Keith McPherson, Sal Licata to host late-night and overnight shows on WFAN
Keith McPherson and Sal Licata will host WFAN’s late-night and overnight shows, the station announced on Wednesday. The moves coincide with the departure of longtime late-night host Steve Somers after his final full show on Friday night.
McPherson will be heard from 7 p.m. to midnight, beginning on Nov. 22. Starting Monday, Licata will be on air from midnight to 5 a.m.
Licata is a familiar voice at WFAN. McPherson is new to the station. He had been serving as social media manager and a podcast host for Jomboy Media since January 2020. Before that, he had worked in a variety of other social media roles.
McPherson, an avid Yankees and Nets fan, called into to speak to WFAN’s Craig Carton and Evan Roberts from his honeymoon in Puerto Rico.
"Nobody is replacing Steve Somers; that’s not a thing," McPherson said. "It’s not possible . . . I’m not replacing anybody."
McPherson said he postponed his honeymoon until after the baseball season so he could attend the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Denver.
"I’m thankful; I’m up for the challenge," he said. "I’m a fan of the FAN. I can’t wait to meet everyone."
"Keith and Sal will form a dynamic evening one-two punch, as both have the passion and drive to usher in an exciting new era on The Fan," Chris Oliviero, market manager for Audacy New York, said in a news release. "These hours became a must-listen for decades with the iconic Steve Somers behind the microphone, and that will continue as Keith and Sal entertain the tristate area nightly be it on the road or even at home under the covers."
Said Licata in a news release, "Having a full-time show on WFAN means everything to me. It’s an honor and a privilege to have an opportunity to talk sports every night with the most passionate fans, in the greatest city in the world, on the best sports talk station ever created. It’s all I have ever wanted."
Licata began as an intern at WFAN in January 2003.
Carton said on the air Wednesday that his show with Roberts soon would be trimmed by 30 minutes, to 2 to 6:30 p.m., with the gambling show "Odds on Sports" being heard from 6:30 to 7 p.m.
But for now the official schedule still has them listed as 2 to 7 p.m.
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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