Francesa said he felt funny returning to WFAN, but after 10 minutes, it was just like old timesWFAN
Mike Francesa yesterday delivered a "long-awaited monologue" to open up his new WFAN show, "Mike's On," though he "merely skimmed the soap opera that led to his return" to the N.Y. radio station, according to Evan Grossman of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. The hype surrounding the debut was "ubiquitous," as Francesa "brings buzz unlike anyone else." Francesa in his opening said, "It’s nice to be back. A little surprising to be back, and in case you might have seen a little notice about it the last couple of days, I am back. We’ll get into all that. I’m sure some of you, as you call in through the day, might have a couple of questions. If you do, we’ll answer them then. I’m not going to sit here and give you the litany of what happened because some of it is none of your business." Earlier in the day Chris Carlin, one of Francesa's replacements after his departure in December, said that he, Maggie Gray, Bart Scott and Francesa are "all on the 'same page.'” Francesa said that he "felt funny returning to WFAN, but after 10 minutes, it was like old times." He also "declined to talk about other shows on the air or take shots." He "came out of his first break to discuss his 'revolutionary' new subscription-based app, which will be live, he said, in time for football season." He spoke about the app "at length a few times, and revealed there was some interest in joining Brent Musburger’s sports gambling service in Las Vegas, but that never came to be." Francesa also "did not shy away from the awful optics of his reboot." He said, “Obviously, at times, some people found it exceedingly clumsy, but we’re back" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/2).
LEADING OFF: Francesa's first guest yesterday was Alex Rodriguez, who he welcomed by saying, "I know there were some forces that tried to keep you from coming to the program today, so I thank you for telling them ‘No way.'" The DAILY NEWS' Grossman notes as an ESPN employee, execs "tried to block A-Rod from appearing on WFAN, which competes against ESPN Radio." But Rodriguez was "not having it." He said to Francesa, "I keep my promises. New York sports needs you" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/2). On Long Island, Neil Best reports three hours before his show began, Francesa "met at WFAN’s lower Manhattan studios with Carlin, Gray and Scott, who were displaced by his return, in an effort to clear the air and find a way to peacefully coexist" (NEWSDAY, 5/2). In N.Y., Andrew Marchand notes in Francesa's return after only four-and-a-half months away, he "only said a couple things of note." He "reported he is on a 2 ¹/₂-year contract" and alluded to the offer from Musburger but "added nothing else of substance." Mostly, he "acted as if he had never left." Meanwhile, Rodriguez saying N.Y. "needed Francesa back" may have been a "shot -- intentional or not -- at A-Rod’s ESPN teammate, [Michael] Kay, who had ripped Rodriguez on Monday." Marchand writes there "continued to be a laziness to Francesa’s show." He is "still a big deal, because of his history, but listening to all 3 ¹/₂ hours of his show felt more like work than joy." Marchand: "It seemed he owed his loyal listeners a little more" (N.Y. POST, 5/2).
FIRST SHOW LEARNINGS: In Newark, James Kratch writes Francesa yesterday was "really sticking to his guns and not offering much dirt or insight." While it "certainly doesn’t sound like" he and his three intended replacements "will be exchanging Christmas cards anytime soon, early indications suggest there won’t be a intrastation war breaking out between the two shows." Francesa "made it very clear one of, and perhaps the main, driving reasons behind his decision to return" was the app he and CAA "will be launching along with the FAN." Francesa said the app will be “mostly subscription” content. Kratch: "It will certainly be interesting to see how that works out" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 5/2).
TWITTER REAX: Newsday's Best: "Love him, hate him or somewhere in between, there is one indisputable fact about Mike Francesa: He drives phenomenal, astounding, insane amounts of web traffic. Does anything else matter in 2018?" The Big Lead's Ryan Glasspiegel: "I am a big Mike Francesa fan and will tune in whenever there is a big story I want his take on, but listening yesterday there was the inescapable feeling that this WFAN return is going to end ugly." N.Y. Post's Marchand: "Caller says Mike overplayed his hand. Mike said he and president of Entercom came up with his comeback. ... Francesa could’ve golfed today, he said a few times in first hour." ESPN's Jordan Raanan: "Don't care about Mike Francesa anymore. Who cares? Enough already. (Turns off Twitter)." Former talk radio host Dave Weekley: "Gotta admit, this is the first time I've tuned into the start of a show on #WFAN for a long time. #Francesa"
