It’s been rumored for several weeks. Today, WFAN made it official–veteran sportscaster Josh Lewin is joining the Mets radio booth in 2012. Lewin will work alongside Howie Rose.

“It’s exciting to be part of the Mets’ broadcast team with Howie Rose, who is one of the best in the business,” Lewin said. “It’s a thrill to be able to come back to my roots in New York and call games for the team I rooted for as a kid on the pre-eminent sports talk radio station in the country.”

Lewin, 43, has 16 years of Major League Baseball experience, calling games for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, and most recently, the Texas Rangers. He was the lead Rangers TV play-by-play announcer from 2002 to 2010.

He also has been a part of Fox’s Saturday baseball coverage since 1996.

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Looking to fill the void left from the departing Wayne Hagin, WFAN has been in search of the Mets radio replacement to join veteran Howie Rose.

Newsday reports the top candidate on WFAN’s wish list is Josh Lewin. Lewin is the play-by-play voice of the San Diego Chargers. He also hosts a sports talk show on a radio station in Dallas. In addition, he is part of Fox’s Saturday baseball coverage. The longtime sportscaster called games for the Texas Rangers on Fox Sports Southwest from 2002 to 2010, and was at the mic for Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs games.

However, Mark Chernoff, WFAN operations manager, disputes the report.

“We have a number of candidates, but there is no front-runner.”

Hagin’s contract was not renewed after last season. Hagin, who previously announced games for the St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies, spent four years in Flushing.

Mike Francesa was in need of a new title for his WFAN afternoon sports talk show. Mike’d Up was created by WNBC for Francesa’s Sunday night sports show in 2003. Francesa carried over the title to WFAN when Chris “Mad Dog” Russo left in 2008.

“NBC-TV owns the rights to Mike’d Up and we couldn’t agree on a solution for WFAN and Mike to continue to use the name,” Mark Chernoff, WFAN operations manager, tells FishbowlNY.

Instead, WFAN debuted Francesa’s new title yesterday: Mike’s On, complete with a new jingle package (see after the jump). Francesa downplayed the change to his listeners, saying, “A week from now you won’t remember the old one.”

Francesa dropped his WNBC show in July. Oddly, Channel 4 keeps Mike’d Up on the air with sports anchor Bruce Beck.

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Boomer Esiason, the famed quarterback, who found a second career in broadcasting, and Craig Carton, have been having fun as morning show hosts on WFAN for four years. However on September 14, 2010, the duo took the show to the MSG Network for a daily simulcast.

This week, the cable network threw a party for the personalities to mark the one-year anniversary.

“We knew it would be successful, and it’s been every bit as successful as we kind of dreamt,” Carton tells FishbowlNY. “We couldn’t be any happier where we are going into year five.”

Esiason, who already has many years on TV, primarily with CBS’ The NFL Today, knew he was going to be part of a special partnership.

“I felt there was something very unique about our relationship from the first time I met Craig,” Esiason admits. “Four years ago when we met, I’d like to think that I told the powers that be at CBS [Radio], “You’re going to have a number one show,” Esiason says. 

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Today’s reality television shows have contests that offer everything from being the top chef to best songwriter and, of course, a singing “idol.”  Well, WFAN is no exception.

For the second year straight, the sports radio station conducted a search for the next on-air star.

John Jastremski of Staten Island won this year’s event, and with it the Syracuse University grad is awarded a weekly show (for at least one year).

Last year’s winner Gregg Sussman is elevated to part-time status at the station.

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For the second year in a row, WFAN is following in the steps of the zillion reality TV programs by searching for the next sports radio host.

With the grand prize of hosting their own WFAN show for one year, the finals will be held Friday, August 19, at Bar A, in Lake Como, New Jersey.

The event will be broadcast live on the Mike Francesa show from 1 p.m.-6:30 p.m. and simulcast on the YES Network. Listeners are invited to Bar A to attend the show, which will feature music from Southside Johnny and Asbury Jukes throughout the day.  

Billed as Fantasy Phenom Challenge II, WFAN held auditions throughout New York and New Jersey. Hopeful candidates also had the option to submit videos online.

The five finalists were selected from more than 2,000 fans and longtime listeners.

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As we told you last week, WFAN had some modest gains in the overall April Nielsen PPM ratings, while ESPN 1050/WEPN saw no change.

However, the upstart sports talker did see a gain in a key demographic. 

The Daily News reports in April WEPN’s syndicated morning show Mike and Mike beat WFAN’s Boomer and Carton for the first time among Men 18 to 34.

Meanwhile, the team of Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton was tops in an important demographic.

“WFAN continues to be first by a wide margin in Men 25 to 54 in morning drive,” WFAN operations manager Mark Chernoff, tells FishbowlNY.

Boomer and Carton were put together following the dismissal of Don Imus in 2007.

Among Men 25 to 54, weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., ‘FAN held a 5.9, while rival WEPN was 10th with a 3.5.

As for the start of May, WFAN is third with a 5.8 and WEPN was 16^th with a 2.7, in numbers obtained by FishbowlNY.

Delving into the 18 to 34 male demo, according to WFAN, only the first week of May has been released. WFAN was number two with a 7.6 rating. WEPN took ninth with a 4.4.

Since leaving office on January 1, New York Governor David Paterson has been keeping busy. But not as you might think. The former governor has quietly been forging a new career, which incorporates his previous one.

He has become a radio go-to guy, and surprisingly, not as a guest to discuss politics, but as host of his own show. He brings a knowledge and passion to the subject. Paterson can focus on politics and current events while filling in for John Gambling mornings on WOR. At WABC, there is the Religion on the Line show, which to date he’s done once.  

Arguably, Paterson’s most relaxed at WFAN. Just prior to leaving Albany, Paterson spent the entire afternoon with Mike Francesa. If that was an audition for future on-air work at the sports station—he passed. Recently, Paterson hosted his own ‘FAN show. It was there that FishbowlNY was granted exclusive access to the governor to talk about his new love—radio. Paterson says it may seem new to listeners, but he and radio actually have a long history together.

“When I was a child, I used the radio in place of the fact that I couldn’t read the newspapers,” Paterson says. “That’s how I heard the news.”

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As we reported last week, veteran radio talker Sid Rosenberg is joining 1010 WINS as morning sports anchor. The one-year deal starts Monday.

Rosenberg, known for having strong opinions and making controversial comments on WFAN (especially with Don Imus), may not have been the first choice for many to get the WINS gig.

“What people have to understand is, I have not given up on my radio talk show….That hasn’t changed,” Rosenberg tells FishbowlNY. ”But given the opportunity on top of that to get my voice on one of the most listened to stations in the country…it was a no brainer for me.” 

A polarizing radio figure, Rosenberg says on WINS he’ll find a way to inject his personality into the sportscast.

“It’s going to have a lot of New York flavor, obviously,” Rosenberg, a Brooklyn native, joked. “Just my accent alone gives you that. Certainly, it’s going to be energetic and it’s going to be enthusiastic, and there will be audio every now and then that will make you chuckle.”

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Sports Radio 66/WFAN named its “Ultimate Fantasy Challenge” winner — Gregg Sussman of Manalapan, N.J. As the grand prize holder, Sussman is awarded a weekly hosting slot on New York’s top sports radio station.

“It’s honestly a dream come true and I’m thrilled to be given this opportunity of a lifetime,” Sussman said in a statement. “I also just want to thank everyone who voted, Mark [Chernoff, Operations Manager] and Eric [Spitz, Program Director], and all of the other finalists. It was an incredible experience.”

As a consolation prize, the four other finalists (John Shea of Wantagh, N.Y., Otis Harper of Roselle, N.J., Patrick Creighton of Bethpage, N.Y., and Al Renauto of White Plains, N.Y.) each will get to host one show on WFAN.

“This year’s WFAN Buffalo Wild Wings Fantasy Phenom challenge proved to be a rewarding experience,” Chernoff said in a statement. “Congratulations to all of our participants, and in particular our five finalists and grand prize winner Gregg Sussman”

A panel of judges, plus listeners on-line and text votes determined the grand prize winner.