Josh Innes is returning to the scene of where he first put himself on the sports radio map. The talented and polarizing personality who last occupied the afternoon drive airwaves on Sports Radio 94 WIP in Philadelphia, is heading back to Houston where he’ll take over afternoons on SportsTalk 790. Innes replaces Charlie Pallilo who had held down afternoons for over a decade.
Innes, will work with his former Sports Radio 610 KILT producer, Jim Mudd, on the new program. 610 Program Director Ryan McCredden confirmed Thursday that Mudd is leaving but did not confirm where he was heading next.
The return of Innes should provide a ton of intrigue during afternoons, as he’ll now go head to head with his former partner Rich Lord. Lord now hosts the afternoon show on 610 alongside Sean Pendergast and former NFL Linebacker Ted Johnson. Innes will also be up against ESPN 97.5’s “The Blitz” with AJ Hoffman and Fred Faour, a show which has picked up steam over the past few years.
When Innes left Houston for Philadelphia, he stated that he was leaving because he didn’t wish to work with Lord anymore. He acknowledged not liking his former partner and said he wouldn’t miss him, and that the two men were not friends.
This is one of the biggest risks 790 has taken in recent times. Although the station has made moves to strengthen its weekday programming, the addition of Innes sends a jolt into the market and puts the brand in position to compete stronger in afternoons where they had lacked significantly against the other two local brands.
The only questions remaining now are, how long until the fireworks start flying with Innes on the air? And where does Pallilo end up? Innes begins his new show next Monday October 10th.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
