Will Craig Carton return to WFAN after his FS1 show was canceled?
Craig Carton on the set of FS1's morning sports talk show, "Breakfast Ball." Credit: Fox Sports
If Craig Carton becomes available, WFAN can, should and probably will seek to bring him back to the station for a third term.
Saying that out loud is the easy part. But every aspect of it faces complications, and for now the entire matter should be considered speculative.
Even though Fox Sports last week canceled Carton’s FS1 television program “Breakfast Ball,” he still is under contract to the network.
So for Carton to work elsewhere, Fox would have to release him, something it seemingly would have little reason not to do.
Then he would have to want to return to local sports radio and, finally, WFAN would have to find an agreeable salary and a place to slot him on its schedule. (Carton did not respond to a request for comment from Newsday.)
That last part is the trickiest. By available evidence, the station seems to be doing just fine in ratings and business terms the way it is now.
But media life is about more than just ratings, especially in 2025. “Buzz” counts, and like him or not, Carton brings that.
He did in his first 10 years on the station, mornings from 2007-17, and to a lesser extent he did it again during his return in the afternoon from 2020-23.
One key element of the current situation is that unlike his first departure in 2017 — after he was arrested and later convicted on federal securities and wire fraud charges — his 2023 departure was amicable all around.
Carton at the time was working for both FS1 and WFAN, an unsustainable split shift. He chose the more lucrative path — the man has big bills to pay — but one he knew would drastically lower his visibility in the New York area.
In February, Carton told Newsday, "I'd be lying if I told you there's never a day where I missed it or wanted to be part of the New York conversation, because it’s in my blood.
“But schedule-wise, relationship-wise, with my family, my wife, my kids, it’s been huge. It's been a huge positive for me getting some level of normal sleep.”
There are compelling reasons to bring him back, and everyone at the station knows it. Add the fact that Carton has a longtime relationship with Chris Oliviero, the chief business officer for Audacy, WFAN’s parent company, and palace intrigue abounds.
Midday co-host Sal Licata addressed the matter on the air last Wednesday when he warned Carton he would not go down without a fight.
While discussing the All-Star Game MVP going to Kyle Schwarber for winning a swing-off, Licata veered into Carton territory.
“Little old me, I’m just a washed-up talk radio host that will probably lose his job when Craig Carton comes back. What do I know?” he said, according to Awful Announcing.
“And by the way, I’m not worried about Craigy coming back. I told it to his face. This was years ago, whenever he came back the last time. You can come back all you want, you’re not taking my spot.”
Boomer Esiason, Carton’s former morning co-host, earlier last week brought up the matter on the air, quoting a story in The Athletic speculating on a potential Carton return.
“On the table,” co-host Gregg Giannotti said. “Saw that.”
Midday shows offer lower visibility — and lower pay — than mornings and afternoons, so it is unclear whether that period would work for Carton.
The morning show has been a ratings powerhouse in the 7 1/2 years since Giannotti succeeded Carton.
The afternoon show starring Evan Roberts — Carton’s former afternoon co-host — and Tiki Barber might be the most plausible landing spot for Carton.
But any move to bring back Carton would mean setting off firecrackers in the middle of WFAN’s studios.
That could be a bad thing for morale, but it could be a good thing for listeners looking for a jolt in what has become a rather stale radio genre.
Carton, 56, knows and cares less about the Mets' pitching rotation than most local sports talk hosts, but he knows and cares more about how to rile people up.
Again, it is too early to say what if anything will happen here. Carton could find another TV gig or a bigger radio payday than WFAN can offer or change course altogether and take up carpentry.
But in a sports talk radio environment that could use some juice, Carton would put a squeeze on everyone.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
