Joe Benigno says he’ staying with Evan Roberts on WFAN
WFAN midday show hosts Evan Roberts, left, and Joe Benigno on Radio Row at the Super Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona, on Jan. 30, 2008. Credit: Newsday/David L. Pokress
Five weeks before Mike Francesa’s final show, WFAN still has not announced who will succeed him, nor has it said who will replace Craig Carton on the morning show.
But midday co-host Joe Benigno confirmed on the air Thursday what had been an open secret at the station — that he and co-host Evan Roberts are signed and sealed for 2018 and beyond.
“We are both here for at least another three years,” Benigno, 64, said, for now ending speculation he might retire in the near future. He is believed to have re-signed late last month.
The midday show will expand by an hour after Francesa leaves, running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. rather than 1 p.m.
Francesa’s final show is Dec. 15. Chris Carlin, Bart Scott, Kimberly Jones and Chris Simms are believed to be among those being considered for a multiple-person show to replace him.
After Carton resigned on Sept. 13 — a week after being arrested and charged with wire fraud and securities fraud — Francesa said he would be open to staying on if the station needed him to.
Within days he met with station management and the sides mutually agreed to stick to the long-time plan for him to leave at the end of his current contract.
The people who succeed Francesa will combine to earn a fraction of his salary, which is believed to be about $5 million per year.
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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