Who doesn’t love a good comeback story? The old grizzled veterans looking to recapture the success of their youth in the same barn they once competed in. We see it in professional sports, sports entertainment, and sports radio. When it was announced that Craig Carton was returning to WFAN this January, it wasn’t shocking.
Just over two months ago, I examined the possibility of a return and whether it made sense. I knew Carton’s ties to WFAN and station management, as well as his long run of success with the brand. Once he became a free agent, a reunion felt inevitable. It was always more a matter of when than why.
However, Carton’s return fits a familiar pattern for major market sports radio brands. Instead of building toward the industry’s future, the “ol reliable” still seems to get the upper hand. Have major market stations simply given up on developing depth and nurturing the next generation?
I’ve spoken with enough sports radio talent around the country to know the industry is struggling to define what comes next. Who is the next rising star? The next Mike Francesa or Mike Valenti. Does their name have to be Mike in order to succeed?
Yes, I’ve had fun with that one talking to people around the country.
These are real questions I consider when I watch major market brands chase what once worked rather than adapt to the moment. This isn’t a knock on Carton or any of his contemporaries. Their resumes speak for themselves. But is this a long-term solution or a short-term correction? Is this about getting back in the green next year or remaining relevant in the next decade?
It’s not just New York City.
Carton is getting a third crack at the apple because management clearly doesn’t believe the current lineup is working. Enter Carton. Instant name recognition yesterday, credibility with the aging audience today. It’s a square peg in a square hole—for now.
Reports suggest Carton will be paired with WFAN overnight host Chris McMonigle when he returns in January. Is this the old guard elevating new blood? Possibly. It could be an intentional step forward.
However, McMonigle is hardly new blood, as he’ll be entering his 20th year at WFAN in 2026.
We’ve seen this same formula happen in other major markets too.
We’ve seen this formula in other major markets as well. Mike Missanelli returned to 97.5 The Fanatic in 2024, only to be laid off in 2025. Dan McNeil returned to 670 The Score in Chicago after a falling-out with ESPN Chicago and multiple personal setbacks. Even Mike Francesa came out of retirement for another WFAN run—a comeback he later called “a mistake.”
Apparently it’s a mistake that others have not learned from.
It happens even on the national syndication front. Mike Greenberg returned to host a solo show for the network following a masterful run on Mike & Mike. Greeny lasted from 2020 until this past January. Rich Eisen made his return to ESPN Radio this fall. Clay Travis is toying with the idea of becoming a free agent. Would FOX Sports Radio come calling?
Regarding Carton’s return, his success at WFAN has earned him three shots at one of the biggest brands in the country. Would his persona work in a market like Chicago or Los Angeles? Yes, he can dominate one market on one radio station in New York City. However, national syndicators would more than likely look elsewhere because of that.
You can’t have New York speaking to affiliates in Alabama and Idaho.
Carton was the main fixture on a network looking for star power. He had FOX Sports paying him hand over fist, more than anything WFAN could offer. Not hating the fact he got the money, but where did it get FOX Sports? Carton’s star didn’t raise the network like they had hoped, albeit in a different medium with more room to grow. Plus, with proven sports radio talent surrounding him, his persona still didn’t stand out.
The difference is FOX Sports was thinking outside the box. Try something new, something not done before. Take one of the biggest sports radio talents from a major market and place that talent as the main face of the network’s morning programming.
In the words of Pepper Brooks, “that’s a bold strategy Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off.”
The gamble didn’t pay off, but at least FOX Sports tried.
Would major market sports radio brands take a similar chance? Would the top podcaster in a market get an opportunity to expand reach by signing on as the new morning, midday, or afternoon drive host of a sports radio brand in a major market?
Westwood One Sports announced its new morning show on Wednesday, set to debut on December 29. The hire wasn’t a large name that many long-time industry executives may be familiar with, but the hire is betting on the future and how the audience is shifting. A bold move was made making Drake Toll the morning voice of Westwood One Sports.
A young and aspiring voice for a new generation. Blending his experiences working with the Savannah Bananas and the Locked On Podcast Network to produce a multi-platform sports experience guiding the next generation of sports fans.
This is thinking differently. The hire is intrusive and an attempt to disrupt.
It’s not going back to the well with what worked in the past, because more than likely that’s not going to work in the very near future.
Carton returning to WFAN isn’t the problem. It’s a symptom. A sign that too many major market brands have grown addicted to the past, terrified that daring to develop new voices might cost them a rating or two.
Meanwhile, the next generation isn’t waiting around—they’re already building audiences on platforms these stations barely acknowledge. At some point, major market sports radio will have to stop digging up old playbooks and start drawing new ones.
If it doesn’t, the industry won’t just lose its edge. It’ll lose its future.
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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.
WFAN and Audacy in general has failed to identify where the market is moving and what to do about it. As a result Audacy is broke, WFAN’s relevancy continues to slide, and the talent on the station is both basic and cheap. Everyone worth a damn in sports now is in digital – even the WFAN morning show continuously (and jealously) cites Barstool for content. Two failed shows later and Carton has been banished by Fox to the media version of living in your parent’s basement – a podcast nobody knows exists.
TL:DR – WFAN is a boat with a hole in it offering a drowning man a lifeline – perfect for each other – both doomed in the long run.