CBS Sports Network will ring in the new year with Boomer & Carton on its roster and the channel’s leader is looking forward to the arrival of the sports-talk duo.
The national cable network, which counts over 53 million subscribers and is available to 99 million homes nationwide, will begin simulcasting the popular weekday morning show, hosted by Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton, that is broadcast on CBS Radio’s WFAN AM/FM, starting in early January.
“We’re very excited about the addition of Boomer & Carton,”said CBS Sports president David Berson in an interview. “It’s a nice new element for our lineup and we’re looking forward to opening up the show to more exposure across the country.”
Boomer & Carton, which originates from CBS Radio’s WFAN studio in New York City, previously had been simulcast on MSG Network until its contract with the regional sports network expired in September. YES Network also was reportedly in the hunt to add the show to its early-morning lineup.
The four-hour morning show is hosted by NFL on CBS studio analyst Esiason and the opinionated Carton live Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. (ET) and features local sports talk, news headlines, and interviews with current and former sports icons, league personnel, and a variety of national celebrities from the entertainment and music industries.
Despite the wider berth, Berson said CBS Sports Network likes the show’s format the way it is. “We’re not looking to change the show. It’s very informative and a lot of fun,” he said. “Their focus is on the New York sports scene, which they really embrace. But Boomer and Carton look at the entire sports landscape.”
Berson said the deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, came together quickly, and CBS Sports Network has not yet made any decisions about the rest of its weekday schedule.
Currently, the network airs encores of Lead Off, the late-night show co-hosted by Doug Gottlieb and Allie LaForce that premieres at midnight, during early morning hours. The show is followed by a simulcast of Sirius XM’s The Tim Brando Show that premieres live from 9 a.m. to noon. Timmy B’s college sports-centric show then reairs over the ensuing three hours.
Berson also deflected talks of CBS Sports Network adding another WFAN heavyweight, Mike Francesa, to its lineup. “He’s currently under contract,"said Berson. "If and when the opportunity arises, we would be interested, like we are with any other great program.”
Mike'D Up: Francesa on the FAN is simulcast on YES, and gains national exposure via the RSN’s national feed. YES signed a renewal deal with Francesa in March 2009. Francesa has been a fixture on the cable home to the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets since its inception in 2002, when he appeared with former colleague Chris Russo, on their Mike and the Mad Dog show.
