Mike Francesa proclaims WFAN return in cryptic revenge plan
Mike Francesa says he is coming home.
A day after The Post’s Andrew Marchand reported that a desperate Francesa was trying to work his way back to WFAN, the broadcasting legend confirmed his intentions to Newsday.
“It is time to return to WFAN,” Francesa told the paper.
It remains unclear what exactly what that role will be, though Francesa referenced “a project” he’s been working on with his agency, CAA. The Post reported Monday that even with CAA’s help he had been unable to find a match with ESPN Radio and WOR, and had missed talking New York sports more than he thought he would when he left WFAN in December.
Francesa said that his decision to return to the WFAN airwaves, though, ultimately came down to a mystery group trying to keep him off of them.
“This is for those who started this campaign in recent days. I didn’t decide to go back to WFAN until I was told I better not go back,” Francesa told the paper. “For those behind it, that was the moment I decided to return.
“I have been working on a project with CAA for months. That will be explained in the days ahead.”
Francesa and former “Mike and the Mad Dog” partner Chris Russo recently feuded with hosts at WFAN after the duo mocked the low ratings for Francesa’s replacements. Chris Carlin, Maggie Gray and Bart Scott took over the afternoon slot, but were beaten by ESPN Radio’s “Michael Kay Show” in the first ratings book. A source told Marchand that Carlin, Gray and Scott have two-year contracts and are not expected to be let go by WFAN.
Carlin appeared to respond on Twitter this morning in a pair of posts.
“How’s everybody’s day going so far?”
“My phone just melted.”
Morning hosts Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti took exception and railed back against a “classless” Francesa and Russo during an on-air talk with WFAN boss Mark Chernoff. Esiason and Francesa have long feuded since the former Jets quarterback took over the morning spot alongside Craig Carton.
Francesa’s contractual obligations to WFAN ended on April 1 and he has been free for several weeks to divulge his next media job.
With ESPN, Francesa has tried to entice the New York affiliate to take his Sunday morning NFL show and put it on its airwaves this fall, according to sources. ESPN would not consider putting Francesa in place of Kay’s show. It is unclear how a partnership with WOR, which does have the Mets’ games, would work. WOR currently has Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity on in the afternoons.
And that leaves one place for him to talk New York sports.