N.Y.'s two sports talk radio stations "recorded a split decision in drive time ratings for the winter quarter, with WFAN finishing first overall among men ages 25-54 in the morning" and ESPN Radio 98.7 N.Y. "finishing first in the afternoon," according to Neil Best of NEWSDAY. Ratings for the spring book period now under way "figure to be drastically lower for everyone." With live sports on hiatus and fewer people driving to work, the genre is in an "impossible position." For the winter, WFAN's morning show starring Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti "finished first among all stations in the market with an average of 6.7% of the listening audience in the key demographic" from 6:00-10:00am ET, with ESPN "far behind at 2.9." In the 3:00-6:00pm window, ESPN's "The Michael Kay Show" was "first at 7.3," while Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on WFAN were "tied for third at 5.3" (NEWSDAY, 4/16). In N.Y., Andrew Marchand notes after the struggles for "Golic & Wingo," which finished 15th in the market, ESPN Radio N.Y.'s local programming "did well" against WFAN's post-Mike Francesa lineup for the three-month period. One of the "big moves was Bart Scott leaving more money on the table" from WFAN to go to ESPN Radio (N.Y. POST, 4/16).
