Friday marks the final day of Mike Francesa's 30-year career at WFAN, which saw the longtime N.Y.-based sports talk host "grow a durable radio genre that WFAN essentially invented" in '87, according to Neil Best of NEWSDAY. No station had been "crazy enough" to put sports on-air for 24 hours a day, and no "one did it the way" Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo did starting in '89, with Francesa continuing on alone since '08. Bob Costas said, "WFAN was the first 24/7 sports talk, and he and Mad Dog were the stars of it. He’s a very, very significant figure. In a sense, ‘Mike and the Mag Dog’ invented sports talk radio." Best noted the growth of the internet has propelled Francesa "to levels of visibility that dwarf even his 'Mike and the Mad Dog' days, with fans who call themselves Mongo Nation and an annual festival in his honor called Francesacon." SNY analyst Ron Darling said, “He holds so much power in this town that if he likes you from 1 to 6 (p.m.), you have a chance." NBC Olympics President of Production & Programming Jim Bell: "He’s as authoritative a figure as there’s been in sports, ever. ... He’s on the Mount Rushmore, for my money." Francesa said, "It’s been unbelievable. It’s been a great run. It really has. It’s been wonderful. I’ve loved every second of it. I’ve had the best job in the world" (NEWSDAY, 12/10).
LEAVING ON HIS OWN TERMS: Francesa reflected on his career and said, "To be successful at what I do, you have to have personality and presence. And I have both." He added N.Y. listeners "cared very much about what my take was on sports." Francesa: "It became very important for this city to hear my take on whatever the story of the moment was in this city in sports. And that's been my greatest blessing is that that has never changed, that has never wavered." He noted it was important for him to leave the show "on top." He said, "I always thought what made DiMaggio so special was that he left on top. He was one of the few guys, who they never saw him hit .210. I never wanted to hit .210" (NYPOST.com, 12/14). Francesa said of his show’s ratings in the N.Y. market, “Right now, we’re in first place. We can’t finish worst than second, we’re probably going to finish first, and that’s very important to me to finish at the top. But, I’ll tell you this, if I had fallen dramatically, I would’ve left a long time ago. I wouldn’t have been able to deal with that" ("SI Media Podcast," SI.com, 12/7).
STILL A POLARIZING FIGURE: In N.Y., Bob Raissman wrote Francesa "cast his own spell over" the N.Y. sports scene. Raissman: "Like him, love him, or loathe him, he provided something for everybody, which translated into him being an afternoon-drive ratings powerhouse in sports talk." His style "forged a commonality between those who loved him and those who detested him." No matter "how they felt, and there was never a middle ground with Francesa, they all tuned in to hear what he had to say." He had a "one-of-a-kind ability to constantly inspire the following words: 'Did you hear what Francesa said?'" Raissman: "That’s why we all tuned in" (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 12/9). In Hartford, Mike Anthony writes Francesa is leaving "as a radio legend, not just as the unofficial statesman on the New York sports scene, but as a social media sensation who entertained, informed and infuriated listeners." Anthony: "People seem to love or hate Francesa. Yet both camps listen, with 1:05 p.m. becoming appointment radio over the years" (HARTFORD COURANT, 12/15). SI.com's Jimmy Traina writes there is "no national radio figure that gets as much attention" as Francesa, and he is a "living legend" in N.Y. Traina: "No matter how you feel about the man nicknamed The Sports Pope, you can't do anything but respect the longevity, the results and the popularity" (SI.com, 12/15). However, in Newark, Steve Politi wrote he "won't miss" Francesa. He could be "entertaining at times, but those hilarious 15-minute rants couldn't offset the tedious lectures and condescending attitude that made up the majority of his hours on the air." Politi: "With Francesa signing off for good, I'll be far more likely to listen" (NJ.com, 12/13).
FRIENDS 'TIL THE END: NEWSDAY's Best noted Francesa and Russo "share personal and professional history that is not easily forgotten, along with a chemistry that has been evident in several joint appearances in recent years." As “Mike and the Mad Dog” from '89-'08, they "helped make each other’s careers." Russo, who has been with SiriusXM since '08, said, "Mike taught me a lot about sports. I didn’t think anybody could do that, and Mike did, just the way he thinks about it." Russo added, "He learned things from me, a little differently, maybe more the radio technique. But Mike taught me a lot more about sports than I taught him." Russo credits Francesa "with mostly maintaining the ratings success they forged together." Russo: "I left, not the other way around. There was a lot more pressure for him than there was for me. ... Mike has still been a major factor in the ratings for the last nine years, and he had a lot of pressure to do that. If he (failed), he would’ve gotten slandered, killed, and I would have gotten all the credit. He doesn’t get enough credit for that, and he should" (NEWSDAY.com, 12/9).
TWITTER TRIBUTES: WFAN's Chris Carlin, who along with Bart Scott and Maggie Gray will take over Francesa's time slot, wrote, "You know who you HAD to hear from after big sports news? That's Mike Francesa for 30 yrs. He had the ultimate connection to the fan. I learned a lot from Mike. Even though we're getting the chance of a lifetime in his time slot, I'm sad today, like every other fan." ESPN.com's Ian O'Connor tweeted, "Like Howard Cosell, Mike Francesa was wrong about so much. Like Cosell, Francesa thought he was bigger than most stars he interviewed. Like Cosell, Francesa turned out to be right on that one." Barstool Sports' Julie Stewart-Binks: "Congratulations to Mike Francesa on a legendary career. Enjoy this final show, which I'm sure won't be your last." Horse Racing Radio Network's Anthony Stabile: "If you are involved with sports-talk radio ... you are heavily indebted to #Francesa. In his 30 years @WFAN660, he carried a genre through some lean times & made it most popular format in radio." Internet radio outlet WBLZ's Doug Rush: "He was the best, and he was #1 in his profession for a reason." SI's official feed: "What a ride it's been."
