Jon “Stugotz” Weiner, the longtime partner of Dan Le Batard at WAXY in Miami and ESPN, is filling in on Boomer & Gio this week on WFAN and using the opportunity to make another push for the station to hire him after turning down the program director position there earlier this year.
With Boomer Esiason out for the week, Stugotz is back at his hometown station and coming for everyone’s jobs. Like everything with the iconic Stugotz, it’s impossible to know where reality ends and the bit begins, but the 51-year-old Long Island native has made no secret of his desire to work for The Fan.
“[If] the shakeup happens, the first call (WFAN president Chris) Oliviero will get is from me,” Stugotz said. “I’m in a contract year. And I have one contract left where I want to be on air. And so I am telling the people here that run WFAN, this will be your last opportunity to get me.”
Stugotz explained that his current contract with Meadowlark Media, where he cohosts The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, ends early next year. He plans to sign for another few years beyond that before retiring.
“I will tell WFAN if they want a storybook ending if they want to bring me home to New York and have me fulfill my dream of being a full-time host at WFAN … this is the last chance you have,” Stugotz said.
Later in the show, a caller named Phil from Staten Island called to criticize Stugotz for preying on other WFAN employees. Stugotz then confirmed he would be perfectly fine with becoming a third full-time host on an existing show.
“I’m not looking to take anyone’s job,” Stugotz said. “Every host at every other station in America wants all the jobs here at WFAN … I’m the one who’s saying it.”
Earlier this year on the Awful Announcing podcast, Stugotz got real about the program director opportunity that ultimately went to Ryan Hurley. Stugotz said he genuinely was interested in the job, but the lack of on-air opportunities and lower pay made him back out.
It certainly feels like if anything cracks open at WFAN, Stugotz will be on the short list of candidates to come to the network for that “storybook ending” he wants.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.