The Long Island City birthplace of sports talk radio is silent this week after the cast and crew at WFAN pulled up stakes and moved to Manhattan.

Anyone who knows sports knows that the voice of Mike Francesa has filled the airwaves each afternoon, for the past 22 years, from a subbasement at the historic Kaufman Astoria Studios – a fitting location for the station that invented 24-hour sports talk radio.
Francesa shared memories with listeners on October 8, his last day at the studio, of his own history at the “FAN” subbasement. The man with one of the most well known voices in sports media reminisced about the four times he applied for an on-air job with WFAN. “Three times they said “no”, Francesa said. “The fourth time was the charm.”

He recalled his first days at “the FAN” in 1987 with Dan Lovett, “NFL Now”, in 1988, mid days at WFAN and the day “Mike And The Mad Dog” premiered in September 1989.

Francesa recalled how he drove “under the el” on 31st Street in Astoria for his first interview with the WFAN bosses and his first day at WFAN. “You remember the el,” he said. “I haven’t driven that way for a long time. I found a shortcut that I’ve used for years now.
“I drove under the el this morning (October 8),” he said. “I figured, on the last day.”

A station spokesperson said the move to Manhattan is designed to consolidate five CBS New York stations in one location.
The move also gives WFAN a facelift, the spokesperson said. It’s a move up from the tattered carpets, broken ceiling tiles and leaky ceilings that shocked sports celebrities who arrived for on-air interviews.

Area residents said they are saddened by the move. “Most of us grew up with FAN in our back yards,” Frank DeLuca said.  DeLuca, 36, recalled listening to Francesa on his drive from work each day, knowing the show was coming from a studio “two blocks from home”.
Diane Kelly, 28, said she tuned in to learn about sports from Francesa. “I have five brothers who think they know everything,” Kelly said. “They used to fall on the floor when I joined in their sports conversations, thanks to Mike Francesa.” 

DeLuca said the neighborhood feels “a little lonely now”. The Long Island City native recalled how electrifying it was to drive by the Kaufman Studio as Francesa left work for the day.

“I always wanted to get out of my car to shake hands and thank him,” DeLuca said. “I figured I’d do it some day. After all, he’d always be there.”

Francesa told listeners who tuned in on October 8 that he, along with the rest of the crew at WFAN would do their best to maintain the unique quality of the station. “We don’t plan to lose our edge just because we’re in Manhattan,” he said.