Craig Carton and Evan Roberts regained WFAN’s afternoon drive supremacy during the winter ratings book. And now it appears they are restoring the station’s time-honored tradition of romping over ESPN Radio New York.
Carton and Roberts rolled over “The Michael Kay Show” in the first month of the spring period, according to The Post’s Andrew Marchand. WFAN posted a 6.9 to 3.7 win in the all-important men ages 25-54 demographic and finished No. 2 in the market from 3-6:30 p.m. And while Yankee day games help juice the numbers, those alone wouldn’t be responsible for such a lopsided spread.
While Kay and company still have two more months to catch up, WFAN has to be ecstatic about its fast start and what it signals moving forward.
Kay beat Carton and Roberts in the Fall 2021 book after WFAN had won Spring 2021 after Carton’s return to the station. That victory was much more impressive than when Kay beat Mike Francesa in Fall 2019. The big guy was mailing it in then before his second retirement. The win over Carton and Roberts came with no such asterisk and suggested the region might be facing its first prolonged Sports Radio War. But recent results suggest that will not be the case.
Also of note: Carton’s national profile is likely going to grow — perhaps significantly — once his new Fox Sports 1 morning show launches this fall. That could bring additional viewers under WFAN’s tent, especially now that streaming numbers are an undisputed part of the equation (ESPN has stopped pushing alternative facts and voodoo math post-Francesa).
In other ratings news: WFAN’s Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti continue to dominate in the mornings and are No. 1 in the market, according to Marchand. And WFAN’s midday show with former Giants star Tiki Barber and Brandon Tierney continues to be a steady force as well (they also get a Yankees bump in their ratings).
James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com
