It’s official: the “Sports Pope” is set to reclaim his throne.
Mike Francesa will return to the mic at WFAN in New York City four months after capping a seemingly endless “retirement” sendoff, the station’s owner, Entercom, announced on Friday. The sports talk legend will be back in the hot seat on Tuesday, with his show airing from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on WFAN 101.9 FM/660 AM.
As part of the new partnership between Francesa and WFAN, the station will launch an app — “Mike’s On” — that carries exclusive content, including the host’s Sunday football show during the fall.
“After exploring several options, this partnership with CAA Sports and Entercom was the perfect fit,” said Francesa in a statement. “This partnership allows me the chance to return to WFAN and all of our loyal listeners, as well as significant opportunities, including the app and live events, that are completely new. I look forward to working with both companies on making this a very successful venture.”
Francesa had been at WFAN since 1987, before leaving last December. He made occasional appearances in his absence from radio, most notably on the Bill Simmons Podcast several times. Francesa had said he wanted to “build” something after his initial run at WFAN, but those plans appear to have fallen through. After going years without an agent, Francesa’s new deal with WFAN was negotiated with the help of CAA Sports.
“We are excited about this partnership with Mike and CAA Sports,” said Entercom President and CEO David Field in a statement. “We are proud of the terrific lineup on WFAN and are looking forward to bringing Mike back into the mix in this new, multiplatform and innovative way.”