Last week’s column examined the topic of well-known personalities leaving their stations after long tenures. In particular, the recent retirement of Ray Didinger, and the upcoming departure of Angelo Cataldi, both from WIP/Philadelphia.
Part of the Angelo Cataldi story included a concession from Audacy “to reinstate a marketing employee laid off because of budget reductions.” Many Philadelphians wrote me and posted, but I did not name the person. She is, of course, Cindy Webster. Apologies to Cindy for reducing her to “the woman.” She’s back with Angelo through the end of the year overseeing marketing and promotions. Cindy is the best. Somebody looking for a marketing Rock-Star should snap her up before Angelo’s final days.
Didinger and Cataldi are examples where the talent set the terms. That’s not how it usually happens. We continue looking at how to manage departing hosts with the saga of Mike Missanelli.
Missanelli, affectionately called MikeyMiss by listeners, the afternoon host for a dozen years at cross-town Sports Talk, 97.5 The Fanatic, departed more suddenly and not necessarily on his terms last week.
Full disclosure: Missanelli and I didn’t have a cordial relationship. Our battles are well-chronicled in the Philadelphia media and radio trade publications. Despite these true stories, I respect Missanelli’s accomplishments and talent.
Also, for the record: I have no first-hand knowledge of what happened between Missanelli and Beasley (owner of The Fanatic). I’m basing my opinions on what was said on-air and from accounts provided by people familiar with the situation.
I spoke with my longtime friend and colleague, Mark Chernoff, for added perspective on departing personalities. Chernoff was, most recently, Senior VP Programming WFAN and CBS sports radio and Format Captain Audacy Sports stations, now the Managing Director of Mark Chernoff Talent, and on-air talent at 107.1 The Boss on the NJ Shore.
In the case of retiring hosts, Chernoff and I see things similarly. “When hosts retire, if they understand the situation and can handle it for the remaining time, letting them stay on the air works for both the host and station. I’ve seen it many times at my stations,“ he said, adding a word of wisdom. “One caveat is to be sure the host will be mature enough about it, but I never got burned doing it this way.”
Before joining The Fanatic, Missanelli had been a WIP host. He was controversial within the station and on the air but popular. An “incident” with a producer before a remote broadcast forced management to let him go. He also had a brief stint doing mornings with another WIP personality (Joe Conklin) on WMMR.
Missanelli was a well-known personality when he began on WPEN-950 AM. When the station achieved a one-share (P12+), it had a good month. Missanelli made an immediate impact.
Over 12 years, MikeyMiss’ ratings ebbed and flowed. WIP struck back with Josh Innes and consistently won Persons 12+ and Men 25-54 throughout 2015. But Missanelli fought back. Some incidents earned Missanelli a title one insider called “a pain in the ass.”
For example, Barrett Sports Media reported on Missanelli throwing his headphones while arguing and cursing at his producer.
The article references a previous similar escapade. In addition, the show became increasingly political over the years to the detriment of ratings. Insiders say his social media and interactions with listeners caused increasing headaches for management. And so, after agreeing to a one-year agreement last year, station brass decided to “move in another direction.”
As tough as it is deciding to move on from somebody the station built around for 12 years, management faced a more daunting decision. Would they let Mike Missanelli, infamous for his temper, do a farewell show? As a manager, I hated to face this paradox.
Mark Chernoff explained his position: “Generally, there isn’t a last show if a host gets fired. Nothing good comes out of [letting them have a last show]. Even if the host is professional, the callers start with “Why are they doing this” complaints. It can prod the host to join the party. It’s best to just take the hit from listeners who liked the host and move on. “
It irritates me when people at businesses that I frequent seem to disappear, and their co-workers don’t know what happened to them. Did they fly over the Bermuda Triangle? After listening to somebody for years, while they got dressed, worked, or drove home, and having them vanish with no explanation has always struck me as unfair to listeners. Did the Stasi, or some other Secret Police, come for them (Hey, radio people)?
Chernoff and I have diverging opinions on whether to allow a fired host to sign off a final time. It’s not always advisable, but whenever I can, I opt to allow people the opportunity to say goodbye. I’ve asked departing hosts to hold the goodbye until the final hour. In all cases, I’ve been close to the dump button and could quickly remove the person, should it prove necessary. However, it has never come to anything so drastic.
Missanelli learned it would be his last show upon arriving at the station. He admitted, “I didn’t expect to be saying this today…” and continued that this was his last show on the Fanatic. He acknowledged management “wanted to go in a different direction.”
I applaud Beasley for letting Missanelli say goodbye to his audience. Mike deserves credit for not trying to whitewash it and handling it like a pro. Chernoff’s assessment that listeners will attempt to bait the host into bad-mouthing the station was correct. However, when listeners threw Missanelli a hanging curveball, expecting him to bash management or the replacement show out of the park, Missanelli was taking all the way. He didn’t swing.
Beasley made its decision. They took a chance by allowing Mikey-Miss to do a farewell show. I think it was the right choice. He used that opportunity to speak honestly and without violating that trust.
Yes, breaking up is hard to do.
Andy Bloom is president of Andy Bloom Communications. He specializes in media training and political communications. He has programmed legendary stations including WIP, WPHT and WYSP/Philadelphia, KLSX, Los Angeles and WCCO Minneapolis. He was Vice President Programming for Emmis International, Greater Media Inc. and Coleman Research. Andy also served as communications director for Rep. Michael R. Turner, R-Ohio. He can be reached by email at andy@andybloom.com or you can follow him on Twitter @AndyBloomCom.
