WFAN is pummeling ESPN Radio New York in afternoon drive to the point it barely registers as news.
Case in point: There was little fanfare Tuesday when the January ratings came out. Craig Carton and Evan Roberts posted a 7.7 to 3.1 win over Michael Kay, Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg in the all-important males ages 25-54 demographic, according to Newsday. And that information was conveyed in a one-sentence paragraph that did not mention any of the principals.
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Carton took notice and took the opportunity to tweak Kay. The WFAN star lamented the “alleged competition” and said he and Roberts must no longer get much ink because “one side just bludgeons the other side every day, every single week, every single month, every single quarter, every single year.”
“What we’re doing to the competition is embarrassing. It’s almost three to one,” Carton said. “Can you come up with something that can compete? Just so they can write our names in the paper again? Our dominance is so continual, our names don’t exist any more. … That must suck if you’re on the other side of that. That is has become such a beatdown that it’s not even worthy of more than a line in the story.
“When your numbers are that low, it’s almost like you don’t exist. It’s like the wind blowing sometimes. Here’s the best part: Our commercials beat their best hour.”
It has been a ratings bloodbath for over a year now. Kay’s show has spiraled since his surprise win over Carton and Roberts in the Fall 2021 book. WFAN has regained its stranglehold as Kay heads toward an anticipated retirement from radio later this year.
WFAN is still steamrolling ESPN everywhere else as well. Also noted by Newsday: Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti housed Rick DiPietro and Dave Rothenberg in mornings after the latter team expanded its show as part of ESPN’s local pivot. WFAN ran away with the timeslot, 11.4 to 2.6.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
