WFAN remained firmly in control of the local sports talk radio market during the winter ratings book released Monday and covering the period from Jan. 1 through March 25.
All three of the station’s signature programs — morning, midday and afternoon — finished second to music stations among men ages 25 to 54, and all three were well ahead of the competition at ESPN New York.
Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton averaged 7.8 percent of the audience from 6 to 10 a.m. in the key demographic, more than doubling “Mike and Mike” on ESPN at 3.3.
Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts averaged 6.5 percent from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. compared with ESPN’s 2.1.
Mike Francesa averaged a 6.9 share from 1 to 6:30 p.m., nearly doubling ESPN’s 3.5. ESPN was hurt in that time slot by a lackluster ratings book for Mike Lupica between 1 and 3 p.m.
From 1 to 3, WFAN more than tripled ESPN’s share, 7.0 to 2.3. From 3 to 6:30 p.m., when Michael Kay goes head-to-head against Francesa, the gap was 6.9 to 4.2. During that time slot, Francesa was No. 1 overall.
Kay was asked by a follower on Twitter Monday whether he is considering ending his run at ESPN in September, when his contract apparently expires.
“We are talking,” he wrote back. “I have to eventually make a quality-of-life decision. Going to be a tough call either way.”
Credit to Newsday who originally published this article
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
