According to the New York Daily News’ Bob Raissman, YES Network will end its long-running simulcast of Mike Francesa’s radio show next month. Since 2002, YES had aired WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog and then Mike Francesa’s show when he went solo starting in 2008.
Raissman reports that the YES decision had nothing to do with anything Francesa said or did. It had to do with economics as CBS Radio, the owner of Francesa’s WFAN radio show, had asked for too much money to continue the partnership. As a result, YES will pick up Michael Kay’s show that currently airs on ESPN Radio New York. This is a better fit for YES as Kay calls Yankees games on the network.
CBS Radio will shop Francesa’s show and it will most likely land at MSG Network.
In the meantime, YES will most likely begin the Kay simulcast during Super Bowl week giving the show some extra publicity going into New York’s biggest event in quite some time.
Francesa’s show will be ending its YES days very soon, but it won’t be off TV for long.
