Fixated on the higher salary of bloviating co-host Mike Francesa, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo was bent on leaving WFAN and even shopped his services to the station’s arch rival, ESPN Radio, sources told The Post.
Russo’s contract, which was set to expire next April, pays him $1.1 million a year, about $200,000 less than Francesa, who recently inked a new five-year deal.
“It always fed his insecurity and resentment,” said a source close to the hit “Mike and the Mad Dog” show.
The money, coupled with contentious on-air battles between the two blowhards, spurred Russo’s decision on Thursday to cut ties after 19 years with WFAN, sources said.
He shopped his services to several stations, including ESPN Radio – WFAN’s chief competitor – before landing a sweetheart deal from satellite broadcaster Sirius, the sources said. ESPN declined comment.
Sirius boss Mel Karmazin has reportedly offered him a multiyear deal at $3 million per annum.
Mark Chernoff, WFAN’s vice president of programming and operations, would only say: “When it came time to discuss contracts, Chris had some concerns and other interests. The time had come for the show to end.”
Industry insiders said Sirius would be crazy to gamble on a raspy-voiced rabble-rouser like Russo.
“If he thinks that people are going to go out and subscribe to Sirius just to listen to Chris Russo, he’s deluded,” said a source close to the media boss.
Sirius did not return calls for comment.
Sources said the break-up could hurt WFAN’s ad revenue, $15 million of which comes from “Mike and the Mad Dog.”
Yesterday’s 1-6:30 p.m. drive-time program began with the familiar “Mike and the Mad Dog” theme song and even opened with a taped version of Russo’s trademark “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand! Good afternoon everybody. How are you today!?”
“This is a very sad occasion,” said Francesa. He called their split a “shotgun divorce.”
Russo got to make his final appearance on the show, calling in about 25 minutes into the program.
He quickly became choked up and even had his cynical ex-partner wiping away tears.
“This is a very, very tough call,” Russo said of the decision to leave.
“I didn’t think we’d last 19 days,” he said of the show’s rocky beginning in September 1989, “and we wound up lasting 19 years.”