Joe Benigno worked a full schedule for WFAN last week. But no one should get used to it.
A Friday caller — Stan in Westport — told Benigno he hoped his afternoon drive fill-in pairing with producer Tommy Lugauer would get green-lighted as a permanent duo. But Benigno is not interested.
“Honestly, and I’ve said this to (WFAN executive Chris) Olivero, I’ve said this to Spike (Eskin, the station manager), if I had to come in every day, I couldn’t do it every day,” Benigno said. “This week has taken a toll on me. I’m serious.”
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Benigno, who turns 70 in September, retired from WFAN in October 2020. He returned to the station in a part-time role last August, handling Saturday and occasional weekday shifts. But that is far as he wants to go. Benigno lamented the golf he was missing all week while on air. And he mentioned several times how he had his eyes on the NJ Transit schedule to make sure he got home at a reasonable hour.
As for Mr. Westport’s suggestion that WFAN would let Benigno work remotely from his Bergen County home? “They’d want me here,” Benigno said.
Benigno’s disinterest in full-time work makes sense. The fact his name was never mentioned when Craig Carton left to focus on his FS1 morning show suggested as much. There is a strong argument to be made reuniting Benigno with longtime partner Evan Roberts — even in a short-term, caretaker role — would have made sense. Especially with the Jets about to be the story of the fall. But WFAN is turning to Tiki Barber and Roberts instead as it attempts to maintain its dominant afternoon lead over Michael Kay and ESPN Radio New York.
James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
