Longtime host Joe Benigno bemoans the state of WFAN: Never be what it once was

Joe Benigno made a bold claim about the current state of WFAN.During an appearance on “The Jake Asman Show” on Friday, Benigno, who still works part-time at the station, was quick to say WFAN is on the decline.“The Fan will never be what it once was,” Benigno said.“I know I work part-time there, the days of Imus, the days of ’Mike and the Mad Dog,’ the days of Steve Somers and myself overnight, all of that, Eddie Coleman and Dave Sims — those days — we’ll never see anything like that again…“The heyday, we’ve all seen the heyday of the Fan and sports talk radio in general.”Benigno still hosts a weekly Saturday morning show but insists that he does not at all miss being at the network full-time.“I don’t miss it at all,” Benigno said to host Jake Asman.

“I’m happy I do my little show on Saturday, I do my little podcast, I do not miss my commute into the city, thank God I’m not going into the city these days, that’s for sure.“No.

I did it for 25 years, it was a great run, I was fortunate to be able to do what I did, but I really don’t miss it, to be very honest with you.It ran its course for me as far as an everyday thing.” Benigno’s comments come a short time after WFAN mainstays Erica Herskowitz and Rich Ackerman departed from the network in December.Both Herskowitz and Ackerman were at the network for nearly three decades, working as 20/20 “sports flash” update anchors.“After 29 years, this is my final update on WFAN.

I just want to thank the listeners for always being so nice to me, especially when I first started as a 20-year-old.I was terrible and I knew it.

Probably not much better right now.Happy holidays to everybody.

It’s been a good run,” Herskowitz said as she signed off.During his sign off, Ackerman said that emotions got the best of him and that he “shed a lot of tears.”“It’s very emotional.It’s been a very tough day, and I’m like Dick [Vermeil] — I cry a lot.

And I’ve shed...