The Mad Dog’s bark will continue to reach a mass TV audience.
Sources tell The Post that talk radio legend Chris Russo has signed a new deal with ESPN to continue appearing on “First Take,” where he’s developed excellent chemistry with host Molly Qerim and fellow high-volume broadcaster Stephen A. Smith.
An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment and the 63-year-old Russo declined to be interviewed.
Financial compensation in the deal is unknown, but Russo told Howard Stern last year that he was earning $10,000 per appearance on ESPN.
The deal is for one year, a source said.
Russo’s typical slot on “First Take” has been to spice up Wednesday, the day of the week that oftentimes can be the slowest in sports talk programming because it falls at the midpoint between the weekends — when there are more games that either generate chatter in the fallout or serve as fodder for preview discussion.
His segments on the program have been widely popular, going viral for reasons including getting into a heated debate with JJ Redick about who had a better legacy, Bob Cousy or Chris Paul, or railing against Aaron Rodgers so hard that he fell out of his chair.
There was also a reunion with his longtime former WFAN partner, Mike Francesa, in which Francesa conceded an infamous debate about the bathrooms at the old Yankee Stadium to the Mad Dog.
Russo was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame last year.
In addition to his appearances on ESPN, Russo hosts “Mad Dog Unleashed” weekday afternoons on SiriusXM and “High Heat” on MLB Network.