Former WFAN host Craig Carton starts new chapter with trial looming

Craig Carton has nothing against the new WFAN lineup and said he is rooting for it to succeed. But, he added, “I think all the shows would be better if I were on them, of course.”

That is not in the cards for the foreseeable future, though, with his trial looming in late October on federal charges of wire and securities fraud, charges that led to his resignation from WFAN last September.

In the meantime, he will have a new daily outlet for his thoughts on sports and other matters, a 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. show called “Carton & Friends” on the FNTSY Sports streaming network, with over-the-air syndication in the works. It begins on Thursday.

Carton has been doing a podcast since December, but he believes a four-hour program is a chance to “get back to the form that I love the most, which is extended content and radio without limitations.”

The show will focus primarily on sports, with an emphasis on New York sports. But Carton said he will veer into non-sports topics and non-New York sports, as he did in 10 years alongside Boomer Esiason in morning drive time on WFAN.

He also plans to take calls, which could open him up to some of the harsh feedback he has faced in some corners of social media. But he said he mostly has been treated well by the public since his arrest on Sept. 6.

“Listen, there’s a small group of Twitter tough guys who it seems like their only goal in life is to poke at people,” he said. “I don’t worry about that. I’ve been around too long for that to bother me.

“Certainly overwhelmingly from the people I interact with, whether it be in the streets or at restaurants or at a ball game, the support’s been phenomenal. I think there’s a large group of listeners, former listeners of mine, that are excited about my return.

“I think we will have a significant audience starting Day One for people that no longer listen to the radio station I used to be on.”

Carton said he still listens to WFAN when he can, although he reprised a long-running joke aimed at former WFAN colleague and rival Mike Francesa, who has said he did not listen in the morning because he was busy with his children.

“A lot of times when I’m taking my kids to school all day every day it’s hard to listen as much as I’d like,” Carton said. “But I’ve listened. I have nothing against any of those shows. I’ve maintained a great relationship with all the guys who are still on the FAN — at least I think I have.”

“I think for any new show, especially in New York City, it takes time to grow and it takes time to find your voice and your niche and what works and what doesn’t work. Replacing ‘Boomer and Carton,’ replacing Mike Francesa, is not the easiest thing in the world.

“I obviously root for those guys to do well. But I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t think that if I were in any one of those chairs, the shows would certainly be different.”

Jerry Recco sat in for Carton in the morning last fall, then Gregg Giannotti took over that spot Jan. 2, the same launch date for Chris Carlin, Maggie Gray and Bart Scott in the afternoon.

In January and February, ratings were down for both time slots compared with recent WFAN history.

“Me taking shots at those shows would be silly, because what have any of them done to me?” Carton said. “They’re all trying their best and doing their best. As I’ve said many times on my podcast or whenever I’ve been asked, the audience will ultimately determine a show’s success.”

Carton presumably will have to go on hiatus during his trial, barring a resolution before then. He is accused of being part of a fraudulent ticket reselling scheme designed in part to pay off gambling debts.

After pleading not guilty in November, he said, “I am unequivocally not guilty of what I’m being charged with.”

On Tuesday, he said, “I’m looking forward to my opportunity for my story to be told. I would certainly wish that it could be told a lot sooner than the end of October, but I respect that’s what the process is. I have never wavered about what I’ve said about my case and I’m not going to start now.”

Carton said his “spirits are great,” thanks both to the new program and his family.

“I’m sitting in my car with my four kids right now, who are amazing and push me up whenever I need it,” he said. “I view the world in the same way. There are a lot adjustments out there, for sure, but I’m very positive in the direction I’m going in and the direction my life is going to go in.”

“Carton & Friends” will be available on a number of digital outlets, including the FNTSY Sports Radio Network app, iHeart Radio, TuneIn, and devices such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home.

Carton will be joined by Corey Parson and MMA analyst Michelle Serpico from a studio at the Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel in Manhattan. The public will be able to watch live.

FNTSY is owned by SportsGrid, whose president, Lou Maione, is a longtime friend of Carton.

Carton said it was no accident the premiere was set for Opening Day. (BobsBlitz.com reported the first-day guests will include YES Network analyst Al Leiter and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie.)

“I’ve always seen Opening Day as a bit of a rebirth,” Carton said. “No matter who you root for, that team’s got a chance. I thought it was apropos . . . I thought there was some poetic justice to starting it on Opening Day because of what that means to so many people, myself included.”

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.