WFAN's "Mike & the Mad Dog" Reportedly Nearing Its End
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WFAN's Francesa (l), Russo May Have
Broadcast Their Last Show Together |
WFAN-AM's "Mike & the Mad Dog" show, co-hosted by Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, is "not expected to survive to see its 19th anniversary" on September 5, and the pair "may have already done their final show together," according to sources cited by Neil Best of NEWSDAY. The next scheduled broadcast with both Francesa and Russo is not until July 11. It is unclear which host "would remain on WFAN, only that it would not be both of them." Russo, whose contract with the station runs through October '09, said of a potential breakup, "That is news to me. I have not heard that. ... That is fascinating information." Best noted Francesa earlier this year reportedly agreed to a new deal with WFAN, but "there never was confirmation it was signed." One factor in a possible split "appears to be a fraying of their personal relationship in recent months," as several WFAN employees have "observed them feuding off the air." The cancellation of the show would "be the second blow to WFAN in as many years," following Don Imus' firing last year after remarks made about the Rutgers' women's basketball team. "Mike & the Mad Dog" also is simulcast on YES Network, but its contract with the net expires at the end of the year (NEWSDAY, 6/22). Best today writes Francesa and Russo's relationship "simply has run its course, and the partners will go their own way." But the pair "do not lack for other jobs in sports media." ESPN Radio 1050 N.Y., the "only other local sports talk refuge ... theoretically is a possibility, but with a merger of Sirius and XM pending, perhaps satellite radio will throw suitable money at one of them" (NEWSDAY, 6/23).
REPORTING THE NEWS: In N.Y., Bob Raissman wrote Mets-owned SportsNet N.Y. last Tuesday in its coverage of Mets manager Willie Randolph's firing served "viewers in a righteous manner," offering a "very loud day-into-night parade of analysts, baseball reporters and columnists, all agreeing the Mets botched" the termination. Mets Owner Fred Wilpon in allowing the net to be critical of the team "not only inspired SNY's pull-no-punches approach, it gave the network the best possible chance to attract maximum eyeballs." SNY's ratings on Tuesday were "higher than usual," and the "separation of church and state was good for business." Raissman wrote SNY "separated itself from what YES and the MSG Network offer." Tuesday was a "defining moment in the short history of SNY," as the net "branded itself as the place to go when a big New York sports story breaks" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/22).
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