Mike Francesa Biography

Mike Francesa (Full name – Michael Patrick Francesa) is an American radio talk show host who was born in Long Beach, New York, the U.S. He launched Mike and the Mad Dog in 1989 on WFAN in New York City together with Chris Russo, one of the most successful sports-talk radio programs in American history.

Francesa retired from his own show on December 15, 2017, Mike’s On: Francesa on the FAN, which had been airing in the afternoon drive slot formerly occupied by Mike and the Mad Dog. He was succeeded by Maggie Gray, Chris Carlin and Bart Scott in the same time slot for the first ratings book of 2018.

WFAN announced that Francesa would return to the station for a three and a half-hour afternoon show on April 27, 2018, a shorter shift than his original slot. Francesa currently hosts the drive-time WFAN sports-talk radio slot and markets his Mike’s On app.

Mike Francesa Age

Francesa is a veteran radio talk show host who was born on March 20, 1954, in Long Beach, New York, USA. He is 66 years old as of 2020.

Mike Francesa Height

He is a man of above-average stature. Francesa stands at a height of 5 feet 9 inches (1.77 m). He also weighs 80 kg (176 lbs) on average.

Mike Francesa Wife

Francesa married his first wife Kate in 1983 but they later divorced in 1994.  He then married his current wife, Rose Francesa (whom he usually refers to as Roe), on July 14, 2000. The couple has three children, fraternal twins Emily Grace and Jack Patrick and Harrison James. Currently, he resides in Manhasset, New York, with his wife.

Mike Francesa WFAN

Francesa applied for a hosting job when WFAN was launched in 1987. However, 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 ended up rejecting. Francesa continued to pursue WFAN with his then-wife Kate’s encouragement. Finally, WFAN gave him a job as a weekend host talking college football and basketball in August 1987. Francesa began to guest-host other shows, as a result of the positive reviews.

Mike Francesa was teamed with local New York City host Ed Coleman because of his initial success as a weekend and fill-in host, and the duo had a popular show on the 10 a.m.–2 p.m. slot. WFAN was looking for hosts in 1989, to replace the controversial Pete Franklin in the afternoon drive time period between 3 and 7 p.m. Station management decided to team the young and vibrant Chris Russo with the knowledgeable, but somewhat dry Francesa.

Russo’s brand of sports commentating was lighter, unconventional, and more entertaining while Mike Francesa’s was considered hard-hitting and serious. The duo’s show was popularly known as Mike and the Mad Dog and rapidly gained fame and to become a staple of the New York sports scene from 1989 to 2008. Consequently, Mike and Russo won the 2000 Marconi Award for Major Market Personality of the Year becoming the first sports-talk hosts ever to win the award.

Mike Francesa Retirement

Francesa, on January 19, 2016, stated that he planned to leave WFAN when his contract with the station expired at the end of 2017. On May 3, 2017, WFAN announced WFAN Presents: Mike Francesa, A Night to Remember, to be held at the LIU Post Tilles Center on November 15 at 7:30 p.m. WFAN held Francesa’s Next-To-Last WFAN/New York Show Live From The Paley Center for Media. Mike’s final day on the air on WFAN was December 15, 2017.

Mike Francesa Return

On April 24, 2018, just over 4 months later after his extended retirement, Mike Francesa announced his intention to return to WFAN. The station confirmed the decision stating that he would return to afternoon drive, albeit with a shorter show running from 3-6:30 pm Monday through Friday. Francesa won the fall 2018 ratings book after returning to WFAN,  the first since his return.

Mike Francesa retiring again

Francesa left WFAN afternoon drive again for the second time in November 2019. He remains with WFAN and now has a bigger role with the company’s Radio.com.

Mike Francesa Podcast and App

Mike Francesa launched his app on August 23, 2018, Mike’s On through which clients could catch his podcasts which he holds on WFAN in the afternoons. This came ahead of Francesa’s annual WFAN end-of-summer broadcast at Bar Anticipation in Lake Como, which will serve as a celebration of the app as well.

The app’s arrival was polarizing given the steep cost to subscribe – $8.99 a month or $98 a year – and the sense that you might get all the Francesa you need for free on Twitter and over the air on the radio Monday through Friday. This was the most interesting part of the rollout.

The subscription-based platform provides a live video stream of Francesa’s daily show on WFAN, archived interviews from previous shows, exclusively hosts Francesa’s Sunday NFL show and Saturday college football show during their respective seasons, and occasional live reactions to sporting events.

Francesa said he plans to do shows right up to and immediately after select big games, as well as potentially create a second screen experience where fans can watch him watch a game and offer commentary throughout. Francesa solo as a second screen will get old. But Francesa with others? That sounds a lot better, and the possibilities are endless.

Mike Francesa Ratings

Francesa received a 6.2 percent share of the listening audience in the winter 2019 ratings book, compared to the 5.9 received by The Michael Kay Show during the same time slot. The total included both the over-the-air share as well as the WFAN online streaming. However, Kay beat Francesa 5.9-5.5 in the radio segment, and both hosts claimed victory on their respective shows.

Mike Francesa on his April 15, 2019 show, after hearing that Kay was celebrating victory over the disputed ratings book, said that, “I have nothing but sadness and pity for you that you would actually claim a victory that wasn’t real” as well as saying that “you’re ESPN, and you get beat like a rented mule for 20 years, it’s got to hurt”.

Francesa later tweeted that “there was only one possible way to read (the ratings)” and that “anyone, and that means anyone, who says differently is either a fool or a liar.” For the first time in his NYC sports radio career, Mike really felt the stress of a close ratings battle. He got in a heated argument with WFAN management about the availability of a Craig Carton post-sentencing interview on the last few days of the book, after Carton was interviewed by Kay.

Mike Francesa Net Worth | Salary

Francesa is an American radio talk show host and television commentator who has a net worth of $16 million. Mike Francesa was born in Long Beach, New York in March 1954. He was well known for co-hosting the radio show Mike and the Mad Dog on WFAN in New York City which ran from 1989 until 2008.

Mike Francesa Fart

On November 4, 2019, Francesa was accused of farting during his Five-Minute Morning segment while ripping Jets Head Coach Adam Gase. He was then accused of the same later on his main WFAN afternoon show. However, Mike denied and rubbished the claims calling the perpetrators of the “fake news” as morons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycDYFu-6AXA

Frequently asked questions about Mike Francesa.

How old is Mike Francesa?

Mike is 66 years old as of 2020. He was born on March 20, 1954, in Long Beach, New York, USA.

Is Mike Francesa Leaving Wfan?

Most probably, because his second stint has not been as successful.

Who Will replace Mike Francesa?

It is still too early to tell but inside sources indicate that the management has already commenced the search.

Mike Francesa Twitter

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