First it was Don Imus, now it's Christopher Russo. Once the
largest-revenue producer in the country, it looks like WFAN-AM is
falling precipitously back to the pack.
Frankly, there's a lot of folks who feel the end of the station's
domination may soon be at hand. It's hard not to agree with that
sentiment if you have followed the station's roster and performance
over the last two years. Replacing “Imus in The Morning” with
“Boomer and Carton” is one example. The overnight shows, once a
station staple with Steve Sommers and Joe Benigno, have seen their
audience and crossover appeal shrink, is another.
I work in the media, and as one of the areas I work in is broadcasting, so one could say that I'm a but biased. I would plead guilty to that charge, but perhaps not in the way that you think.
Honestly, I'm a bit saddened at how things are starting to change over in Astoria. Though it's a continuing sign of how the media world is changing and independent shops like Gotham Sports Media are on the rise, I can't help but think of how much WFAN and it's crew have helped to alter the course of my life.
This past winter, I approached Mickey Mantle's Restaurant about taking advantage of an emerging media platform (blogtalkradio.com) and using it to broadcast an internet radio show from the eatery, labeled “Live From Mickey Mantle's”. Thanks to PR guru Marty Appel, manager Bart Alexander and with the blessings of owner Chris Villano, the show was given a thumbs up, and we've been on the air since Feb. 1.
The show's main inspiration was WFAN's “The Bill Mazer Show”, the first radio show to ever emanate from Mantle's (which opened in 1988). Hosted by the legendary Bill Mazer, I would listen to this show all through my time at Queens College, where I was studying Media and Broadcasting. In 1995, I would intern at the 'FAN (which is no easy task) and received tremendous amounts of advice and career direction from the likes of Mike Breen, Bernard McGuirk, Brian Bruder and Mark Finkelstein.
So now I do a show from Mantle's. Even more ironically, I am also a recurring guest on Bill Mazer's show on WVOX (Mon-Fri, 3-6pm). So yes, I owe a lot to WFAN, and am sad to see 20-plus years of being taken apart, piece by piece.
Well, Phil, it's not for a lack of trying. ESPN, which has gotten so huge across the country that it's marketing sunglasses in Rite-Aid or goodness sake, has spent millions trying to bleed ratings away from the FAN for years.
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First it was Don Imus, now it's Christopher Russo. Once the
largest-revenue producer in the country, it looks like WFAN-AM is
falling precipitously back to the pack. 