Everyone should be so lucky to find their calling during life. Very few discover their true love when it comes to career. Once you reach it, the challenging part is letting go. Scott Masteller is one of the most recognizable programming names attached to the spoken word format. With over four decades of experience in building and reinforcing talk brands on the national and local level. The decision he made in 2022 to walk away from the industry tested him even in retirement.
“Why you get into this business is different than any other business,” explained Masteller. “It’s very intoxicating to be doing this.”
Masteller barely settled into retirement before Beasley Media Group market manager Joe Bell reached out. The two have shared a long relationship over many years, which led to Bell calling Masteller to make an ask of his friend, although he was aware of his retirement.
“I was done. Circumstances are what they are. I’d done consulting for a while, and Joe goes ‘I want you to come be our program director at 97.5 The Fanatic‘. I told Joe it’s a different time, but we worked it out,” said Masteller. “I did this because I always wanted to work in Philadelphia. In the end I got to do something I always wanted to do.”
An Element of Change
Masteller took the reins at The Fanatic in January of 2024. Since his arrival, he has overseen several changes to the weekday lineup in nearly two years. Changes have included breaking up The Best Show Ever?, elevating of Bill Colarulo, the return of Jon Marks, and a welcome back and departure of noted Fanatic legend Mike Missanelli.
“How you can work in the settings you’re given,” is how Masteller described his approach to taking on the programmer role at The Fanatic. “I’ve worked at stations that had good ratings. What I always found through the process is you find your lane where you can make a difference. If we tried to do what the guy across the street is doing, that’s not going to work.”
Change is not easy, but Masteller welcomed the task. His approach: simple. Especially with the current state of the industry facing many challenges of its own.
“Part of it is the business landscape. We all need to be prepared for change, and change happens for many different reasons. However, the consumer just wants quality content,” noted Masteller. “Anything I can do to make sure things are stabilized, that’s what this brand is going to profit from.”
The lineup in its current form features duos in every weekday daypart except for middays, where Marks recently rejoined the station earlier this year. Masteller plans to add a second voice to the daypart by the first of the year, finishing the series of changes he has led at The Fanatic.
“Now we have a lineup in place that I think is going to be here for an extended period of time. That gives us the best opportunity to compete, bring more listeners in, and draw a bigger audience,” said Masteller.
When Masteller promoted Bill Colarulo from his co-host role with Mike Missanelli in June of this year, the former lawyer went from arguing in court to arguing in afternoon drive in less than a span of four years. From the start of Colarulo’s time at the station, Masteller said he saw something special immediately.
“I feel he may be the best talent I’ve ever found,” explained Masteller. “He’s so focused on every detail. The thing that I was most intrigued about was that he was an attorney. We gave him a weekend show and saw how he prepares. He preps like he’s going into court. At the same time, he’s loose and having a good time.”
The goal for Masteller is to put smiles on faces, something which he credits all his talent with accomplishing daily. Remain entertaining but not the same.
“The overall mission is to try and be as compelling as you can be and do everything you can to serve a younger demographic,” said Masteller.
Facing Challenges
Bringing in a younger audience is the challenge every sports radio brand faces in today’s on-demand consumer society. Sports radio stations now face the challenge of evolving into sports content companies. It’s no longer just hosting shows, but also living in the podcasting, digital, and social media realms catering to future consumers.
Beasley Media Group, who owns and operates 97.5 The Fanatic, is no stranger to struggle. The company recently reported a Q3 revenue decline of 11% on a same-station basis, or 7.5% year over year excluding political advertising. Beasley CEO Caroline Beasley called the findings “unacceptable” and said the company must “execute more aggressively” on its new digital-first turn.
Masteller is a master of the bedside manner with talent and staff over his four decades of work in the industry. He says while the headlines about the health of the industry and company do concern some of his staff, the remedy comes down to communication.
“I learned long time ago because I had the benefit of working with Bruce Gilbert and Rick Scott. Both of them would say to me ‘control what you can control’,” recalled Masteller. “Don’t worry about the other stuff. That’s my biggest role, having somebody that they [employees] can talk to.”
Over his four decades in the industry, Masteller understands that the sports radio he grew up on and grew into no longer exists. Ratings have become less important, and revenue lines have become paramount. He has guided The Fanatic and its talent to understand that building a digital platform is as vital as the traditional one it currently broadcasts on.
“All of those sources [TV simulcast, YouTube stream, social following] make up an audience rather than just what you get from broadcast ratings,” explained Masteller. “Our radio station does very well with the younger demographics. That’s where it has to go in the future. There’s an outlet for all these platforms to do very well. We have to maximize what we can do.”
For all the headlines about how the radio industry is struggling, Masteller instead chooses to look at the challenges in a different way.
“The industry is very healthy and it’s going to stay healthy. It’s just adapting to the point of who’s in charge. The consumer is in charge,” noted Masteller. “The consumer says they want this program where I can listen to it no matter where I am at any time. We just have to understand that what the consumer wants goes beyond a traditional radio.”
No Regrets
For Masteller, the joy isn’t just in building a lineup or steering a station through change. It’s in shaping what comes next. As the industry evolves, so does he—embracing the challenge, empowering his people, and trusting that great content always finds its audience.
Nearly three years into his time at The Fanatic, Masteller isn’t reflecting on what he left behind. He’s focused on the future he’s still helping create.
“I’m very proud of what I’ve done and the way we’ve put the lineup in a different place in terms of what there’s going to be able to accomplish,” said Masteller. “That made it really easy for me to get back into this. Knowing that if I can walk away from this at some point and realize I helped all these talents get to a better place, then I’ve done something pretty good.”
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
