WFAN’s latest programming reset may have begun with the highly publicized return of Craig Carton, but the station’s transformation still remains unfinished as one key position continues to draw unexpected attention.
More than a month after Carton rejoined the station’s weekday lineup, WFAN has yet to name a permanent overnight host. While the gap might appear minor in a schedule dominated by marquee dayparts, station executives say the reaction has revealed just how deeply listeners care about every hour of the broadcast day.
Chris Oliviero, chief business officer and New York market president for Audacy, acknowledged that the response caught him off guard. Speaking recently with Newsday, Oliviero said listener curiosity about the overnight vacancy generated more discussion than some of the station’s headline-grabbing moves.
“The fact that we did not announce a permanent overnight host got a lot of attention. To me, I was kind of like, ‘Oh, it was just a mention in passing in a press release. Maybe the last paragraph. No one’s going to ask anything.’ Guess what? We got a ton of questions on it,” said Oliviero to Newsday. “Which I love because, again, it’s a metric of passion. People care about all 24 hours in the day.”
Since the station elevated Chris McMonigle from overnights to afternoon drive alongside Carton, it has relied on fill-ins. Those fill-ins have covered the overnight daypart. The group includes Al Cintron, Gordon Damer, and Pete Hoffman. The shift follows Tommy Lugauer’s After Hours show. That program wraps at midnight or 2 a.m., depending on whether WFAN carries live night games.
Oliviero emphasized that, despite the lack of a permanent name, the station remains committed to live and local programming throughout the night.
“The commitment to live and local overnights is there. We will see if and when — and it’s a question of when, it’s not a question of if — it’s a question of when we feel we have found the right person to do that permanently,” said Oliviero.
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