Weeks after reporting the New York Mets’ long association with flagship station WFAN was ending — with the home of Mike Francesa becoming the New York Yankees’ flagship next season, Newsday’s Neil Best writes the Amazins’ radio calls will be heard in 2014 on Clear Channel property WOR. At various times in the station’s long history, on-air hosts have included the likes of Walter Winchell, Joan Rivers, the thoroughly sickening Michael Savage, Barry Farber (above), Steve Malzberg, Bob Grant and Joe Franklin. Curiously, Best suggests Josh Lewin might not be joining that celebrated list.
Terms of the deal with Clear Channel were not available. The Mets had been a money-loser for WFAN in recent seasons.
Clear Channel also owns five prominent FM stations in New York with a broadly diverse demographic reach, which under the deal being discussed it would use to market the Mets and their games through programming and promotion. The stations are WHTZ (Z100), WLTW (Lite FM), WKTU, WAXQ (Q104.3) and WWPR (Power 105.1).
There are no current plans to carry games on an FM outlet. In 2013, Mets games were heard on both AM and FM for WFAN.
Longtime announcer Howie Rose is likely to move up the radio dial with the team; it is less clear whether his partner, Josh Lewin, will remain in the Mets booth.
It is unclear what other options the Mets had. ESPN New York Radio was believed to have potential interest.