and Imus in the Morning helped WFAN become the number one billing station in America during the 1990s. It also proved that the all-sports format worked as a radio format, prompting the explosion of sports talk radio across the country.

Over the years WFAN has continued to have a broad-based sports talk and play-by-play format. WFAN ratings gradually rose and in fact at some points it has been the top-billing station in New York and the country. In 1992 Emmis sold WFAN to Infinity Broadcasting, which would be purchased by Westinghouse Electric Corporation – CBS' then-parent company – in 1997. Ironically this made WNBC's old frequency a sister station its former rival, WCBS 880 AM.

Recent programming

WFAN's broadcast day begins at 6:00 a.m. (Eastern time) with Boomer and Carton, hosted by former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason and radio veteran Craig Carton. The midday timeslot is co-hosted by Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts. Mike Francesa is the afternoon drive host.^[6] The YES Network has been airing a video simulcast of WFAN's afternoon drive program, previously known as Mike and the Mad Dog and now titled Mike'd Up, since March 19, 2002.

On Monday nights during the NFL season, Kimberly Jones hosts a football show leading into the Monday Night Football broadcast, working during the 2009 season with former NFL player Roman Oben. Jones, who is a member of the Yankees' broadcast team on YES, also hosts other shows during the baseball off-season or when regular hosts are on vacation.^[7]

Steve Somers hosts during most other evenings, often leading into and following live game broadcasts. Tony Paige works the majority of the overnight shifts. Other overnight hosts include Marc Malusis and Lori Rubinson. Adam "the Bull" Gerstenhaber hosted weekend evening shows until leaving WFAN for CBS Radio's "The Fan" in Cleveland (WKRK-FM). Another WFAN host is longtime New York rock radio fixture Richard Neer. Ed Randall hosts a radio version of the Talking Baseball show that aired on TV for many years.

WFAN stands out in that all of its sports-talk shows are currently local in origin, not syndicated as is the practice of most sports-talk radio stations (usually except during the morning and/or drive-time periods).

Over the years WFAN has established a tight bond with its listeners, to the point where one of them eventually landed a regular on-air spot. Joe Benigno had been a frequent caller to "The Fan"^[8] (especially the Mike and the Mad Dog show) as "Joe from Saddle River", and his calls were typically interesting and insightful. In 1994 he was chosen to host a one-hour show during a promotion where listeners were invited to host a show.^[9] The test went well, and he later parlayed it into a regular overnight shift, which started in 1995.

WFAN also features the "20-20 Flash", a one to two minute update on sports scores and news, which occurs every 20 minutes (on the hour, twenty after and forty after).^[10] The update team consists of Rich Ackerman, Harris Allen, Mike McCann, Erica Herskowitz, Bob Heussler, Marc Malusis, John Minko and Jerry Recco. The station also employs beat reporters to cover the Mets (Ed Coleman)^[11], Yankees (Sweeny Murti)^[12], Jets (Peter Schwartz)^[13] and Giants (Paul Dottino).^[14]

In 2010, the station was honored by the National Association of Broadcasters with the Marconi award for Sports Station of the Year.^[15]

Team coverage

Currently, WFAN airs New York Mets baseball, the NFL's New York Giants, the NHL's New Jersey Devils, and the NBA's New Jersey Nets. During baseball season, the Mets have first priority of airtime over all of the other teams, and WFAN shifts some early-season Giants games over to one of its sister FM stations (currently WXRK or WCBS-FM). This is done in part because of the Mets' legacy on the station, and also because the Giants, Devils, and Nets all produce their own games and purchase their airtime from WFAN. During the fall and early winter (when NFL, NHL, and NBA seasons overlap) the Giants have first priority, followed by the Devils and lastly the Nets.

Bloomberg L.P.-owned WBBR (1130 AM) is utilized as WFAN's main "conflict" station for Devils games due to scheduling conflicts with the Mets and Giants (some preseason Devils contests have been streamed on WFAN's website due to such conflicts). Either WBBR or Inner City Broadcasting-owned WLIB (1190 AM) will broadcast any Nets games when they and any of the other teams play simultaneously.

WFAN is also a promotional partner of the Yankees, as sister station WCBS has been the team's flagship station since 2002. WFAN has exclusive game-day rights to broadcast at the ballpark. The exclusive access seems to give WFAN an information edge over WEPN, which features Yankees television voice Michael Kay in drivetime. Kay is often forced to do his show from outside the stadium, and then leave an hour before the game to prepare for the TV broadcast. Yankees announcers from YES and WCBS occasionally host shows on WFAN throughout the year, including John Sterling, Suzyn Waldman and Kimberly Jones.^[16]

In a rare move, WFAN carried the New York Yankees Radio Network's live broadcast of the Yankees day / night doubleheader at the Baltimore Orioles on August 28, 2011, so its flagship station, WCBS, could remain within its usual news format for live, continuing coverage of Hurricane Irene.^[17]

The station is the flagship outlet for Westwood One's NFL and NCAA radio broadcasts, though all local teams have priority, with the exception of NFL playoff games.

WFAN has marketed itself in recent years as the "Flagship Station for New York Sports. Terry Collins and Joe Girardi^[18], respective managers of the Mets and Yankees, make exclusive appearances on WFAN during the season. WFAN usually also contracts at least one Giants and one Jets player to make exclusive appearances on the station during the NFL season, as well as Giants head coach Tom Coughlin.

The station was also the longtime radio home for the New York Jets, New York Rangers and New York Knicks (the latter two were inherited from WNBC). Currently, WFAN's primary competition is WEPN, the New York ESPN Radio affiliate, located at WFAN's old 1050 kHz frequency. WEPN carries the three aforementioned teams plus national ESPN Radio programming, all of which WFAN previously broadcasted.

On April 11, 2006, WFAN started streaming live on the Internet.^[19] Web streaming of live games, however, is limited due to broadcast rights (Mets and Nets games are offered separately through the MLB and NBA websites as annual subscriptions). As of April 2010 WFAN, along with other CBS Radio stations, stopped streaming live on the Internet to listeners outside of the United States.

Radiothon

Each spring from 1990 until 2007, WFAN conducted the "WFAN Radiothon" to benefit children’s charities that seek to ensure the continuity of life in its earliest stages and the treatment and eventual elimination of childhood cancer. The three most recent beneficiaries of the radiothon were Tomorrow's Children's Fund,^[20] the CJ Foundation for SIDS,^[21] and the Imus Ranch. WFAN has also done other radiothons and special broadcasts to raise money for assorted charities.

On August 15, 2008, Mike Francesa announced during the final broadcast of Mike and the Mad Dog that WFAN would broadcast a new fundraising radiothon. The new fundraiser would benefit both the Boomer Esiason Foundation for cystic fibrosis research, and the Mike Francesa Champions of the Heart Foundation, a new charity created by Francesa. The first radiothon took place in September 2008. (^[22])

Midday show controversy

The midday slot has been one of the better slots from a ratings perspective for WFAN. However, this slot's hosts have often found controversy.

In the mid-1990s, popular hosts Ed Coleman and Dave Sims had their show cancelled. WFAN then announced that New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica and WNBC-TV sports anchor Len Berman would co-host the new midday program. The show seemed all set to go when, at the last minute, Berman decided to back out of the show. He cited that he would have to work a near 14-hour day, combining his 10 a.m. start on radio with his 11:20 p.m. report on television. Berman was also upset because Don Imus' show had made an anti-semetic joke at his expense. Lupica, a close friend of Imus, defended him, stating that he wasn't being serious. Berman wasn't buying it and it put a wedge between the two of them permanently. WFAN would not let Berman out of his contract, and as a result, the slot was split into two shows: Lupica hosted from 10 a.m. to noon, while Berman hosted from noon to 2 p.m.. The split format did not work, and eventually Berman's show would be cancelled and Lupica's show soon followed.

WWOR-TV sports anchor Russ Salzberg, who also worked an evening sportscast, was more than willing to assume the midday show duties. In 1995, he was joined by longtime overnight host Steve Somers. This show, billed as The Sweater and the Schmoozer, featured one of the most famous incidents in WFAN history. It occurred when Salzberg "banned" Eli from Westchester^[23] from calling his show due to his comments that Salzberg considered to be inappropriate. Salzberg notoriously said to Somers, during another Atlanta Braves World Series appearance talking about Braves' manager Bobby Cox: "What about Cox, Steve? You like Cox... don't you, Steve?"

In 1999, with the ratings not being what WFAN management expected, the Salzberg/Somers show was cancelled. Initially Somers had been fired with Salzberg, but a large outcry from listeners—including comedian Jerry Seinfeld, a native of Long Island – led to WFAN management giving Somers the evening shift, which (despite frequent pre-emptions for live games) he continues to hold to the present day. In middays, Salzberg and Somers were replaced by Suzyn Waldman and Jody McDonald. Waldman was best known for her work covering the Yankees and Knicks for the station.^[24] McDonald, son of a former Mets general manager, was the weekend overnight host before leaving for sister station WIP in Philadelphia, nearer to his southern New Jersey home. Both Waldman and McDonald had their fans and detractors at WFAN.

Waldman would leave WFAN in late 2001, joining the Yankees television broadcast team the following year.^[25] She would be replaced by Sid Rosenberg who, despite his shock jock reputation, had a vast knowledge of sports. Many felt there was great chemistry between McDonald and Rosenberg. However, the ratings still weren't what WFAN expected and in 2004 McDonald was let go, later to join WEPN, Sirius Satellite Radio, and WPEN radio in Philadelphia. Overnight host Joe Benigno would replace McDonald.

Rosenberg was forced to resign from WFAN on September 12, 2005 after being given an ultimatum by station management for not showing up to host the New York Giants' pregame show the day before. Benigno hosted the show solo for over a year, and on January 2, 2007, part-time overnight host Evan Roberts became Benigno's new midday co-host.^[26][27] The pairing continues to consistently out-rate rival station WEPN.

Twentieth anniversary

On July 1, 2007, WFAN celebrated its twentieth anniversary. On the weekend of July 4, past WFAN hosts such as Suzyn Waldman and Jim Lampley did guest-hosting stints, and the station's current hosts provided career and station retrospectives throughout the weekend. The station also invited listeners to vote on the "Greatest New York sports moments", and the "Top 20 New York sports celebrities", during WFAN's 20-year history.

Move to Manhattan

On 10 October 2009, WFAN moved from its studio location for its first 22 years, the landmarked Kaufman-Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens.^[28] The station began broadcasting from CBS Radio's new New York studios at 345 Hudson Street in Manhattan's TriBeCa neighborhood. WFAN shares the building with four other CBS Radio stations – WCBS-FM, WINS, WWFS, and WXRK.^[29] Along with the move, the station changed its longtime call-in phone number from 1-718-937-6666 to 1-877-337-6666.

Transition

Exit Imus, enter Boomer and Carton

Main article: Boomer and Carton in the Morning

On the April 4, 2007 broadcast of Imus in the Morning, Don Imus made a sexually and racially insensitive comment in reference to the Rutgers University women's basketball team. Imus made the remarks during a conversation with the show's producer, Bernard McGuirk, and Sid Rosenberg (who was on the phone).^[30]

Two days after making the comments, Imus issued a public apology. By that time, however, there were various calls for his dismissal, particularly from civil rights activists Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, who threatened to protest both CBS Radio and MSNBC (which aired a video simulcast of the program), and to boycott companies who advertised on the program.^[31] WFAN offered its hosts and listeners a sounding board for their own feelings and comments, which were both for and against his dismissal. Chris Russo, in particular, expressed his disappointment at Imus for waiting two days before retracting his comments.

Imus was initially given a two-week suspension which was scheduled to begin on April 16, allowing him to work the annual WFAN Radiothon on April 12 and 13.^[32] On consecutive days Imus appeared on both Sharpton's syndicated radio show (April 9) and NBC-TV's Today Show (April 10) to reiterate his regret for the remarks. But on April 11, MSNBC announced the cancellation of the video simulcast of Imus in the Morning. The following day, CBS Radio dismissed Imus, at the time leaving WFAN with a very large programming—and money-earning—void in its schedule.

Imus' last WFAN program was aired on the opening day of the radiothon. Imus's wife Deirdre joined his longtime co-host, comedy writer, and news reader, Charles McCord, to anchor the final segment of the radiothon on April 13. Imus revived his program at WABC radio in December 2007, and took his fundraiser with him—with the charities intact—and conducted a radiothon there in May 2008.^[33]

From that point on, the 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. time slot was filled by various hosts. McCord and Chris Carlin remained on all the replacement shows as assistants and staff, in similar roles as they were on Imus's show, and the replacement shows continued to be syndicated via Westwood One. Mike Francesa and Chris Russo were the first to fill the spot, hosting for the two weeks (April 16–27) immediately after Imus' firing. Francesa and Russo also worked the shift separate from each other, as did fellow WFAN staffers Richard Neer, Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts, and Carlin, who worked both alone and with co-hosts, notably Kimberly Jones and Washington Post sports columnist John Feinstein.

WFAN and Westwood One also brought in outside personalities into the slot. Among them were Boomer Esiason, Patrick McEnroe, Geraldo Rivera, Lou Dobbs, and Chicago market sports radio host Mike North. As MSNBC also held its own claim to the slot, the cable network was able to have its own replacement shows simulcasted; these programs were hosted by in-house personalities David Gregory, Jim Cramer, and Joe Scarborough; eventually Scarborough would become the permanent replacement host on MSNBC with Morning Joe.

On September 4, 2007, Esiason took over as the permanent host of the WFAN morning show, with veteran radio personality Craig Carton (previously of WKXW-FM in Trenton, New Jersey) serving as co-host, and Chris Carlin remaining to do sports updates. The new program is not distributed nationally by Westwood One, but has actually outperformed Imus' former WFAN ratings in the New York market in most surveys since it premiered. Charles McCord left the station shortly after the announcement was made and has since rejoined Don Imus at WABC. Carlin was also given his own show in the one-hour time slot immediately preceding Esiason's show. The television simulcast, which had been on MSNBC since the early 1990s, was not immediately brought back; it was not until September 2010 that WFAN reached an agreement with MSG Network to simulcast Boomer and Carton live each weekday^[34]; each four-hour show is simulcast live with a condensed one-hour "best-of" program airing later each day and throughout the weekend.

The end of Mike and the Mad Dog

Main article: Mike and the Mad Dog

During their 19-year run as WFAN's afternoon drive team, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo had enjoyed a relationship—both on- and off-air—which varied from respect to contempt. The two hosts did not get along well during the early days of their partnership, and had several differences which potentially put their program in jeopardy. In spite of the disagreements, the duo always seemed to patch things up for the benefit of the station and their listeners.

In early 2008, several reports surfaced that Francesa and Russo were on the outs again, and these reports came as both men's contracts with WFAN were in the early stages of renegotiation. On June 22, 2008, sports columnist Neil Best of Newsday reported that the Francesa/Russo relationship had cooled, and they were considering ending their radio show.^[35] Francesa, reached by Newsday while vacationing, refused to comment. Russo, doing the show alone on June 23, denied the rumors. But on the June 27, 2008 broadcast, Francesa (working alone as Russo was on vacation) acknowledged the show was at a "crossroad", and could not guarantee the show would last through the summer. Francesa also stated he and Russo had not spoken since reports of their possible breakup came out.^[36]

On July 11, 2008, Francesa and Russo reunited for their first show together since news of their possible breakup came out. Both men were coy about their future beyond the summer.^[37] Francesa and Russo then continued their normal summer routine of alternating vacation weeks, and on August 5, 2008, they would do their final show together at the New York Giants' training facility at the University of Albany.

On August 14, 2008, Russo reached a mutual agreement with WFAN to let him out of his contract, which ran until October 2009.^{[38][39][40][41]} Russo insisted it was solely a personal decision and said, "This has nothing to do with Mike and I hating each other... This is about doing something different. I'm 48 years old and there are not going to be too many more opportunities to break away. It's time to try something else, but it was a tough decision to make."^[40] On August 15, Russo phoned Francesa on the show to say goodbye. A highly emotional Russo began to break down on air as he talked about his partnership with Francesa.^[42][43]

At the same time, while Russo left WFAN, Francesa signed a five-year deal to stay at WFAN and continue to host the afternoon drive-time show.^[44] On August 19, 2008, Russo signed a five-year contract worth about 3 million per year^[45] with Sirius XM to headline a new sports talk channel called Mad Dog Radio on both Sirius and XM satellite radio.^[46][47] Russo said there was nothing WFAN could have done to keep him^[48] after Sirius XM provided him an opportunity to not only do a show, but have his own channel, which he could not pass up.^[49]

Influence of sports format

WFAN's success—especially after the 1988 frequency switch—proved that sports-talk radio could in fact be a steadily profitable and popular format. This in turn fueled the explosive growth of sports-talk radio in the 1990s and 2000s. Once a novelty, every major market (and many smaller markets) now has at least one sports radio station, and often more. ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio and Sporting News Radio have all launched 24-hour national sports talk radio networks. There are also nationally syndicated radio shows, such as The Jim Rome Show and 2 Live Stews. Additionally there are dedicated sports radio streams on satellite radio, such as NFL Radio on Sirius and MLB Home Plate on XM Satellite Radio. With the migration of music stations to FM and other carriers all but complete, sports talk radio are considered to have been critical in saving the AM band as a viable broadcast medium.

It is worth noting that, for all the success and influence that WFAN has had, its signature Mike and the Mad Dog show experienced limited syndication outside of New York state (the show had been carried over WQYK in Tampa, Florida and WROW in Albany, New York). This was primarily due to a desire by the hosts to keep their show New York-centric.

WFAN once produced some of Fox Sports Radio's programming, notably Chris "Mad Dog" Russo's Saturday show, but the relationship did not last even one year for the same reason that Mike'd Up is syndicated nationally only through the YES Network — the hosts often talk about the NFL on a national basis, but stick mostly to local coverage of baseball. Nevertheless, callers from as far as California and Norway made it to air.

Notable callers

Callers are an important facet of WFAN programming. A number of callers have earned a reputation over the years and become as familiar to listeners as the hosts themselves.

Jerome from Manhattan

Another notable caller is Jerome Mittelman,^[50] widely known as "Jerome from Manhattan." A die-hard Yankees and Knicks fan, Jerome is famous for his on-air take-no-prisoners blistering rants and raves, as well as his unique take on the English language. One of his favorite exclamatory phrases is "frickin' frack!" He refers to the bullpen as the "ballpen", and once shouted that the Yankees are "....done! D-O-E-N [sic], DONE!" His relationship status is intriguing enough for Steve Somers to once give Jerome $60 to take a lady out on a date, only for Jerome to keep the money and not go out on the date. Former host Sid Rosenberg once asked Jerome if he was upset that he was not taking his eagerly anticipated trip "....to Colorado?", and Jerome replied, "No, [it was] to Denver." He does "....not like jets. They make [him] seasick." Jerome, when he still called WFAN regularly, was known as being the only caller to have an audio intro, much like those played at the top of each show. Mr. Mittelman's health problems had kept him from the WFAN airwaves on a regular basis from late 2004 until mid 2008; when he again started to call in more frequently. Occasionally when he calls in to Steve Somers' program, a special introduction is played to the tune of The Twilight Zone.

Eli from Westchester

Eli Strand (1943–2008),^[51] known when calling as "Eli from Westchester", was another famous repeat caller. Citing racism as the underlying factor behind any number of sports happenings, he was occasionally banned from calling for periods of time. One of the most famous times he was banned was by former mid-day host Russ Salzberg. However, he was also given an on-air tryout for the job which would eventually go to Joe Benigno. Strand, from Tuckahoe, New York, played college football at Iowa State University and spent two years in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints.^[52]

Miriam from Forest Hills

Miriam is a blind New York Islanders and New York Mets fan from Queens. The first Islanders game Miriam ever attended became the topic of a Rick Reilly column in Sports Illustrated.^[53]

Dave from Harlem

David Paterson, former Governor of New York, has been known to call into the station on occasion. He has also used the alias "David from Manhattan."^[54] After the end of his term, Paterson sporadically appeared as a guest host and in-studio guest for the station; Paterson accepted a job with WOR in August 2011.

Doris from Rego Park

Doris Bauer was a big New York Mets fan and very knowledgable of baseball. Doris passed away in 2003

Incarcerated Bob

"Incarcerated Bob" is a frequent caller to WFAN, particularly Boomer and Carton. He earned his name for spending nine months in prison for assaulting a New England Patriots fan during a post-Super Bowl XLII victory celebration. He has earned a reputation for his Twitter feed, which breaks numerous sports rumors with varying degrees of accuracy.^[55][56]

Reception of WFAN

WFAN's signal can be heard clearly on much of the East Coast of the United States and Eastern Canada after sunset because it is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) "Class A" clear channel station.^[57]

During the day, WFAN's groundwave signal can be heard faintly as far south as Washington, D.C.^[58] and as far north as the I-90 corridor (the New York State Thruway and Massachusetts Turnpike), about 150 miles north of New York City. WFAN can also allegedly be heard clearly on the northern beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks during the day and the southern beaches around Wilmington, NC at night. Signal strength varies depending on factors such as weather and elevation. Still, a good car radio can pick up WFAN cleanly in most of Pennsylvania, at times as far west as central Indiana, and throughout Connecticut, as well as parts of the Philadelphia, Boston, Albany, and Syracuse markets, especially at night (WFAN does not broadcast on reduced power overnight, and thus needs very few affiliate stations for the teams it broadcasts).

Callers from these locations are not uncommon, especially as some of the on-air staffers have backgrounds in those regions (Bob Heussler does radio play-by-play for the Connecticut Sun, Fairfield Stags basketball and has done radio play-by-play for UConn basketball and football, while Chris Carlin handles Rutgers football games). Alternatively, the callers listen to the streaming internet feed on wfan.com, or watch one of the station's TV simulcasts ("Mike Francesa" on YES or "Boomer and Carton" on MSG).

The FAN Sports Network

In addition to having its broadcast heard on 660 AM in New York City WFAN's programming is also transmitted via a secured internet feed to CBS owned and operated stations. These stations simulcast the same over-the air feed that is heard in New York City including all of the live team coverage including the New York Mets, New York Giants, New Jersey Devils and the New Jersey Nets. This is considered to be a unique situation in radio: for many years the only way to hear WFAN's out-of-market broadcasts was via their Internet stream. The Internet stream legally cannot include professional sports coverage because the Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League and the National Hockey League provide their own in-house on-demand and yearly subscription services for live and archived radio and television broadcasts. WFAN's simulcasts make it one of only a handful of terrestrial based radio superstations in the United States; KPIG in Freedom, California and WBBR in New York also syndicate terrestrially, though through different providers.

WFAN HD FM simulcasts

WXRK 92.3-HD3 New York, New York
WJFK-FM 106.7-HD3 Manassas, Virginia/Washington, D.C
WOCL 105.9-HD3 Deland/Orlando, Florida
WEAT-FM 104.3-HD3 West Palm Beach, Florida
WLLD 94.1-HD3 Lakeland/Tampa, Florida

On-air staff

Current staff

• Rich Ackerman
• Harris Allen
• Joe Benigno
• Andrew Catalon
• Craig Carton
• Ed Coleman
• Ian Eagle
• Boomer Esiason
• Mike Francesa
• Bob Heussler
• Erica Herskowitz
• Kimberly Jones
• Ann Liguori
• Chris LoPresti
• Marc Malusis
• Mike Mancuso
• Anita Marks
• Mike McCann
• John Minko
• Sweeny Murti
• Richard Neer
• Tony Paige
• Ed Randall
• Jerry Recco
• Evan Roberts
• Lori Rubinson
• Bob Salter (public affairs director)
• Steve Somers
• Gregg Sussman
• Joey Wahler
• Rick Wolff

Notable former staff

• Len Berman
• Mike Breen
• Kevin Burkhardt
• Chris Carlin
• Roberto Clemente, Jr.
• Linda Cohn
• Tanyette Colon
• Howard David
• Bill Daughtry
• Spero Dedes
• Kate Delaney
• Scott Ferrall
• Pete Franklin
• Steve Fredericks
• Adam "The Bull" Gerstenhaber (now at WKRK-FM in Cleveland)
• Gregg Giannotti
• Greg Gumbel
• Mia Harris
• Don Imus
• Don La Greca
• Jim Lampley
• Steve Levy
• Mike Lupica
• Stan Martyn
• Bill Mazer
• Charles McCord
• Jody McDonald
• Chris Moore
• Howie Rose (former host, now Mets play-by-play announcer)
• Sid Rosenberg - does do show on WFAN on occasion
• Spencer Ross
• Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo
• Sam Ryan
• Russ Salzberg (former host, Giants pre- and post-game host)
• Dave Sims
• John Sterling
• Suzyn Waldman
• Warner Wolf

Notes

1. ^ "FCC Info on WFAN". http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=28617. Retrieved December 14, 2006. 
2. ^ http://imustimes.wordpress.com/2008/04/09/the-imus-factor-wfan-loss-wabc-gain/
3. ^ "NYC’s ‘FAN: in business 20 years & a day". Radio Ink. http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=138448&pt=todaysnews. Retrieved July 5, 2007. 
4. ^ audio file Last moments of WNBC/first moments of WFAN
5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jAZv2cyTVI YouTube: Pete Franklin Goes Out on Top
6. ^ http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/08/01/wfan-on-air-schedule-august-2-8/
7. ^ http://web.yesnetwork.com/announcers/bio.jsp?id=kjones
8. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=martin/100428_wfan_joe_benigno
9. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=martin/100428_wfan_joe_benigno
10. ^ http://www.cbssports.com/cbssports/story/10230568
11. ^ http://newyork.cbslocal.com/tag/ed-coleman/
12. ^ http://newyork.cbslocal.com/tag/sweeny-murti/
13. ^ http://newyork.cbslocal.com/personality/peter-schwartz/
14. ^ http://newyork.cbslocal.com/tag/paul-dottino/
15. ^ "2010 Marconi Awards". FMQB. http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=1971394&spid=1314. 
16. ^ http://newyork.cbslocal.com/personality/kimberly-jones/
17. ^ "Hurricane Irene even affects radio broadcast, Yankees will be on WFAN 660 AM, the Mets station". Daily News (New York). August 28, 2011. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2011/08/28/2011-08-28_tune_in_to_wfan_for_game_1_today.html. Retrieved 2011-10-01. 
18. ^ "Girardi, WFAN Agree to Expanded Deal". The Wall Street Journal. March 8, 2011. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703386704576186840198119366.html. 
19. ^ "WFAN to stream live talk shows online". mediabistro.com. April 6, 2006. http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/radio/wfan_to_stream_live_talk_shows_online_34972.asp. 
20. ^ Tomorrows Children's Fund
21. ^ The CJ Foundation for SIDS
22. ^ http://www.myteamboomer.com/events/event/show?id=2051017:Event:8683
23. ^ http://66wfan.net/archive/index.php/t-366.html?s=a00ef1ac34ee5505528e84f1369d33a3
24. ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/team/broadcasters.jsp?c_id=nyy#suzyn_waldman
25. ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/team/broadcasters.jsp?c_id=nyy#suzyn_waldman
26. ^ Best, Neil (December 8, 2006). "WFAN to pair Roberts with Benigno". Newsday. 
27. ^ Best, Neil (December 12, 2006). "Dialing up youth movement". Newsday. 
28. ^ "Mixed emotions as WFAN moves from basement to big time". Newsday. http://www.newsday.com/columnists/neil-best/mixed-emotions-as-wfan-moves-from-basement-to-big-time-1.1511844. Retrieved October 10, 2009. ^{[dead link]}
29. ^ "WFAN Moves out of Queens - and Above Ground - Tomorrow". New York Magazine. http://nymag.com/daily/sports/2009/10/wfan-moves-out-of-queens----an.html. Retrieved October 10, 2009. 
30. ^ http://mediamatters.org/research/200704040011
31. ^ "Critics Call for Don Imus to Resign After Racial Comments". Fox News. April 7, 2007. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,264808,00.html. 
32. ^ Carter, Bill (April 10, 2007). "Radio Host Is Suspended Over Racial Remarks". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/business/media/10imus.html. Retrieved 2011-09-03. 
33. ^ North East Radio Watch-The I-Man, His Foot, His Mouth, Rev. Sharpton and Citadel-2007
34. ^ http://rangers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=535340
35. ^ Best, Neil (June 22, 2008). "What could be next for "Mike and Mad Dog"". Newsday. 
36. ^ Best, Neil (June 28, 2008). "Francesa: Radio show may not last beyond summer". Newsday. 
37. ^ Reunited and it Needed an Enema - Mike and the Mad Dog Return
38. ^ Neil Best (August 14, 2008). "After 19 years, Russo leaves 'Mike and Mad Dog'". Newsday. http://www.newsday.com/sports/ny-sprusso0815,0,4065290.story. 
39. ^ Sandomir, Richard (August 14, 2008). "Radio Alert: It’s Now Mike Minus Mad Dog". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/sports/15wfan.html. 
40. ^ ^{a b} Ruden, Dave (August 15, 2008). "Mad Dog: 'Today is a tough day'". The Stamford Advocate. http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_10215144. 
41. ^ Best, Neil (June 24, 2008). "Russo dismisses possible Mike & the Mad Dog split". Newsday. http://www.newsday.com/sports/ny-sprusso0624,0,3737608.story. 
42. ^ "Mike & the Mad Dog say goodbye". New York Post. August 15, 2008. http://www.nypost.com/seven/08152008/sports/mike__the_mad_dog_say_goodbye_124618.htm. 
43. ^ Mike Francesa and Chris Russo (August 15, 2008). "Mike & the Mad Dog farewell". WFAN.com. http://podcast.wfan.com/wfan/1269912.mp3. 
44. ^ Best, Neil (August 16, 2008). "Russo, late of WFAN's Mike and the Mad Dog, calls in". Newsday. http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/saturday/news/ny-spbest165803061aug16,0,5196711.story. 
45. ^ Raissman, Bob (August 20, 2008). "Sirius XM's 'Mad Dog Radio' signals huge payday for Chris Russo". Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2008/08/19/2008-08-19_sirius_xms_mad_dog_radio_signals_huge_pa.html. 
46. ^ "Sirius XM hires Russo for new sports talk channel". CNN. Associated Press. August 19, 2008. http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/a9dadaaa17f5ef7a39c7349317874558.htm. ^{[dead link]}
47. ^ Press release (August 19, 2008). "Chris 'Mad Dog' Russo Joins SIRIUS XM Radio". Sirius XM Radio. http://investor.sirius.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=328592&cat=&newsroom=. 
48. ^ Terranova, Justin (August 19, 2008). "Chris Russo Joins Sirius XM, will debut September 15". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/seven/08192008/sports/mad_dog_returns_sept__15_125152.htm. 
49. ^ Raissman, Bob (August 19, 2008). "Sirius XM to launch Chris Russo channel, 'Mad Dog Radio'". Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/2008/08/19/2008-08-19_sirius_xm_to_launch_chris_russo_channel_.html. 
50. ^ Gill, John Freeman (October 24, 2004). "Citypeople: seventh-inning kvetch". The New York Times. http://www.psych.upenn.edu/~jsiev/jerome.html. 
51. ^ 06, 2008 "Obituary for Eli Strand". The Journal News. January 6, 2008. http://www.nyjnews.com/obits/Obit1.php?pid=2425227&fulldate=January 06, 2008. 
52. ^ Rhoden, William C. (December 26, 1994). "Sports of The Times; A Celebrity Caller Is King for a Day, or Longer". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EFDC173BF935A15751C1A962958260. 
53. ^ Reilly, Rick (December 24, 2002). "Vision of happiness". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/rick_reilly/news/2002/12/24/life_of_reilly/. 
54. ^ Peters, Jeremy (June 10, 2010). "Uneasy on Camera, Paterson Opens Up on Radio". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/nyregion/11radio.html. Retrieved 2010-06-10. 
55. ^ http://nybaseballdigest.com/?p=32103
56. ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/04/incarcerated-bob-dead-twi_n_410413.html
57. ^ http://www.radio-locator.com/info/WFAN-AM
58. ^ http://washington.cbslocal.com/category/sports/

External links

• Official website
• WFan Message Board
• Mike Francesa Page
• WFAN on Twitter
• 66 WNBC Tribute Pages
• Query the FCC's AM station database for WFAN
• Radio-Locator Information on WFAN
• Query Arbitron's AM station database for WFAN
• Aerial photo of WFAN transmitter from Google Maps
• Aerial view of WFAN studios from Google Local

Coordinates: 40°43′40.0″N 74°0′29.2″W / 40.72778°N 74.008111°W / 40.72778; -74.008111