WFAN-AM's "Boomer & Carton" morning show ended the winter ratings period "ranked first" in the N.Y. area among men 25-54 in their time slot, according to Neil Best of NEWSDAY. The show, which airs from 6:00-10:00am ET, "averaged" a 7.3% share of the audience in that demo compared to ESPN Radio N.Y. 98.7's 4.4%, which was "ninth among all stations." WFAN's Mike Francesa "ranked third" with a 6.0 from 1:00-6:30pm, "compared to 10th for ESPN Radio, with a 4.0 share." From 3:00-6:30pm, the time frame during which Francesa competes head-to-head with ESPN Radio’s Michael Kay, Francesa "finished tied for first among all stations at 6.0, and Kay was ninth with a 4.5." WFAN's ratings "combine the figures for its AM and FM outlets." These figures cover the Jan. 5-March 29 time period (NEWSDAY, 4/19).
THIS DOG WILL HUNT? Francesa has long stated he will leave WFAN when his contract expires in December, and former on-air partner Chris Russo said he “would not rule it out” that the two could reunite in some form. Russo currently hosts “Mad Dog Radio” on SiriusXM, and he told SI’s Maggie Gray, “I think you would see something maybe on a once-a-week situation. If Mike wanted to come to Sirius, I would be very happy. I’ve said this forever – ‘Mike & the Mad Dog’ could do something on Sirius if Mike wanted to do that.” Russo noted he did not have any inside knowledge on Francesa’s future plans, but he said, “I do think he’s going to leave WFAN. I don’t think Mike will stay there after December 15. But if Mike wanted to orchestrate some sort of renewal with me, I would do it” (“SI Now,” SI.com, 4/18).
