FUNNY HARM
Boomer: Russo, Francesa ‘classless’ in mocking WFAN
They weren’t laughing. Chris Russo and Mike Francesa took some shots Wednesday over WFAN’s struggling ratings in the months after Francesa’s departure, and morning-show hosts Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti, as well as WFAN’s vice president of programming, Mark Chernoff, responded Monday morning.
“Classless, it really was,” Esiason said in comments first noted by Newsday.
“I’ll tell ya right now, though, there may be nobody on FAN before you know it. I guarantee it,” Russo, joined by Francesa, said on MLB Network’s “High Heat” before erupting into laughter.
“I shouldn’t have said it, forgive me,” Russo followed up jokingly.
“Who’s leaving? [Joe] Benigno?” Francesa asked rhetorically.
“Boomer! Then, they got nobody on,” Russo suggested.
“Maybe Steve Somers is retiring,” Francesa said. “Oh, we can make fun of FAN all day,” Russo said.
There was no response from WFAN until Monday, when Chernoff joined the “Boomer and Gio” show. Giannotti took most offense at Francesa’s replacements — Chris Carlin, Bart Scott and Maggie Gray — being hit by the unprovoked attack.
“They’ve been on the air for 2½ months, and by the way, they’ve been genuflecting to those two, our afternoon show now, nothing but respect they’ve shown to those guys,” said Giannotti, who replaced Craig Carton. “I mean, it’s totally uncalled for. It really was.”
While Francesa played along, Russo began the bashing, and that’s where Chernoff ’s frustrations seemed to land.
“I don’t think it was the nicest thing that someone could have said. You’re right about that. … Knowing Dog, I think Dog thought he was being funny. It wasn’t funny. I agree with you. It wasn’t funny,” Chernoff said.
Chernoff helped build “Mike & the Mad Dog” into an iconic show during its 19-year run on WFAN airwaves. Russo and Francesa split in 2008 as their personal relationship frayed. Russo, frustrated with his contract situation, left for Sirius and after a time of frosty silence, the two have reunited in recent years. Francesa left WFAN in December and plans to announce his next move soon.
“I tell you what, that [Francesa] retirement party lasted 19 months here and, boy, I tell you what, nobody’s ass got kissed more than his. I’ve never seen anything like it. … It went on longer than [Derek] Jeter’s and Mariano’s [Rivera]. I think combined it went on longer than those two,” Esiason said.