Chris Oliviero is finishing up his third full month as market manager of Entercom New York, which sees him contribute as the general manager of WFAN, the most prime real estate in sports radio. And as Oliviero said during the latest BSM podcast, he considers it the “best job in broadcasting.”
Since being hired by Entercom earlier this year, Oliviero has often been asked about the possibility of WFAN reuniting with their former morning star Craig Carton, who was recently released from prison. Oliviero has been consistent in his interest in working with Carton, his friend and former colleague, a sentiment he maintained during his conversation with Jason Barrett.
“I have spoken to him, we do have a relationship.” Oliviero said while noting those conversations have so far been about life and family and not yet about business. Oliviero added that the business conversations will come when Carton is ready, but he also knows Entercom is not the only company that will approach the radio host.
“There has been no job offer made to Craig, we will talk at the appropriate time,” Oliviero added. “When that is? I don’t know. There are things in Craig’s life right now that are more important than radio, I think people will understand that. His resume, his success, his history with the station and the company warrants that conversation.”
Despite remaining strong in morning drive without Carton, ESPN New York has narrowed the ratings gap among the overall lineup, but Oliviero still touts the power of WFAN’s brand.
“It’s a sign of how strong the brand is that FAN was able to withstand that amount of change,” Oliviero said of Francesa’s first retirement and losing Carton within a few months of each other. “I think a brand of lesser stature would have been taken out at the knees if they had to take on that magnitude of change within months of each other.”
One interesting dynamic of potentially bringing Carton back to WFAN, is his now public battle with gambling addiction. As the sports wagering industry continues to become a more accepted practice, the audience will seek related content. During the BSM podcast, Oliviero discussed the importance of gambling content in sports radio, the need to cover betting, and the fact that it offers a new way for hosts to examine games.
While WFAN’s weekday lineup may have lost household names such as Craig Carton and Mike Francesa in recent years, the attention the brand receives hasn’t wavered. Speculation on changes that could take place within WFAN’s lineup are analyzed and discussed just as much as pro teams in the area are. Oliviero told Barrett he likes the attention WFAN receives from newspapers and media because it “shows we’re relevant in the year 2020, it shows people care and that’s a reflection of the brand.”
For almost 30 years, the person in charge of WFAN’s lineup changes has been Mark Chernoff. When Chernoff spoke with BSM for an interview earlier this year, the program director expressed a profound desire to keep working. But a change in leadership will inevitably happen, and when it does, Oliviero said Chernoff’s goal will be to do whatever is in the best interest of FAN. He acknowledged already having those conversations with Chernoff to make sure that when the moment comes, WFAN will have ample time to address finding his replacement.
Owning premier sports radio stations across the country, Entercom has phenomenal in-house talent with a bench of sports radio and audio programming experts. But Oliviero noted the next programmer of FAN could come from outside radio because the world and industry is ever changing.
