Ahead of the start of football season, FOX Sports revealed a new programming lineup for FS1 that includes revamped morning offerings and a new look in afternoons. The network aims to bring fans informative, entertaining and compelling content surrounding the latest action and storylines within sports. Craig Carton, a former sports radio host at WFAN, departed the station last June to join FOX Sports on a full-time basis and subsequently worked to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. After hosting an eponymous morning show for the past two years, Carton is headlining the evolution of the program, titled Breakfast Ball, that brings longtime voices of sports radio to the screen.
Carton will be joined by Mark Schlereth and Danny Parkins, both of whom have major-market hosting experience and tangible appeal to an audience. There are clear differences between radio and television in terms of how you prepare a show, the personnel involved and the manner in which you are able to delve into a topic. In utilizing two hosts with a similar background, Carton is confident that the new show will adeptly blend information and entertainment, enduring industry headwinds and becoming appointment viewing.
“I think what you’ll find with these two guys being added to the mix now is real kind of free rolling, spirited, entertaining talk show that guys and gals who love sports and entertainment will be attracted to because we’ll have more fun than anybody else,” Carton said. “Knock on wood, we’re the most entertaining show that exists, and we’ll also deliver all the meat and potato sports stuff that fans crave, so I’m really thrilled with the decision that FOX made to bring these two guys into the fold, and I think it’s going to be great.”
The show conducted its first rehearsal on Thursday and will continue preparations ahead of its launch next Monday. Over the first week, the show will air from 12 to 2 p.m. EST since afternoon host Colin Cowherd is on vacation. Starting on Tuesday, Sept. 4, Breakfast Ball will lead off the day of FS1 programming for a two-hour show beginning at 8 a.m. EST emanating from New York City. Carton remembers the first rehearsal he had at WFAN working alongside Boomer Esiason, which in essence was a tryout show in July 2007, and is hoping that he will be able to look back on this rehearsal and recognize similar success.
“We’ve never worked together, the three of us, and while I know you can’t see what we did today, it was very natural [and] very easy,” Carton said. “Everyone kind of filled in their appropriate space, and I felt that way when I did the tryout with Boomer, and I’ve never felt that way since, and I feel really good about that.”
Carton was recently inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame, a prestigious industry honor and momentous achievement following his return to WFAN. In focusing on television full time, outside of a weekly podcast on gambling addiction that airs with new episodes on WFAN every Saturday morning, he feels acclimatized to the speed within the medium. The new show is utilizing the same studio and largely analogous production team, which includes the addition of a producer who formerly worked on First Things First.
“Everyone’s got their niche, but collectively, the group succeeds, and I really think with Danny [and] with Mark, we found that,” Carton said, “and as we’ve developed this show now, moving time slots by a little bit and rebranding it under a new name, it just feels to me like a fresh start, and I’m happy for that, and I really couldn’t be any more happy with the guys that I’ll be working with now.”
The final episode of The Carton Show aired on Friday, Aug. 2, and since that time, he has been involved in conversations about the new program and also taking part in other ventures. Earlier in the month, he called three New York Yankees games on WFAN alongside Suzyn Waldman and felt that he broke the ice.
Carton had dabbled in play-by-play over the years and still wants to call a New York Knicks game in the future or broadcast games for FOX Sports. At the same time, he recognizes the vacant play-by-play job on Yankees radio broadcasts and the appeal of the opening. From the time John Sterling announced his retirement in May, the radio broadcasts have featured a rotation consisting of Justin Shackil, Emmanuel Berbari and Rickie Ricardo.
“It’s the primo job in baseball play-by-play radio wise for sure and carries a lot of gravitas with it, but I do not think in the moment that I’m being considered to be the full-time Yankee play-by-play guy,” Carton said. “….I’ve got a great job with FOX, and I’m excited about turning this show into a juggernaut.”
As Carton hones his effort towards exhibiting his strengths and building chemistry with his colleagues, he will hope to serve as an effective lead-in to The Facility, the other new morning show featuring Emmanuel Acho, LeSean McCoy, James Jones and Chase Daniel. The program is in the timeslot that was previously occupied by Undisputed, which came to an end early this August after longtime host Skip Bayless left the network. Outside of the new morning show, The Herd and First Things First are remaining intact while Speak adds Paul Pierce and Keyshawn Johnson as analysts alongside host Joy Taylor.
“I think our success certainly lends to other shows having early success from a standpoint of the first quarter hour [and] second quarter hour,” Carton said. “Let’s give them the largest audience possible and hope that the rest of the day builds off that, and I take that responsibility seriously. We want to be part of the success of the network. We want people to look back and go, ‘Hey, that morning show really set the table for the network,’ and we will take great pride in doing that.”
In building chemistry with his colleagues, Carton anticipates catching several ballgames down the stretch run and spending time together outside of the studio. By the time the football season ends, he hopes that the show proves to be a welcoming destination for fans to hang out and immerse themselves in sports discussion.
“I do think once people sample the show – the first couple weeks of it – and then get into some type of habitual viewing of the show, they’ll all say the same thing,” Carton said. “‘That show is fun. Those guys like each other, they know their sports. They’re also having a good time [and] they’re entertaining,’ and I do think we can achieve that in short order.”
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.
