WFAN Names Craig Carton Afternoon Host
Last Wednesday, TALKERS published a report by The Athletic columnist Andrew Marchand that Craig Carton had negotiated a deal to return to the air at Audacy sports talker WFAN, New York. Now, Audacy confirms that with the announcement that Carton will indeed be back hosting afternoon drive beginning January 5. Carton left his role with WFAN in June of 2023 to focus on his morning show at FS1, however his FS1 show was cancelled this summer. Carton will
host the show with WFAN personality Chris McMonigle. Audacy New York market president and chief business officer Chris Oliviero says, “Craig Carton’s return reaffirms WFAN’s position as New York’s premier sports destination for big personalities, compelling conversation, and highly engaging content that is difficult to ignore. Our 2026 lineup has familiar marquee voices all day and all night, guaranteeing that whenever you tune into ‘The Fan,’ you will be smack dab in the middle of the New York sports culture.” Carton states, “WFAN has always been home to me. Having the opportunity to return and rejoin the best sports talk station in the world is an opportunity I am eagerly looking forward to and beyond excited for.” Carton’s return bumps current afternoon team Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber to middays and current hosts Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata will exit. Additionally, “Evan and Tiki” executive producer Tommy Lugauer will host a new evening show titled, “After Hours.”
Carton is finalizing a deal to return to the station in afternoon drive. This comes several months after Carton exited FS1 where he hosted a couple of different versions of a morning show that, from a ratings standpoint, never took off the way FS1 execs had hoped. Carton’s return will reportedly bump current afternoon team Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber to middays which would force the station to cut ties with current midday hosts Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata. As for Carton’s co-host, Marchand is reporting that overnight host Chris McMonigle is the leading candidate for that role. 
Both personalities came to television from radio – Carton from WFAN, New York and 
Parkins from WSCR, Chicago. Industry watchers are speculating whether the two, especially Carton, will return to radio. In the New York Post, sportswriterAndrew Marchand notes that after his prison stint for a fraud conviction, Audacy’s now-chief business officer Chris Oliviero was instrumental in bringing Carton back to WFAN as afternoon drive co-host. Carton did radio and the FS1 show before leaving radio to focus on the early morning TV show.
the Audacy station to become part of a new show on FS1. Parkins has worked alongside Matt Spiegel on the afternoon drive program for the past seven years. This summer, Parkins filled in for Colin Cowherd on the cable TV show The Herd and reportedly acquitted himself well. The FS1 show is scheduled to launch this fall. Parkins and Audacy have not commented publicly about the story.
daypart and join current co-host Brandon Tierney as Tierney’s longtime partner Tiki Barber moves to afternoon drive alongside Evan Roberts. Barber’s new role comes as Craig Carton leaves Audacy’s sports talk WFAN, New York to focus on his morning show at FS1. 
alongside Evan Roberts. This news comes several days after Craig Carton announced that he will leave WFAN on June 30 after agreeing to focus on his FS1 morning program. Barber has been co-hosting the 10:00 am to 2:00 pm show on WFAN with Brandon Tierney. 
brought Carton back to WFAN after he served a year in prison for fraud. He said, “I had a saint in my corner. A gentleman by the name of Chris Oliviero. He has maintained his support of me as a friend and a brother through all the ups and downs of my radio career. When I got myself in trouble, he came and visited me. He told me if I ever got my life back in order and figured out why I made the bad decisions I made, he would be there for me. No guarantees of a job, but that he would never stop being my friend. Having a guy like that as your friend, I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Not only is he my friend, but he paved the way for me to come back to WFAN.” The WFAN website says Carton will continue to do his weekend gambling addiction program, “Hello, My Name is Craig” show that airs on WFAN on Saturday mornings. He added, “WFAN has meant the world to me. If WFAN didn’t give me the opportunity to come back and restart a career, no joke, I’m unemployable… so, walking away from WFAN is not easy. WFAN is my home.”
Carton Show” weekdays from 7:00 am to 9:30 am on FS1 since September of last year in addition to the daily WFAN afternoon drive show he does alongside Evan Roberts. As Marchand writes, doing both shows is time consuming. Carton is up in the middle of the night to get to Midtown for the FS1 show, then does the WFAN show and gets home around 8:30 in the evening. Marchand also speculates that FS1 might believe that Carton’s TV show would draw more viewers if he wasn’t also on “The Fan.” It’s reported that Carton’s contract with Audacy expires later this year so WFAN would like to know what Carton’s plans are sooner rather than later.