Earlier in the week the great radio ombudsman, Bob Mantz, reported on a couple of tidbits about WFAN. First, it appears the FCC is rightfully going to investigate Craig Carton uttering the F Word on the air. I wouldn’t expect much from the FCC as they, like any government agency these days, are borderline useless. There is far less glory going after an irrelevant Carton than someone like Howard Stern.

The real story is Mike Francesa’s erroneous rumor regarding LT and talking to the authorities. On Sunday, Phil Mushnick of the NY Post piggybacked on Mantz’s report about how Francesa was name dropping New Jersey law enforcements contacts, when indeed the alleged crime was committed in New York. Remember, Francesa is the same individual who took SNY’s Chris Carlin to task for running with “loose rumors” regarding Jim Calhoun’s job status at UConn. Of course, WFAN Operations Manager Mark Chernoff dismissed the action as he does with most anything that goes on his station. Remember, it’s easier to hide under your desk than take action. Of course, it could be because he is directionally challenged.

It’s easy to get angry at Francesa, Carton, etc., but that is misguided anger. The sports talk radio industry is learning, much like newspapers, that it’s not about contests, gimmicks, and ratings analysis, but rather content. In a world where fans are subjected to sports news in a variety of forms you need to be better prepared than ever. Outside of Evan Roberts, very few on WFAN are prepared to deal with the future and don’t appear interested in changing that. Why you ask? Because of the real problem: WFAN Operations Manager Mark Chernoff.

Radio is an industry that has no career path. It’s a “spin of the wheel” whether one will make it and talent and knowledge is secondary. A good run to Dunkin Donuts probably will get you further than knowing the local teams farm system. That kind of philosophy will never motivate the best and brightest to choose a place like WFAN as their career. Although ratings are declining, WFAN still has the “heritage advantage” where listeners will tune into their station as force of habit. ESPN is trying to make inroads, but they still have 20 years to make up- not an easy task. Regardless, they are losing listeners to other mediums (mostly internet) that connect better with sports fans. Management at WFAN has been slow to respond, even going as far to resist the changes. So who is this Mark Chernoff and what credentials does he have? Well the picture to below is from is an old WDHA FM staff photo. Yes the man second from the right is Mark Chernoff. Embarrassing.

So I guess spinning records on a rock station gives you the ability to manage a business, especially a business that is predicated on sports. If you read this interview from last June you see Chernoff is a rock radio expert. Some expert, read this blog which outlines how Chernoff helped take David Lee Roth off the air, despite the fact he was trying something new, refreshing, and different. Remember, vision is not radios, nor Chernoff’s, strength. Roth went on to call Chernoff names that I rather not mention, but you could read about it here.

Wondering why WFAN has so many contests? Probably because they continue to turn up poor ratings, but also their OP’s claim to fame is “while working at WDHA he (Chernoff) won a contest run by Radio & Records in which he picked more hits than other entrants. His prize was a choice of cash or a Mercedes Benz, but the real payoff was when he got a call from WNEW-FM to join them as Music Director. After a short stint as MD, he got the PD post, and he has been a major market PD ever since.” This is something to be proud of? This is how you get a career in radio management? I must be dreaming. It sounds like dream job gone awry. Maybe tomorrow I can mop the floors of a hospital and by Friday do brain surgery. Sound silly? That is basically what a radio career path is all about.

Ask yourself this question: if you are starting a career in media: do you want guys like this deciding your future? Is it worth spending thousands of dollars on college tuition to sit around and wait for Chernoff to see you? Does this guy even know anything about sports? If you gave someone like Mark Chernoff a free business today would he even know what to do with it? Could he it make it profitable? Where does a disc jockey get the experience to be given this type of position? Last I looked the janitors spend a lot of time around the station, should they be making business decisions? Maybe it’s time to get some new, young, fresh blood that understands the changing sports landscape and will revamp a station that clearly is headed for trouble.

No one wants sports talk to change and succeed in this town more than me. I just don’t see a future as long as the industry employs hacks like Chernoff. They lack vision, guts, and the ability to manage the talent. They are slaves to ratings that no one, including their sponsors, understands, but it’s the only way for them to stay relevant and perpetuate the rumors of health. Remember, Corporate America will accept most anything with a number attached to it, even one that doesn’t tell the whole story. I guarantee you that their ratings wouldn’t change even if they employed some of my new ideas. Why? Because they have no competition. They may actually increase because they will bring back the internet audience that has abandoned them.

Anyone with common sense can see that radio is fully ensconced as a second rate medium. Furthermore, it’s a dead end career that will cease to attract anyone of talent because those that are talented will rot in the backend. This again is thanks to the managers like Chernoff. Imagine if we had the internet during the glory days of WFAN? Imagine how much fun it would be interacting with intelligent, knowledgeable, and engaged hosts? I remember those days, now it’s about remotes, contests, and “hurry up and make your point because we have an update that no one needs anymore.” Again, you have one host, Evan Roberts, that has adjusted and tries to embrace new media. One host on New York’s sports talk authority.

We continue to see newspapers and magazines go down the drain. Newsweek is the latest entity to be in trouble. You hear some media outlets blame the internet, blogs, and a declining society for their problems, but its one simple word: content. The content can’t keep up with the reader, or in this case, the customer. The power of the internet is knowledge and now you have as much, if not more, than the so called experts. For every Evan Roberts there are 10 Richard Neer’s just holding on. There are enough bitter and arrogant has been’s like Mike Francesa who hide behind a name that is a shell of its former self. Worst of all Mark Chernoff is not alone. There is a clone of this guy at just about every station in America. There are no visionaries like Howard Stern in radio, just a bunch of Chernoff’s waiting for their time and age to equal 85 and move off into the sunset. Unfortunately, while they enjoy the spoils of their “do nothing” career they leave behind a radio wasteland that will forever be marginalized. We, the listener aka the customer, is left wanting. People in my age group stick around, but I know most of the younger generation could care less if radio improved because they don’t bother to listen to it. What a shame.

Thank you Mark Chernoff for destroying sports radio in New York. I will make sure to mail an engraved watch with that claim to fame when you retire. I want you to put it on your fireplace at home as a reminder to what you have done to us. Now go to lunch and rationalize your existence, it’s what you truly know how to do best.

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

Mike Silva

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Tags: Craig Carton, David Lee Roth, Evan Roberts, Mark Chernoff, Mike Francesa, Phil Mushnik, WDHA FM, WFAN