WFAN debuted the Mike and the Mad Dog show 35 years ago on Thursday, marking the beginning of a seminal program that helped shape the future of sports media. Mike Francesa and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, two standout young talents at the station, appeared on the air for the first time and quickly catapulted up the ratings books. The radio program enjoyed a 19-year run where it featured informative and entertaining banter, compelling interviews and continued innovating to remain at the forefront of the business. The show originally began in the afternoon drive daypart from 3 to 7 p.m. EST before starting one hour earlier amid ratings success, capturing the allure and zeal of the New York metropolitan area.
When Russo left WFAN to start his own radio channel with SiriusXM and host programming, it marked the end of the Mike and the Mad Dog program. Over the years, he and Francesa have reunited on several occasions where they have reminisced about the program and its legacy in the sports media industry. Francesa was playing a round of golf on Thursday morning when he received a message from Russo congratulating him on the 35-year anniversary of the show, prompting him to offer to appear on Mad Dog Unleashed as a guest later in the day. Before Francesa was introduced on the program, SiriusXM played the iconic Mike and the Mad Dog jingle, leading into Russo beginning his conversation with the former WFAN host.
“Thirty-five years ago, and it wasn’t that theme as you and I both know,” Francesa said. “That was not the theme – they hadn’t invented the theme yet – but it was 35 years ago. There was a lot of debate about whether they should put us together. You and I really weren’t on board 100% ourselves, and obviously the rest is history.”
WFAN program director Mark Mason came up with the idea of Francesa and Russo teaming up on the air, and the decision ended up paying dividends. A promotional contest titled “Dog Date Afternoons” in which listeners sent in postcards about why they wanted to have a date with Russo helped the show gain traction. Russo remarked that it was the first big thing the show did, remembering that Francesa and Bob Gelb, the show’s producer, helped set it up. This helped the show stand out in the New York marketplace even though the transition was difficult, along with overall fan interest in sports.
“The teams’ success was important, and people don’t realize,” Russo said. “Even if you’re having trouble with your partner, if the show’s getting good ratings and you can catch a buzz, I don’t care what you do, you can’t leave. It’s as simple as that. Mike and I were doing too well, and the teams were doing well.”
Francesa remarked that the ratings of the program changed everything and that the station tried to sign them to long-term contracts. Both hosts came to understand that they would be with one another for a while because of their success and they focused on providing the best show possible for the listeners.
“We knew it, we both understood it and then we went to work,” Francesa said. “We had our good days and our bad days, but one thing we always did – even if we were fighting, even if one us was being a real pain in the neck to the other, more me than you – I believe more than anything else, we always put the show first and we always did a good show. You and I never messed up the show or allowed anything to mess up the show. We never carried any of the nonsense into the show – the show always came first.”
“My job was to, at times, move it along, make sure that you felt comfortable,” Russo replied to Francesa. “Your job was, ‘You know what? I’ve got to give him a chance to scream and yell.’”
Francesa remarked that two-person shows need to have a plan going in, salient advice that he has provided to other programs. As an example to demonstrate such, he explained that Russo was always the person to take phone calls and open and close the show. Even through occasional drama, unrest and ambiguity, both hosts were focused on compiling the strongest program possible and attained longevity in the process.
“When I left, probably unceremoniously, and you probably had wind of it, I don’t think we did bad shows,” Russo said. “I don’t recall the spring of ‘08 where we said, ‘Geez, this show stinks.’ I don’t recall us thinking that after that 19th year.”
