Sal Licata and Brandon Tierney got quite a lump of coal in their stockings this holiday season when they got word that their midday show on WFAN was going to be canceled as Craig Carton gets set to make yet another return to the station.
While the hosts have stated that they did have advance notice that Carton could soon be back at WFAN, it is no easy thing to lose a dream job. There are only so many hours in the day for the legendary New York City sports talk station to program, and Carton is a big star.
Fortunately for Tierney and Licata, their strong work and professionalism gave them a chance to keep hosting through Friday, when they signed off for the final time. In the last moments of the show, Licata recalled words of wisdom from his father, gave thanks to WFAN leadership, and asked the audience to follow him and Tierney as they go forward in their careers.
“Life is going to keep hitting you, and hitting you hard. And try to take you down to your knees,” Licata said. “It’s not about how many times you get hit, it’s about how many hits you can take and keep moving forward. And it’s not a knock on the FAN or whatever, it’s just life in general. So I’m ready to take this hit, and just like I’ve taken many hits before, I’m going to keep moving forward.”
BT and Sal sign off as they wrap up their final show 🫡@BrandonTierney @sal_licata pic.twitter.com/Jx6RC2cpXU
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) December 12, 2025
With Tierney set to appear on the station a few more times in the coming days, he largely allowed Licata to have the final word. The two grew emotional as the show ended, but teased future work together.
“It’s an end for this chapter of the show on this station, which we love very much and very appreciative (of),” Licata added. “A lot of shows that are no longer going to be on don’t get this opportunity. So that is not lost on me. Thank you to all the bosses for allowing us to finish … having the opportunity to have a goodbye show and all of that stuff.”
In closing, Licata resolved that he was immensely proud of the work he did with Tierney and their fortitude in the face of the Carton news this month. Licata began as an intern at the station more than two decades ago, working his way up to a full-time midday host in recent years. Jumping to a different city or even a different platform would be a big change.
Tierney has a more wide-ranging background, having worked in northern California and Pennsylvania and hosted on television.
Going forward, Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber will host middays for WFAN while Carton slides into the afternoon drive slot.
Licata and Tierney appeared to be popular at WFAN and the response has been strong since the show’s cancelation, signaling a potential future for the duo if they want to stay on-air together.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.