Philly Radio: Mike Missanelli OUT at 97.5 The Fanatic

An emotional Mike Missanelli announced on air Tuesday that the broadcast was his last at WPEN 97.5 The Fanatic, where his afternoon drive show has been the main tentpole for the Beasley Media Group-owned sports talk radio station since its inception, reports The Philly Business Journal.

And according to Missanelli, his replacement is already lined up.

“I wanted to get this out because it seems so surreal but this is my last day as the host of the Mike Missanelli Show,” Missanelli said shortly after 4 p.m. “My current contract expires in a few weeks and the company and I have decided to go in another direction.”

Missanelli went on to thank producer Tyrone Johnson, the rest of the station’s staff, frequent guests such as Charles Barkley and Brian Westbrook and callers and listeners, stopping several times as he choked back tears.

The announcement is somewhat surprising not so much for the news itself but because of the timing. In a January interview with the Philadelphia Business Journal about his new cooking show, Missanelli said he had just signed a contract extension with Beasley — though he wouldn’t say for how long — to remain at The Fanatic, where he has hosted his popular show for the past 12 years. He told the Business Journal that the formal launch of his side gig, Mike Miss

Ventures, was not a signal that he was planning to retire. In fact, he was quite adamant that it was not.

“I expect to stay for a good long time,” Missanelli said at the time. “As long as I still enjoy it and the show is doing well, I don’t see a reason to stop.”

It seems things have changed in the past few months.

“This is like the guy who comes into Bull Durham and they go, ‘The organization wants to make a change.' Well that’s what’s going on,” Missanelli told his listeners on Tuesday. “The station and I are talking about me remaining with the company in some kind of a role, but who knows. What I can tell you is they already have a replacement show under contract and I’m sure you’ll be hearing about that in the next few days.”

Beasley's top local executives could not be immediately reached for comment.

Mike Missanelli is OUT at 97.5 The Fanatic! Mike announced just minutes ago that his contract is set to expire in a few weeks. He and the station have agreed to part ways. pic.twitter.com/t6fsgoWLcR

— Russ Joy (@JoyOnBroad) May 31, 2022

Missanelli's announcement comes six months after SportsRadio 94 WIP morning host Angelo Cataldi said he plans to retire at the end of the year. So Beasley and WIP parent Audacy both are trying to fill big shoes.

Missanelli joined The Fanatic in 2010 to help WPEN kick off a sports talk rival to WIP, where he had served two stints and wound up getting fired in 2008 due to an alleged altercation with an on-site producer.