With each saying it was time for a change, Mike Francesa and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo appeared together as partners for the final time this afternoon on WFAN.
“I think I need a little challenge in my life, a little something different,” Russo said by telephone one day after the station announced the 19-year-old partnership was being dissolved.
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“It’s the right move at the right time,” said The Dog, who is rumored to be bound for Sirius Sattelite Radio. “I just felt at this point in time, right now, it’s time to try a little something different. I think it’ll help the both of us in different ways.”
Francesa, who vowed to never work with another partner, said his new five-year deal with WFAN would allow him to fulfill his desire to retire at the station.
“I know for many of you, and for me, and for Dog, this is a very sad occasion,” said Francesa, 54. “Thankfully we were able to be here all those years and become very much part of the fabric of this great city.”
The duo was paired in September 1989 and were consistently at the top of afternoon drive-time ratings. They also were simulcast on YES Network, which will continue with Francesa’s solo show.
“It was a mutually agreed upon thing,” said Mark Chernoff, vice president of programming and operations for WFAN. “When it came time to discuss contracts, Chris had some concerns and other interests. The time had come for the show to end.”
Francesa handled today’s show alone and said there would be changes when he returns from vacation after Labor Day.
“We’re going to put together a new program, have some new elements,” Francesa said. “I said I’d never have another partner and I won’t.”
Chernoff said, “There will be other people, other voices on the show. This is breaking news from last night, so we cannot be more specific at this time.”
Francesa said guests will bring “opinions, fun, different perspectives, [and] personality.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
Russo, 48, said he has not decided on his future, but will announce his destination soon.
The pair denied that personal differences between them was the reason for the split, even though they acknowledged the tension.
“We haven’t had a good [last] six months, but we’ve always been able to work together,” Francesa said.
Though Russo cried into the telephone, Francesa was, for the most part, able to hold it together.
“I know what you’re feeling because I feel it, too,” Francesa said to the fans. “This show has been a major part of my life, part of my heart for 19 years.
“Don’t think for a second we havent loved every minute of it.”
With Justin Terranova