Philly Radio: The Fanatic Lands Mike Missanelli

Mike Missanelli will return to WPEN 97.5 The Fanatic two years after the sports talk station declined to renew his contract in an acrimonious split.

The Philadelphia Business Journal reports Missanelli will host the aptly named Mike Missanelli Show middays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. beginning August 12.

After months of speculation about a reunion with Missanelli, The Fanatic made the announcement Friday morning as Program Director Scott Masteller, who joined the station in January, angles to catch rival SportsRadio 94 WIP in the ratings.

He will be joined on the program by relative newcomer Bill Colarulo, who has been working part-time in the midday time slot for the past several months with Bob Cooney, who had been hosting there for several months after a shakeup in the station’s lineup.

Cooney said Wednesday that the station informed him it had “decided to move into a different direction” after he had been a host there since 2017.

Mike Missanelli

Cutting a deal with Missanelli represents the return of the station’s biggest name for over a decade, but he will not be in his familiar afternoon drive spot.

On Tuesday, The Fanatic and parent Beasley Media Group announced that former Philadelphia Phillies closer Ricky Bottalico signed a multiyear contract extension to continue serving as co-host of the afternoon drive show with Tyrone Johnson.

In a statement, Masteller said The Fanatic is excited to welcome Missanelli back. "I know that both previous and new listeners will be anxious to hear his insight and perspective on Philadelphia sports," he said.

A key in Missanelli’s return might be the hiring of longtime sales associate Paul Blake as Beasley’s Philadelphia market manager in June. He replaced Joe Bell, for whom Missanelli did not have kind words since his contract was not renewed in 2022.

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.

The afternoon drive show took off and Missanelli usurped WIP in his time slot and fended off challengers such as the abrasive Josh Innes for almost a decade.