Many in the sports radio industry consider the days of a good old-fashioned radio war long gone. Rarely do talents from competing radio stations throw verbal shots across the bow. This past weekend may have ignited a new battle in the City of Brotherly Love. After LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, an outpouring of emotion filled the airwaves of 97.5 The Fanatic.
Hosts celebrated the moment on air and across social media. The station, which also serves as the flagship radio home of the franchise, temporarily rebranded as 97.5 LeBron. In a moment that shifted the culture surrounding Philadelphia basketball, one talent from the station’s chief competitor took a different route. That’s when the first shots were fired.
“When LeBron James signs with the Sixers, Spike Eskin [94WIP afternoon drive host] comes on the air and says he’s counting down the days till LeBron James leaves Philadelphia. Maybe some of its schtick, but I couldn’t have been happier,” said Fanatic midday host Jon Marks.
The art of a radio war begins with moments. Despite weeks of saying that he would not want LeBron James in Philadelphia, Eskin’s comments in the moments following James signing hit a different tone. In today’s attention economy, anything and everything can be critiqued. Knowing when to pick your spots as a competitor is the first step.
“We [Philadelphia sports fans] have a reputation, and some of it’s deserved. But the way Spike handled his first comments about LeBron signing in Philadelphia, that’s not the reputation I want,” explained Marks. “Opening the show at two o’clock and saying it’s the worst day of your life, that’s going to give Philadelphia sports fans a running stereotype. WIP embraces that, and this is what you get.”
Welcome To The Battlefield
Marks rejoined 97.5 The Fanatic last year following a seven-year run at crosstown rival 94WIP. He was hired by Eskin, who at the time served as WIP’s brand manager. When Marks announced his departure from WIP in December 2023, he cited personal reasons for leaving.
However, as successful as WIP’s content philosophy has been in producing ratings success, Marks said he eventually grew tired of it. Since leaving the station, he believes its programming has leaned even further into what he calls “disingenuous” sports talk, amplified by a social media strategy focused on engagement.
“There couldn’t have been a singular move that moves the needle more than LeBron James signing with the 76ers,” notes Marks. “When it comes to criticizing things, I’ll do it, but I’m not going to force it. It feels that there’s a lot of forcing going on with WIP for clicks, rage bait, and engagement. We’re not going to do that at the Fanatic.”
After clips of Eskin’s comments spread across social media, content creators amplified the discussion. The first direct response came from Marks’ midday co-host, Sean Brace, who took aim at Eskin’s reaction to James joining the 76ers.
“We’re diehard Philadelphia sports fans. They are not,” said Brace via social media. “They [WIP] suck. Screw them, dude. That is a negative vibe that they are putting out. It will be amplified, and it bothers the hell out of me.”
After the reaction his comments generated online, Eskin responded to accusations that he was simply chasing engagement.
“It’s not for clicks. Don’t give a s**t about clicks. The only people who are doing things for clicks, I want to be clear, are the people who are talking about what I said to get likes and clicks,” said Eskin via X. “If you want to look at the people who are doing it for clicks. It’s the people talking about me, not me.”
A Different Approach
While sports media can debate the value of social media engagement, there’s little debate that it has changed the rules of competition between stations and personalities. Brace and Eskin exchanging responses only fueled the story for another day.
On Monday, following Eskin’s response to the criticism, Marks said he believes the exchange marked the beginning of the station’s resurgence. He hopes it signals the return of a brand that once consistently challenged WIP head-to-head. In recent years, WIP has enjoyed a commanding lead over The Fanatic. Marks believes that gap can be narrowed over time by embracing a different philosophy.
“We’re getting back to where we were before. We have a bunch of younger guys that feel united in what we can do as a station,” said Marks. “You can directly point to Spike taking over the station and saying ‘this is going to be our format.’ The problem [for WIP] is it’s nine years later… In this case with LeBron, there’s a lot of people that are growing tired of the WIP approach. That’s not going to be us.”
As The Fanatic continues promoting its “Make the Switch” campaign in response to WIP, Marks admits he doesn’t spend much time listening to the competition. He fully expects WIP’s strategy to be to ignore the commentary rather than respond by punching down.
“If I was WIP, I would, for the most part, ignore it. That might change depending on things. This wasn’t a concerted effort on any of us, but at this point why the hell not,” said Marks. “Why not be honest about it [our competition]. We can use them as a way to drive what we’re trying to do. Ultimately, we must be better than what they’re doing.”
While many personalities criticize their competitors through vague references and coded language on the air, Marks and The Fanatic have chosen a much more direct approach.
“A lot of program directors say to avoid using the call letters of your competition. Why not? We always talk in code like people don’t know what we’re talking about,” explained Marks. “Scott Masteller has never held me back from saying WIP or referencing my time working there. Even mentioning Spike’s name on the air. Really, so what? People appreciate the authenticity we’re showing on the Fanatic and just being normal.”
The Battle Is Entertainment
Sports radio has always been at its best when competition matters. Ratings books, personalities and programming philosophies become more compelling when there are real stakes involved.
“Radio wars have been part of Philadelphia sports radio’s culture. I think they’re fun. Sports radio has never been closer to the WWE than ever before,” said Marks. “I’m not looking to pick fights. However, when I hear or see something that puts me over the line, enough is enough. When I hit a boiling point with their nonsense is when I choose to chirp about it.”
The city may have gained LeBron James this weekend, but Philadelphia sports radio may have gained something almost as compelling: a rivalry worthy of its history.
If this weekend’s back-and-forth between 94WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic marks the beginning of a renewed fight for Philadelphia’s sports radio audience, everyone stands to benefit. Competition has always pushed stations to produce better programming, stronger personalities and more compelling content.
Philadelphia may once again remind the sports radio industry what a true rivalry looks like.
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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.