Philly Radio: Anthony Gargano To Join New Digital Sports Outlet

A new digital sports network has moved into Philadelphia by snapping up high-profile reporters and on-air personalities from outlets such as The Athletic, 97.5 The Fanatic, SportsRadio 94 WIP and PhillyVoice.

The Philly Business Journal reports the Denver-based AllCity Network rolled out its Philadelphia team Tuesday, which will provide coverage of all five major professional sports teams through written content, video breakdowns, live shows and podcasts. In Philadelphia, it will be known as AllPhly and can be found at allphly.com.

Here is a breakdown of the talent lured to AllCity's Philadelphia team:

• Eagles coverage will feature Zach Berman and Bo Wulf, who both joined from The Athletic. They will make weekly podcast appearances with former Eagles offensive lineman Brian Baldinger.
• Phillies coverage will include former Fanatic host Jamie Lynch and former La Salle University women’s soccer star Renee Washington, who will also anchor coverage of the Philadelphia Union.
• Flyers coverage will be handled by former Athletic beat writer Charlie O’Connor and WIP and Broad Street Hockey’s Bill Matz.
• Derek Bodner, another former Athletic scribe, with join former PhillyVoice reporter Kyle Neubeck and 97.5 The Fanatic host Devon Givens for 76ers coverage. Rich Hofmann, who also makes the jump from The Athletic, will participate in 76ers podcasts and write a free weekday newsletter on Philadelphia sports.
• Eric “Coach” Camille, the former assistant program director at The Fanatic, will serve as head of operations.

In a video announcing its initial team in Philadelphia, AllCity said that The Fanatic midday host Anthony Gargano will be “coming soon” to the new media outlet. Gargano was not on the air for The Fanatic on Tuesday but is still under contract with the Beasley Broadcast Group radio station.

Anthony Gargano

AllCity was co-founded by CEO Brandon Spano and Vice President of Content Ryan Koenigsberg. Spano is a Denver-based former journalist and talk show host who migrated into product acquisition and media sales in radio before creating his current company in 2014.

The duo started with web content and added team-specific podcasts in 2016. To enhance monetization, AllCity put together a membership product and added merchandise and events in 2018. When Covid-19 disrupted pro sports, podcasts became daily and live to enhance fan connectivity. When the pandemic ended, the Denver network began doing pre-game and postgame shows and reeled in DraftKings as a core sponsor. AllCity moved into Phoenix in 2021 and then conducted a $2.8 million capital raise before entering Chicago last year.

Regarding Gargano’s situation, Spano said the Philadelphia launch would not have been possible without him.

“He’ll be involved from day one, whether it's from a talent position or his leadership role,” Spano said. “At the moment we're trying to determine exactly what that involvement looks like as we navigate his contractual situation with the Beasley Media Group. And I think the only thing that we can promise is that Anthony will be involved in many aspects. The network and fans will be able to watch him and listen to him. We just don't know when that will be.”

Spano said the business model for AllCity is quite different than The Athletic because its main product is the daily streaming shows and there is a strong focus on digital marketing and fan engagement. He said the first Eagles show that aired at 11 a.m. Tuesday reeled in 4,000 viewers on YouTube. The AllPhly launch video garnered more than 1 million views on Twitter.

“Content is really important and it's the legitimizing of the network,” Spano said. “But the daily shows are definitely at the core of what we do and they generate the largest audiences.”