Love them or hate them, there's no denying WFAN's "Mike & the Mad Dog" revolutionized what has become of sports-talk radio.
The cerebral Mike Francesa and vitriolic Chris Russo provided a blueprint for stations across the dial yet maintained an originality that set it apart from its imitators.
New York's top-rated sports talk show is now officially no more with the announcement Thursday that "Mad Dog" Russo has left WFAN after 19 years of being teamed with Francesa. The development was presaged in June by Newsday columnist Neil Best, who reported the relationship between the two had become strained and their future together was in doubt.
Francesa, 54, will go it alone as host of his own daily show. Concurrent with Russo's departure was word that Francesa, who also hosts a weekly show on New York's WNBC-TV, has inked a new longterm deal with WFAN.
Russo, meanwhile, told Best he is considering several opportunities. Best speculates Russo, 48, could end up on Sirius Satellite Radio.
Best traces the history of "Mike & the Mad Dog" in a column published today in Newsday and on Newsday.com.
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