To help eat programming hours, some regional sports networks have signed deals to simulcast local sports radio programs. YES in New York picks up Mike Francesa’s WFAN show for five hours. MASN in the Baltimore-Washington, DC market picks up Scott Garceau and John Riggins for the afternoon drive block. Now MSG Network in New York has signed WFAN’s morning drive show, Boomer & Carton, hosted by Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton. Interesting because WFAN’s anchor shows are now split on rival networks. Anyway, the simulcast on MSG begins on September 14.
‘Boomer and Carton’ coming to MSG
Popular weekday morning sports-talk hosts’ show to be simulcast live
MSG Network and CBS RADIO’s Sports Radio 66 WFAN announced today that they will bring The FAN’s “Boomer & Carton” show, New York’s No. 1-rated morning radio show among Men 25-54, to television for the first time starting Tuesday, September 14.
The program, hosted by Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton, will be simulcast on MSG Network from a new studio at WFAN every weekday morning from 6:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
“Boomer and Craig have quickly become an integral part of the sports media landscape in New York,” said Dan Ronayne, executive vice president and general manager, MSG Networks. “They are opinionated, intelligent and passionate about New York sports, and we’re excited to bring WFAN’s ‘Boomer & Carton’ show to our viewers.”
“Boomer and Craig have established themselves as one of the top morning show teams in sports broadcasting, sharing their insight, influence and sense of humor with listeners from all over the tri-state area,” said Don Bouloukos, Senior Vice President/Market Manager, CBS RADIO New York. “Their popular show has a large following among radio and online audiences. This natural brand extension to MSG will boost the visibility of WFAN and the Boomer and Carton program with early morning television viewers. We are pleased to enter into this partnership with MSG who, like us, are pioneers in their industry built on the premise of bringing live, original content to a mass audience through a variety of media assets.”
“Over the years, I’ve enjoyed working for WFAN and MSG – two sports giants in the industry,” said Boomer Esiason. “There couldn’t be a better fit due to the long-standing history both entities have had with NY sports.”
Added Carton, “As a kid growing up in New Rochelle there was nothing more amazing than going to Knicks games at Madison Square Garden. Having the opportunity to partner with MSG now as an adult is just as amazing. Boomer and I look forward to bringing our radio show to MSG Network and allowing all of our listeners to watch what we do while they continue to listen to us on The Fan.”
In addition to four hours of live programming weekday mornings, MSG Network will also telecast “best of” compilation shows each weeknight and on weekends. Highlights from each show will also be available for streaming at MSG.com and wfan.com.
The “Boomer & Carton” show debuted on WFAN on September 4, 2007 and less than two years later was the No. 1-rated morning radio show in New York among Men 25-54 according to Arbitron, a position they have held for every quarterly ratings report since. Boomer and Carton’s program features local sports talk, news headlines, and interviews with current and former sports icons, league personnel, and a variety of national celebrities from the entertainment and music industries. Talkers Magazine has named Boomer and Carton to their “Heavy Hundred” list of the 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America for the past three years. WFAN is currently building a new studio for the show that will be used for the simulcast. MSG Network will produce the television show from 11 Penn Plaza – across the street from Madison Square Garden – home of the MSG Media group.
MSG Network is home to the Knicks and Rangers, as well as a plethora of award-winning original programming. This Spring, MSG was honored with 15 Emmy Awards by The New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), more than any other station or network in the region.
Boomer Esiason’s successful career as an NFL quarterback spanned 14 years with the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. The four-time Pro Bowl selection was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1988 and awarded the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 1995 for his philanthropic work. He has raised in excess of $80 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation to fight cystic fibrosis since 1993, when his son was diagnosed with the disease. Upon retirement from the NFL, Esiason made his debut as an analyst for ABC’s “Monday Night Football” broadcasts. He is currently studio analyst on CBS Sports’ The NFL Today pre-game show and calls Monday Night Football, Playoff and Super Bowl broadcasts for the Westwood One radio network. In addition, Esiason hosted “The Boomer Esiason Show” on MSG for seven years.
Craig Carton has spent nearly 20 years in the broadcast industry since beginning his career in 1991. After moving to various stations around the country, with notable stops in Buffalo, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Denver, New York and New Jersey, Carton returned to his hometown to co-host WFAN’s morning show. During the course of his radio career he has been recognized by Philadelphia magazine in their 30 Under 30 issue, and was ranked as high as No. 9 on Politicsnj.com’s 2007 Power List of New Jersey’s most politically influential personalities. At the time, Carton could be heard afternoons on NJ 101.5. In addition, he can be seen on Spike TV hosting Weekend Pre-Game every Thursday.
That’s it.
