According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts will replace the semi-retired Mike Francesa on afternoon drive from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM on WFAN. ‘Joe and Evan’, as they are known, are in negotiations now with WFAN’s parent company Entercom for their new slot but the Post reported that talks between the sides are nearing a conclusion. The duo will receive a substantial raise to take the coveted afternoon drive slot that Francesa has been part of either alone or with Chris Russo, as part of the famous Mike and the Mad Dog show, for over 30 years.
Benigno and Roberts, both devout Mets fans, are number one in their current time slots mid-days from 10:00 AM to 1:00PM. They received an eight share in the fall ratings period and lead the ratings in the important male demographic that Entercom follows so closely. They had been the favorites to receive the afternoon job, but some reports surfaced that the station wanted to go younger in the afternoons and Benigno, who is 66 and 30 years older than Roberts, is uncertain how long he wants to stay at the station.
Francesa, for his part, will do a half hour show from 6:00-6:30 PM on WFAN in addition to political and sports commentary on the Radio.com app.
Joe and Evan, who have been partnered since January 2007, will be taking over a time slot once dominated by Francesa but has faltered recently from competition from the Michael Kay Show on ESPN radio. For the first two-thirds of the all important winter book, Kay is leading Francesa handily. The final results will be released on Monday, December 23. It will be interesting to see if the new duo, who will not be leading in the ratings in their new role, can beat the new incumbents on ESPN.
The mid-day role is likely to be filled with current WFAN hosts Maggie Gray and Marc Malusis who have been together before on CBS Sports Radio. They are paired together this week as what some see as an audition.
