Boomer and Gio

Boomer and Gio
Other names Boomer and Carton (2007–2017)
The Morning Show with Boomer (2017)
Genre Sports talk
Running time 4 hours
(6:00–10:00 a.m. ET)
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
Home station WFAN AM/FM (2007–present)
TV adaptations CBS Sports Network (2014–present)
MSG Network (2010–2013)
Starring Boomer Esiason (2007–present)
Gregg Giannotti (2018–present)
Craig Carton (2007–2017)
Produced by Eddie Scozzare (2007-present)
Executive producer(s) Al Dukes (2007-present)
Recording studio 345 Hudson Street, Manhattan, New York, New York
Original release September 4, 2007 – present
Website Boomer and Gio

Boomer and Gio (previously The Morning Show with Boomer (2017) and Boomer and Carton (2007–2017) is a morning drive sports radio program on WFAN-AM and WFAN-FM in New York City. It is hosted by former Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti. Previously it was co-hosted by Craig Carton (formerly of The Jersey Guys). The show debuted on September 4, 2007.[1][2] The show was simulcast on MSG Network from September 14, 2010, through September 13, 2013, and began airing on CBS Sports Network on January 6, 2014.[3]

History

In the wake of shock jock Don Imus's controversial comments in early 2007, CBS Radio fired the long-time radio personality. From then on, various hosts filled the 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. time slot left by the Imus firing. Charles McCord and Chris Carlin remained on all the replacement shows as assistance and staff, in similar roles as they had on Imus's show, and the replacement shows continued to be syndicated via Westwood One. Mike Francesa and Chris Russo were the first to fill the spot, hosting for the two weeks (April 16–27) immediately after Imus's firing. Francesa and Russo also worked the shift separate from each other, as did fellow WFAN staffers Richard Neer, Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts, and Carlin, who worked both alone and with co-hosts, notably Kim Jones and Washington Post sports columnist John Feinstein.

WFAN and Westwood One also brought in outside personalities for the slot; among them were Boomer Esiason, David Gregory, Patrick McEnroe, Geraldo Rivera, Lou Dobbs, and Chicago sports radio host Mike North.

On September 4, 2007, Esiason took over as the permanent host of the WFAN morning show, with veteran radio personality Craig Carton serving as co-host. This began a 10-year run for the duo hosting the show, which was dubbed Boomer and Carton. The new program was not distributed nationally by Westwood One. During the 2009 spring and summer ratings periods the program finished in first place among men ages 25–54.

A television simulcast debuted on MSG Network on September 14, 2010, giving the show more exposure in upstate New York.[4] On December 2, 2013, CBS announced that it would present the show on CBS Sports Network beginning in January 2014.[3]

Carton's 2017 arrest and resignation from show

On September 6, 2017, Carton was arrested by federal agents at his home in New York City on criminal charges of securities fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit those offenses. Carton and two associates are alleged to have run a Ponzi scheme that defrauded $5.6 million from investors by falsely claiming they had access to millions of dollars of concert tickets at face value through non-existent agreements with concert promoters. Carton allegedly used the funds from new investors to cover millions of dollars of gambling debts and to repay earlier investors.[5][6][7]

On September 13, 2017, Carton submitted a resignation letter to CBS Radio, ending his run on the program. Carton said he wished to give his former show "the best opportunity to succeed without further disruption".[8] CBS announced it would look to hire a replacement host.[9] Overnight before the September 14 program, WFAN rebranded the show under a new title, The Morning Show with Boomer, and had its set designers remove any mention of Carton from the set.[10] The show's jingles were re-recorded in the week prior to only refer to Esiason under the show's new title.

Gregg Giannotti named as Carton's replacement

After Carton's resignation, Jerry Recco filled in as co-host on most days.[11] On November 15, 2017, WFAN announced Gregg Giannotti as the new permanent co-host. Giannotti is a former WFAN producer who later hosted morning radio programs for KDKA-FM in Pittsburgh and, most recently, the Gio and Jones morning show for CBS Sports Radio.[11][12][13] On January 2, 2018, Boomer and Gio officially began.[14]

On-air

Carton's walk across the Brooklyn Bridge in a Speedo

To New York, the greatest city in the world where a man shows what he's got for the New York Giants.

—Craig Carton

On January 18, 2008, Carton honored a wager by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge holding a sign reading "Any Given Sunday"[15] and wearing only a Speedo and New York Giants All-Pro tight end Jeremy Shockey jersey.[16] After a week of berating the local team, Carton guaranteed the Giants would lose to the despised division rival Dallas Cowboys.[16][17] The following Sunday the Giants upset the Cowboys, 21–17.[18][19]

After the stunt, Carton quipped, "It's an experience I will never do again".[16]

On January 8, 2010, Carton repeated the stunt this time in the colors of the New York Jets, following Carton's earlier claim that the Jets would not make the playoffs. This stunt meant a lot more for Carton as he is a long-time Jets fan.[20]

Brett the Jet

Really, for somebody to do that with a bullhorn, No. 1, you're not a Jets fan and you're not interested in the team. You're interested in yourself and bringing light to yourself. So, as players, we would laugh at it. We consider Carton annoying and unfunny, while Boomer is a traitor.[21]

—Chad Pennington

On July 30, 2008, at 1 pm, Carton went to the NY Jets training camp at Hofstra University in Uniondale, Long Island.[21] Carton brought a megaphone and rallied a group of a few hundred Jets fans cheering "Let's Get Brett". The chant was a response to speculation that Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre was looking to be traded upon coming out of a brief retirement. Carton had reasoned with the Jets organization over the air to put out a statement that the Jets were not pursuing Favre, if that was the case. If the Jets made this statement, he agreed to not show up at camp—but the Jets organization never came forward. Carton was chastised by the local media for this "stunt" and many local reporters felt the Jets stood no chance of getting Favre. On August 7, 2008, the Jets acquired Favre for a conditional fourth-round draft pick.[22]

Regular segments

  • What did Al Dukes order at his local Thai Restaurant
  • Ding Dong, Hellooo
  • Attention Grabber – A weekly segment where Carton selects an attractive random woman (usually from Maxim), with a soundbite consisting of Esiason saying "She's a hot box of rocks" used as a "seal of approval". Often, Carton precedes the segment by asking Al Dukes (the show's producer, affectionately known as "Al Hughes") what would he do if he saw the woman. Notable "Attention Grabbers" have included Caitlin Upton, Kelly Brook and Riyo Mori.
  • Gas Face Goat Horns – A segment that consists of Esiason and Carton placing the blame for a certain team's loss. A soundbite of Michelle Beadle saying "Gas Face Horns" will be played
  • Do You Know More Sports Than ... – A contest where an attractive woman in the studio answers sports related questions, with the caller (or in some occasions, a WFAN employee) trying to answer more of the questions correctly than the woman. In some occasions, Carton would (jokingly) recommend Dukes to the woman if she is single. Often, the woman in question would choose "Team Boomer" over "Team Cragie" due to Esiason's winning record against Carton. Recently, the rules of that contest were modified, where the woman must correctly answer five questions regarding her favorite local sports team, with the prize being tickets to a home game of that specific team
  • Jerry's Updates – Jerry Recco (incorrectly spelled and pronounced "Rello" by Carton, in a joking reference to former Mets color commentator Wayne Hagin's on-air mistake of referring to him as "Jerry Rello") provides periodic updates from the sports world. A recurrent gag during this segment had Recco provide inaccurate reports, only to be mocked by Carton, and the soundbite (My mistake, I apologize), will be played when Recco makes a mistake. During a Thanksgiving show, Carton had also criticized Recco's Pilgrim hat, stating that Recco looked like an "Orthodox Jew", leading to Carton, who is Jewish himself, singing "Hava Nagila", a Jewish folk song. A lot of the time soundbites will be played from managers or broadcasters ex (John Sterling, Suzyn Waldman, Howie Rose, etc.)
  • Mets Fans For Yankees! – During the last month of the MLB regular season, Carton would attempt to "convert" New York Mets fans into New York Yankees fans in hopes of success for the latter team, much to Esiason's dismay.
  • Moment of the Day – A specific moment during the show being regarded as the best one of the day
  • Al (Hughes) Dukes Sings – Often, Dukes would sing a song relating to a local team
  • Show & Tell – A weekly rotating segment where Recco, Esiason or Dukes would bring an item to show in-studio, only for it to be disposed of by Carton thereafter
  • Morning Cup of Joe – A pre-recorded segment where Joe Benigno reveals five top stories in sports as well as in the news
  • Boomer's Fantasy – fantasy football segment updated every Friday during the NFL regular season

Recurring gags

In addition, a recurrent gag on the show has Carton mocking various sportscasters, most frequently Jim Nantz, Jim Rome, John Sterling, Kevin Harlan, Marv Albert and Suzyn Waldman (he also mocks Albert's son Kenny, Orel Hershiser, Chris Russo and Mike Francesa). Another gag on the show had Carton suggesting to use star 67 if the person he wants Al Dukes to call does not respond. Other gags have included Carton asking Esiason for an advance copy of the video game Call of Duty due to Esiason's association with an employee from Activision, as well as Carton's dislike of ice hockey, reflected in soundbites consisting of a little girl saying that "I don't really care about hockey" and another from B&C blog writer Bob Dwyer saying that "nobody cares about hockey, Boomer", the latter being played whenever Esiason brings up a topic or news regarding ice hockey.

In addition, the frequent criticism of Sterling and Waldman on Boomer and Carton led the show to be credited for WFAN retaining them when the station acquired Yankees broadcasting rights in 2013.

In several occasions, Carton, alongside Dukes, would accompany Esiason to various cities where he is broadcasting a Monday Night Football game for Westwood One. As a result, the next day's show is remotely broadcast from that particular city.

  • Also, when Kevin Harlan has broadcast a game from the previous night, the soundbite (Great point, Boomer) is played from a game where Esiason was his broadcast partner.
  • Whenever Jim Nantz is mentioned, two soundbites of Nantz making an unintelligible noise and of Nantz saying his signature "Hello, friends!" introduction are played, often in excess, with Carton mocking him. Carton and Esiason will make fun of Nantz during The Masters golf tournament and during the NFL season.
  • Whenever Westwood One Sports executive producer Howard Deneroff is mentioned or referred to, a soundbite taken from a Westwood One broadcast ("The executive producer is Howard Deneroff") is played.
  • When referring to a bad team, Carton would play the soundbite from Mike Francesa's rant on the New York Mets (They Stink!!!) and will use it pretending to ask Francesa questions on what he thought on both the team in question and various topics, with the soundbite used as Francesa's "reply"
  • Whenever a news topic involving Jordany Valdespin is mentioned, a soundbite of Valdespin saying "I'm the man right now" is played, with Carton mocking him at various intervals, including the use of a Russian accent to imitate him (despite the fact that Valdespin is actually Dominican). During a segment, Carton, as Valdespin, pretended to ask David Wright, Dukes, Francesa, Joe Benigno, Marc Malussis and even Russian president Vladimir Putin if they were "The Man" (in reference to Valdespin's catchphrase), with Carton repling "No, because I'm the man right now!"
  • On some occasions, Carton and Esiason would imagine (and have fun at the expense of) how several news outlets, most often ESPN, would handle certain news stories (e.g., Ben Roethlisberger's rib injury and the end of the NHL lockout). In one show, Carton and Esiason poked fun at Cleveland-based radio show Bull & Fox (broadcast on WKRK-FM) by naming various fictional sports talk shows after farm animals

Former topics and gags

  • Movie-oke (with Al Dukes and "the" Eddie Scozzare)
  • Rat of the Week
  • Boomer eBay item of the week
  • Boomer & Carton's To Tell the Truth
  • "Do you know more sports than a hot co-ed" game show. Formerly "Do you know more sports than a housewife"
  • Al Dukes and Tony Paige Pre-Show
  • Carton's Jeopardy
  • Boom Jovi
  • Boom-Cougar Mellencamp
  • Boom Stewart
  • Boom'd Up!
  • Blog Shout-outs (December 11, 2009)
  • Al Dukes Weekly Jets Song Parody

Controversies

On April 1, 2014, Boomer and Carton were discussing Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy taking paternity leave in order to be with his wife for the birth of his first child, and that Murphy would be unable to attend opening day. In an otherwise out-of-character moment for the otherwise socially conscious Esiason, he was critical of Murphy, saying his wife should have scheduled "a C-section before the season starts" because he "needs to be at Opening Day". After getting blow-back from groups like the March of Dimes and the majority of the program's listeners, Esiason later apologized to Murphy and his wife for "creating an intrusion into a very sacred and personal moment in their lives" and for making an "insensitive remark that I sincerely regret". Carton, as per his character, remained indifferent, referring to those who opposed them as "knuckleheads".[23][24]

References

  1. ↑ "Boomer Esiason, Craig Carton to Host Morning Drive on WFAN-AM in New York". All American Patriots. Archived from the original on 2009-07-01. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
  2. ↑ "CBS Sports Team". CBS. August 4, 2007. Archived from the original on 2006-11-27. Retrieved February 23, 2007.
  3. 1 2 "Boomer & Carton 'Joining' CBS Sports Network in Simulcast Form". BobsBlitz.com. December 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  4. ↑ WFAN, New York's Boomer & Carton will be simulcast on TV Archived April 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ "Radio Host Charged With Concert Ticket Investment Scam". SEC. September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Complaint USDC-SDNY 07Cv06746 Filed 09/06/2017" (PDF). SEC. September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  7. ↑ Bekiempis, Victoria (September 6, 2017). "Craig Carton, 'Boomer & Carton' co-host, arrested by FBI over alleged $5.6M ticket scam to pay his gambling debts". NY Daily News. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  8. ↑ Greene, Leonard (September 13, 2017). "Craig Carton resigns from WFAN show amid Ponzi scheme charges". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  9. ↑ "After arrest, radio host quits 'Boomer and Carton' show - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. The Associated Press. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  10. ↑ Kratch, James (September 14, 2017). "Boomer Esiason reacts to Craig Carton's WFAN exit: 'It's a sad day'". NJ.com. Advance Digital. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  11. 1 2 Best, Neil (November 28, 2017). "WFAN morning show simulcast to continue on CBS Sports Network with new lineup". Newsday. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  12. ↑ Giglio, Joe (November 15, 2017). "WFAN reveals Craig Carton's permanent replacement, new lineup for 2018". NJ.com. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Gregg Giannotti to replace Craig Carton as Boomer Esiason's WFAN co-host in January, Mike Francesa's replacements made official". New York Daily News. November 15, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  14. ↑ Best, Neil (January 2, 2018). "Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti kick off WFAN's new morning show". Newsday. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  15. ↑ Vacchiano, Ralph (January 16, 2008). "The whole world's going nuts over Giants-Packers". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2008-01-20. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  16. 1 2 3 Boyle, Christina (January 19, 2008). "WFAN host Craig Carton's long march after losing bet with Boomer Esiason". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  17. ↑ "Making Moves: Wednesday Afternoon Edition". Radio-Info.com. January 16, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  18. ↑ "Cowboys fall short on last effort as Giants move on to face Packers". ESPN. Associated Press. January 13, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  19. ↑ Hill, Clarence E. (January 14, 2008). "Cowboys crumble in playoffs again; Giants to Green Bay". Star-Telegram. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  20. ↑ Dwyer, Bobby (January 4, 2010). "Let's Play Two ..." B&C Blog. WFAN. Archived from the original on 2010-04-21. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  21. 1 2 "Topic Galleries". Chicago Tribune.
  22. ↑ Glazer, Jay (August 6, 2008). "Packers trade Favre to Jets". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 2008-08-19. Retrieved August 6, 2008. The month-long saga has finally come to an end, with the Packers agreeing to trade their future Hall-of-Fame quarterback to the New York Jets, FOXSports.com has learned.
  23. ↑ "Boomer Esiason rips Mets infielder for taking paternity leave". USA Today. April 2014.
  24. ↑ "Boomer Esiason Apologizes For Comments On Murphy's Paternity Leave". CBS New York. April 4, 2014.
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