This October, the Radio Hall of Fame will induct WFAN morning host Boomer Esiason as one of eight members of its 2026 class. It’s the single highest honor one can receive in broadcast radio. As part of the ceremony, it’s customary to have someone help induct an honoree into the hall. That honor came unexpectedly in a live request made on the WFAN airwaves to Boomer & Gio executive producer Al Dukes.
During a top-of-the-hour segment on Aug. 11, show co-host Gregg Giannotti asked Esiason if he had chosen someone to induct him. The moment left Dukes speechless.
“It was planned [to come up on the show] without involving me. Many times we’ll plan something without involving the person that’s part of the topic,” said Dukes about the surprise of being asked by Esiason live on air. “We had previously talked about it either on or off the air. But I had no idea I would be considered.”
Before Esiason asked Dukes if he would take on the privilege of inducting the WFAN host, the program bantered about who they thought would be fitting for the honor. Legendary names surrounding Esiason’s career included former WFAN programmer Mark Chernoff and current Audacy Chief Business Officer Chris Oliviero. Dukes thought former Westwood One and CBS Radio CEO Joel Hollander would be the selection.
A Story To Tell
Instead, it was Dukes, who has served as Esiason’s producer since he began hosting morning drive on WFAN. Now, nearly two decades later, amid all the changes to WFAN’s morning show, Dukes owns the role of encapsulating Esiason’s career as he enters the hall.
“It still feels like it’s a little way away, so it’s not time to panic yet,” said Dukes, admitting he hasn’t started to produce his induction speech. “I get two minutes, but I haven’t written anything yet.”
While he hasn’t begun to write down the words that will accompany Esiason into the hall, Dukes did identify a trait of his that he hopes to showcase in Chicago. Before Dukes joined WFAN and teamed with Esiason in mornings, his prior experience was in talk radio. Dukes worked with David Lee Roth, who replaced Howard Stern on terrestrial radio in 2006. The show lasted just over four months.
“It didn’t go well. That was an alpha male, non-radio person doing radio,” explained Dukes. “David did not want a radio person with him. He wanted to do something other than radio and attack it from a different angle. We knew certain things work in radio, especially talk radio. He didn’t want to do those things, and it didn’t go well.”
Following that experience, Dukes returned to working with Opie & Anthony for a time. Then, an opportunity arrived to work with WFAN and its new morning duo of Esiason and Craig Carton. With his prior experience working with both Chernoff and Oliviero during the David Lee Roth program, Dukes decided to discuss the opportunity further.
“At first when I met Boomer and Craig, afterwards I questioned if I want to work with another alpha male non-radio guy coming in to do radio. I didn’t know what to expect,” says Dukes. “I talked with Craig separately afterwards, and he told him to trust him. That Boomer would be great. To Boomer’s credit, he trusted everyone to do their job.”
Always The Quarterback
The experience with Esiason was the complete opposite of his prior one with David Lee Roth. Dukes explained that Esiason played the quarterback, letting the radio people attend to the radio things, leaning on their expertise instead of overtaking the entire operation.
“Very early on, I was screening calls of people that wanted to bust Boomer’s balls. So, I put them up to see how Boomer would react,” said Dukes. “The fact that he laughed in the moment provided us a window that we could bust on him a little. He did his job, and allowed the rest of us to do ours. That’s why the show became so successful.”
For 10 years, Boomer & Carton became a dominant force in New York City radio. A top-billing program that garnered attention locally and nationally. That run lasted a decade but came to a halt in 2017 following Carton’s arrest on federal securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy charges.
The show went solo. Esiason was without a co-host for months during the peak of the sports radio calendar in the fall. Dukes says during this time, Esiason was the one taking charge and led like the quarterback he is.
“When Carton was gone and we didn’t have Gio [Gregg Giannotti] yet, Boomer did change where he made it clear he was the leader. He took over more than he had with Craig [Carton]. There was a big injury on the team, and Boomer stepped in to handle more of the load,” explained Dukes. “Boomer did a really great job during that time. It was nerve racking, but cool to see Boomer step up more when we needed him to.”
A Changing Content Model
Dukes grew up listening to Howard Stern but never desired to be the Stern role on a program. His entire career has been built behind the scenes and around attempting to elevate the star of the show. His experience is rooted in the philosophy of being involved but not being the headline. Dukes enjoys the focus of working on a singular program instead of multiple ones. Perhaps that’s why he’s never envisioned a brand manager or program director role.
Instead, he enjoys the preparation, meetings and plotting of the daily program. Producing sports talk today is far different from when Dukes first began with WFAN. Highlights are available instantly. Game recaps are more readily available. Information lives everywhere, with fans able to access just as much of it as the talent themselves.
Today, he finds more value in stories that are sports-adjacent instead of the box score that drove conversations in the past.
“I can always go on social media to see what things are universally being talked about. We look at so many things now that are sports adjacent instead of the actual games,” said Dukes. “There’s so many things off the field that are just as interesting. Where the audience didn’t have to see the game to have an opinion about something surrounding the game.”
That’s why Dukes doesn’t take to heart the criticisms of WFAN regarding its impact today versus the past. He openly considers the Mike & The Mad Dog era differently from what works for listeners today.
“It’s so much more today about entertainment and personalities versus a four-hour show with information that you couldn’t get elsewhere,” says Dukes. “In that same time, talk radio programs that wasn’t sports or politics have disappeared. There’s still a hunger for that. That’s why sports shows have become a hybrid of sports, entertainment, and guy talk. Especially in the morning.”
Another element Dukes enjoys is diving into different perspectives involving the program he produces. Earlier this year, Boomer & Gio saw longtime producer Eddie Scozzare retire from his post with WFAN.
In his place came 27-year-old Rami Lavi, who grew up listening to Boomer Esiason and WFAN.
“It’s interesting to see a different perspective on what he is seeing on his social media in regard to sports that I’m not seeing on mine,” explained Dukes. “It’s been somewhat refreshing. He was an aggressive guy, wanted the job and studied the show. If I was a younger man, it’s probably something I’d be more threatened by. But having been here for 19 years, I’m enjoying it more than worried he’s coming for our jobs.”
Dukes admitted his concern for the future of the industry lies in the fortune he’s been granted with Lavi’s presence on Boomer & Gio.
“We need more guys like Rami to come to the industry,” said Dukes. “There’s so many options now in how to get started. I always like to see guys that are into doing radio. That’s a concern, because it’s growing harder to find that.”
Embracing The Moment
For nearly two decades, Al Dukes has made a career out of staying just outside the spotlight. His job has been to prepare, challenge, react, adjust and, ultimately, make the people in front of the microphone better. He has never needed his name on the marquee to understand his value to the show.
That makes his role in Chicago fitting.
When Boomer Esiason walks into the Radio Hall of Fame this October, Dukes will have a rare opportunity to step out from behind the scenes and tell the story of the man he has worked alongside for nearly 20 years. It will be his two minutes to explain what made Esiason different, why their partnership worked and what happened when a former NFL quarterback trusted the radio people around him enough to let them do their jobs.
“WFAN is still a huge platform in New York City. Everywhere Boomer goes, people know him from the radio show now,” noted Dukes. “Boomer has been doing this longer than he was a football player. So, there’s a great story to tell in Chicago.”
Dukes may not have written the speech yet. But after nearly two decades of producing Boomer Esiason, he probably knows exactly what he wants to say. The quarterback trusted his teammates.
And when the biggest moment of Esiason’s radio career arrives, he trusts Dukes to be the one standing beside him.
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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.