Joe Benigno Retiring From WFAN/NY
• Entercom has confirmed that longtime WFAN/New York personality Joe Benigno will retire as afternoon drive co-host. His final show alongside Evan Roberts will be Friday, November 6. Benigno will continue to be heard on the station in select roles beginning in 2021. Listen to his announcement.
“Joe Benigno is the quintessential New York sports fan, broadcasting his trademark straight-from-the-heart perspective on the city’s sports scene every day for nearly three decades,” said Chris Oliviero, SVP/Market Manager, Entercom New York. “Though Joe first came to prominence as ‘Joe from Saddle River,’ he departs as one of the most successful and enduring hosts in the long and iconic history of WFAN. It is comforting to know that he remains a part of the FAN family and will still be keeping a close eye on his beloved Jets, Mets, Knicks and Rangers.”
Benigno, now 67, first appeared on WFAN’s radar as an animated and opinionated caller, “Joe from Saddle River.” He formally joined WFAN in 1995 after winning the station’s “Fan Appreciation Day” contest, where the prize was to guest-host a show. After a stint at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and a small New Jersey radio station, Benigno was hired as WFAN’s overnight host in 2004. He later moved up to middays from 2003 to 2019 before moving up to afternoons earlier this year. Benigno said, “It seems like these 26 years have gone by in 10 minutes… Where has it all gone? It’s been a stellar ride.”
• If the weeks of constant rumors are correct — and we believe they are — Benigno’s departure sets the stage for the dramatic return of former WFAN morning co-host Craig Carton as afternoon co-host. Stay tuned.
