Celebrity
Somewhere, Patrick Kane is applauding (and chewing his mouthguard like a douche).
97.5 The Fanatic evening host Tom Byrne was arrested on Monday night for beating a cab driver. Gossip King Dan Gross has the details: [Philly.com]
Byrne, who turns 31 next week, was arrested around 2 a.m. Monday after a cab driver told police that he had been punched repeatedly by Byrne whom he picked up a few minutes earlier at 12th and Sansom streets. The driver told police that Byrne asked him to pull over at 6th and Pine streets at which point he began to get out of the car without paying.
When the driver asked for payment of $5, he says Byrne refused to pay and said, “I’m a celebrity. This is my neighborhood. What are you gonna do about it?” After the driver began to follow Byrne down the street, Byrne “Grabbed the complainants glasses and knocked them off his face. Defendant punched complainant in face several times and dragged him,” said Officer Tanya Little, quoting the arrest report.
Ugh. Very few people in the world can get away with playing the I'm a celebrity card (like, actual celebrities), and evening sports talk radio hosts aren’t one of them. And that’s to say nothing of the whole beating-a-cabbie-on-a-sidewalk thing, an action that continues a violent trend of Philadelphia beatings in the first few weeks of 2012.
Byrne was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, robbery and theft of services, according to Philly.com. His girlfriend posted the $500 bail.
Bryne was scheduled to be on-air last night, but the station pulled him and has not announced when he will return. Program director Matt Nahigian declined comment to both Gross and myself.
63 Responses
Who?
Your fired!
This makes so much sense. Tom Bryne is an arrogant asshole on the air. He talks down to callers and belittles them while shouting worn out talking points from Bristol. I love 97.5, but every time he’s on I turn it off. He’s got all of the smugness of Skip Bayless but without the muscles or credentials to back it up. I really hope he gets fired for this. Replace him with Marks and Brace. At lesat those guys are interesting and have a sense of humor.
I was wondering why Marks and Brace were still on when I got in my car at around 8pm last night. This will probably be it for Byrne at 97.5, I don’t see how they put him back on the air because if they did it would be an endless string of “I’m a celebrity!” jokes and comments from the callers. I hope they do put him back on for that exact reason but I just don’t see it happening.
LOL … awesome
This guy is such a tool. Never thought he would be able to beat anyone up.
Now, if they could setup Joe Decamera as well .. another dbag
Love,
Beez Nutz
did anyone else not know who this guy was?
Byrne is a clown. His voice makes me cringe. Good riddance to him, if 97.5 decides to part ways.
I knew he was a fuckstick. But now I know He’s a gigantic fuckstick.
Marks & Brace in 2012: Keep Calm and 97.5 On
This is what happens when you close Catholic Schools. Conwell Egan’s finest.
Guess this means Schwartzman will be back..RIGHT!
BTW..What happened to the guy who won the “dream job” contest a few months ago. Is he ever on the air?
“Austin, you’re FIIIRRREEDD!!!”
Jason Ashworth won the contest, he’s on every Sunday morning with Nick Kayle
Who is Tom Byrne? It would help to mention who he is in the article.
Stu-
It’s Jason Ashworth. He’s on on the weekends, normally Saturday or Sunday afternoons. He had been doing the Eagles postgame shows.
The contest only promised a 2 hour-a-week show, and he normally gets like 4. And it’s never his own show, just co-hosting.
nevermind….. missed it the first time
Thanks for the info Bob and J.T..I usually don’t listen to sports talk on the weekends, so I wasn’t aware of that.
Who? What? I didn’t know 97.5 was a sports station.
Andddd I just went to his Facebook page… well, attempted to. He took it down. Classic.
“I’m a celebrity”. Sounds like a line Kyle would use. Gee I wonder why the program director didn’t have any comment when asked by a blogger?
Too bad this douche didn’t punch his producer, then he and that ass clown missaneli could share a show. Isn’t he from Bristol or Levittown too? That doesn’t surprise me…
Jason Ashworth is flat out brutal to listen to, he earned that “Little Red” nickname pretty quick.
They’d better head down to Port Richmond to find another great voice to record the spots Byrne won’t be able to.
This guy is a serious threat to society
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/tag/tom-byrne/
crazy yo
12th and Sansom is his neighborhood? Really….hmmm
Those damm Irish Drunks. come on Tommy
Man wtf I going to miss his show in the pm
Hey Tom I think you got some dirt on your white shoes. You better shine them up. Toolbelt. Hope the few bucks you owed to the cabbie was worth losing your job and your “celebrity” status.
Attempting to stiff a working man out of his money is an ass beating offense. I hope someone does it.
Tom Byrne’s show was the arena football of sports radio
is he the host that mimics rappers and hip hop athletes in a condescending voice? like he’ll talk about iverson and be like “yo, yo yo”… he’s usually on at nights..
that host is always annoying. hope it was tom byrne.
Just don’t fill his spot with Phil from Mt. Airy Yo
Hilarious story, spooflike.
Im going to be kind and just say that 97.5 is a complete mess.
Any chance of a Phil from Mount Airy / Jose from Norristown combo at night?
Enzo sounds like you are talking about Sean Brace or Jon Marx not Byrne who was actually pretty good.
97.5 should go grab a couple part timers from WIP or give a full time job to Michael Bradley.
Jolowitz,Ruben Frank, Brian Startare are probably the best sports talk hosts on WIP, straight shooters yet are all incredibly underserved.
WHAT!
Dicky Dick, u may like the WIP part timers and Michael Bradley, but don’t you think there is a reason they have been “Part Timers” for many years? U may like them, but the majority doesnt. Jolowitz is unlistenable
WIP is unlistenable, except for Morganti and Jonesy, who unfortunately share the same time slot as that giant ass hat Cataldi.
Jose needs to fill his spot. Any hispanic guy who wants to discuss hockey is entertainment enough…”hockey action yo”
he’s always had a bad temper and has a reputation for getting in fights when drinking.
They love young white celebrities who act tough in city jail, so he’s in luck
I told that sissy to walk the 8 blocks from 12th and Samson to 6th and pine, but he said he’s a big time celebrity and gets free rides everywhere.
97.5 is so annoying. They fill the airwaves with a bunch of local 30 somethings who have no clue about anything except that, “Philadelphia rules dude!!”. Ie Jon “I want to milk Mikey miss” Marks, Sean Brace and this fool
wip is the myspace of sports radio
What is with the sports talk radio hosts in this city being so self-important and arrogant?
So surprised he’s only 31, his voice sounds like that of a man in his 50s. Oh, now I get it: the assault wasn’t his fault, he was posessed by the spirit of John Bolaris.
comment of the day^
Celebrity?? LOL! Dude you host a radio station in the evening no less. This incident will make you more popular then your show ever did!
Question #2 to TOMMY!
How old was the cabbie?
they should hire g cobb to take his place
I wonder what Hairy Balls McGinty thinks about this. I’m suprised he hasn’t blessed us with another one of his dumb 9000 word essay posts like he usually does. Let us know your thoughts Hairy Balls McGinty
Small balls McGinty is a pussy
Celebrity cage match — Tom Byrne vs Little Balls McGinty vs Fat Scott Paterno. My money on FSP
Glad he enjoys cigars, he’ll be having a lot of long brown things in his mouth soon enough.
(black prison penises)
you guys are just hilarious
I interned at 97.5 and my first day Tom Byrne greeted me bright and early by speaking down to me. He said, (very nasally and inaudible), “I’m Tom Byrne (long pause because I had no idea who he was) I do the cut ins and I have a show on the weekends? (still nothing from me) I’m the talent (I finally reacted because I was sick of the awkwardness).” Glad to hear of this and hope he’s off the air soon…pompous ass
97.5 should have fat Scott Paterno do some weekend shows
I guess the “Missanelli rage syndrome” has filtered through the studio. Radio interns, camera men, and now cabbies, all get a space in the I am a Tough Guy Sports Radio Personality trophy case.
That station needs an in house anger management counselor
I used to work with this shitbag and he was as big a jerkoff five years ago as he is now. Couldn’t happen to a nicer person. Have fun in obscurity douchebag.
This is fine work, “”KYLE”.
byrne is a jackoff, he interviewed with me years ago, and said i will take your job, well he didnt and i am still on the air, looks like i will be getting a call from him..only to tell him to pay the cabbie 5 bucks and fuck off
This ish is too funny….this Byrne guy looks just silly as he sounds on the radio.
Also, whoever commented that G-Cobb, Paul Jolowitz, and Jody Mac are good, has some serioius issues. You listed some of the WORST on air personalities in the City. You must be an employee of WIP. Is that Sue Schilling?
I was wondering what happened to him. This is absolutely hilarious. $5?!?!? What a moron. All this over five bucks? I know there is no money in radio, but five bucks is something a homeless person can panhandle in just an hour or less. I hope that girlfriend of his dumps him. This guy must be a real whack job to lose it over five bucks.
Haha! “I’m a celebrity”… He’s never gonna work in radio ever again.
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