NYC Radio: Ratings Patience The Name Of the Game At WFAN

Evan Roberts & Joe Benigno

Chris Oliviero, the new senior vice president/market manager for Entercom New York said this week he will be patient in assessing the lineup WFAN 660 AM / 101.9 FM unveiled in January.

Neil Best at Newsday writes that includes the afternoon drive time show hosted by Evan Roberts and Joe Benigno, which has struggled badly in the ratings this spring. (The full quarterly data is not due out until early July.) “They have a long track record of ratings success [in midday], so to me it is unfair to judge them solely on the last two months,” Oliviero told Newsday.

“Are the numbers where we want them to be? No. Are they lower than Joe and Evan ever thought they would be? Of course they are. Joe and Evan would be the first to tell you that. But again, this is not like a panic mode where it’s like, ‘Oh, my.’ There is a reason we can point to and say there’s an issue.”

Chris Oliviero

Oliviero noted the same issue in assessing the new midday show featuring Maggie Gray and Marc Malusis. “It’s been tough on them, common sense would say that, but they’ve been pros,” Oliviero said. “They have been phenomenal at finding ways to adjust, not just from the editorial but also in remote broadcasting, working from home, not being in the same studio. So I give kudos especially to those two shows.”

WFAN’s morning show and ESPN New York’s afternoon show have been more comfortable than Roberts and Benigno in discussing non-sports current events. But Oliviero said everyone must do what comes naturally.

“It’s always been, you have to be who you are,” he said. “You have to be authentic. You can’t fake it . . . At end of the day, you were hired to be a sports host. Now, clearly, these are uncharted days and there is the opportunity and expectation to go beyond sports. But you also have to check yourself and say, ‘OK, what is my expertise? What is my background and experience? Can I effectively engage in these conversations?’”