Talk:WFAN (AM)

Studio location change
Has there been further confirmation of the impending move to 345 hudson street?

http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,59648.msg417868.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.86.200.215 (talk) 03:57, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

why is it listed as being in Tribeca when it is in the western area of Soho, several blocks north of Canal street?(aren't the realtor's referring to that as "Hudson Square" ) Acornembryo (talk) 17:47, 12 October 2009 (UTC)

Opening comments
I believe that WFAN (AM) should be moved to WFAN, because of common names; Due to Wikipedia's policy, the most well-known and commonly used name for the station is the title of that article, and there is no other page of thing that the letters W-F-A-N can associate with. Plus WNBC-TV has been moved to WNBC, as its the only station (in TV or radio) to currently use those call letters; WABC is disambiguation page cause its got two stations currently using those call letters: WABC-TV and WABC (AM).--Roadrunner3000 18:35, 4 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Add *Support or *Oppose followed by an optional one sentence explanation, then sign your vote with ~ 


 * Support. RR3K is right. Aaron 17:47, 15 December 2005 (UTC)
 * Support. Absent any alternate meaning for WFAN (or official inclusion of suffix) "(AM)" is clearly redundant. Stickguy 18:08, 15 December 2005 (UTC)

Moved. &mdash; Nightstallion (?) 08:01, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

20-20 Sports
“WFAN was also the first station in the country to roll out sports updates every 20 minutes.”

I know this is not true, but I am still looking for verification. Until I find it, I will not alter the article, though. But I remember listening to WARM in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the early to mid-1970s, and they had “20-20 Sports” updates.

They originally did sports updates every 15 minutes but it doing so really kept the talk hosts from getting into detailed converstation.

It would be nice to see someone add a paragraph about "Short Al" - in the callers section. Short Al is a WFAN legend and calls in every night.

Callers Section
I fail to see the salience of having a Callers Section with John from Sandy Hook, Doris from Rego Park, etc. It's a fun and amusing thing to read, but is this stuff really important? I definitely think not. It really has little to do with WFAN. I've left it in, because I don't want to make such a significant change to this article unless others agreed. Asc85 14:57, 8 June 2006 (UTC)


 * If the criteria of "is this stuff really important" were globally applied, 2/3 of Wikipedia would suddently disappear :-) That said, some radio shows/stations do have a prominent relationship with their regular callers; Bob Grant (radio host) also includes caller material, although not to the same length.   Wasted Time R 16:53, 8 June 2006 (UTC)


 * As callers are an important ingredient for this station, and some of the callers listed here have become part of the WFAN "family" as it were, I think having this section should be retained Odysseybookshop 18:54, 18 June 2006 (UTC).

I agree- they are very important. It's also fun to listen to the clips of their calls. Except, they aren't up anymore. :-( Someone should put those up again, they were hillarious.

Yes what happened to Jerome's clip????? please put this back on. why was it taken down?

I think this section needs to be revisited. It is way too long with respect to the rest of the article. Jerome from Manhattan gets 7 lines, while Francesa gets 4 scattered lines throughout the article? It's all unreferenced, much of it is not WP:NPOV, and most is not notable. Simon12 03:12, 3 November 2007 (UTC)

While I think this whole section should be deleted, as an alternative, I would propose that each caller listed have at least one mention in a verifiable source to at least maintain some semblance of notability. Thoughts? Simon12 (talk) 17:23, 18 November 2007 (UTC)
 * I'm for just deleting it. Extremely unencyclopedic. And fancrufty. --WoohookittyWoohoo! 11:41, 3 December 2007 (UTC)
 * I removed all callers who had no non-Wikipedia google cites. These are all clearly non-notable and non-verifiable, and should be the least debatable. Simon12 (talk) 03:22, 5 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Unless someone can come up with some references for this section, it needs to go. It's been tagged with POV and reference concerns for 6 months. If these people are important, something has been written about them somewhere.  Otherwise this is just original research.  Yes other articles have similar problems, they need to be tagged with these concerns as well and those sections or articles deleted if verifiable sources cant be located.--Rtphokie (talk) 12:28, 4 May 2008 (UTC)


 * While there doesn't seem to be a clear concensus on the value of this caller section it does need to be referenced. This has been discussed for months but no references have been added.  I've removed any sections under this that had no references, if someone wants to put any of them back,tht's fine as long as there are some references added.  One of the references has a dead link, it's been left there and tagged as such.--Rtphokie (talk) 12:58, 27 July 2008 (UTC)


 * Agree with the majority here that the paragraphs with no sources should just be deleted. Personally I think the whole section is ridiculous and not noteworthy at all but I'd rather wait for a consensus on whether the whole thing should go before making a move like that.  Anyway, a number of "notable callers" seem to have been added back in since the last time this was discussed, all without references. I'm removing those, and suggest the policy for this section should be that any added callers should be cited with reliable sources (assuming the section stays at all) Rockypedia (talk) 02:28, 14 May 2014 (UTC)

Steve Somers Fans
It's obvious to me that there are a few Steve Somers fans who are skewing this article, spending far too much time on Somers, his callers, and VASTLY overstating his impact and popularity on the station. The guy knows precious little about sports, isn't funny, and this is why he was fired from his mid-day gig with Salzburg, and why he's barely on the air when most people are listening to the radio. Asc85 13:19, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

Contrarily, *you* are VASTLY understating his popularity and his impact on the station. I find no reason for Somers' inclusion in this article to be altered based on one person's opinion as to whether he's "funny" or not. Somers has stayed on the air as long as he has because he's entertaining, engaging and his knowledge of sports actually far exceeds many of the regular and semi-regular hosts currently on the station. He's still one of the "staples" of the station: IMO he's been relegated to his present role because radio-in trying so hard to cater to the ipod generation-has skewed away from hosts like Steve and more towards abrasive personalities like Craig Carton. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.160.195.82 (talk) 15:51, 20 January 2009 (UTC)

The Jerome audio clips aren't working. I have tried from a number of different computers, and there is definitely something wrong with the file. Is it possible for someone to fix that? THANKS SO MUCH!

Old Call Letters
WFAN retired two of the oldest radio call letters from the dawn of commercial radio: WHN and WNBC

Split of WNBC (AM) and shifting of history
I split off WNBC (AM) into a separate page--the two stations are separate intellectual units, and WFAN doesn't claim any of WNBC's history. About the only things it inherited from the old WNBC were the license and Don Imus.

Also tweaking the histories of WFAN and WEPN ...Blueboy96 21:58, 20 April 2007 (UTC)


 * The articles detail the history of the frequency, NOT the station currently broadcasting on it. This causes less confusion.  I've already restored the WFAN page, and I'll restore WEPN if I have to.  Unless you've forgotten, article splits must be discussed first.  Rollosmokes 01:55, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:WFAN.jpg
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BetacommandBot 04:41, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

John Sterling
Sterling has done occasional off-season work on WFAN, and is likely to do it again. He doesn't really fit in either the current or past host lists, so I'm tempted to remove him completely. Thoughts? Simon12 04:02, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

"Affiliation" with Sports USA Radio Network
ChrisP2K5 has added a line that WFAN is affiliated with the "Sports USA Radio Network" a program service those existence I knew nothing of. But that is not the issue, it's whether some kind of proof can be found that lists WFAN as an affiliate of this network.

Judging from the article and website, they are heavily into college sports. That is something that WFAN has traditionally not been big on, save for Notre Dame, the Final Four, and some bowl games -- Sports USA doesn't even carry the major (read: important) BCS bowls, because those belong to ESPN Radio (and Fox Sports Radio, I think). Now, WFAN doesn't carry much outside of its local (Mets, Giants, Devils, Nets, St. John's) and Westwood One (NFL, some post-season NHL, NCAA basketball tournament, Notre Dame football, and Olympic updates) committments. Interest in college hoops outside of New York City is minimal at best, so I don't think you'll be hearing any Big 12 games on the FAN. On Sundays during NFL season, they are more likely to take a Westwood One doubleheader game ahead of one offered by Sports USA. And, if the NFL doesn't acknowledge Sports USA as an official broadcast partner, why are they airing games in the first place?

So, ChrisP2K5 wants to label WFAN as an "affiliate" of Sports USA. Well, the website has no listing of affiliates. And, if WFAN clears only a few (literally a handful) of their offerings per year, does that really make them an affiliate? I don't think so. Either this trivial mention should be further clarified, or it should be deleted. And one more thing, Chris: Watch yourself, and be civil. Rollosmokes (talk) 07:44, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

Move back to WFAN, no need for WFAN (AM)
when did this happen? where's the consensus for the move from WFAN to WFAN (AM)? women, food, and agriculture network? that doesn't even have an article! move WFAN (AM) back to WFAN, and put the "this article is about the current NY sportsradio station, for other uses see WFAN (disambiguation)" at the top of this. i think JPG-GR did the move on 19 Feb without asking anybody else - correct me if i'm wrong on that.

I don't even think it's necessary to do the....


 * Add *Support or *Oppose followed by an optional one sentence explanation, then sign your vote with ~ 

because that was already done before (see the top of this page) Riphamilton (talk) 05:43, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

Programming Lineup
This section was not copied from external source. The source of the information is from regular listeners very familiar with the programming. --Rbonaccorso (talk) 14:28, 29 July 2008 (UTC)

Russ Salzberg
So is Russ Salzberg a current personality or a notable alumnus? He's listed in both sections, at the moment. - Dravecky (talk) 03:23, 11 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Russ Salzberg has not been an employee of WFAN since 1999 when his midday show with Steve Somers, "The Sweater and the Schmoozer" was cancelled. They were replaced by Suzyn Waldman and Jody McDonald.  Suzyn would be replaced by Sid Rosenberg and Jody McDonald by Joe Benigno.  Sid Rosenberg was eventually fired as well and replaced by Evan Robets.  Joe & Evan are the current hosts of the midday show.  Of the alumni from the midday show, only Steve Somers was retained by WFAN for evening shows. Rbonaccorso (talk) 13:07, 11 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Russ is now going to do Giants pre/post game shows. I'll add him back to current personalities. ErikNY (talk) 20:54, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

Twentieth anniversary lists removed
I have removed these lists from the the article as they are unencyclopedic, unreferenced trivia and do not speak to the subject of the article itself. Wikipedia is not a fansite. - Dravecky (talk) 20:39, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

"Greatest New York Sports Moments", 1987-2007

 * 20. WFAN's inaugural broadcast on July 1, 1987.
 * 19. David Cone pitches a perfect game against the Montreal Expos on July 18, 1999.
 * 18. Buster Douglas ends Mike Tyson's reign as undisputed heavyweight champion with a knockout victory over Tyson, in Tokyo on February 11, 1990.
 * 17. The New York Rangers' trade acquisition of Mark Messier in 1991.
 * 16. Endy Chavez's leaping, over-the-wall catch robs Scott Rolen of a home run during Game Seven of the 2006 National League Championship Series.
 * 15. Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 2,131st consecutive game on September 6, 1995, breaking Lou Gehrig's record.
 * 14. Roger Clemens throws a broken bat at Mike Piazza during Game Two of the 2000 World Series.
 * 13. Robin Ventura hits a "Grand Slam Single" to win Game Five of the 1999 National League Championship Series.
 * 12. The New York Mets defeat the St. Louis Cardinals to win the 2000 National League Championship Series.
 * 11. The Mets' free-agent signing of pitcher Pedro Martínez in 2004.
 * 10. The Mets' trade acquisition of catcher Mike Piazza in 1998.
 * 9. Derek Jeter's "flip" throw to Jorge Posada during Game Three of the 2001 American League Division Series.
 * 8. The Yankees defeat their crosstown rival, the Mets, in the 2000 World Series.
 * 7. Aaron Boone hits a walk-off home run to win Game Seven of the 2003 American League Championship Series.
 * 6. The Rangers defeat the Devils in Game Seven of the 1994 NHL Eastern Conference Finals, on Stephane Matteau's goal in double overtime.
 * 5. Mike Piazza hits a two-run home run in the eighth inning to help the Mets defeat the Atlanta Braves on September 21, 2001, the first major sporting event in New York City after 9/11.
 * 4. The Boston Red Sox reverse the "Curse of the Bambino", overcoming a 3-0 deficit during the 2004 American League Championship Series against the Yankees, followed by a sweep of the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series.
 * 3. The Yankees defeat the Braves to win the 1996 World Series.
 * 2. Scott Norwood's 47-yard field goal attempt goes wide right, allowing the Giants to win Super Bowl XXV over the Buffalo Bills.
 * 1. The Rangers defeat the Vancouver Canucks win the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, ending the "Curse of 1940"..

Midday Show Controversy

 * Section moved to Benigno & Roberts. &#91;&#91;User:GDuwen&#124;Gduwen&#93;&#93;. (talk) 16:18, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

Recent change
I take responsibility for reverting the article back to how it looked in late October. I felt this was necessary for two important reasons:

1) The station's historical story was deleted. This is important information that should be left intact, and can be edited down.  However, it should not have been eliminated.

2) Program schedules -- no, no, no, as per WP:NOT.

If anyone has a problem with what has been done, please comment below (and not on my talk page, thank you very much). Station Agent 836 (talk) 05:03, 14 December 2009 (UTC)

the call-up # is gone; should be considered encyclopediac info. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.195.35.47 (talk) 09:55, 1 January 2010 (UTC)

Recent Change discussion
I Modified the article last time but I have points to do:

1)The station's historical story was not deleted, it was moved to History of WFAN, a link was placed right before of a brief explanation: a. The Midday show controversy section was moved to Benigno & Roberts article under the section history, that should cover all the midday show topics. But I never EVER deleted nothing it was all moved, you should have check that before reverting the edits, the main problem was that the article is too long and should be separate in sub-articles such as History of WFAN.

2)Program Schedules, I understand about deleting them, no points about that. --Gduwen (talk) 01:01, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

Vandalism by JoeyB911
Re: "notable callers" which is a section I feel can be eliminated here anyway, user : JoeyB911 continues making non neutral edits re: only one section "Incarcerated Bob." The continued obviously fan boy style edits are suggestive of the user being "Incarcerated Bob" himself.

Having lived in the NY area, I can say that the guy is a legend in his own mind, and widely viewed as a shameless self promoter. Several sources have pointed to his 1,00 of fake Twitter followers, and the staggering lack of accuracy with his "predictions."

I have attempted to present this in a neutral manner, linking to sourcing on the negative aspects for clarity.

User Joeyb911, who is also the ip only culprit on earlier vandalism, and only edits wiki pages referencing "Bob" (check his edit history) hasn't contributed a single edit that fits non neutral POV standards, and that's not getting into how poor the grammar is.

I have attempted to assume good faith on his edits this far, simply reversing them to preserve the page's integrity and allowing him to try again to better edit to standard, but all he seems intent on doing is linking this section to Bob's Twitter page, which isn't relevant to this article at all.

I recommend locking the page to protect integrity, as we're now it appears, in an editing war. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.216.19.61 (talk) 23:19, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

Albany
I don't know how this would be sourced, but I am from Albany and I can pick up WFAN somewhat weakly on my radio/ipod dock, and it can be heard stronger on a car radio. I know this from experience. --Coingeek (talk) 00:40, 14 April 2012 (UTC)

Notable Callers Section
To all who are looking to edit the Notable Callers section, please edit it carefully. Not everybody who calls on WFAN is a notable caller and deserves a spot in the section. This section has been plagued with vandalism and poor grammar over the past few weeks, and it should be noted that all unnecessary content will be deleted. Please take care of this section and edit it wisely. --Albino Geronimo (talk) 06:49, 9 May 2014 (UTC)

20/20 Sports
WFAN was not the first to do "20/20 Sports". WARM in Scranton, Pa. had been doing them since the '60s. I do not have verifiable sources to include this on WARM's page, but the anecdotal evidence (here and elsewhere) is enough to cast doubt on the "first" claim in the WFAN article. [I also personally listened to "20/20 Sports" on WARM as far back as the early '70s — again, not enough for a source, but enough to remove the claim here.] The wording has been changed to a more neutral stance. → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 00:56, 8 October 2015 (UTC)

External links modified
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External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 8 external links on WFAN (AM). Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
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Heard in Southern Cal/West coast in 1980s
In the time before WNBC became WFAN in 1988, it was on a relay transmitter in Palm Springs, California on AM dial 660. The purpose was to spread WNBC west of the Rockies, since WNBC's signal would reach as far west to eastern Colorado (East of the Rockies). Later it became KHWY (now on 101.1/5 FM) in Amboy, California broadcasting country/western music for truckers in 4 interstates in the California Desert. Adinneli (talk) 20:51, 4 October 2018 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 08:42, 24 January 2021 (UTC)
 * WFAN logo.svg

Merged WNBC (AM) back into the fan
WFAN has the same profile as the NBC article did, and many station articles did not have their page split into when they were an NBC station. e.g. WQHT, WSCR etc. When the fan debuted on 1050 (WEPN (AM)), guess what, it's not split into an article about WHN. I also changed the years to Full years because they are all better, and on the profile, WNBC is split into one. Please note that if you want me to split the articles back, just ask me for a good reason and I will. But for now, WNBC and the fan will be one article, do not split back without discussing it one the talk page. Thanks, Popculturelover2021 (talk) 22:38, 4 April 2022 (UTC)
 * This is the right call—one license, one article. The article will need a lot of work and be quite long, but this is the right call. The lead section needs to mention its long tenure as WNBC, though. Sammi Brie  (she/her • t • c) 18:13, 5 April 2022 (UTC)
 * i absolutely agree! Popculturelover2021 (talk) 20:18, 5 April 2022 (UTC)