Mike Missanelli thought he was launching a new show. Instead, The Fanatic dismissed him.
The Fanatic still plans to add a new midday host after dismissing Missanelli ahead of the Eagles’ season.
Mike Missanelli planned on ending his second stint at 97.5 The Fanatic in February when his contract was up. But The Fanatic’s parent company had other plans.
Beasley Media Group, which owns The Fanatic, said goodbye to Missanelli Friday just in time for Tuesday’s quarterly earnings report, in which they reported drops in net revenue and operating income they blamed on “softness in the traditional audio advertising market.”
The news blindsided Missanelli, who said he was called in by management following his show Friday and told it would be his last. That ended a second stint at the station that began less than a year ago after previously spending 15 years at the sports talker.
“It was a shock to me since we were poised to start a whole new midday show come football season,” Missanelli told The Inquirer. “But these budgetary cuts in radio, I guess, are a sign of the times.”
“I wish I was allowed to retire from the station with a little more dignity,” Missanelli added.
It’s unclear what that new midday show would’ve looked like. Missanelli’s most recent on-air partner, Bill Colarulo, just launched a new afternoon show at the station alongside NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Ricky Bottalico.
Ray Dunne has been hosting The Fanatic’s midday show as the station prepares to announce Missanelli’s replacement.
While program director Scott Masteller previously told The Inquirer he received over 100 applications, one possible option is former 94.1 WIP host Jon Marks, who recently left PHLY. It would be Marks’ second stint at The Fanatic after spending 11 years at the station from 2005 to 2016, co-hosting shows alongside Missanelli and Anthony Gargano.
The Fanatic’s parent company posted ‘challenging’ numbers
Overall, Beasley saw a 12.3% drop in revenue in the second quarter of 2025 — April, May, and June — compared to the same period last year. Operating income also dropped to $2.9 million from $5.4 million last year, though the company did narrow its net operating loss to $0.2 million from $0.3 million last year.
“Q2 was a challenging but important quarter for Beasley, yielding mixed results,” CEO Caroline Beasley said during an earnings call Tuesday.
It’s unclear how cutting ties with well-paid hosts such as Missanelli helped the bottom line in the short term, since he’ll be paid through the end of his contract. Beasley also dismissed two veteran program directors in New Jersey — Magic 98.3 FM host Debbie Mazella and WDHA host Terri Carr, who had been with the station 30 years.
“We also lost many talented members of our team, which makes it even harder,” Carr wrote on Facebook.
The latest round of cutbacks at Beasley were wide and deep. Jack McCartney, the longtime executive in charge of the company’s Boston stations, was forced out. And Boston sports talkers at the station have complained on air about not receiving bonuses they were due for their spring ratings numbers.
More cutbacks on the way?
All told, Beasley touted savings totaling about $30 million over the past year in “expense reductions,” and signaled more cuts could be on the way as the company pivots to a digital-first operation.
“I think you’ll continue to see the cost structure be further optimized as we head forward here,” Lauren Burrows Coleman, Beasley’s chief financial officer, said during the earnings call.
Most striking was that Beasley’s aggressive cost cutting, which included selling six radio stations in Florida, wasn’t able to offset its advertising losses. Beasley signaled they are open to selling more stations, including among the five it owns here in Philadelphia, including 102.9 WMGK, 93.3 WMMR, 92.5 XTU, and 95.7 BEN-FM.
“We remain open to additional opportunities where the strategic rationale is compelling and the financial impact supports our broader mission,” Beasley said.
The only question is where there is left to cut in Philly. The list of former Philly hosts is long, and recent departures include Missanelli, Tyrone Johnson, former Daily News reporter Bob Cooney, Jen Scordo, and Pat Egan at The Fanatic and former Preston & Steve co-host Kathy Romano. WMGK’s Andre Gardner was laid off last year.
“Too many good people have lost jobs, and that’s sad,” Missanelli said.