Former WFAN host Craig Carton launches podcast in return to public commentary
Craig Carton speaks during WFAN's 30th anniversary celebration live show at Grand Central Station on June 22, 2017. Credit: Corey Sipkin
Craig Carton has been publicly silent for nearly three months on sports and other subjects, a circumstance he said “has been much more difficult than I ever thought it would be.”
To at least partially address it, the former WFAN host announced on Monday a new podcast and website, both called “Hello, My Name is Craig,” that went live at 10 a.m.
It will feature a new podcast interview every Monday starting on Dec. 4 plus commentaries by Carton during the week.
“Having a voice and opinion on issues of the day, sports or otherwise, is what I’ve done every day for the past 25 years,” he said in an interview with Newsday via email, “and not doing that for the past few months has been hard.
“I’ll be able to do that on a weekly basis with the podcast and I’ll be posting a variety of content on the site throughout the week as well.”
Carton was arrested on Sept. 6 on federal charges of wire fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy and resigned a week later. WFAN announced last week that Gregg Giannotti will replace him alongside Boomer Esiason starting on Jan. 2.
Carton pleaded not guilty at his arraignment earlier this month.
In an introductory podcast that went live on Monday, Carton said, “This is not what I want to be doing. You know what I want to be doing,” an apparent reference to his old job at WFAN.
In the interview with Newsday, Carton said he has listened to and watched the simulcast of the WFAN morning show on occasion since he left, “which isn’t easy to do.” Jerry Recco has filled his old seat most days.
He added, “As much as I’d love to be back in the room with those guys, as friends, I wish them the very best and continued success.”
Giannotti said last week that Carton had called him upon learning he got the WFAN job.
“I’ve known Gregg for a decade and wanted to wish him well,” Carton told Newsday. “I reminded him that he was working with some of the best guys in the business.”
In a statement in the news release announcing the site, Carton said, “I’m so thankful for all my family, friends and fans that have stuck with me and reached out, as well as to the podcast’s sponsor Adorama, as we start on this new journey.
“It feels great to be able to broadcast again and bring listeners stories of some amazing people who will talk about their journeys of determination, decisiveness, recovery, success and failure. I’ve missed doing it and am looking forward to bringing my perspective to the website every day with some fresh content and the weekly podcast.”
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.
