Earlier in the week, Audacy announced that it hired Ryan Hurley to serve as the brand manager of WFAN and Infinity Sports Network, officially naming a successor to Spike Eskin and allowing him to begin his role on the afternoon drive program with SportsRadio 94WIP. Eskin officially made his on-air debut on Monday where the show discussed a variety of sports teams in the area, including the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia 76ers. On Tuesday, the show continued its sports discussion but also introduced new facets to its structure, including a list of rules by which callers will need to abide in order to be featured on the WIP Afternoon Show.
Named the “Bill of Spike,” the document of six rules was revealed by Eskin during the broadcast, each of which was followed by a subsequent explanation. Before he began to read from the list, which he stated is non-negotiable, he provided his rationale as to why he was implementing these regulations within the program.
“Some things have gotten out of hand,” Eskin said. “There is a new sheriff in town. We need some rules. It is with great respect and honor that I introduce the Bill of Spike, the rules for calling the WIP Afternoon Show. A polite society, an organized society, a civilization has rules, and we will have rules for calling the WIP Afternoon Show.”
The first rule on the list mandates that callers must reach their point immediately. Even if the primary topic does not pertain to sports, it is essential that they begin discussing it upon being placed on the air. Should a caller have an issue with another listener of the show, the program will eventually get to it, but it will not be the first thing.
“Rule No. 2 – please do not ask how we are doing,” Eskin continued. “We’re great. We’re having such a good time. This is such a good job; it is silly; we all like each other. You don’t need to ask us.”
Eskin also added that if a team lost the game on the day before, it should be obvious that the hosts are not doing well. They will likely express those sentiments on the air within their discussion about the games and teams as well. When they are speaking with a listener though, Eskin made sure to inform them that they should not be calling into the show on speakerphone.
“If you’re on a speakerphone, just take the L,” Eskin said. “Do not ask us for a second to take us off speakerphone. We’ve already hung up; I’m already on to the next caller.”
The fourth rule on the list reads, “Don’t tell me the rules, I’ll tell you the rules,” something Eskin highlighted because there have been several callers who have questioned specific rules. Instead, he wanted to make it clear that he would be informing the callers of the rules rather than it being the other way around. He then proceeded to outline the fifth rule on the list, which specifically mentions how listeners should address Eskin, co-host Ike Reese and producer Jack Fritz.
“You can greet the hosts in any order possible, but please, limit the times you passive-aggressively do not say hello to one of us,” Eskin said. “I can see what you’re doing if you call up and you say hi to Ike and Jack and don’t mention me; you say hi to Jack [and] don’t mention me and Ike, so and so. We’re not doing that – we’re all friends here. If you’re going to say hi, say hi to all three of us. You don’t have to say hi to anybody by the way – you can just go.”
Fritz asked a follow-up question to Eskin regarding this rule pertaining to what would happen if a caller specifically asked for his takes about the Phillies. In response, Eskin said that he would drop the call, leading to Reese to provide his input on this directive.
“I have seen that scenario happen before where somebody has called up and said, ‘I just want to get Jack’s opinion on the Phillies,’” Reese said. “Now me, it doesn’t offend me at all – I’m like, ‘Go right ahead.’”
“You know what?,” Eskin replied. “I’m going to change my opinion. If you greet all three hosts and you want to ask Jack something specific about the Phillies, we can let that slide.”
The final rule within the “Bill of Spike” is that callers are not allowed to say that any of the hosts only received the job because of their father. Spike Eskin is the son of Howard Eskin, who was a longtime host on SportsRadio 94WIP and continues to appear across its programming while sideline reporting for its broadcast of Eagles football. Even so, Spike Eskin said he was standing up for everyone on the show with this rule on the bill, concluding the list and commencing a new era in afternoons on the station.
“The Bill of Spike – the rules are ingrained,” Eskin said. “They are in stone, they are posted on the wall, they are tattooed on my abdomen.”
While Reese believes that Eskin did an adequate job crafting the bill, he believes that the callers are going to initially fight against the mandate. After some time though, he thinks that they will conform to the rules about calling into the show.
“They will fall in line,” Eskin said, “or they will fall out of order; out of the rotation.”
