The spring book in Philadelphia produced a lot of positives for the market’s two sports radio brands, WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic. The two stations were both ranked in the Top 5 for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) with WIP locking up 2nd place with an impressive 11.6 share. The Fanatic took 4th place with a 6.5 share. All numbers in this piece are for Men 25-54 and include both radio and the stream for each brand.
Among the key weekday shows for WIP, Angelo Cataldi & the WIP Morning Show once again owned bragging rights as the market’s top rated show. The WIP icon produced a massive 13.4 share, earning the program a 2nd place finish between 5:30a-10a. The Fanatic’s John Kincade had reason to feel good too. The Philly native, who returned home at the start of 2021, recorded his second straight Top 3 finish with a 7.4 share between 6a-10a.
In middays, WIP’s Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie popped a 9.4 share, also securing a 2nd place position. The Fanatic’s Anthony Gargano performed well too, coming in 4th with a 7.6 share.
The high profile afternoon battle between Jon Marks and Ike Reese and Mike Missanelli was won this quarter by WIP. Marks and Reese were 2nd, thanks to a strong 10.8 share. Missanelli was only one ranking position behind in 3rd with an 8.4 share, the best share for the quarter on The Fanatic.
Wrapping up at night, the combination of Joe Giglio and Philadelphia Phillies baseball carried WIP to a 1st place finish with a 14.1 share. The Fanatic’s trifecta of the Sixers, Flyers, and Devon Givens grabbed 5th place with a 5.6 share.
For Spike Eskin, this is the way the way you want to end a memorable run as the station’s program director. To leave WIP for WFAN and know that the station you’re leaving behind is in the Top 2 during mornings, middays, and afternoons and #1 at night is outstanding. Those type of performances should make the WIP PD vacancy attractive to industry candidates. Kudos to the talent for a job well done.
On the other hand, The Fanatic should feel great too. Top 3 in both drive times, 4th in middays, 5th at night, and 4th for the full week is an excellent showing. Too many times in sports radio we focus on which station won the quarter, assuming the runner up has problems to fix. That’s not the case here. Aside from the obvious of wanting to get better and beat their competition, 97.5 is performing. The brand can make money with this type of consistency.
Philadelphia has shown for over a decade that it’ll support two strong sports radio stations. That’s what it has right now in WIP and The Fanatic. When shows in each timeslot are combining to grab 17-20 shares with Men 25-54 and snag two ratings positions in the Top 5, it shows how well the format is supported in the city. WIP is in the driver seat, but The Fanatic isn’t far behind. If both brands can keep it going, they’ll have great stories to share with listeners, advertisers and their corporate employers.
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.
