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WFAN made the decision to bump Sal Licata and Brandon Tierney for Craig Carton, but even they weren’t happy with the way the news broke. Licata recently joined the Awful Announcing Podcast to discuss launching his Underscore Media platform with Jimmy Traina and John Jastremski, along with his time at WFAN, and his surprising exit late last year. Despite forming a highly successful midday show with Brandon Tierney, WFAN opted to move on from BT and Sal to make room for Carton’s return to afternoon drive. While there were rumors about Carton’s return and how that might alter WFAN’s weekday lineup for months, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported it was actually happening while Licata and Tierney were on-air last December. “Yeah, that was sh*tty,” Licata admitted of the timing on the Awful Announcing Podcast. “I don’t think there’s any other way to put it. We talked about it at the time, the blessing in disguise there was that I have never been more proud of me and BT as a pairing than we were during that show and then in the weeks after…But it was not good. It wasn’t like we were totally blindsided by it, but we did not expect that to happen in that particular moment when we were on the air. That should not have happened, I know FAN was not happy with that either. I don’t know how something like that happens, but it was not right.” When the news broke, Sal Licata and Brandon Tierney had the platform and microphone to rip WFAN and the decision if they wanted to. But they both took the high road and continued working through the awkward circumstances for several weeks. “I don’t think either of us ever genuinely thought about publicly ripping WFAN,” Licata continued. “I was hurt…I know the emotions we were feeling, but I wasn’t angry, I was more devastated, I was crushed and shocked to be honest with you. When I heard that there might be a change for me, I was like, ‘What?! Are you crazy?!’ Legit. When I went on the air and said ‘Craigy could come back, he’s not taking my spot,’ I believed that. I believed that I earned a prime time spot at the FAN. And I believe the bosses believed that. So, I was shocked at first, and then devastated.” Sal Licata says his emotions were too consumed with being shocked and sad to also be bitter or angry. Instead of lashing out at WFAN’s decision, Licata and Tierney valued their relationship with the station and management. Their final few weeks were some of their best shows considering the situation. After the shock wore off, Licata and Tierney both pivoted to new ventures away from terrestrial radio. And the latest venture for Licata is Underscore Media. Listen to the full episode with Sal Licata featuring more discussions about WFAN and Underscore Media. Make sure you’re subscribed to The Awful Announcing Podcast wherever you listen or watch.