Mike Francesa’s pending departure from WFAN is one of the biggest stories of 2017. Who replaces him is certain to be one of the biggest of 2018. And if there’s any smoke to the fire, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie could be on the short list of candidates according to a report.
Christie is expected to leave the Governor’s office at the end of 2017. That’s right in line with Francesa’s exit from The Fan. He’s already made appearances on the radio station as a fill-in host, and has a good rapport with Boomer and Carton, WFAN’s morning show, something that can’t be said about Francesa.
When asked about the possibility of Christie, WFAN program director Mark Chernoff said “I would certainly at least want to consider him. If he’s interested and we’re interested, it’s worth pursuing.”
In his limited appearances behind the microphone, Christie has shown an ability to present himself in authoritative fashion while possessing good knowledge and not being afraid to mix it up with callers. Many of those qualities are appealing when it pertains to hosting a sports talk show.
Another advantage for The Fan, should they desire to add Christie to their lineup, is that the New Jersey Governor has acknowledged he has little desire to move to Washington, D.C. and would prefer to land a private sector job which would allow him to have fun, make money, and enjoy more time with his family. Hosting a sports radio program in the nation’s #1 media market would check all of those boxes.
Although he won’t come cheap, the expectation is that he won’t cost as much as Francesa, who according to reports earns more than four million dollars per year. Christie receives a salary of one hundred seventy five thousand dollars per year as Governor, and when combined with his wife’s wages and other outside the office income opportunities, generates a collective income of close to one million dollars per year.
Francesa has publicly backed WFAN midday hosts Joe Beningo and Evan Roberts succeeding him, but says he has little influence over the final decision. One thing that appears to be certain is that the future afternoon show won’t run five and a half hours in length.
“I can’t say that the next person or team doing the show will do five-and-a-half hours,” added Chernoff.
Since he began hosting shows on the station, Christie’s appearances have been popular with listeners according to Chernoff. The polarizing politician has drawn mainstream media attention whenever he’s appeared on the air, including recently when he talked about having meatloaf for lunch in the White House, and labeling Philadelphians as “angry, awful people”. He also declared Citizen’s Bank Ballpark as a place that wasn’t safe for civilized people.
