'Mike and the Mad Dog' soon to be no more
Newsday
"Mike and the Mad Dog," the most successful, influential show in sports talk radio history, could soon be history itself.
Barring a change of heart, the partnership between Mike Francesa and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo is not expected to survive to see its 19th anniversary Sept. 5, industry sources with knowledge of the situation said.
They may have already done their final show together; their next scheduled broadcast is not until July 11.
It is not clear which host would remain on WFAN, only that it would not be both of them. One factor appears to be a fraying of their personal relationship in recent months.
Reached on vacation Saturday night, Francesa flatly said, "No comment."
Russo, meanwhile, denied knowledge of a potential breakup, and said that his contract, including a no-compete clause, runs through October of 2009.
"That is news to me," he said. "I have not heard that... That is fascinating information."
Later, he added, "The only thing I can say is I am signed under contract for another year and a half. I don't think WFAN is going to let me out of that... I wish I had leverage like that."
Operations manager Mark Chernoff said Saturday night, "They are under contract, and we expect to have a nice, long run with 'Mike and the Mad Dog.'"
The reasons for a potential breakup are not entirely clear, and likely are multi-faceted.
Each host has had other media opportunities, and would have no trouble getting another lucrative job. And there are ways of getting out of contracts early under certain circumstances.
Clearly, though, their relationship is one element in the drama. Several WFAN staffers have observed them feuding off the air in recent months.
"Mike and the Mad Dog," the most successful, influential show in sports talk radio history, could soon be history itself.
Barring a change of heart, the partnership between Mike Francesa and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo is not expected to survive to see its 19th anniversary Sept. 5, industry sources with knowledge of the situation said.
They may have already done their final show together; their next scheduled broadcast is not until July 11.
It is not clear which host would remain on WFAN, only that it would not be both of them. One factor appears to be a fraying of their personal relationship in recent months.
Reached on vacation Saturday night, Francesa flatly said, "No comment."
Russo, meanwhile, denied knowledge of a potential breakup, and said that his contract, including a no-compete clause, runs through October of 2009.
"That is news to me," he said. "I have not heard that... That is fascinating information."
Later, he added, "The only thing I can say is I am signed under contract for another year and a half. I don't think WFAN is going to let me out of that... I wish I had leverage like that."
Operations manager Mark Chernoff said Saturday night, "They are under contract, and we expect to have a nice, long run with 'Mike and the Mad Dog.'"
The reasons for a potential breakup are not entirely clear, and likely are multi-faceted.
Each host has had other media opportunities, and would have no trouble getting another lucrative job. And there are ways of getting out of contracts early under certain circumstances.
Clearly, though, their relationship is one element in the drama. Several WFAN staffers have observed them feuding off the air in recent months.
