Photo Credit: WFAN Sports Radio on X
By Sam Neumann on

Craig Carton is coming home to WFAN. Again. And this time, he’s acutely aware of the casualties.

The host confirmed his return to the station on Thursday, marking his third stint with New York’s sports radio giant. But unlike previous announcements, Carton spent considerable time addressing the uncomfortable reality of his comeback, which will see Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata lose their on-air jobs to make room for him and Chris McMonigle.

“I also want to acknowledge that I’m aware that my coming back has had a negative impact on people at WFAN, most notably Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata, two guys that I have a tremendous amount of respect for, both professionally and personally,” Carton said on his eponymous show on Thursday. “More than half a dozen times I appeared on air with them and reminded them, in my humble opinion, they were the best midday show WFAN has had in recent memory, and I say that with all due respect to Joe & Evan, which is probably regarded — rightfully so — as the best midday show the FAN has ever had. I thought Brandon and Sal were right there.”

Carton’s acknowledgment came after The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported earlier this month that WFAN was shuffling its lineup to accommodate Carton’s return. Current afternoon hosts Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber will slide to middays, while Tierney and Licata will be out of the weekday lineup entirely. Tierney and Licata announced Thursday that Friday will be their final show together, with Tierney doing a solo week before Carton officially takes over the timeslot.

“I recognize that my coming back means they no longer have on-air jobs at WFAN, and I’m very sensitive to that, I feel for those guys,” Carton continued. “And I don’t want to be cavalier about it. It’s a lousy business we’ve all chosen, but it’s the business we’ve all chosen, and I hope that they’re able to land on their feet. I hope that they have great opportunities in the future. They’re both very, very talented and I’d be surprised if they didn’t have amazing opportunities in New York and maybe even nationally, as well, doing their brand of sports talk.”

“And I wanted to acknowledge them, and I recognize that this isn’t an easy period of time for them or their families, and I am sensitive to that, and I do feel for them, and I do want the very, very best for them,” he added.

Carton’s first departure from WFAN wasn’t voluntary — it came via federal prison after he was convicted of wire fraud in a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of millions. His 2020 return, paired with Evan Roberts in the afternoons, was positioned as a redemption story.

Carton rebuilt his career and, seemingly, his life.

Then he left again in 2023 to chase a bigger stage at FS1. The morning show never caught fire despite multiple iterations and co-host changes. Fox pulled the plug last summer as part of sweeping cuts across the network. Carton pivoted to a daily podcast through Fox Sports and Red Seat Ventures, recently touting growth metrics he called “beyond anything” he could have imagined. But podcast success, no matter how legitimate, doesn’t scratch the same itch as live radio in the country’s largest market.

And now, Carton is back at WFAN, and for better or worse, the lineup — and lives — are changing with him.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann