While I’m a little dismayed to learn this news from Newsday’s Neil Best rather than from one of CSTB’s own contributors, it’s a big deal just the same. Best reports Tuesday that the Yankees radio broadcasts are likely to move in 2014 from CBS owned WCBS to sister station WFAN, thus displacing the Mets, who’ve been at WFAN since it’s 1987 launch (and WHN from 1983).
Lonn Trost, the Yankees’ chief operating officer, said Tuesday a deal for the team’s radio rights is “close,” but he would not confirm or deny that WFAN is the likely landing place. “Right now we’re in negotiations and everything is confidential,” Trost said. “Part of the agreement we’re drafting has a confidentiality agreement. I can’t even get into it. I am close with some entity for next year.”
Still, he cautioned, “Things have gone in so many directions with this negotiation . . . I can’t tell you today if it will be the same thing tomorrow.”
Jeff Wilpon, chief operating officer of the Mets, said Tuesday while visting a firehouse in Manhattan that it is “fairly accurate” that the Mets are leaving WFAN. Wilpon said he expects a resolution to the team’s radio deal for 2014 and beyond in about six weeks.
It is not clear where the Mets would land, but options include ESPN Radio and one or more of the New York stations — including WOR — owned by Clear Channel Communications, which earlier in the process made a serious bid for the Yankees’ rights.