94WIP afternoon host Jon Marks has announced he will exit his role with the Philadelphia sports radio station. His final show will be on Wednesday.
On Monday afternoon’s edition of Marks & Reese, Jon Marks announced he is stepping aside to spend more time with his family after a seven-year run in the daypart, working alongside former NFL linebacker Ike Reese six of the seven.
In December 2022, it was reported Marks was working at the Audacy-owned station without a contract. He alluded to his future being up in the air while making his announcement Monday.
“Over the last year plus, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my future here at WIP. These are conversations I’ve had with management, with Rod Lakin and David Yadgaroff, even with (Reese)…It came time where I needed to make a commitment to the show and the station as opposed to going year to year, which is what I’ve been doing the last couple of years. And as great as the show is, everything kept coming back to the hours that I’m working,” Reese admitted. “I don’t work until 10 or midnight, but I’m not getting home on most nights until 7:30. As my kids get older, I’m missing all these activities… Since my kids have been alive, I’ve been working this shift. And I had to ask myself ‘Is this something I could see myself doing for the next five years?’
“The station and show deserve the commitment from somebody. It was a difficult decision and something I internally wrestled with for a really long time. And after talking to management and talking with you… I made the difficult decision to leave the Marks & Reese show and WIP…It’s a very difficult decision.”
After the announcement, Ike Reese shared his admiration for Marks, saying “My brother, I say thank you for all the contributions to the show…and love you and gonna miss you. This isn’t necessarily a goodbye forever. So, thank you.”
Marks originally joined 94WIP in 2017 in the 6-10 PM shift after previously working at crosstown rival 97.5 The Fanatic. After the departure of Chris Carlin, Marks moved to afternoons where he was paired with Reese.
