Sad news out of New York today. It appears the occasionally controversial and wildly successful Mike and The Mad Dog of WFAN have likely graced the airwaves for the last time together. Via Neil Best of Newsday….
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.
The two are absolutely out of their minds but that’s kind of what makes the show special. Everytime I’m driving through or near NYC I always listen to their show until I lose the signal. I just can’t change the channel for some reason. It’s a shame to lose them, and WFAN would most likely feel the brunt of a change in ratings, but if they’re feuding it might be time to break them up.
‘Mike and the Mad Dog’ radio show could be history (Newsday)