NYC Radio: Report..WFAN Looking For Younger Host

Mike Francesa

Winter is coming, and so is the end of Mike Francesa’s afternoon drive time slot at WFAN 660 AM / 101.9 FM. Francesa confirmed last week he will leave WFAN afternoon drive at the end of 2019. And the station is wasting no time looking at how to revamp the program lineup for January, reports to nj.com.

Newsday’s Neil Best reports WFAN has begun unofficial tryouts for its new midday schedule. While there has been no official confirmation that this happening, it’s fairly obvious based on the midday schedule for the next two weeks. This week, John Jastremski is joining Maggie Gray and Bart Scott from 1 to 3 p.m., presumably giving executives a chance to hear how that combination sounds. Next week, Evan Roberts is scheduled to sit in with Gray and Scott.

Best reports Roberts is a leading candidate to be part of the Francesa replacement plan, assuming he has good chemistry with Gray and Scott. But Best notes that would mean breaking up the midday team of Roberts and Joe Beningno. In theory, Jastremski could join Beningo on midday if Roberts goes to afternoon drive.

Susan Larkin is the regional president of Entercom, which is the parent company of WFAN. Per Best, Larkin wants the station to get a “younger roster of hosts.”

Best reports Gray is under contract through 2020, but Scott will be a free agent after this year and could bolt if he decides it’s time to end his run at WFAN.

Francesa famously retired from WFAN in 2017 following a long farewell tour, only to return to the station four months later. He has been back on the air since May 2018, but there have been rumors for months his second stint at ‘FAN may not last long, particularly after Francesa’s much-ballyhooed “Mike’s On” app was bought by Entercom, WFAN’s parent company, and merged into the Radio.com app.

Francesa’s reported departure also comes with him in imminent danger of finally being defeated by arch-nemesis Michael Kay and ESPN Radio New York in what has become a fierce ratings battle. Francesa has been able to hold Kay off since his return, but Francesa’s afternoon drive domination may be in its death throes. Kay has an overall 7.4 to 6.0 lead in the coveted men ages 25-54 demographic after the first month of the Fall 2019 book.