Philly Radio: Mike Missanelli Makes Return to 97.5 The Fanatic

Mike Missanelli made his return to WPEN-FM 97.5 The Fanatic Monday, where he wasted no time going after a familiar foe — 94.1 WIP host Howard Eskin.

Reintroducing himself to his Fanatic audience after a two-year absence from the station, Missanelli pledged to listeners to skip hot takes in favor of deep dives into topics relevant to sports fans. Then he unloaded on Eskin, who remains barred from Citizens Bank Park by WIP’s parent company Audacy after an investigation found he made an unwanted advance toward an employee at the stadium.

“Here’s one last thing — there won’t be any unwelcome kisses,” Missanelli said. “No unwelcome kisses on this show.”

five minutes in and we're cooking with gas pic.twitter.com/KrVZ2TB6xk

— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) August 12, 2024

While Eskin has been taken off Phillies coverage, he continues to host his Saturday morning show on WIP and was back as the station’s sideline reporter during last week’s broadcast of the Eagles’ first preseason game.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Missanelli and Eskin have bad blood dating back decades, when the two cohosted the afternoon show on WIP. Missanelli has said he wasn’t in favor of the pairing and didn’t think it would work. During their three years together he said he “wanted to kill” Eskin every day they worked together.

“He would come in within 10 seconds of the show starting saying, ‘What went on today?’” Missanelli said during an interview with former WIP morning show host Angelo Cataldi in 2022. “It was stressful for me. I’m an A-type personality who wanted to do the right thing, he’s an A-type personality, and we clashed.”

Before landing at the Fanatic, Missanelli had two stints at WIP — from 1992 to 2003 and from July 2005 to March 2006, when he was fired after punching a producer during a live broadcast.

Missanelli is back at the Fanatic two years after an abrupt exit from the station in May 2022 took listeners by surprise. Missanelli has said he was pushed out by management, which recently changed hands from former general manager Joe Bell to Paul Blake, who had been the longtime sales manager for Beasley’s cluster of Philly radio stations. New program director Scott Masteller also played a key role in Missanelli’s return to the station.