Mike Francesa: Entercom cracking down on unauthorized use of clips from show
Mike Francesa talks with guest host Bill Simmons (not pictured) during Francesa's show at the WFAN studios in Manhattan on Monday, May 16, 2016. Credit: Craig Ruttle
Mike Francesa announced on his WFAN radio program on Thursday that Entercom, WFAN’s parent company, is cracking down on unauthorized use of its video and audio and will require that other outlets get its permission before using such material.
The move was prompted in part by a video earlier this week in which Francesa sharply criticized the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a segment that has been viewed more than 2 million times and received national attention, including from cable news channels.
The video, like many from Francesa’s programs on Radio.com and WFAN, initially drew attention after being posted on the Twitter feed @BackAftaThis, which for years has chronicled Francesa.
Many Twitter posters noted that @BackAftaThis helps publicize Francesa and the station. The site’s producer, who never has identified himself publicly, clearly agreed.
He posted on Twitter, "He just went from being mostly irrelevant to completely irrelevant . . . Now nobody has to listen to his incoherent ramblings from the basement anymore.”
On Thursday night, @BackAftaThis began a Twitter campaign to get people to unfollow Francesa's account.
Francesa later told Newsday, "Entercom finally enforces its rights after my video commentary receives over 2.4 million views and is aired on three major networks. This unknown, obsessive freak then whines in anger that I'm headed for obscurity. He needs a life and a new obsession. Or better, write a big check to Entercom."
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.
