WFAN-ESPN ratings battle feels over as Craig Carton trounces Michael Kay again

The world of sports radio is a place where endless opinions are spewed every day, but judgment of the hosts is based on numbers. 

For the three-month spring book, Craig Carton and Evan Roberts delivered for FAN, trouncing ESPN New York’s “The Michael Kay Show,” according to Nielsen Audio. 

In the demographic that the stations traditionally have measured themselves upon (men, 25-54), “Carton and Roberts” were second with a 6.3 share in the market over the three-month period, while the Kay Show sank to 11th, with a 3.3 share.

This is the second straight full-ratings book win for “Carton & Roberts” after suffering a loss to Kay in the fall. 

It may not be “Stop the fight!” time, but ESPN continues to diminish radio and, at the moment, it is hard to fathom a Kay comeback.

The most interesting aspect on the horizon is how Carton, 53, will be able to handle his forthcoming new national morning show on FS1, which is expected to start very early, maybe 6 or 7 a.m.. The program is likely to be a couple of hours long. 

FS1’s hope is for it to begin in September, but it has yet to find Carton a co-host after a failed attempt for ESPN’s Damien Woody. 

When the show begins, Carton will host mornings on FS1 and then his 2-6:30 p.m. WFAN show. Going off the theory that Carton will have to pay attention to sports a little, that is a daily grind.

Carton’s morning TV show will offer an alternative to WFAN’s “Boomer & Gio.” When The Post broke the story months ago that Carton would have the TV Show, Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti – whose show is also on CBS Sports Network – downplayed the idea that there would be any rivalry. They may not be wrong, but the duo could use more competition. 

They are dominating in the mornings, as they finished second in the market with a 9.2 share. (Spanish Language WSKQ was first overall in both mornings and afternoon.)

If ESPN were fully trying, they would move Rick DiPietro and Dave Rothenberg’s show to 6-10 a.m. to go head-to-head with “Boomer & Gio.” Instead “DiPietro & Rothenberg” are on from 5-8 a.m. It hangs in there against WFAN’s “Warmup Show” with Al Dukes and Jerry Recco (5-6 a.m.) and the FAN’s big show with Boomer & Gio. 

While DiPietro and Rothenberg picked up 3.6 share, good for seventh against FAN, which includes two hours of head-to-head against “Boomer & Gio,” ESPN’s national show with Keyshawn Johnson, Jay Williams and Max Kellerman, on from 8-10 a.m. in New York, is barely heard, finishing 17th with a 1.6 share.

ESPN puts on Mike Greenberg’s show at 10 a.m., but Greenberg is seemingly never on it as he fulfills his TV hosting roles. The concept of “Greeny without Greeny” is a novel approach, but feels unsustainable and further demonstrates what ESPN thinks of radio.

ESPN has spent years not paying attention to radio and now the audience has followed the company’s lead. It has an agreement with Good Karma Radio, which now runs 98.7 FM. 

The ratings battle feels as if it may be coming to a close as Mike Francesa brought his egomaniac juice to the festivities, while ESPN and Good Karma’s management may be in a competition to see who is less interested in the fight.

“Carton & Roberts” aren’t “Mike & the Mad Dog,” but Carton and Roberts are working better together. It is less of a pure sports discussion because, as Chris Russo allegedly once said to Carton years ago, “Craig, do you even like sports?” Whatever the case, listeners are choosing Carton & Roberts over Kay. 

As for Kay and his partners, Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg, they have their old excuses about a lack of lead-in. This is true. WFAN’s Tiki Barber and Brandon Tierney had a 4.6 share, good for sixth from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., while ESPN New York with “Greeny without Greeny” and “Bart & Hahn” picked up a 1.8, finishing 18th.

Kay and company enjoyed the fact that they beat “Carton & Roberts” in the fall. It was a bit of a surprise then. It was a good win, but now Carton & Roberts are destroying Kay and company in the ratings. 

It feels like the fight may be over.