Former WFAN host Craig Carton appeared on “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN to discuss his past and his future.
Craig Carton is heading to prison for three and a half years for his role in a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors. Despite his impending jail sentence, the former WFAN morning host believes he’ll be better than ever when he’s released.
On Monday, Carton appeared on ESPN’s “The Michael Kay Show” so he could talk to a New York radio audience. He spoke about a range of topics, including his gambling addiction and his family life.
In addition to these deeply personal issues, Carton spoke about his future in the radio business. He still believes in himself and plans to emerge from prison better than ever.
“I think I’d be number one tomorrow,” Carton said.” “Going to prison, acknowledging what I’ve done wrong, taking full ownership of it … And being real about that, I think will have great credibility, especially with a male-dominated audience in New York.”
He might not be wrong. It’s impossible to know for sure because three and a half years is a long time. The landscape of sports media will drastically change in that time period and it’s hard to forecast exactly what Carton will return to.
Despite the uncertainty of the future, Carton definitely makes for compelling radio. Even his interview on Monday was captivating and it’s clear that he can dominate the airwaves.
Of course, it’s hard to know if he’ll be accepted by the audience when he is inevitably back. Carton always acted like a jerk on the radio and it was easy to look past because of the charitable work. Now that he’s exposed as a fraud, it’s hard to tell if his shtick will hold up.
Honestly, we won’t know until we know.
