Philly Radio: Farewell..Angelo Cataldi, Iconic WIP Morning Host

Angelo Cataldi

Lots of Philly sports fans hate him. Another huge group loves him. Just about everyone listens to him. And on Friday, The Philly Inquirer reports they all heard Angelo Cataldi host his long-running sports talk radio show for the final time.

Cataldi, the lead host of 94.1 WIP’s morning show, has retired after a broadcast career spanning more than three decades. His unprecedented run as Philadelphia’s highest-rated sports talker was preceded by six years as a sportswriter at The Inquirer, where his coverage of Buddy Ryan’s Eagles was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1987.

Cataldi was hoping to ride off into the sunset — if the Eagles won Super Bowl LVII, he planned on hosting his last show the day of the Birds’ parade. Instead, he’s saying goodbye the week following another championship loss, which seems oddly appropriate.

“Let’s do the math — 33 years of four sports, I guess that’s 132 seasons. And we won two championships,” Cataldi said. “So it’s more natural for me to end my time complaining about how the Eagles should have won the Super Bowl and blew it because the defense collapsed.”

Friday’s show was filled with special guests and clips of Cataldi during his 33-year run, including an acknowledgment of Wing Bowl, the notoriously sleazy promotion that lasted 26 years before WIP pulled the plug in 2018. 

Leading up to his retirement, Cataldi has drawn congratulations from his WIP colleagues and notable Philadelphia sports figures, including Eagles executive vice president Howie Roseman and team president Don Smolenski.

“In some ways, it’s kind of humbling. And then in other ways, it’s like you’re at your eulogy at your own funeral,” Cataldi said. “You hearing people say things they would say when you’re gone.”

Andy Reid congratulates Angelo on an incredible career: “I actually miss you, isn’t that a sad deal?” 😂pic.twitter.com/KeA356FEyJ

— WIP Morning Show (@WIPMorningShow) February 15, 2023

Reid acknowledged that not that many guys get the run that Cataldi did. Cataldi echoed those sentiments.

“People in our city don’t like change,” Cataldi said. “But then if they hear it and like it, they come around. It doesn’t happen immediately, but it’ll happen. … And once you’re there, the loyalty is mind-boggling. They don’t get tired of you the way they do in other cities. We got 33 years, which is an eternity in radio. It’s incredible.”

So what’s next for Cataldi? A memoir, for starters. He doesn’t have a publisher — “not even a nibble” — but Cataldi wants to return to writing, his first love. He also might return to the world of sports columns, and he cohosts a podcast called The TV Show with longtime morning show cohost Rhea Hughes and Philadelphia comedian Jay Black.

During the closing minutes of his final show, Cataldi thanked a long list of contributors and former interns who helped make his show a success over the year. But he didn’t really choke up until discussing his wife, Gail, who has been his biggest supporter and confident for the past 25 years.

“I mocked every athlete who said this when they retire, and I’m going to close by saying it myself — it’s time for me to go, Philadelphia. I need to spend more time with my family,” Cataldi said to close his final show. “Thank you all for an amazing run. Goodbye.”