Mike Francesa

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Mike Francesa

Francesa at the annual Bar A show in Belmar, New Jersey in 2008
Born (1954-03-20) March 20, 1954
Long Beach, New York, U.S.
Show
Station(s) WFAN & YES Network, New York City
Time slot 1 – 6:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Sunday (during the NFL season)
Style Sports radio
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Michael Patrick "Mike" Francesa, Jr. (born March 20, 1954) is an American radio talk show host and television commentator. He is primarily known in his former role co-hosting the popular Mike and the Mad Dog show on WFAN in New York City. Francesa now hosts his own show, Mike's On: Francesa on the FAN, during the afternoon drive slot formerly occupied by Mike and the Mad Dog.

Career

CBS Sports

Francesa started his career by spending six years at College and Pro Football Newsweekly. He was hired by CBS Sports in 1982 as a researcher, focusing primarily on college sports.[1] In CBS Sports, he was initially a behind-the-scenes, statistic-wielding editorial assistant, but network executives were so impressed by his knowledge that he was made a studio analyst for college basketball and football[2] and acquired such a reputation that The New Yorker termed him "Brent Musburger’s brain."[3]

When he was a studio analyst at CBS Sports, he said the most common complaint he heard was about his New York accent.[4]

ESPN tried to lure Francesa as its studio expert on college football, college basketball and NFL in 1991, but he declined the offer.[5]

Francesa announced on the radio that he quit CBS on April 1, 1993[6] before the 1993 Final Four began.[7]

WFAN

See also: Mike and the Mad Dog and Mike's On

When WFAN was launched in 1987, Francesa thought he would be good at radio and applied for a host job, but the station management was looking for top-shelf types, rather than someone with no experience and he was only offered a producer's job, which he rejected.[8] With his then-wife Kate's encouragement, Francesa continued to pursue WFAN. Finally WFAN gave him a job as a weekend host talking college football and basketball in August 1987.[9] Because of the positive reviews, Francesa began to guest-host other shows.[1]

Because of his initial success as a weekend and fill-in host, he was teamed with local New York City host Ed Coleman and the duo had a popular show on the 10 a.m.-2 p.m. slot. In 1989, WFAN was looking for hosts to replace the controversial Pete Franklin in the afternoon drive time period between 3 and 7 p.m. Station management decided to team the knowledgeable, but somewhat dry Francesa with the young and vibrant Chris Russo. While Francesa's brand of sports commentating was considered hard-hitting and serious, Russo's was lighter, unconventional, and more entertaining. The show was dubbed Mike and the Mad Dog. The show quickly gained popularity and was a staple of the New York sports scene from 1989-2008. The duo won the 2000 Marconi Award for Major Market Personality of the Year.[10] They were the first sports-talk hosts ever to win the award.

Francesa also hosts a weekly radio show called The NFL Now, which has originated from WFAN since 1987. It eventually became syndicated and at one time was simulcast on MSNBC and later via video Webcast on NBCSports.com. The NFL Now became a syndicated program again when WBZ-FM in Boston started airing the show, a few weeks after the station's launch. Francesa on the FAN can be seen on the YES Network.

He does the nightly "Sportstime" commentary on the CBS Radio Network and Westwood One. Francesa regularly contributed to the Imus in the Morning program with his views on sports while it aired on WFAN and Westwood One.

Francesa's trademark intro to a show he is hosting by himself is "From the studios of WFAN in New York and simulcast across the country on the YES Network this is Mike's On: Francesa on the FAN."

On August 14, 2008, it was announced that Chris "Mad Dog" Russo decided to leave WFAN, and thus ended the Mike and the Mad Dog show two weeks shy of its 19th anniversary scenario. This ended two months of speculation of whether the show was going to make it to a 20th season. At the same time, Francesa signed a five-year deal to stay at WFAN.[11] September 8, 2008 officially marked the kickoff of Francesa's new WFAN program, which he announced on air would be called Mike'd Up, the same name as his former weekly television program on WNBC.

On January 17, 2012 the show was renamed Mike's On. After Francesa left the show Mike'd Up: The Francesa Sports Final in WNBC, the television station retained the rights to the name of the show. NBC and CBS did not reach an agreement for the rights and WFAN changed the name.[12]

In 2012, Francesa was ranked No. 1 as the 100 most important sports talk radio hosts in America by Talkers Magazine.[13] Francesa credited colleagues at WFAN for his success with special salute to Russo.[14] Francesa won the 2012 Marconi Award for Major Market Personality of the Year,[15][16] which is his second since 2000. The announcement was made on September 20 at the 2012 National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Radio Awards Dinner and Show in Dallas, TX. On April 2, 2013 CBS Radio announced that Francesa was signed to a new multi-year contract to host Mike's On, as well as The NFL Now.[17]

Other projects

Francesa hosted Around the NFL with Bill Parcells on MSG Network between August 30, 1991[18] and April 16, 1992. When the show was cancelled, Francesa said, "I was disappointed. I wanted to do a second year, but it's a very expensive show to produce."[19]

In 1990, Francesa began hosting a talk show following Knicks and Rangers games at Madison Square Garden called Live from the Play By Play. The Play By Play is a restaurant in Madison Square Garden. The show featured sports and entertainment figures in a "late night" talk style program.

In 1998, Francesa began a website called mikesports.com, but the project was abandoned and is no longer online.[20]

Francesa auditioned for the Monday Night Football job in 2000 that eventually went to Dennis Miller.[21]

In 2003, Francesa began hosting an 11:30 PM Sunday Night Sports Show on WNBC-TV in New York City entitled Mike'd Up: The Francesa Sports Final. Taking a live hand-off from the end of the WNBC-TV local news, Francesa then launches into in-depth analysis of the weekend games—with a focus geared towards the New York-area teams. He also interviews notable athletes, coaches, and sportswriters. The show was intended to span the length of the NFL season, but proved so successful that WNBC extended the show to run year-round. Weekend sports anchor Bruce Beck usually filled in when Francesa had the summer off.

However, on July 15, 2011, it was reported in the New York Post and Newsday that Francesa would end his tenure as host of the Sunday night program, effective immediately, citing his wish to spend more time with his family.[22] Bruce Beck is continuing to host the program, but its future is still uncertain.

Criticism

In addition to his popularity, Francesa has been the subject of criticism over the years. The love/hate relationship he seemed to have with former co-host Chris Russo (Mad Dog) was both praised and criticized.[23] People have also criticized him for a perceived negative attitude he holds toward some of his callers.[24] Perhaps the best example was the highly publicized interview with Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis in 2011, during which Revis hung up.[25] Despite setting aside their differences, the reaction from Revis and Francesa caused a stir in the media.[26]

Personal

Francesa was born and raised in Long Beach, New York.[27] He is the second son of Michael Francesa, Sr., who abandoned the family when Francesa was eight years old.[3] He has an older brother, John and a younger brother, Marty, who committed suicide on November 27, 1990.[8] He attended Maria Regina High School, now Kellenberg, in Uniondale,[28] and graduated from St. John's University in 1977 (transferring there after one year at the University of South Florida), majoring in communications and athletic administration. He first married Kate in 1983[29] but divorced in the 1990s.

Currently a resident of Manhasset, New York. Francesa married his current wife, Rose (whom he usually refers to as Roe), on July 14, 2000[30] and they have three children, fraternal twins Emily Grace and Jack Patrick (9)[31][32] and Harrison James (7).[33]

Health

Francesa has also had a number of health problems. He had reconstructive surgery on both of his knees. He participated in junior varsity high school baseball, but was cut. He frequently refers to his "baseball career" on the air, garnering him some derision because of the use of the word "career" [3] in reference to his high school playing days.

During the first week of June 2006, Francesa missed a few days on the radio for what was termed as 'personal reasons'. Soon after returning, on the June 8, 2006 show, he revealed that following medical tests, he needed to change his diet due to his weight struggles.[34] He also admitted to going to the hospital to get an angioplasty done. Francesa had emergency knee surgery on August 31, 2006 to repair his shattered kneecap when he played golf the day before in Westhampton Beach, New York.[35][36]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Shane Fitzgerald (1990-03-30), CBS' Francesa first worked behind scenes, Rocky Mountain News.
  2. ↑ Charles Siebert (1990-08-19), The Sportscasters, The New York Times Magazine.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Nick Paumgarten (2004-08-30). "The boys: what Mike and the Mad Dog talk about when they talk about sports". The New Yorker. 
  4. ↑ Jack Craig (1990-03-30), CBS' Francesser is plainly a success basketball, football expert defies network standards for appearance, accent, The Boston Globe.
  5. ↑ News wire (1991-04-14), Sports People: Television; Francesa declines offer, The New York Times.
  6. ↑ Richard Sandomir (1993-04-03), Final Four: it's prime time, bay-bee!, The New York Times.
  7. ↑ Richard Sandomir (1996-04-02), CBS wins on court and falls flat off it, The New York Times.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Steve Zipay (1993-04-01), Mr. Sports Tawk Some national viewers don't like Mike Francesa's accent and attitude. Hey, I'm a New York guy,' the sportscaster says defiantly. `I wear it as a badge,' Newsday
  9. ↑ "Sports radio 66AM WFAN marks 20th anniversary". CBS Sportsline.com. Retrieved 2007-06-28. 
  10. ↑ "2000 Marconi Radio Award Winners". National Association of Broadcasters. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved 2006-09-26. 
  11. ↑ Neil Best (2008-08-16). "Russo, late of WFAN's Mike and the Mad Dog, calls in". Newsday. 
  12. ↑ "Mike Francesa Gets New Radio Show Name". Newsday (Cablevision). January 17, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012. 
  13. ↑ "2012 TALKERS Heavy Hundred of Sports Talk". Talkers Magazine. 2012-07-20. 
  14. ↑ "Industry News". Talkers Magazine. 2012-07-20. 
  15. ↑ Jerry Barmash (2012-09-21). "Mike Francesa and WBLS Are Marconi Award Winners". FishbowlNY. 
  16. ↑ "2012 NAB Marconi Radio Award Winners". Radio World. 2012-09-21. 
  17. ↑ "Mike Francesa Signs Multi-Year Contract Extension With WFAN". CBS New York (CBS Radio Inc.). April 2, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2013. 
  18. ↑ Richard Sandomir (1991-08-30), Parcells on airwaves: coach in him lingers, The New York Times.
  19. ↑ Richard Sandomir (1992-04-17), The young McDonough plays ball with CBS, The New York Times.
  20. ↑ http://www.mikefrancesa.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-4764.html
  21. ↑ Neil Best (2007-10-18). "Strange but true: 'MNF' really did talk to Francesa". Newsday.com. 
  22. ↑ Mushnick, Phil (2011-07-15). "Jeter should have given fan big check for 3,000th hit". New York Post. 
  23. ↑ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1144289/index.htm
  24. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXeyfWqL_Nc
  25. ↑ http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-10-22/sports/30329907_1_darrelle-revis-wfan-s-mike-francesa-penalty
  26. ↑ http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/10/21/interview-with-darrelle-revis-gets-heated-jets-corner-hangs-up-on-wfans-mike-francesa/
  27. ↑ Steve Zipay. "Long Island history: Mike Francesa and Chris Russo". Newsday. Archived from the original on 2006-08-13. Retrieved 2006-10-12. 
  28. ↑ Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, Mike and the Mad Dog on WFAN. (2007-01-24)
  29. ↑ Larry Schwartz (1991-09-01), Behind the Mike, The Bergen Record.
  30. ↑ Jeff Pearlman (2004-02-24). "Mike and the Mad Dog make nice". Newsday. 
  31. ↑ Steve Zipay (2004-09-09), Francesa roster to add 2 in February, Newsday.
  32. ↑ Steve Zipay (2005-01-19), Brief: Francesa father, Newsday.
  33. ↑ Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, Mike and the Mad Dog on WFAN.
  34. ↑ Phil Mushnick (2006-06-12), Luis lite, New York Post.
  35. ↑ Phil Simms interview, Imus in the Morning on WFAN, (2006-09-07)
  36. ↑ Mike Francesa, Mike and the Mad Dog on WFAN, (2006-09-08)

External links

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