WFAN has its new boss.
Audacy, the parent company of the legendary New York sports talk radio station, announced that it has hired former ESPN New York program director Ryan Hurley to become the new brand manager of WFAN and Infinity Sports Network.
Hurley succeeds Spike Eskin, who is leaving the role to be an afternoon drive co-host at WIP in his native Philadelphia.
Eskin took the reins from Mark Chernoff, who’d held the job for nearly three decades, in 2021.
“Ryan knows radio, sports and New York, making him a triple threat to take the reins of WFAN, which continues to be the city’s most influential and dominant sports platform,” Audacy’s New York market president Chris Oliviero said in a statement. “In addition, with Infinity Sports Network, Ryan will have a major impact on the sports conversation nationwide. All of us at Audacy are excited to welcome him to the team.”
Audacy changed the title of the role at all of its stations from program director to brand manager several years back to encompass the work the leaders do that extends beyond picking the hosts and schedule.
“I am excited and grateful to have the opportunity to join this legendary station,” Hurley said. “The term ‘dream job’ can get thrown around a lot, but as someone who grew up listening to The Fan religiously, that is exactly what this is. There is an incredible team here led by Chris Oliviero, and I look forward to this journey ahead with them.”
Hurley joined ESPN New York as an intern in 2004 after finishing up at Hofstra, and ultimately rose to his program director role in 2017 before he was part of a round of ESPN layoffs last year.
His assistant brand manager will be CBS Sports Radio vet David Mayurnik.
Last week, Jon “Stugotz” Weiner, the longtime co-host of Dan Le Batard, revealed that he had been offered the WFAN leadership job but turned it down.