Reports: Mike Francesa Is Thirsty For WFAN Return, Diet Coke

That was quick.

Neil Best of that sports radio host and Diet Coke’s top consumer Mike Francesa is working on a new project that will involve his old employer, WFAN. Here’s what the 64-year-old Francesa said in the report:

“This is for those who started this campaign in recent days. I didn’t decide to go back to WFAN until I was told I better not go back. For those behind it, that was the moment I decided to return.”

“I will do everything to work WFAN into an integral part of the project. It is time to return to WFAN.”

Seemingly everyone’s willing to talk about Francesa’s possible return, judging by how the information’s getting around this morning. Andrew Marchand of the New York Post followed up to confirm the host’s return to WFAN and wrote “the plan will be for him to be back on weekday afternoons.” Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News reported that the tentative plan is to put Francesa in the 3-7 p.m. time slot and make two other programs split the earlier hours. This worked out swell when Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien tried it:

Francesa will be back in the 3 p.m.-7 p.m. slot, according to well-embedded Hudson Street (FAN Headquarters) rats. The sources said the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. slot will be divided between Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts, currently FAN’s 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. team, and CMB, aka Chris Carlin, Maggie Gray and Bart Scott, who replaced Francesa earlier this year.

Francesa had left the radio station last year with a farewell tour, and his final show was Dec. 15. The dude was retired for four months! He must miss the constant thrill of quickly glancing over a news item in front of him and then muttering about it until it’s time to go to break.