Sal Licata opens up on WFAN departure as Craig Carton returns

Sal Licata has placed his afternoon drive dreams in the rearview.

The New York radio star opened up on his departure from WFAN following Craig Carton’s return to the station in early December.

During a Friday appearance on “Stugotz and Company,” Licata, who hosted the midday slot with Brandon Tierney, revealed that he wasn’t surprised Carton was returning to the station for a third time after his FS1 show got cancelled in July.

But he was shocked to learn that it would come at his expense.

“Anybody who didn’t know that Craig was coming back the second that he left [for Fox] was just not paying attention,” Licata said. 

“My plan was never, ‘Oh I hope he doesn’t come back,’” he added. “It was always, ‘I gotta do the best job that I can do with the opportunity that I’ve been given’ … And I feel like I did that. 

Licata, 39, labored through grueling overnight shifts before finally seizing the midday shift with Tierney.

Gunning for the coveted afternoon slot, Licata admitted that he was “hurt” to find out that The Fan was bringing back Carton to host afternoon drive with current overnight host Chris McMonigle, bumping Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber to the midday show and leaving Licata and Tierney as the odd men out.

“While I factored in Craig coming back, I did not factor in that no matter how well I performed, how much I put into this thing, how good we did as a show or I did as an individual, it didn’t matter,” Licata admitted. 

“There was nothing that I could’ve done. Maybe I was naive and foolish about it, but yeah, obviously it hurts because I gave so much of my life to that place, whether it be my first stint with them, whether it be coming back, starting part-time again on the overnights, then getting the full-time overnights, working my way to midday.”

Licata didn’t blame the station for bringing back Carton, stressing that he carries great respect for his friends at the station and wishes them nothing but the best.

Still, Licata said that he’s ready to put his WFAN days behind him and won’t be listening in any time soon. In his words, won’t go around “stalking his ex-girlfriend on Instagram.”

“The way I look at it is this: That part of my life and that part of my dream is over. And now I gotta focus on a bigger dream, a different path. I love The Fan, I’ll always love The Fan, but my future definitively is no longer WFAN.”