NY radio hosts voice their displeasure with the NY Islanders' decision to axe the teams radio broadcast

It’s only been a day since the NY Islanders elected to no longer have a live radio broadcast of games, meaning longtime announcers Chris King and Greg Picker are out of a job.

There has been plenty of blowback from the fan base over the last 24 hours, and while the Islanders are rarely discussed over sports talk radio in New York, hosts are having their input on the unfortunate situation.

Displeasure over the radio airwaves

“I was really bummed out,” Greg Giannotti, host of Boomer & Gio on WFAN said this morning. “We have fun with Chris King’s high-pitched voice from time to time, but the guy cares about that team more than anybody. As you (Boomer Esiason) mentioned, we’ve got a soft spot for radio here, so that sucks. And to do it to save how much money?”

Islanders ownership doesn’t take the opinions of the fan base lightly. When the fans are unhappy, ownership typically steps in to reverse decisions that the fans may not agree with, and Boomer Esiason is urging the fans to do so with this decision.

“Maybe they’ll (ownership) reconsider this because of the blowback from the fan base,” Esiason said. “The fan base has got to let ownership know.”

Don LaGreca, host of Don, Hahn & Rosenberg on ESPN New York, and radio voice of the NY Rangers, has also expressed his displeasure with the Rangers' cross-town rivals.

“From a reputation standpoint, from a professionalism standpoint, is it worth it?” LaGreca questioned. “Is it worth the few thousand dollars that you saved on this decision? And the answer is clearly no to me. Come on.”

There hasn’t been a decision made on whether a TV simulcast played over the radio airwaves, but as it stands, we’ve heard the last of Chris King and Greg Picker announcing NY Islanders games.