Just 3 short years ago, MSG Networks "was excited to bring WFAN's 'Boomer & Carton' show to our viewers...." | Bob's Blitz

Just 3 short years ago, MSG Networks "was excited to bring WFAN's 'Boomer & Carton' show to our viewers...."

On August 2, 2010...this press release dropped.

WFAN's "Boomer & Carton" Show to be Simulcast by MSG Network

Allstate is Presenting Partner of New York's Popular Radio Morning Show
- Set to Make Television Debut on September 14

New York, NY - MSG Network and CBS RADIO's Sports Radio 66 WFAN announced today that they will bring The FAN's "Boomer & Carton" show, New York's No. 1-rated morning radio show among Men 25-54, to television for the first time starting Tuesday, September 14. The program, hosted by Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton, will be simulcast on MSG Network from a new Allstate-branded studio at WFAN every weekday morning from 6:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Allstate Insurance Company recently signed a multi-year sponsorship with MSG and WFAN-AM and will be the presenting partner for both the radio and television programs.

"Boomer and Craig have quickly become an integral part of the sports media landscape in New York," said Dan Ronayne, executive vice president and general manager, MSG Networks. "They are opinionated, intelligent and passionate about New York sports, and we're excited to bring WFAN's 'Boomer & Carton' show to our viewers."

"Boomer and Craig have established themselves as one of the top morning show teams in sports broadcasting, sharing their insight, influence and sense of humor with listeners from all over the tri-state area," said Don Bouloukos, Senior Vice President/Market Manager, CBS RADIO New York. "Their popular show has a large following among radio and online audiences. This natural brand extension to MSG will boost the visibility of WFAN and the Boomer and Carton program with early morning television viewers. We are pleased to enter into this partnership with MSG who, like us, are pioneers in their industry built on the premise of bringing live, original content to a mass audience through a variety of media assets."

"Having the show simulcast from the new Allstate studio provides a unique opportunity to share our passion for sports with the show's large fan base throughout the New York metro area," said Mark LaNeve, chief marketing officer for Allstate Insurance Company. "Allstate is thrilled to be the presenting sponsor of the 'Boomer and Carton' show and put their loyal listeners in 'Good Hands®'."

"Over the years, I've enjoyed working for WFAN and MSG – two sports giants in the industry," said Boomer Esiason. "There couldn't be a better fit due to the long-standing history both entities have had with NY sports."

Added Carton, "As a kid growing up in New Rochelle there was nothing more amazing than going to Knicks games at Madison Square Garden. Having the opportunity to partner with MSG now as an adult is just as amazing. Boomer and I look forward to bringing our radio show to MSG Network and allowing all of our listeners to watch what we do while they continue to listen to us on The Fan."

In addition to four hours of live programming weekday mornings, MSG Network will also telecast "best of" compilation shows each weeknight and on weekends. Highlights from each show will also be available for streaming at MSG.com and wfan.com.

The "Boomer & Carton" show debuted on WFAN on September 4, 2007 and less than two years later was the No. 1-rated morning radio show in New York among Men 25-54 according to Arbitron, a position they have held for every quarterly ratings report since. Boomer and Carton's program features local sports talk, news headlines, and interviews with current and former sports icons, league personnel, and a variety of national celebrities from the entertainment and music industries. Talkers magazine has named Boomer and Carton to their "Heavy Hundred" list of the 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America for the past three years. WFAN is currently building a new studio for the show that will be used for the simulcast. MSG Network will produce the television show from 11 Penn Plaza – across the street from Madison Square Garden – home of the MSG Media group.

MSG Network is home to the Knicks and Rangers, as well as a plethora of award-winning original programming. This Spring, MSG was honored with 15 Emmy Awards by The New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), more than any other station or network in the region.

Boomer Esiason's successful career as an NFL quarterback spanned 14 years with the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. The four-time Pro Bowl selection was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1988 and awarded the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 1995 for his philanthropic work. He has raised in excess of $80 million for the Boomer Esiason Foundation to fight cystic fibrosis since 1993, when his son was diagnosed with the disease. Upon retirement from the NFL, Esiason made his debut as an analyst for ABC's "Monday Night Football" broadcasts. He is currently studio analyst on CBS Sports' The NFL Today pre-game show and calls Monday Night Football, Playoff and Super Bowl broadcasts for the Westwood One radio network. In addition, Esiason hosted "The Boomer Esiason Show" on MSG for seven years.

Craig Carton has spent nearly 20 years in the broadcast industry since beginning his career in 1991. After moving to various stations around the country, with notable stops in Buffalo, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Denver, New York and New Jersey, Carton returned to his hometown to co-host WFAN's morning show. During the course of his radio career he has been recognized by Philadelphia magazine in their 30 Under 30 issue, and was ranked as high as No. 9 on Politicsnj.com's 2007 Power List of New Jersey's most politically influential personalities. At the time, Carton could be heard afternoons on NJ 101.5. In addition, he can be seen on Spike TV hosting Weekend Pre-Game with Craig Carton every Thursday.

About MSG Media
MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from MSG's venues. MSG Media consists of the MSG Networks (MSG, MSG Plus, MSG HD and MSG Plus HD) regional sports networks and the Fuse Networks (Fuse and Fuse HD), a national television network dedicated to music. MSG Media is also responsible for managing interactive initiatives (online, mobile, VOD and iTV) across all business segments. MSG Media is part of Madison Square Garden, Inc., (NASDAQ: MSG) a fully-integrated sports, entertainment and media business. The company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Entertainment and MSG Media, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive MSG's overall business, which is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that MSG creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports consists of owning and operating sports franchises, including the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). MSG Sports also features other sports properties, including the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, track and field and tennis. MSG Entertainment is one of the country's leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes, throughout the country. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in MSG's diverse collection of venues. These venues include Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theater, the Chicago Theater and the Wang Theater. More information is available at www.msg.com.

About WFAN
Launched on July 1, 1987, The FAN was the nation's first full-time sports formatted radio station and is the most listened to station of its kind. Currently the flagship station of four New York-area professional sports franchises, including the N.Y. Mets, N.Y. Giants, N.J. Nets and N.J. Devils, WFAN also provides sports headlines with the "WFAN 20/20 Sports Update" at the top of the hour, 20 minutes past the hour and 20 minutes before the hour. Owned and operated by CBS RADIO, and broadcasting live and local 24-hours a day seven days a week, WFAN can be heard on-air at 660AM and 92.3FM-HD3 in New York. The station also is available online at www.wfan.com and through applications on the iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and select Blackberry devices.

About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the "You're In Good Hands With Allstate®" slogan, Allstate is reinventing protection and retirement to help more than 17 million households insure what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via www.allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate®.

Today? The question is -- What happened to Boomer & Carton on MSG TV?

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