Please reread the first post: the COO of the NY Mets has stated on Tue. 9/10/13 (at a 9/11 function attended by team members and officials) that the "reports are accurate" that the Mets won't be back on WFAN (or any other New York Metro CBS Radio station) in 2014.
Mr. Gallant's post is not based in reality:
The Yankees pre-game along with the game broadcasts will likely not change a bit - they'll probably stay as they've been since CBS Radio acquired Yankees rights back in 2002: 30 minute pregame and the vocal stylings of Ma and Pa Pinstripe (John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman as the team has final say on its broadcasters and the Yanks love Sterling's Broadway Show approach to the games, even if he can't quite see the whole field anymore). Of course, virtually everything will continue to be sponsored/billboarded as somehow CBS Radio has to try to recoup some of those rights fees. The post-game could likely change somewhat as there might not be the elongated scoreboard and "sounds of the game" segment that is currently hosted by the WCBS sports anchor on duty during that day's particular game which makes the total current post-game run about 40-50 minutes in length. This is unless WFAN wants to go to the trouble to have one of their own people host the segment; of course, as long as any segment can be sold to advertisers they would continue.
Pre-season games would likely continue to air on mostly weekends where there is no conflict with Brooklyn Nets and NJ Devils broadcasts. These games are pretty much non-starters during the week - which gets more revenue: a fully ad-booked Mike Francesa show from 1pm-6:30pm or a meaningless spring training game from 1pm-4pm? 'Nuff said.
Being as the Yankees have been on a sister CBS property since 2002, there shouldn't be any major changes to WFAN's access to Yankees players and executives. Possibly an extra weekly segment with a player, but not much beyond that.
There is no way that the successful WAXQ Q104.3 will be blown up for the non-successful (and increasingly higher demo) WOR just to put FOX Sports Radio on 710 in NYC. I could see the Mets (in 2014) and Islanders (in Autumn 2014 or 2015 when they arrive in Brooklyn - not earlier) joining WOR with a slight, outside chance of the Mets games being simulcast on Q104.3 (without abandoning either 710's or 104.3's primary format). Q104.3's demos are the closest in line with a sports minded format - the other CCM+E NYC area stations don't meet the same criteria.
Of course, another likely home for the Mets is ESPN Radio 98.7. Although, while WEPN could use the steady cume that almost-daily baseball broadcasts would bring from April-September, at times they don't seem too anxious to cover baseball outside of the Michael Kay Show on weekday afternoons - they seem to want to be the anti-WFAN and focus on basketball and football. Would be interesting to see a likely shift in programming should 98.7 land the Mets.
It'll be interesting to see if the Mets just take the most money on the table or if they go somewhere where there'll be lots of synergy and complementary programming.
On the Tue. 9/10/13 Mike Francesa show, Francesa mentioned that there would be no major changes in the content of any of the hosts programs should WFAN land the Yankees, that in fact there has been no restraint on any host's editorial content vis a vis the local teams over the years - even though I'm sure some of the promotions people and other higher-ups of some of the local franchises have not been happy with some of the FAN's hosts and/or commentary at times (see: Francesa vs. Jets).
So be prepared to hear Steve Somers tweak the Yanks (as he does now) after the games during the summer months.
