Philly Radio: Rob Ellis Departs 94WIP For New Comcast Show

Rob Ellis

The Comcast Network is preparing to launch something new for local television starting on April 6: a sports talk morning show, called Breakfast on Broad. According to philly.com, the show is set to have a conversational tone and will include morning news staples like traffic and weather.

Breakfast on Broad is a new foray into original programming for the Comcast Network, rebranded from CN8 in 2009. Currently, the network is best known for hosting games of local sports teams — in place of its sister station, Comcast SportsNet — when the Phillies, Flyers and/or Sixers play at the same time.

The show, which will air from 6 to 8 a.m. weekdays and repeat on Comcast SportsNet from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., is to be hosted by Rob Ellis, who on Tuesday night announced he was leaving his job as a host on Sportsradio WIP 94.1 FM. He’ll be joined by Sarah Baicker, currently a Flyers reporter and digital producer at Comcast SportsNet; Jillian Mele, who has been a traffic reporter at NBC10; and former Eagles offensive lineman and Comcast SportsNet contributor Barrett Brooks.

Baicker, Ellis, Mele and Brooks

Breakfast on Broad aims to avoid the straight-news feel of SportsNet Central, the current Comcast SportsNet local morning news show, which will continue to air. The intent of the new program is to favor opinion and discussion, sometimes centering on the softer side of local sports, including what athletes are doing off the field, and what they are saying on Twitter.

Brian Monihan, general manager of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, sees the two shows as complements to each other. SportsNet Central is what happened in last night’s game, he said, while Breakfast on Broad is about  "why and what others think about it."

Ellis sees the show as an extension of his previous work at WIP. “It’s like radio on television because of the opinion-driven content,” Ellis said. He noted that he wanted to return to the Comcast SportsNet family after years of producing Daily News Live and that factors including his changing schedule at WIP contributed to his decision to make the change, which he made clear on his final broadcast, saying "I'm not thrilled about some of the things that have gone down [at the station]."

Brian Haddad will replace Ellis on WIP until the Phillies return, according to Marc Rayfield, senior vice president/market manager for CBS Radio/Philadelphia.

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