Over the years, WFAN hosts have defined sports talk in New York City. From Mike Francesa to Chris Russo to Craig Carton to Boomer Esiason, some of the biggest names in NYC’s sports media market can be found on that radio dial.
Tiki Barber wants to be on that list as well.
“I told [WFAN program director] Spike [Eskin] when he asked me about taking this job, I said, ‘I want to be one of the most important voices in New York sports media,” Barber told The New York Post. “It’s going to take time to get there, but that’s what I want to do.”
Barber was profiled by Andrew Marchand in the Post this week as he’s acclimating to his role in the coveted afternoon timeslot alongside Evan Roberts. As Marchand notes, WFAN hasn’t been able to find long-term stability in the afternoon since Mike & The Mad Dog ended but the hope is that Roberts brings the sports talk acumen and Barber brings in attention and the sponsors.
From a ratings perspective, it’s so far, so good for Evan & Tiki, which officially kicked off this summer when Carton left for FS1. And that’s expected to get even easier when rival ESPN New York shuffles loose its FM signal.
The issue for Barber is likability. While he was a huge star for the New York Giants and flashes a megawatt smile, he’s still living down the impact of several negative statements he made about former teammates early in his media career and an extramarital affair that derailed his television career.
Even now, he tends to make headlines not when he provides something insightful or entertaining but when things go wrong, such as his disproven theory about the Jets and Hard Knocks (which he had to apologize for) and for walking out of the studio when another host made him too angry.
Tiki Barber calls "bull****" and walks off the show after Joe Benigno accuses him of hating the Jets. (H/T: @JimmyTraina) pic.twitter.com/rGlEg0PtQy
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 25, 2023
In his role, Barber is already one of the most recognized voices in New York sports media. But as for being one of the most important, that’s going to take some work.
“Barber’s opinions need to be a little more forceful, if they want them to matter more,” wrote Marchand. “Sports radio isn’t AI, it’s a lot about human emotion. It’s why we care.”
