WFAN is running it back with Craig Carton.
Carton is nearing a deal to host WFAN’s afternoon drive show in what would be his third stint with the sports radio station, according to The Athletic.
The 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. afternoon drive slot currently belongs to Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber, who would shift to the midday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. window once Carton returns.
The show currently hosted by Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. would reportedly be removed from the lineup.
Overnight host Chris McMonigle is the favorite to co-host the afternoon show with Carton, according to The Athletic, though nothing has been finalized.
The changes are expected to go into effect in January, with Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti’s “Boomer & Gio” remaining in the morning slot.
Carton, 56, established himself as a popular and controversial radio voice during his initial time at WFAN, where he co-hosted the morning show alongside Esiason from 2007-17.
That stint ended when Carton was arrested and accused of using a Ponzi scheme to dupe investors in order to pay off his gambling debts.
Carton was released in 2019 after serving part of a 42-month sentence in federal prison, and he returned to WFAN soon after to co-host an afternoon show with Roberts.
In 2022, Carton launched a short-lived morning program, “The Carton Show,” on Fox Sports 1, and he left WFAN the following year.
Another show starring Carton, “Breakfast Ball,” replaced “The Carton Show” last year, and FS1 canceled that one entirely over the summer. That prompted speculation that Carton could return to WFAN, which Licata addressed at the time.
“I’m not worried about Craigy coming back,” Licata said on his show in July, according to Awful Announcing. “I told it to his face. This was years ago, whenever he came back the last time. You can come back all you want, you’re not taking my spot.”
Carton returning would represent another shakeup for WFAN, as Keith McPherson announced last week that he was leaving his job as the station’s full-time night host, effective immediately.
This past January, ESPN Radio — WFAN’s main competitor — reshuffled its weekday lineup, with Michael Kay introducing a 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. show to better fit his lifestyle and Alan Hahn joining Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. for “Don, Hahn & Rosenberg.”