Just over two years after his departure from 97.5 The Fanatic following 15 years on its airwaves, Mike Missanelli is returning to the Philadelphia sports radio station. Missanelli will start hosting The Mike Missanelli Show in the midday time slot on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. starting on Monday, Aug. 12. Missanelli will be joined by Bill Colarulo, a former attorney who was recently added to 97.5 The Fanatic as a sports talk radio host.
Since Missanelli left the station, he had been hosting a podcast for BetRivers and was also part of the Philadelphia Eagles postgame show from JAKIB Media. Over the last several months, there had been rumors surrounding a potential return of Missanelli to 97.5 The Fanatic after he had announced that he received an offer from the station earlier this summer.
“We’re excited to welcome Mike Missanelli back to 97.5 The Fanatic,” Paul Blake, vice president and cluster manager of Beasley Media Group Philadelphia, said in a statement. “With over 25 years as an iconic sports radio talk show host, Mike’s insightful commentary and engaging style, along with his passion and expertise, make him the perfect fit to lead our station into an exciting new era.”
The news follows the station’s decision to move on from Bob Cooney, who had been assigned to the midday slot this past March following lineup changes at the station that paired John Kincade and Andrew Salciunas together in morning drive. Cooney had been a member of the morning drive daypart since his return to 97.5 The Fanatic in 2017. Kincade and Salciunas will continue hosting in morning drive, while Tyrone Johnson, Missanelli’s former producer, will continue hosting The Best Show Ever? with Ricky Battaldio in afternoon drive.
“I am excited to welcome Mike back to the Fanatic,” Scott Masteller, program director of 97.5 The Fanatic, said in a statement. “I know that both previous and new listeners will be anxious to hear his insight and perspective on Philadelphia Sports.”
Missanelli joined the Kincade and Salciunas morning program on Friday where the announcement pertaining his return to the station was officially revealed. As the news was divulged, Missanelli stated that just when he thought he was out, the station found a way to bring him back in. Kincade expressed that Missanelli helped build the station throughout the 15 years he was with the entity, including a move to the FM signal.
“The station [is] near and dear to my heart obviously,” Missanelli said. “The way I look at it now is that in my last contract, I had a two-year, three-month vacation, so I’m ready to return to [the station].”
Missanelli expressed that he will continue to do his podcast with BetRivers, but that a lot of things occurred in Philadelphia sports since his departure. When he got up, he found himself wanting to interact with callers and get back into the “action” and “reaction” with people and their perception of what occurred. The Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Phillies both played in their respective league championship games over the last two years, and there has been significant discussion surrounding the other sports teams as well.
“It’s like a new beginning, man,” Missanelli said. “I’ve got to be honest with you – it feels a little surreal. When you’ve been away from it for a while and you walk into a studio and you go, ‘I used to do this?,’ so I got to find a way to get that back.”
