NYC Radio: Mike's Next Era Begins

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Mike Francesa brought new meaning to the term “back afta this” Tuesday, returning to WFAN 660 AM / 101.9 FM after a 4 ½ month hiatus so seamlessly it seemed as if it had been little more than a commercial break. according to Newsday.

First three guests? Alex Rodriguez, Jay Wright and Eli Manning. First caller? Ira from Staten Island.

It started with a much-anticipated open shortly after 3 p.m. that was less momentous than many had expected. After a brief introduction that referenced the strange circumstances, he got down to business with the Yankees-Astros series.

Actually, Francesa’s first words were, “C’mon, Mink, hurry up,” to his longtime update man, John Minko, when his report began slightly late after Chris Carlin, Maggie Gray and Bart Scott took one last call right at 3 p.m.

Francesa began by alluding to the fact the studio from which he was speaking is named after him — originally as a parting tribute in December — then said, “It’s nice to be back, a little surprising to be back.”

Rather than explain how it happened right off the bat, he said, “I’m not going to sit here and give you a litany of what happened, because some of it is none of your business, and the rest of it I’ll tell you as we go along.”



The NY Post reports Francesa didn’t address what he and Entercom president, David Field, did to Chris Carlin, Maggie Gray and Bart Scott, whose spot he took. While CMB, in their new 1-3 p.m. time slot, mostly avoided Francesa’s name during their show, Carlin did say Francesa and his teammates were on the “same page” after a pre-show meeting. Francesa, who took a pay cut to return, basically waved off the one caller who told him, he “overplayed his hand.”

Francesa, who had sworn off social media, has new Twitter, Instagram and Facebook handles, but he won’t be present on them. They are just designed to promote his yet to be revealed app and his radio show. Francesa said the app is due in August, according to The Post.