I am sure you were as entertained by Mike and the Mad Dog yesterday as I was. They still were silly, out of touch, and lacked factual depth, but that is what made them an institution in this town. Reading through the lines you could tell they miss each other and that it’s the incompetent WFAN management, not their hatred of one another, which broke them up.

Mad Dog talked about autonomy at Sirius and how they manage their business. I have listened to Mad Dog’s show and, although he isn’t’ as good without Mike, I think Mad Dog radio is better than a majority of WFAN shows, including Francesa. This is more because the FAN is littered with bad management than anything else. How can you take a station seriously that is run my Mark Chernoff? I was told this is the same guy that has held back WFAN.com in the era of new media because he fears it will “compete” with terrestrial FAN. Instead of being a business visionary and understanding how WFAN.com could enhance the brand and build up the talent pool, he behaves like a monopoly and tries to find ways to keep the mediocre status quo. If that was my company his desk would be in the street when returning from lunch.

There is no real easy answer. WFAN hasn’t faced their Waterloo, but that is coming sooner rather than later. There are too many entertainment options to be riddled with bad radio. They claim they target 25-54, but somehow I think their audience is more 54+ than anything. Of course, we will hear some study, rigged by management, that tells us otherwise. Advertisers are getting wise hence the low end commercials we continue to hear- repetitively. What can save them is figuring out a way to get the duo back, even if it’s for targeted dates. The ratings would sour and you might actually get someone born post the JFK presidency to listen. That won’t solve the inability to develop the overall quality and brand name, but it’s a great start. What if WFAN management wasn’t so myopic? Perhaps we would never have lost Mike and the Mad Dog. I know sports talk isn’t as good without it. We learned that during the hour of radio yesterday.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Chris Russo, Mark Chernoff, Mike and the Mad Dog reunion, Mike Francesa, Sirius, WFAN