Day Spent With: Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata of WFAN

For week six, we sent Derek Futterman to the studios of WFAN to observe Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata’s midday show. We’ve had the privilege during this series to visit with national sports radio networks, digital outlets, voice artists and sports betting shows and to be able to capture the passion of a local sports talk program was high on our list. To experience it at the birth place of the sports talk format with a show that’s become popular very quickly, made this even sweeter.

My thanks to Chris Oliviero, Brandon Tierney, Sal Licata, David Heim and Spike Eskin for providing access to BSM. Derek was on hand for pre-show planning, in-show execution, and post-show conversations. Having listened to the show myself for months, knowledge and passion were never going to be an issue but BT and Sal have formed strong chemistry and are producing a lot more laughs, not just hard hitting opinions. I’m sure you’ll find the recap of Derek’s time with the WFAN duo to be both interesting and insightful.

On our schedule the next few weeks are days spent with a media buyer, an agent, and either a social media manager or sports television show. We also left room for one additional project should something interesting make sense to pursue. If you or your brand wish to be involved and have an idea you want to pitch, please email JBarrett@sportsradiopd.com.

Now let’s dive into this week’s version of a Day Spent With Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata of WFAN.

– Jason Barrett

After a long workday that ended with an appearance on SNY’s Honda SportsNite, Sal Licata is back on the train bright and early in the morning. Undeterred by fatigue, he makes his commute into New York City and communicates with his colleagues while reading the latest sports headlines and news. Although the baseball season has yet to begin, Licata knows that it resonates with New York sports fans and is attuned to the latest news and rumors. In fact, he will head back to SNY later tonight to host Baseball Night in New York, a daily half-hour talk show covering the New York Mets and New York Yankees.

For his day job as co-host of The Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata Show on WFAN, he is trying to think about satisfying the zeitgeist of local sports fandom. A clip from the SNY program the night before – in which Licata shares his belief that Yankees outfielder Juan Soto will sign with the Mets in free agency next offseason – has already amassed 250,000 views overnight on X. Following a 2023 season in which the Mets fell short of expectations, he is already looking ahead to the offseason and the 2025 campaign.

When Licata arrives at the WFAN studios, his co-host Brandon Tierney has already been present for nearly an hour. Having solitary time to himself before the program where he and Licata effectively floor the gas pedal for four hours of unmitigated fervor and enthusiasm puts him in the right mindset to commence the show.

“It’s a speed that starts fast; there’s very rarely any lulls,” Tierney said. “We laugh a lot, which is awesome – those are where the lulls come in – but in my opinion, it’s the fastest, most opinionated show on radio.”

Before taking over WFAN’s airwaves at 10am ET, show producer Pete Hoffman and engineer Dov Kramer enter the studio for a pre-show meeting. The group recently took notice of a New York Post report outlining mutual interest between the Philadelphia Eagles and free-agent running back Saquon Barkley. Of course, Barkley was drafted by and played six seasons for the division rival New York Giants.

Hoffman expounds on the topic to try and establish something that would relate to several New York sports teams with star players who are approaching free agency. Tierney, however, believes that it is a broad perspective that will elicit localized reactions across different fanbases. As they continue to discuss what will lead the show, the team broaches discussing the haphazard play of Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodón. Licata then observes his Soto clip has eclipsed 330,000 views on X, but at the same time is apprehensive that the perennial All-Star is positioned to dominate the program this season.

In addition to creating compelling and riveting content, Licata aims to increase comparisons between the midday program and the lauded afternoon show, Mike and the Mad Dog, which previously featured Mike Francesa and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo. The staple of WFAN’s lineup for nearly two decades, the program blended nuanced sports discussion and lighthearted revelry, regularly dominating the PM drive ratings.

The new midday team has not yet completed a year together but already has recorded a 7.6 share in the winter ratings book to finish third among Men 25-54. The show has also been voted BSM’s second-best major market midday show by industry programmers and executives.

“Obviously you want to be number 1, but I want to make sure that our show is the best sports talk show in the world,” Licata said. “We’re on the best sports talk station in the world; we’re in a prime spot on that station, and I don’t look at others necessarily as competition, but I want to make sure regardless of what the numbers say that we’re doing the best sports talk show possible.”

In order to achieve the goal of improving its ratings, it is fundamental to have an idea of what drives engaging discussion. When the program learned that Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons would be out for the season with a lingering impediment in his lower back, it was not granted much consideration in the overall rundown.

Conversely, the dialogue surrounding a high-profile addition to the Yankees lineup who could possibly depart after one season to play for the crosstown rival Mets was a narrative they felt was worth exploring. It was up to Tierney and Licata to create a distinct angle, something Brandon effectuated through the synergies of apathy towards the Mets’ upcoming season and the potential of inking Soto and adding his offensive prowess to the lineup.

“You just have to use your instincts and kind of almost hear it playing out, not just between me and Sal, but then with the calls and how it’s going to sound coming through the speakers,” Tierney said. “To us, it was a natural U-turn, and I think we definitely did the right thing for sure.”

Immediately after a top-of-the-hour sports update, Tierney begins discussing how Licata is effectively punting on the Mets’ season. The introduction to the show is a bump introducing the hosts and a music bed that played beneath the hosts’ conversation blending both New York baseball clubs. The program has 20 minutes to enthrall and interest its audience in the first segment, and they make sure to bring the energy from the very beginning.

Within seconds of Tierney’s first point, Licata refines what Tierney is conveying by explaining that he believes the team is punting, but he is not and is entering the year with high expectations. Yet he is also aware of the reality that the team is not perceived to be equipped to win games to keep pace with other divisional teams such as the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.

After a few minutes of discussion, the phone lines light up with requests from listeners to chime in. Hoffman screens the calls, trying to capture what listeners wish to contribute. The ones not fitting into the current content window are turned away.

Despite there being contrasting theories pertaining to including callers, Tierney and Licata weave them into most segments on the show. Hoffman expressed that some of the discordance between the two hosts is generated by the opinions made by the callers and that there are plenty of jovial moments along the way. The program values its listeners and presents hard-hitting, frenetic adrenaline at every turn, building congeniality and rapport by including members of the audience.

“Now let’s delineate between just starting a show, throwing out a phone number and being lazy and taking calls. We’re not doing that,” Tierney affirmed. “What we’re doing is we’re connecting to the soul of the city, and this city in its essence is opinionated, brash, loud [and] convicted. That plays well with us.”

Some sports radio shows conduct interviews with guests and include a variety of topics, but Tierney and Licata are focused this day on Soto and the Mets’ forthcoming season. In a passionate first discussion filled with nuanced, zealous optimism and pessimism alike, Hoffman sees that the show has missed its first break. As a result, he uses talkback to inform the hosts to end the segment, reminding them to make up the missed time immediately thereafter.

With commercials and other on-air production elements pre-loaded into the Wide Orbit software, Kramer operates the board while editing audio for a betting segment distributed to Audacy affiliates. The control room maintains a state of calmness as Kramer and Hoffman handle multiple tasks to achieve successful results.

There are moments in the show where Tierney and Licata agree with their listeners, and other times when they’ll challenge an assertion with spirited retorts. Once the show moves to its second hour, Tierney finds a new wrinkle within the main topic, subsequently accelerated the discussion.

The midday show seamlessly flows with four hours quickly passing by, utilizing a paradigm promoted by Spike Eskin. Eskin informed the hosts that listeners generally tune into a show for 15 minutes, thus the hosts need to supply them with as much as they can during that time. In accordance with this rationale, BT and Sal often welcome callers in the back half of segments, although there are times when they immediately dive in with callers.

“I love getting the listeners and callers involved in the show. I used to be one of them, so I know how fun it is to call up and get your voice out there. For me, it’s imperative,” shares Licata. “I know sometimes we get caught up in battling each other, but I love getting in the mix with the callers.”

Upon the second departure of Craig Carton from WFAN to join FOX Sports 1, management had to determine the future of its afternoon drive timeslot. The outlet chose to pair Evan Roberts with Tiki Barber, consequently creating a void in middays. In a conversation with station bosses, Brandon Tierney recalls telling them that out of everyone at WFAN, the person he would want to work with the most is Sal Licata. Even though he wasn’t sure if he would have felt the same way early in his career, the timing proved advantageous to launch what he believes is the most energetic and dynamic sports talk radio program in the country.

“When I thought about years ago being on WFAN and what it would sound like, the sound that Sal and I create is what I always envisioned,” Tierney explained. “Then when you get to know him; you get to know his family a little bit; you get to share some things off the air where you really build the trust, and there’s a friendship.”

Tierney instinctually believed that he and Licata had the chance to create a stellar program, and the pair have proven to be adept teammates. Palpable rapport exists between the two hosts despite having similar hosting approaches that include passionate expressions of opinion and fandom. Additionally, both possess a tireless drive and commitment to be the top-rated program in the format with no paucity of zeal and exhilaration. The midday offering has established its own flexible speed limit, and there is evidently no telling whether or not it will eclipse the established maximum and reach a new zenith.

“We’ve developed a relationship that I feel like he’s the older brother that I never had,” Licata said. “We’re not the same hosts, but we have a lot of the same qualities as far as passion, opinion, knowledge [and] reference point.”

Although Tierney and Licata may differ on their favorite baseball teams, they perceive the New York Knicks as the sports team that brings people in New York City together. As soon as Tierney discovers news of injured forward OG Anunoby playing five-on-five and being considered day-to-day 30 seconds before the next segment, he immediately shifts his focus.

Rather than discussing Carlos Rodón, he initiates a Knicks-focused conversation filled with hope of a medical renaissance. Unlike the news pertaining to Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets, Tierney chose to speak about Anunoby and the Knicks since the program is not beholden to the daily news cycle. Tierney and Licata incontrovertibly trust their instincts and speak on topics for which they are passionate.

“You’ve got to understand what people want to hear,” Tierney said. “You’ve got to also be adaptable, and I think one of the keys in radio is to have an editorial sense – not that you always react to the news cycle. I think it’s more important to have interesting content, which might not be the conventional stories.”

During one of the segment breaks, Licata retreats to his office to choose three packs of vintage baseball cards, one of which Tierney will select. The hosts play a baseball card guessing game where Licata has to identify the team for whom the athletes played in the year the card was printed – in this case, 1988.

“If I think it’s going to be fun for us, generally the listener who’s also a sports fan should have fun being able to play along, and it’s kind of snowballed here where I think it’s become a fun segment on the show,” Licata said. “A lot of people talk about it and say, ‘Oh, I remember that play,’ or this or that.”

Tierney realized that the pack of cards he chose was quite onerous as Licata struggled early in the game. He was close on a couple of guesses, explaining how he was trying to visualize the card in his head and the uniform colors to try and reach the correct answer. As the game continued, Licata began to get more answers correct and ended up going 7-for-14 overall. Throughout the segment, the hosts recalled memories of each player and genuinely enjoyed the look back into a national pastime. Licata wanted to play another round of cards, but the show ended up running out of time in the segment.

“This is a sports station – sports fans their whole lives have opened up packs of cards, whether it’s baseball, football, basketball; whatever,” Licata said. “It should be a quick 5-10 minutes max that people could have fun to where it’s just a fun change of pace from the otherwise same topic for four hours.”

While the remainder of the show largely focused on the overarching theme of baseball, the duo aspired to find ways to prevent the audience from feeling hackneyed or disinterested. Presenting each secondary point with candor and verve, their rhetoric was permeated with affectations and hardly glib.

Eskin was part of the process to cement the midday show with Tierney and Licata and has helped them grow, but he is now transitioning to SportsRadio 94WIP to return to the airwaves as an afternoon host. Audacy New York Market President Chris Oliviero is responsible for overseeing the cluster of stations that encompass the company’s portfolio in the area and is part of the reason why Tierney and Licata are excited about the future of the heralded sports radio enterprise.

“I hate to lose Spike because I genuinely do love him and have learned a lot from him and believe in him, but we’re going to be fine without him,” Licata said. “It’s not a knock on him. It’s WFAN, our boss Chris Oliviero has our backs and he’s another guy that I trust and believe in and he lets us be ourselves and believes in what we’re doing.

Tierney credited Eskin as a person who believed in him when he was paired with Tiki Barber and currently with Licata. When Tiki and Tierney moved from CBS Sports Radio to WFAN, it was one of Eskin’s first decisions that altered the programming lineup. The show ended up amassing high ratings and breaking it up was not the first choice in formulating the new lineup. Even though it is the route they ultimately ended up pursuing, Tierney is content in his current role and searching for more means of distribution.

“I think that this show’s got to be on TV,” Tierney said. “I think it’s criminal that people can’t see the visual exchange between me and Sal every day. What you hear from the speakers is one element of energy. I think when you combine that with the theatrics and the hands and the veins and just all the other mannerisms, I think it brings it to a different level.”

As he exits the studio, Licata converses with afternoon hosts Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber who are entering the studio to anchor the next four hours of programming. Tierney gathers his things and prepares to hit the road towards St. John’s University to film the magazine-style show, Red Storm Report, alongside head coach Rick Pitino. Licata remains in Manhattan, traveling to the SNY studios to film Baseball Night in New York ahead of a New York Mets spring training contest.

While their schedules remain packed, both hosts anticipate their next four hours on the air at WFAN, never taking a moment for granted. They both recognize the honor and responsibility embedded in having a weekday prime airslot in a major market, along with the value of local coverage within the aggregate content landscape. The intent for Friday’s show is to discuss the possibility of Barkley signing with the Eagles, but of course, that plan is hardly set in stone. Instead, the show will adhere to its commitment to the audience, honing in on what appeals to WFAN listeners.

“There is no greater feeling in my life than being on the radio or in front of the camera – and actually I prefer even being on the radio to being in front of the camera,” Licata said. “It’s just something I’ve always loved, and every second that I get to speak with the mic on, I want to make sure I’m as passionate and as energetic as I possibly can be.”

“I don’t take myself too seriously; I take the show seriously, meaning I really care about the show,” Tierney added. “But I don’t view myself as anything other than a guy who’s creating content and having conversations for four hours a day. I’m not special – I’m good at what I do and I love what I do, and I took the chance years ago on this profession, and thus far it’s rewarded me.”

Derek Futterman

Derek Futterman is a contributing editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, find him on X @derekfutterman.