Russo Out At WFAN

Two weeks shy of its 19th anniversary, the "Mike and the Mad Dog" show is no more.

WFAN said Thursday that Chris Russo is leaving the company, making Mike Francesa the sole host of the popular afternoon drive time show.

"Mike and Chris pioneered the genre more than 18 years ago," WFAN operations director Mark Chernoff said in a statement. "We wish Chris nothing but the best and look forward to all that Mike will do in a role in which he has excelled."

Russo is expected to land at Sirius Satellite Radio. Russo and Francesa, who were often contentious, were at odds often and battled for years.


The announcement of Russo's departure coincided with the announcement of a new contract for Francesa, whose deal was believed to be expiring around the end of the year. He will now be the sole host of the show.

The show debuted in 1989 and originally was heard from 3 to 7 p.m., and beginning in 2002 it received additional exposure via a simulcast on the new YES Network. Francesa, 54, and Russo, 48, moved into the prime slot just as WFAN was beginning to take off.