There are many important issues that stem from Craig Carton’s arrest.  There’s the fate of his family.  There’s also the fate of the employees at WFAN whose income is based upon the revenue generated from shows like Boomer & Carton.  With Carton presumably gone and Francesca with one foot out the door, WFAN is losing its two biggest revenue generating shows in a matter of months.

Of a much lesser concern, there is the matter of what shows WFAN will air.

The station’s two biggest shows will be off the air.  Until a replacement is made for Carton, no one can be sure WFAN will be able to air a morning show with the same drawing power as Boomer & Carton.  It’s safe to say that short of a last ditch effort to bring back Francesca, the station will be hard pressed to find a replacement who will be able to provide the ratings Francesca was able to provide them.

And with that, there is legitimate question what WFAN will be next year or going forward.  That goes double when you consider Joe Benigno is seemingly inching towards retirement.  For one, I can’t imagine Steve Somers not being on the air, but the man is 70.

Long story short, WFAN will soon become unrecognizable from what it is now, and what it has been.  For people who have listened to WFAN for most of their lives, myself included, the question is if the station can replace the talent to continue to make it a destination for sports talk in New York.  They will certainly have the benefit of history and the questionable program choices ESPN Radio continues to make.  However, that will only carry you so far.

For myself, WFAN is no longer the place it once was.  That happened in large part when the station opted to air Yankee games over Mets games.  For others, it might have been when Imus was fired, or when Mike & the Mad Dog split.  In any event, this will be a radically different station in 2018.

Hopefully, it will be for the better.