Andrew Fillipponi always thought of his on-air sound as resembling a sports talk radio host who would resonate best in the afternoon drive daypart. As someone with a comprehensive knowledge of the format, he is able to perceive the nuances between programmatic archetypes and feels that although he could adapt to another timeslot, his style fits best at this moment. Fillipponi describes himself as someone who tries to be dynamic and opinionated while eliciting emotive responses and lighthearted revelry for the listening audience. In fact, he has a penchant for the kind of radio mastered by Mike Francesa and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo in the afternoons on WFAN, a pairing that achieved historic levels of success for nearly two decades.
Fillipponi made it to afternoon drive with 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh in 2018 after previously starring in middays. As part of the move, he started to host with sportswriter Chris Mueller, and the duo worked to showcase chemistry and rapport over the airwaves. The offering has exhibited a strong value proposition to local listeners while also gaining attention nationally. One of these plaudits came after a panel of 46 program directors and corporate executives from audio companies around the country voted The PM Team as the top afternoon sports talk radio program in mid-markets in the Barrett Media Top 20 series for the third consecutive year.
“I think we have talented people,” Fillipponi said. “I don’t say this to be braggadocious or cocky, but I think I’m good at my job, and I think that I’m fortunate enough to work with similarly talented, skilled people who also have mindsets that I think match mine.”
In seven years of eligibility as a duo, Fillipponi and Mueller have garnered a run of consistency in finishing first on the list four times. The show received the most first-place votes in the category, and it also finished 18 points ahead of the program finishing second. Fillipponi considers it humbling to have amassed this triumph again, but he attributes the victory to a variety of colleagues, including brand manager Kraig Riley, market manager Michael Spacciapolli and producer Donny Chedrick. On top of that, Fillipponi does not lose sight of the panel who grants such a distinction, and he is humbled to be acknowledged in this capacity.
“I think I also generally feel proud when I see us ranked there because it puts more stock in I guess what we’re doing,” Fillipponi said. “It makes me feel like there’s a recognition that people hear us and think that they’re doing a really good job, so it’s just great every time something like this pops up and I see us there. It makes me feel good about where the show is headed and where it’s been.”
Fillipponi aims to augment the social currency of doing a show that can catalyze more conversation and foster greater shares of listening. With a deep tradition and bevy of superstar players spanning the marketplace, he does not underestimate the proficiency of the listeners. Rather than dedicating a specific period of time to preparation and research, the genuine reality of the situation is that the job can be somewhat all encompassing.
“I’m always cooking up things I want to say or thoughts that I have on it, so it seems like it might be a ponderous way of life that that’s always on my mind, but I really don’t know anything differently,” Fillipponi said. “That’s just, I guess, my brain chemistry or genetics – I don’t know what it is – but that’s just how I work.”
When Fillipponi arrives at the studio, he informs his colleagues of his thoughts and listens to feedback to help craft a robust on-air product. Within the on-air discussions, he tries to evince different aspects of his personality that includes some of his own personal idiosyncrasies as it pertains to his sports fandom and lifestyle. There are instances where he can relate to media personalities who may view themselves as being isolated in their viewpoints or perspectives, but he is not afraid to bring up dilemmas or other matters that may go against the norm.
“I think anybody who thinks they’re good at this thinks that they have a unique personality and that there’s stuff about them that sets them apart,” Fillipponi said, “and I just feel like I’ve always naturally been someone who kind of swims against the current as far as opinions go, and that’s not purposely done where I’m just trying to be the lone wolf or have the minority opinion.”
Mueller has played a pivotal role in the prosperity of the show, and he is someone who Fillipponi views as nimble, competent and adaptable. Bringing a substantial sense of humor and spontaneity to the timeslot, he enhances the conversations and contributes to the aggregate synergy realized. Since Fillipponi has been paired with Mueller, he is able to gather the direction of a conversation and effectively position the show to have extemporaneous and memorable moments.
“There’s no complacency, there’s no stagnation, there is no just coasting,” Fillipponi articulated. “We talk about sports, and sports are meant to kind of have a lot of those ideals and qualities and attributes to competition, and I think it gets applied to a lot of what I do too, or at least try to do.”
As an undergraduate student at Syracuse University, Fillipponi studied communications and participated in the student-run campus radio station. Several of his former contemporaries have also forged successful careers in the sports media business, including Nick Wright, Damon Amendolara and Danny Parkins. The alumni reunited at the 2024 BSM Summit in New York City to partake in a session about their forays throughout the business.
“That was a pretty unique experience because that’s something that if we were all sitting together in one of our living rooms or at a bar, we probably would have talked about just the state of the business and our own thoughts and opinions on it,” Fillipponi explained, “and then to do it in front of some of the biggest decision makers and power brokers in sports talk radio was pretty surreal.”
Fillipponi and his colleagues are broadcasting in an ecosystem where Nielsen Media Research has reduced its credit threshold to three minutes to receive listening credit in a quarter-hour. Even though he feels it is too early to extrapolate the residual effects, he surmises that it will benefit music stations more than those in spoken word formats. Nonetheless, Fillipponi strives to finish atop ratings tabulations and bolster the listening audience on a variety of platforms while genuinely enjoying his work.
“I’ve been a part of shows where the ratings have been fine, but I’m like, ‘Man, this just does not sound like the kind of show that I want to do,’ and that’s a really hard thing to reconcile with yourself,” Fillipponi said. “Ideally you want to do a show that sounds how you want it to where you can be yourself and it also does big ratings and it’s great for the company locally and bigger picture too.”
Congruous with his approach to producing content that appeals to the radio audience, Fillipponi remains motivated to improve at his craft. Rather than envying the success of his former classmates, he shares in their victories and maintains confidence that he can continue to thrive in the field. Furthermore, he recognizes the expertise and commitment of those on his team at 93.7 The Fan instead of treating his career as a one-person operation. With the show broadcasting in the new year seeking to secure a fourth-straight top finish, Fillipponi is still optimistic about the future of radio and the notoriety it yields
“I run into people all the time that recognize me, either my voice or my face from our YouTube page,” Fillipponi said. “I feel like you still have a lot of agency and a lot of authority from being on traditional, over-the-air radio, and that’s impressive to me because obviously the options in the menu for what people can listen to has expanded so much.”
Despite the enthusiasm about the future though, Fillipponi still remains concerned about the viability of radio continuing to generate the revenue it had engendered over the last three decades. There are questions he holds surrounding whether talented professionals in different marketplaces can provide for their families. Fillipponi cannot speak nationally on this subject, but at the local level, he is energized by the teamwork and alignment of departments to effectuate a common goal.
“I see really encouraging and positive things in Pittsburgh, and I hope that’s a trend that’s company wide and industry wide because you read articles, trade articles, about money that’s shifted from radio to podcast to YouTube to other places,” Fillipponi expressed, “and I hope we can continue to capture what we did in the past and grow that even more in the next year.”
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Derek Futterman is an associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, email Derek@BarrettMedia.com or find him on X @derekfutterman.
