Craig Carton’s return to WFAN has left Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata in limbo, and ESPN’s Don La Greca isn’t so sure that’s a good call.
The ESPN radio co-host, who used to run a show with Michael Kay, hates the new move to bring in the embattled radio personality, as Carton will take over the afternoon drive slot.
“I’m told by our company, they’re not our competition,” La Greca said last week of WFAN while on his new show with Alan Hahn and Peter Rosenberg. “So, I don’t have any problem bringing this up. That I think it’s a horrible mistake. I think those are two exceptionally talented guys. Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata are made to be talk radio guys.”
ESPN New York is no longer considered a competitor of WFAN’s because it airs on AM 880 WHSQ, a station owned by WFAN’s parent company, Audacy.
La Greca added that he believes Licata and Tierney are more than capable of handling the WFAN restructuring.
“This business is a really bad spot right now,” La Greca continued. “And to see two guys that I know personally… it sounds like two empty chairs when the music stops. And that sucks. Those are two guys that have families. Those are two guys that work their ass off, and it’s a huge mistake. And we don’t benefit from that mistake because again, we’re not rated and we’re not competing with them. It’s just, I feel real bad for two people that I consider friends, and if they’re not working, New York is less for it.”
With the return of Carton, Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber are being moved from the afternoon slot of 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. to the midday slot of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., leaving Licata and Tierney’s futures up in the air.
“It’s the thing you hate about this business: if someone else gets an opportunity, whether they’re deserving or undeserving, that’s our opinion. People get left out,” Rosenberg added. “In this market, Don, there aren’t a lot of opportunities to do it. So where do you go? It’s a very challenging thing. There aren’t that many different places that you can go play the game. So, it sucks for those guys.”
In response to last week’s news of Carton’s WFAN return, Tierney explained how things are unfolding behind the scenes.
“Listen, yesterday was a tough spot. I think a lot of people want to know why we didn’t get into it on the air as things were breaking in real time — because we’re being professionals. That’s the short answer,” Tierney said Wednesday. “I spoke to an executive this morning. I know the contract’s not signed. I know that. But I also know that Craig will be coming back. So we’re not trying to fool anybody. What that means downstream, there will be many days and shows and segments to dive into that, give you guys more clarity.”
Carton will go on to his third stint with WFAN, having started on the morning drive with Boomer Esiason from 2013 to 2017 before a stint in prison.
He returned in late 2020 before leaving in June 2023 to join Fox Sports 1 and cable TV.
