After 31 years at SportsRadio 94WIP, Glen Macnow hosted his final show on Saturday with partner Mike Sielski. Macnow had announced his retirement back in April. The three-hour show featured many special guests, many memories and many emotional moments. Macnow hosted his final Sunday show with partner Jody McDonald last week, but this would be his last show overall and his partner Mike Sielski and their team put on quite a goodbye.
“On an ordinary Saturday morning we would be talking Eagles, or worrying about Ranger Suarez’s recent string of bad starts or wondering why the Whit Merrifield experiment didn’t work or asking if the Sixers actually have enough depth to reach the conference finals or we’d be reviewing a British cop show or a Netflix movie, but not today,” Sielski said. “Today we are going to toast my partner, Glen Macnow for his 31 years here at WIP and send him off in the style and with the tributes that he deserves.”
Sielski asked Macnow how he was feeling and he said, “Nervous, Mike Sielski. Happy, proud, wistful…Delighted to see some friends and family and co-workers who have shown up. Eager, yet apprehensive about the next three hours.”
Macnow said with the well-wishes from everyone, and the various media stories done on his retirement, “It’s been like going to your own funeral and hearing everybody say very nice things about you, that’s kind of what it’s been like. It’s been very flattering and touching.
“You don’t know during your life what kind of legacy you’re going to leave until the time comes and I just have to say that I am really happy, proud and a little bit touched by what people have said to me this week.”
Rhea Hughes, Fran Dunphy, Phil Martelli, Dave Spadaro, Angelo Cataldi, Ray Didinger, Keith Jones, Ike Reese, Merrill Reese and members of Macnow’s family all contributed to the show over the next few hours. Many callers waited on jam-packed phone lines to wish Macnow well or share a memory.
As the show winded down, Macnow said, in part, “I still love this job…The three hours on air with Mike or with Jody, still a blast. And I will miss that. But, it’s time for me. I want to travel, I want to write, I want to do more acting in local theater.”
Macnow thanked his family, especially his wife. “I just married so damn well,” he said and then relayed that he told his wife when he had started doing shows that he hoped to get five years out of it.
“I do want to thank the listeners,” Macnow continued. “…Radio is a very personal medium. You invite us into your lives and even if we’ve never met you there is a relationship there…WIP and its audience are a community and thank you for letting me be your friend.
Macnow referred to an old jingle his show had used where the lyrics said, ‘Your good pal, Glenn Macnow.’ “I hope that I have lived up to that,” he said. “You let me into your home, into your cars, into your earpods for 31 years.
“Now to quote my old friend John Chaney, ‘Excuse me while I disappear.'”
