Bart Scott to leave WFAN, join ESPN
Bart Scott is leaving WFAN and will join ESPN on Jan. 2 Credit: AP/Gregory Payan
Bart Scott will leave WFAN at the end of this month and join rival ESPN New York, ESPN announced on Monday.
The former Jets linebacker will work alongside former Newsday sportswriter Alan Hahn on a new 1 to 3 p.m. program. Scott joined WFAN two years ago to work in afternoon drive time, then was pushed to a 1 to 3 p.m. show when Mike Francesa returned to the station.
Scott, who has been working at WFAN this month and did so on Monday afternoon, was attracted to ESPN in part because the move opens television doors for him.
He is scheduled to contribute regularly to “Get Up” and “First Take,” two of ESPN’s daily news and discussion shows.
Scott and Hahn will replace the national radio show hosted by Stephen A. Smith in the New York market, giving ESPN a local lineup outside of the 6 to 10 a.m. national show hosted by Mike Golic and Trey Wingo.
ESPN announced that Scott and Hahn will debut on Jan. 2, but WFAN still might seek to use contractual leverage to delay Scott’s starting date on the competing station.
Tim McCarthy, general manager of ESPN New York radio, said ESPN believes it is on firm ground both legally and practically.
“Here’s the bottom line: Bart doesn’t want to be there,” McCarthy said on Monday. “He wants to do TV. He wants to move on .. It makes zero sense to me. I just don’t get it.”
He said if WFAN tries to delay Scott, “It’s a bad sign for their other talent that they’re going to challenge a guy who doesn’t want to be there.”
McCarthy confirmed that Chris Carlin, Scott’s former WFAN partner, will have a nightly 7 to 10 p.m. show on ESPN New York starting in January.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
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