There is a lot of history in sports media circles when the call letters WFAN are brought up. Historical in nature launching the sports talk radio format. Tales of Mike & the Mad Dog, Don Imus, Suzyn Waldman and John Sterling among others. Greg Gumbel, Ed Coleman, Mike Lupica, Craig Carton, and so many more names have at one time called WFAN their home. In 2007, a new name was added to the roster of talent that walked the halls of historical sports radio outlet. His name was Boomer Esiason.
“I think back to when I first did a couple shows initially to see whether or not I would be interested in the job,” said Esiason. “He is a friend of mine, Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo. I did one morning with him. I walked out of the studio and said I wanted to shoot myself.”
Just a decade removed from his fourteen-year career in the NFL. The former Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets quarterback found a passion for broadcasting. He worked calling Monday Night Football on ABC for a couple of years then moving to the radio broadcast booth with Westwood One.
After seven seasons in the booth with the NFL’s radio partner, Esiason became interested in hosting on WFAN. After some discussions with program director Mark Chernoff and vice president of programming Chris Oliviero, Esiason auditioned for the role. Following co-hosting programs with Russo, Cris Collinsworth, and Monica Crowley, Esiason was named the co-host of a new morning drive program on WFAN featuring Craig Carton.
“The first six weeks of me and Craig [Carton], I was really struggling. I was trying to figure out what the hell Craig was doing. He never really sat me down and said, ‘Hey man, this whole thing is about entertainment and it’s an act.’” explained Esiason. “That’s what made it so fun for me working with him. Every day I had no idea what to expect. That’s why he is such a talented radio voice.”
Finding A Path at WFAN
As the replacement for the legendary Don Imus, Boomer & Carton launched in September of 2007 on WFAN. For a decade, the program was destination morning radio drawing attention from sports fans in New York and around the country. A blend of sports, laughs, and culture that set a new standard for mornings in “The Big Apple.”
“That’s what the key to longevity is,” said Esiason. “Liking what you do for a living and liking people that you work with. You look forward to it every day.”
Esiason was no stranger to the sports talk radio format before entering the doors of WFAN. As a player, he says he was a frequent listener of 700 WLW hosts Gary Burbank and Bob Trumpy. He credits the influence of those legendary names from the Cincinnati blowtorch that led him to considering a role with radio following his career in the NFL.
“700 WLW had a big impact on me,” noted Esiason. “That’s where I got hooked on sports talk radio. It was in Cincinnati. It wasn’t here in New York.”
After a decade together dominating morning drive on WFAN, Esiason found himself in a quandary. His partner, Carton, announced his resignation from the radio station in 2017 following being arrested on federal securities fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy charges. The sudden shock not only left Esiason with questions of the show’s future, but also the station as well.
“When Craig resigned, they [WFAN] offered me, and they thought I was going to go to the afternoon. The afternoon would’ve put me in a completely different set of circumstances. Al [Dukes], Jerry [Recco] and Eddie [Scozzare] were completely against that,” explained Esiason.
Following three months of hosting solo in morning drive and a rebrand of the show as The Morning Show with Boomer, WFAN tabbed Gregg Giannotti as the new co-host in the daypart in January of 2018.
“Gregg Giannotti is extremely talented and well informed. His sense of humor is a little bit closer to mine than Craig’s was,” noted Esiason. “His impersonations are spot on and funny. Sometimes it catches me off guard just like Craig [Carton] would catch me off guard with some of the crazy stuff he would do. The laughter that I get working with them, if laughter is good for the soul, it’s what’s good for my soul.”
Leaving The NFL Today
For many of Esiason’s nineteen years hosting mornings on WFAN, he also doubled as an analyst on CBS Sports’ The NFL Today while calling play-by-play broadcasts on Westwood One.
In 2018, Esiason decided to step away from the radio calls on the national NFL radio syndicator. Then in 2024, Esiason announced he was stepping away from his role on CBS Sports’ flagship NFL pre-game show. During this time, the former NFL quarterback also stepped away from Showtime’s Inside the NFL as well.
Esiason says not having the pressures of the added work has been “liberating” for himself in his approach to morning drive on WFAN.
“Over the last six years, I tried to back off a lot of things. Finally letting go of The NFL Today wasn’t an easy thing,” explained Esiason. “Now I can really focus on the radio show, and it feels great. I have a lot more energy now during the football season on the air, which is good for us.”
Since his decision to leave The NFL Today, Esiason says he watches regularly his former teammates on the program. He noted he was very impressed with J.J. Watt’s debut in the booth calling the week one matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets. Esiason also noted the continued growth of Matt Ryan who replaced Esiason last season on The NFL Today.
“I think he does a terrific job,” said Esiason of Matt Ryan on CBS Sports. “He’s really well-versed in what’s going on in the NFL today and I couldn’t have picked a better guy to sit in my seat. It’s his seat now and hopefully he’ll hold onto it for as long as I did.”
A Craig Carton Return to WFAN?
With his current focus solely on making Boomer & Gio the top sports talk program at WFAN, Esiason said he would be “supportive” to another return of Carton to the sports radio brand. While there is always some speculation of another return by Carton, following FOX Sports’ decision to cancel Breakfast Ball earlier this summer, the news sparked online rumor and interest in the topic.
In speaking with Barrett Media last week, Carton said he’s open to having a conversation about a potential return to WFAN.
“If the opportunity arose where WFAN would want to bring me back, I would certainly answer that phone call,” said Carton to Barrett Media last week.
As for Esiason, he’s a big believer in second chances.
“If they want to put him back on the radio and he wants to come back, he’s going to come back because he’s just too talented not to,” said Esiason. “I wouldn’t be surprised if someday he’s back on WFAN somewhere. It has to be a place where he has to have the biggest impact. So that would be in mornings or afternoons, it’s not middays.”
Solidifying a Legacy
Despite the rumor and speculation, Esiason was glowing about the amount of fun he continues to have hosting mornings on WFAN into year 19. He said it’s been a blessing to work with the same production crew for the entirety of his time in mornings, while feeling appreciative for the time together with both Carton and Giannotti in the daypart.
At 64 years old and as active as ever, Esiason sees the 18th hole on the golf course. He mentioned he plans to continue hosting on WFAN till he’s “at least 68 years old.” However, things can always change as Esiason has had to pivot already several times in his historic run at WFAN.
“You never know what happens in life and you never know where you’re going to be,” explained Esiason. “As we speak right now, I’m still enjoying the hell out of it. Loving every minute of it and love working with the guys I’m working with.”
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
