As far as Scott Masteller knew, his days of a full-time radio grind were over. It was 2022. He had decided to step back from his day-to-day role with Hearst’s WBAL in Baltimore.
His new plan was to work part-time with the station’s talent while also working with Harker Research in the consulting space. It was a chance to learn more and keep contributing to the business he loved without the same grueling hours commitment.
Then, an opportunity presented itself in the one market that infatuated Masteller. That is why, at the beginning of 2024, he is now back in the full-time, day-to-day radio grind with 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia.
“I had a number of conversations with [Beasley Media’s Philadelphia market manager] Joe Bell over the years,” Masteller told me. “He’s become a friend, and this is probably the only market in the country where I would consider doing something at this stage of things. My parents lived in Bucks County to the north of Philly, so I’ve been a Philly sports fan for a long time. I followed the media in this market. It’s always the one market I wanted to be a part of.
“So all of that came to fruition at the right time. I made the decision that if I could do this on terms that are agreeable to both Beasley and myself, that this could be a good partnership.”
Giving up the PD reins at WBAL was not a mistake. Masteller has no regrets about the decision he made in Baltimore. It was the right one for him at the time. In fact, that decision gave him the chance to be in different rooms and participate in different conversations.
He certainly didn’t know it at the time, but his work with Harker gave him some information he will certainly be putting to use in his new job.
“They did a fascinating study on the state of sports media, which shows where everything is going and what matters the most to the consumer, whether it’s radio, audio, television or different digital platforms,” he said. “I think that’s really important. And then there’s the whole aspect of what works in a market like Philadelphia. I’ve seen different studies where they’ve talked about Philly and the passionate sports fan base that exists in this market.”
The search for a new program director at The Fanatic began in September. Chuck Damico was serving as that station’s PD and the assistant PD of the city’s legendary rock station WMMR. Following Bill Weston’s retirement, Damico took the reins of MMR, a job that wouldn’t leave him time to program a second station.
It was a job in one of the best sports radio markets in the country, but the abundance of fans didn’t mean it would be easy. The Fanatic was on the wrong side of a ratings fight with WIP.
Joe Bell knew he needed a steady, experienced hand. That’s where Masteller, a guy who has had success leading brands all over the country, including ESPN Radio at the network level.
“I’ve never been afraid of challenges,” Masteller says. “I can remember when I took the job in Dallas to go to 103.3 ESPN. The Ticket is there. People that I respect were telling me, ‘Scott, you’re making a big mistake. Why are you doing this? You should stay in Portland where you’ve got a better thing going.’ But, think about what motivates a football coach or basketball coach or baseball manager to take a job.”
In Dallas, Masteller saw a strong, established competitor with a lead that seemed insurmountable. What he recognized though was that he had the tools he needed and would be working with a staff that wanted to learn and take direction. He could create great radio. He could make an impact and the station could make the ratings battle interesting.
He thinks he can do the same at 97.5 The Fanatic. The station has to play catch-up to 94 WIP. Masteller isn’t going to do that by trying to convince the audience he has a better product. That isn’t going to help.
“The biggest mistake I think programmers make sometimes is thinking ‘well, we’ve got to be like those guys across the street,’ and I say to that, ‘that’s not the recipe, normally, for success.’ Maybe you can pull that off, but find out how you can offer something new and unique to the consumer. Then you’ve got a chance to grow your audience.”
He also isn’t coming in taking for granted that all of his hosts are perfect. They are human beings just like you and me. The instinct is to think about their show as a three-hour block instead of multiple shorter blocks heard by different groups of people.
Masteller’s guiding philosophy is that everyone turning on 97.5 The Fanatic wants to hear about what’s going on. They may already know the biggest story, but they want to be a part of the conversation. They want to hear more, learn more and be entertained.
The man has been in the talk radio business for a long time. His impact is felt in multiple buildings across multiple markets. It’s no different from Bill Parcels or Nick Saban. The man has generated a “coaching tree,” programmers who learned their craft under him and went on to have success of their own.
“You surround yourself with people who are really smart, who take the initiative to keep learning and get better at what they do,” Masteller explained. “Eventually those people move on. That’s part of the deal. You’re there to support them and help them grow in whatever they want to do.”
He points particularly to Amanda Brown, who was recently named the new PD of Bonneville’s 104.3 The Fan in Denver. He hired her as a producer for his station in Dallas. ESPN took notice of her work, brought her to Bristol and eventually moved her to Los Angeles to lead 710 ESPN LA.
“We need smart people like her and some of the others that I’ve worked with in other markets to be the future of this format and understand that the format is changing. One thing I think these people all have in common is an intense focus on talent coaching and talent development.
“Unless you’ve done it and sat behind a microphone for 3 or 4 hours a day, you don’t realize what a challenge it is to be compelling and entertaining every day. You can have a day where you go to work and you’re not feeling great, but the light comes on, and the person driving down I-95 in Philly doesn’t care. They just want to hear compelling, entertaining, informative sports talk radio.
“I feel really proud that I’ve been able to help some of those people get to where they are. If there’s somebody that I feel has the potential to grow, I’ll do my best to help those people move forward.”
In September of 2022, Scott Masteller was satisfied with his place in sports radio history. He had accomplished so much in so many places. But just when he thought he was out, the right opportunity came along and pulled him back in.
Taking on a behemoth like WIP is a challenge, but challenges are what he does. Will he have success again? Only time will tell, but one look at his history tells you Scott Masteller has a plan of attack and is ready for the fight.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
