WFAN is celebrating its 37th year on the air Monday, recognizing its launch as the first all-sports radio station in the United States that started on July 1, 1987. Suzyn Waldman signed the station on the air at 3 p.m. EST that afternoon where she welcomed the audience and emphasized that they were witnessing a moment in radio history. Broadcasting on the 1050 AM frequency, the station had an original lineup of hosts that included Greg Gumbel, Howie Rose and Steve Somers. Since that time, the station has flourished and continues to serve as a trusted, established voice in the New York metropolitan area. Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata took the time to recollect on the early days of the station of which they both became regular listeners at a young age.
Licata remembers listening to Russ Salzberg and Steve Somers host the midday program in the early 1990s, which is when he estimates having first discovered the station. Although he has never met Salzberg, Tierney conveyed that he is a good person that Licata would get along with. In fact, Licata nearly went to a restaurant on Friday night where Salzberg was dining; however, their plans changed at the last minute, and he ended up going the next day. For Monday’s edition of The Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata Show, Licata wore a distinctive outfit into the studio commemorating the anniversary of the station.
“Sal’s got what looks to be a late ‘80s/early ‘90s mesh,” Tierney said. “….[A] WFAN windbreaker that they would use on the layup line. Everybody knows about the softball team – FAN used to have a basketball team back in the day too.”
Tierney reminisced on his days playing on the team as an intern alongside Steve Somers, Bob Wischusen and Bill Daughtry, something Licata recalled learning about from his co-host. They both questioned why the station no longer does something like that as well.
“Bob Heussler gave this to me years ago, and I kept it and I try to wear it at least once a summer, and I was like, ‘You know what? I should just start wearing it on the anniversary of FAN,’ so I did that today,” Licata said. “Blue and orange, because of course the Mets were the home team for the station, but Bob said it was a warmup he had when [it was] him and Eddie Coleman.”
Tierney recalls listening to the New York Knicks on WFAN and falling asleep to the games over the airwaves. When he was studying at Marist College, he would be able to hear the station faintly on the 660 AM signal and would be captivated by the programming. Licata found the station and started working at the Home Depot outdoors in the garden department where he was able to listen to the shows.
“You got to remember too my father was not a sports fan, so generally if he were a sports fan, I’m sure he would have heard of it and whatever,” Licata said. “But once I discovered it, I was hooked forever, dude. I would come home from school and just put on the radio and just listen for hours and call in.”
“I used to listen to those guys on the job when I was doing construction during college,” Tierney added. “….Instead of eating on the site, which I very easily could have, I would go out into my car where it was stiflingly hot, and I would have a sandwich, whatever, and I’d listen to those guys. I’d just go right to my car to listen to WFAN for an hour.”
WFAN introduced a new lineup of shows last summer that included the launch of Tierney and Licata’s new show in the middays. Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber were slated as the new afternoon drive duo following the departure of Craig Carton from his full-time hosting work at the station to join FS1. Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti are in the midst of continuing their six-year run in morning drive on the Boomer & Gio show, which also simulcasts on the CBS Sports Network.
The station is the flagship home of New York Giants football, Yankees baseball, Brooklyn Nets basketball and New Jersey Devils hockey, presenting live game broadcasts for these teams throughout the year. WFAN recently hired Ryan Hurley as the new program director of the station following Spike Eskin’s move back to SportsRadio 94WIP to serve as an afternoon drive host. Chris Oliviero oversees the brand in his role as the market president for Audacy New York, which also contains stations such as WCBS Newsradio 880, 1010 WINS and ALT 92.3.
