Craig Carton’s future on WFAN afternoons is in question. And it will be Carton who decides if he stays or goes.
Carton started a new FS1 TV show in September, and the cable network is looking to own his exclusive rights, according to sources. This will leave the 54-year-old Carton with a decision between where seemingly his heart is: on radio with WFAN, the station that gave him a second chance after his imprisonment, or with a multimillion-dollar TV offer he can’t refuse.
WFAN and FS1 declined comment. Carton did not return messages.
Though one factor is FS1 believing Carton, without FAN, would rate better on TV, there is also the feasibility of Carton being able to do both shows.
“The Carton Show” on FS1 airs from 7-9:30 a.m., and “Carton & Roberts” on FAN is from 2-6:30 p.m. Both are daily.
Carton’s radio contract runs out later in the year, but FAN would want to start the fall book in September, knowing he is returning. If not, the station would find a new partner to team with Evan Roberts.
Carton returned to the FAN about 2¹/₂ years ago after being released following a year in a federal prison for wire and security fraud.
Since moving into afternoons, he restored FAN to near the top of the overall afternoon ratings, while dominating rival ESPN New York’s “The Michael Kay Show.” Kay, 62, recently strongly considered retiring from talk shows before signing a new multiyear, seven-figure per year contract.
Upon his release from prison in June 2021, Carton would have been able to get a job, as he had an offer from a Philadelphia station. However, his return to FAN was paved by his good friend and one-time producer Chris Oliviero.
Oliviero returned to lead Audacy’s New York stations shortly before Carton was released from prison. At that point, it was clear that the plan was for Carton to take over the hallowed afternoon airwaves that “Mike & the Mad Dog” made into a very important part of New York sports.
Today, Oliviero is the president of Audacy New York, overseeing FAN, and hopes to retain Carton, but is said to understand Carton may need to make the move for financial and family reasons. Carton may be able to work less and make more with FS1.
Carton is a radio guy at his core, but the wallets are bigger in TV — especially with Audacy, FAN’s parent company, struggling.
At one point, there was some discussion about Carton possibly doing a Fox Sports Radio simulcast in the mornings, but that is not on the table right now. Fox Sports’ name is licensed to iHeart Radio, and it is happy with its current national morning show featuring LaVar Arrington, Brady Quinn and Jonas Knox.
In FS1’s executive vice president Charlie Dixon, Carton also has someone who believes in him, despite the fact that the ratings have yet to show up on TV for the “The Carton Show.” In March, it averaged 33,000 viewers per day, which, while not a great number, was its best month yet.
In fairness, 7 a.m. on FS1 is not an easy time slot, as the cable network doesn’t have the nightly national events that ESPN has, which boosts its morning programming.
“The Carton Show” features Carton standing while ex-athletes, like Cody Decker and Greg Jennings, sit and react to Carton’s takes. With the show airing from 7 a.m.-9:30 a.m., the idea is to reach an East Coast audience. (It begins at 4 a.m. in the West, after all.)
What really is untenable is Carton’s schedule, because whatever you think of his style, it is undeniable that he is working hard. He has said on-the-air, he leaves at around 2:30 in the morning to commute to the FS1 show in Midtown, then it is off to FAN for his 2-6:30 p.m. show. He returns home around 8:30. It is a long day that repeats itself five days a week.
It can’t be done forever. Carton could try, but, more likely, he is going to need to make a decision.
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