Almost exactly one year after accepting a buyout as Entercom underwent significant rounds of cutbacks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, legendary update anchor John Minko made his return to WFAN on Monday.
With usual update anchor Jerry Recco filling in for Boomer Esiason and sitting alongside Gregg Giannotti in the WFAN morning show co-host chair, Minko was back in studio to fill the void. The idea to offer Minko an opportunity to fill-in came from Gio and was ultimately implemented by the station.
Minko had been with WFAN since July 1987 when he stepped away from full-time update duty last April. Expecting to retire within the year, Minko accepted a buyout from Entercom sooner than anticipated, but the decision likely saved somebody else from being laid off within the company.
“I had the choice to stay,” Minko told me last April. “If I wanted to stay, that would have been fine with them, but on the other hand, I knew I was likely going to be there for less than a year and if I stayed, somebody else would have lost a job.”
With Minko making a surprise return, and Stugotz in talks to sit in as a guest host, maybe Mike Francesa will be the next sports radio icon to shock listeners and join WFAN’s morning show.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
