Former WFAN midday hosts Maggie Gray, Bart Scott and Chris Carlin offered a candid reflection on their time together at WFAN. The trio revisiting the short-lived CMB Show that followed Mike Francesa’s first retirement at WFAN and remains one of the more debated programming eras in the station’s history.
Appearing on ESPN New York’s Bart & Carlin, Gray suggested that external perception played a significant role in shaping the show’s reception. She said that the trio entered an environment where audience expectations had already been firmly established before they ever went on air. In particular by the shadow cast by Francesa’s departure and the emotional attachment listeners had to his presence in the coveted midday slot.
“We got hired to replace Mike Francesa,” Gray said. “It was a big deal at the time, and I think people just really wanted to hate us, but it turns out we are three un-hate-able people… They had already made up their mind that they didn’t like us, and then obviously Mike came back.”
Gray continued by emphasizing the natural chemistry among the hosts, arguing that personal likability ultimately clashed with a narrative that had already been written by listeners unwilling to embrace change. Especially as speculation and eventual confirmation of Francesa’s return further complicated their ability to gain traction with a skeptical audience.
Carlin, however, pushed back on the notion that the show failed outright. He pointed instead to early ratings competitiveness that suggested CMB had begun to carve out a foothold against established competition, including Michael Kay, who CMB competed with across town.
“We lost by a tenth of a point to Michael Kay,” Carlin said. “We were three months on the job, and [Mark Chernoff] put on the Islanders on President’s Day, 0.0, and it just buried us.”
That context, according to Carlin, underscores a more nuanced reality in which the show demonstrated measurable progress despite external programming decisions and the broader turbulence surrounding WFAN at the time. That included shifting leadership strategies and the looming return of Francesa, which ultimately reset the station’s lineup.
Gray maintained that, beyond ratings or perception, the show itself delivered a product that differed intentionally from WFAN’s traditional tone. Leaning into humor and personality in ways that may have been ahead of audience expectations for the format.
“I’ll stand by this,” Gray said. “It was a great show. People just didn’t want to like us. We were too early. We were silly. That was it.”
Carlin echoed that sentiment while taking a more personal view of the experience. Noting that despite its relatively brief run, the show remains a defining chapter in his career both professionally and emotionally. In particular given the internal benchmarks the program achieved during its tenure.
“I know one thing, we got some ratings bonuses after that,” Carlin said. “We did pretty damn well, and I will continue to be very proud of that year and a half that we were together. I know it wasn’t that long… But I will always be the most proud of that in in my career”
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
