Unleash the dogs

A nearly 20 year duet of blather, bluster, and movie reviews comes to an abrupt end.

WFAN operations director Mark Chernoff said Russo would not make a final appearance on the station.

Russo said that was just part of the radio business.

"That's it. No goodbye shows, no final shows, no nothing," Russo said.

Russo said his departure has "absolutely nothing to do" with his relationship with Francesa. "That stuff is overblown," Russo said. "We had many more good days than bad ones."

In order to get to this point, WFAN, which is owned by CBS Radio, had to release Russo from a contract that runs until next spring. While Russo will be permitted to take a satellite radio gig, he would not be, according to the release, allowed to work for ESPN-1050, WFAN's only local sports-talk competitor.

Chernoff said Russo did not want to commit to a multiyear contract. Russo confirmed that assertion.

"I think WFAN realized I was lukewarm about making a long-term commitment to them," Russo said. "They knew getting me to sign would be dicey. I guess they didn't want a lame duck working with Mike."

Still, some industry sources were stunned CBS Radio brass would let Russo out of his contract. The "Mike and the Mad Dog Show" consistently generates between $15 million and $17million annually in advertising revenue. In a weak advertising sales environment, they are still steady earners. It remains to be seen if Francesa's solo act will be as attractive to advertisers.