RADIO WARS: We’ve Gone Nuclear

RWn

So last night I came back to no less than 56 Twitter mentions, a dozen or so texts, and a handful of calls – some of the latter two coming from those with a horse in this race – almost all of which had something to do with Mike Missanelli aiming his missile at Tony Bruno and Josh Innes’ Cuba. Somehow, Howard Eskin became Fidel Castro.

I’m not even sure how to order this post, because when you have two radio rivals going at each other, head-to-head, in real-time, it becomes impossible to parse. I believe the best way to summarize is with a simple timeline and some fact-checking of the nonsense and hypocrisy spewing in all directions. Bring me my war time epaulettes!

1 p.m.-ish: Josh Innes and I have a kinda neutral Twitter exchange – a disarmament, if you will – about what he thinks (my interpretation) is favorable RADIO WARS coverage of 97.5, this a day after I wrote the headline WIP Rules Ratings. His chief beef – couched in a continued insinuation that I’m close with Anthony Gargano, whom I literally don’t know, don’t have an email for, and don’t have a number for –  is that I was too forgiving of the 97.5 morning show’s early ratings struggles, which I explained away by pointing out its lack of pre-promotion and the difficulty in going up against the powerhouse WIP show with Angelo Cataldi, Al Morganti and Rhea Hughes.

No big deal. I disagree with Innes that I’m playing favorites. But he can think what he wants. I’ve written no less than three posts declaring him and Bruno ratings champs. And for another feather in my impartiality cap, I’d cite the fact that Innes’ competitor, Missanelli, isn’t exactly thrilled with recent coverage what with his claim yesterday that WIP gives the ratings to people who don’t understand them. As if understanding ratings takes a Widener Law degree.

On to Mike.

3 p.m.: Mike opens his second hour and finally addresses those who shall go unnamed [audio]:

“I’ll speak to this for the first time, because a lot of people wanna hear this. It’s like that other station that constantly brings my name up, this other station in town. I never hear it but people tell me all the time … it’s painful insecurity, and they’re so hurt by being dismissed that it comes out that way, just like Cary Williams, right? Now, if I had to bring up someone’s name on this air because I didn’t have any other content, I would be embarrassed, right? But apparently there’s kind of a lack of pride over there.

So what this other station does is they spin the ratings, and they put out this propaganda about the number and talk to people who really don’t understand ratings anyway. See, here’s the thing about ratings: They’re a long haul thing. They’re not a couple of months thing. So, if they got good numbers, good for them. But here’s the difference: I didn’t proclaim my victory when I ran Eskin’s ass out of town. I didn’t proclaim that triumph until a year had gone by. Because a year is a true measure of the worth of someone’s show, right?”

Ratings are not propaganda. They’re what hosts, producers and program directors care about, because it determines if they keep their jobs and get bonuses. The most important demo, as you know, is men 25-54. And Bruno-Innes have beat Mike for four-straight months there. Is one month misleading? Maybe. But a certain local radio host, touting the virtues of a ratings book, once told me: “The books encompass a period of three months of weekly ratings. It’s all combined and measured at the end. A one month book is practically meaningless.” So the four months here are neither propaganda nor spin. They’re facts.

“Now, naturally a new show is gonna get some curiosity listens. And if after a year you got good numbers I say salud. If that’s what Philadelphia wants on an evening drive talk show, that’s fine. If they want some obnoxious, out of town, interloper who has some Howard Stern For Dummies manual in front of him to do his show, and Tony Bruno — whatever it is he does — obviously we’re well aware of his limitations here at this radio station. But I do what I do. And what I do is I come in every day and I try to give you the best I got. I try to talk about the most interesting, compelling topics. I try to give you the best interviews. I try to be the best advocate for the fans. I try to give you my complete honesty every day, and that’s what I’ll continue to do. I will not change at all, and I know there’s a lot of bluster out there, a lot of nonsense that people get caught up in, a lot of propaganda. At the end of the day if that’s what you want, salud. Good luck to you over there.”

Not a great argument here, considering 97.5’s morning show is decidedly not getting the rubbernecking bump Missanelli claims Bruno and Innes got.

“People explain to me enough what’s going on and it reflects an insecurity and a lack of pride, and I would never do it that way … see, here’s the thing: When I’m their content, they don’t realize that’s actually flattering to me. They’re constantly bringing my name up, that means you have no content. Alright, that’s all I needed to say on that.”

Worth noting: There are many, many insecure egos in Philly media. Also, Mike did almost the exact same thing with Eskin not all that long ago.

3:30 p.m.: Bruno takes to Twitter:

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5 p.m.: Josh Innes and Tony Bruno, but mostly Innes, about Mike [audio]:

Bruno: “The outright leader. Doesn’t he have to change his Twitter now since it’s fraudulent? You can’t call yourself the outright leader when you’re in fifth place. That’s not outright leader in my world … Fifth place puts you on the leaderboard. If you’re playing golf you’ll finish fifth, you’ll get a nice paycheck, but you ain’t in the money, son.”

Innes: “And of course we listen to this bit where he was ripping us, and then he goes straight into general knowledge questions, something that we rip that fraud, lame, phony for every day … That’s another thing I find brilliant of his: ‘These bros don’t have any material for their show so they gotta talk about me on their show.’ Well, all of a sudden you’re talking about us now bro. So you say you’re not concerned about ratings, which by the way he calls us liars on the ratings … We can acknowledge that ratings systems in every way are flawed. There’s no perfect way to find how many people are truly listening to a radio show. But I know this: There’s a system that we all go by, and we live and die by numbers … When I signed the contract, it said I’m bonused on men 25-54 and it’s bonused on first or second place, or you’re done.”

“Of course Mr. Missanelli, Mr. Hothead, Mr. Meathead, Mr. go to Twitter and threaten to fight people on Twitter because he’s such a well balanced individual that he’ll go to Twitter and threaten to fight people because he can’t use his words like a big boy. He’s a polished turd essentially. He’s a guy that rolls out, puts on a nice suit, lives in a nice big house, tries to enlighten you with how broad his horizons are. He likes to make you think ‘I’m down with the brothas’ and ‘I’m cool bro.’ 60-something year old guy listening to alt-rock music and going to the Electric Factory with his young girlfriend, who I believe dumped him by the way. She’s gone. But anyway that’s neither here nor there. But this guy, you can sit here and you can paint yourself however you want to but a polished turd is still a turd and a meathead is still a meathead.”

And:

“He’s a lazy bastard just like everyone else who works at that radio station. See: Gargano, Anthony. Because they’re dying too. So you wanna come at this radio station .. That’s quite alright. I’m glad. I’m excited that as we sit here today that there’s competition in radio. It won’t last very long because Angelo, who is the king of talk radio in this town, is already dispatching of Gargano. Despite what you read on Crossing Broad, it’s not close. And that days that it is close, more than likely, has to do with the fact that Angelo is off .. And Mike Missanelli, who hasn’t even smelled the kind of success that Howard Eskin had for 25 years, his reign has lasted how long? Five?”

Despite what you read on Crossing Broad… which was an accurate summarization of the actual ratings.

It’s hard to poke holes in an argument that mostly just amounts to an opinion. But, I think it’s highly unfair to call Mike or Anthony lazy. Complacent? Maybe. But lazy people don’t get to where Mike and Anthony are in a city like Philadelphia (Josh seems to be conflating varying degrees of professionalism with effort). Josh hasn’t been here long enough to realize that. His antics work right now. They’re entertaining. Frankly, I admire his spunk. I think he makes great points about much of the established media around here. They are some of the same points I’ve written for years. But while Philly is a big market, it’s also a small town. The media is highly incestuous, and what I don’t think Innes realizes is that right now he’s winning, and he may win for a long time, but during that time he will also work for, with, or above many of the people he’s spent the last year ripping into. You can only do that for so long before you burn every possible bridge. Consider how Missanelli and Eskin used to be partners and now hate each other. Consider how Gargano and Missanelli (friends) used to be competitors and are now featured on the same banner on 97.5’s website. Consider how Michael Barkann gets a paycheck from NBC (Comcast) and CBS (WIP). There are countless examples. Even as an independent blogger, I’ve realized that you have to pick your spots. Eventually, you’ll need a hand to step up to the next rung. That doesn’t mean Innes shouldn’t continually hammer on Mike or whomever else, but if he does it to enough people, it’ll come back to bite him. Andy Bloom won’t be his boss forever. Tony won’t be his partner forever. Gargano or Missanelli, quite frankly, might not be his competitor forever.  And that same logic applies to wearing out the audience. It’s fun in the beginning when you’re outraged about everything, but after a while, you’ll start to get diminishing returns on your bombastry and everyone will just know you as a gasbag… which is what a lot of people think about Howard Eskin, who welcomed Innes’ ICBMs into his war-torn territory…

5:30 p.m.: Howard Eskin, about Mike:

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And then the war spilled over into the homeland…

11 a.m. today: Miss Robin, Tony’s better half, implying on Facebook that Bruno’s long-running Twitter troll might be an enemy within:

“So, our Twitter Troll is back. Again, we’re pretty sure we know who it is and it’s not who we originally thought it was, it’s even worse!
It still amazes me that someone can be so disturbed & jealous of someone else that he needs to attack them with vicious and hateful posts & lies while at the same time being so pathetic and cowardly that he hides behind fake accounts.

What a sad, sad life he must have. We hadn’t heard from him in a long time because he obviously thought he was successful, and maybe even had a hand, in getting rid of Tony when 97.5 let Tony go, but now with Tony’s success on WIP (and especially yesterdays “Radio Wars” back and forth) he couldn’t stay away or keep quiet. How much more obvious can it be as to who it is? Especially since I am a target as well. Somebody has SERIOUS issues with women.

(And to our troll, because I’m sure you will read this. Stop being such a coward. Go ahead, come tell us all this stuff to our face! Oh, that’s right. You can’t because then everyone would know what a complete and total ass you are and your job, your sympathetic “persona” & “fame” would be history)”

Uh oh. Things are escalating. The children are under their desks. Let’s keep the lines open, Nikita. MAY THE BAND PLAY ON:

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186 Responses

  1. If you like Josh Innes, you’re an idiot. A dumb person. That’s all there is to it. He’s a fat ass trolling for ratings.

    1. I can’t stand Innes, but he sounded far more rational than Mikey Miss.
      Miss and Gargano are going to beat him up? What is this high school?

      1. If threatening to beat somebody up is “high school”, what is taking the first syllable from somebody’s last name and replacing it with “bitch” when referring to that person? Middle school? Elementary school?

        Look, you can love/like/hate Missanelli and/or Innes all you want but if Innes is going to get personal with Mike, Gargano, or anybody, the dude is going to catch one in the mouth sooner or later from somebody….and I would pay money to be there to see it because I’m positive he’s the biggest bitch of all the parties that are involved in this.

        1. This thing that Innes doesn’t get is THIS IS PHILLY. Mike and Anthony grew up here. This aint Texas. you say something stupid youre bound to get punched right where those words left. Mike’s done it before at the sake of his job and rep… What makes anyone think he wouldn’t do it again? honestly.

          1. I am on Mike’s side on this even though he has been a douche bag lately.

            But for the last FUCKING TIME, Gargano did NOT grow up here. He lives and grew up in south Jersey. He wrote a bullshit story based on info he culled in Chicago.

            He is NOT from South Philadelphia, and probably could not find it with a Garmin. So stop with the “Ant is Philly” shit. He Isn’t”

            1. I agree with Innes about one thing. 97.5 is very lazy.

              WIP is an absolute disaster and ripe for the picken but 97.5 is just so weak , directionless ,punchless stuck in their tired eagles malaise.

              1. Bostons #2 sports station pulled a 4.9 rating in May. 97.5 ouch a 2.0

            2. Where Anthony grew up is beyond me…but he lives in my building which is in Philly…maybe not South Philly, BUT PHILLY! Also people talk about him growing up in Jersey like its a horrible thing, S jersey is half our fan base!

          2. Actually they didn’t grow up here. Bitchanelli is from Bristol and Gargano from South Jersey. They’re both pussies and would never fight anyone who was in shape or bigger than them. Only kid producers.

            1. For fucks sake, it’s an expression dickhead. Guess what, Howard fucking Stern’s family moved to Long Island when he was 1, does that mean he is not from NY?

              Lighten the fuck up, it’s a fucking expression

  2. Loved how Ant threatened Innes with having some of his South Philly boys FECK him up.

    1. He is.

      A sore spot for our otherwise not terrible town.

      Also, his last name is decidedly not Gargano.

    2. i think he was born and raised in south philly? yes he lives in washington township now, who the hell would want to live in that shit hole of south philly if they had the money to get out?

      i heard innes rip gargano for being from south jersey a few minutes after he said he said tony has to drive in to the station from jersey, so its okay for bruno but not for gargano?

      either way, it’s entertaining. i’m just waiting for shawn michaels to come and smash one of them through the barber shop window.

      1. Get it straight. Gargano was born and lived in S. Philly until about age 7 or 8. His parents then moved to Washington Township, where he spent his formative years, elementary school through Paul VI high school. Gargano professes that he hated life in S. Jersey and would frequently go back to S. Philly for visits with his friends (BOB means jobs). Then Gargano left to work in NYC and Chicago, and returned to work for a Philly newspaper. Quirkly things about him: never has ridden a bicycle …never learned to start and operate a lawn mower, hates the idea of grilling outside, could care less about a backyard lawn. Concrete Ant. The Bro just bypassed some basic things about growing up …maybe part of the reason he has created his Souf Philly persona.

        1. he has never ridden a bicycle… he has no idea how to operate a lawnmower…..
          ……
          he is…. the LEAST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD!!!!

          STAY HUNGRY MY FRIENDS

        2. Wow, what are you, like his fucking historian or something? Writing his autobiography or just like having his dick down your throat? He is still as much of a fraud as Anjello Fataldi, Josh Anus or Mikey Mess. They all suck and are fake and have schtick. I haven’t listened to anything local since the draft and probably won’t for a long time either. The “Radio Wars” posts are a little guilty pleasure of mine though. You know, looking away from a car wreck and all that…

      2. Have you been south of Washington Street lately? Gentrification all the way down to Snyder Avenue. Pockets of neighborhood people here and there, but mainly transplants. Or as the natives say: hipsters.
        The South Philly argument is pretty much a moot point . The Italian Market is just barely Italian now. But the debate about Gargano’s S. Philly cred sure seems to fire up the peeps.

        1. Washington St? It’s Washington Ave asshole…another piece of shit who wants to run his mouth about South Philly and has obviously never been there. ALSO the Italian Market or as real South Philadelphians call it “9th Street” hasn’t been Italian since the 80’s.

          I hope you move back to DelCo

            1. Flexing keyboard muscles…really? I think correcting a out of Towner who makes the mistake of calling it Washington st pretty noble

          1. No, it’s not Washington Ave, it’s Washington SHTREET.

            And I did move back to delco – here’s your gold frickin star clown car.

            1. It is Washington Ave…def not a street. Also gold star clown car…is this a inside thing?

        2. The goombahs had a nice run but the Italian market is now the Mexican-Vietnamese (Mexinamese? Vietnamexican?) market, which is fine. I’d rather eat carne asada or lemongrass chicken than lasagna.

      1. Why is everyone so concerned where he grew up? Who cares? S Philly, N Philly, delco, S Jersey, it’a all same miserable fan base.

        1. Glad you asked!

          1, claiming to be SOUF FILLY BORN AND RAISED when you are not is bullshit
          2, its even more bullshit when someone at your station calls out someone at another station about not being from here.

          I could give a fuck less about if you are from here or not, but when you claim you are and then throw shade at someone else who isn’t its bullshit.

          1. Thanks for the lesson. I obviously have my priorities in life mixed up.

  3. I found it funny that Innes’ rant sounded identical to rants I’ve read in the comments on the Radio Wars posts.

    I hope Mike Miss takes this challenge and improves his show, because I like him, but it’s gotten really stale.

    New Conspiracy Theory: Kyle is working in conjunction with WIP and his call to the show and fight with Bloom was part of it to help him get clicks and Innes listeners.

    1. Kyle is a 97.5 puppet. And he censors comments on here that call him out on it.

      1. No it doesn’t add up. If he was a 97.5 puppet he wouldn’t give Innes as much publicity as he has.

        It’s more likely he’s working with WIP and he kinda skews his articles to hide that face.

        Not saying it’s true, but more likely than that he works with 97.5

        1. Stop tryin’ to sound like Stephan A. Dickhead with that “I’m NOT Sayin’ it’s True, but that’s what a couple of the guys in the barber shop done told Me when I went to get the fade tightened up before I go wash up Shady’s balls nice and bright!!”

      2. Very true. But facts don’t matter to Innes.

        He said it himself. His goal is to win the ratings. Fox news also wins the ratings. American Idol won the ratings. It doesn’t mean their good, it just means they know how to rile up a bunch of dimbulbs, and boy are there plenty of mouthbreathing morons in the Delaware Valley.

        1. Missanelli is a creep and a failure at every business venture he tried except for his afternoon show that he succeeded in because he beat up on an old, Andy Reid apologist who the fans turned on, and his best friend. So, I’m glad Innes and Bruno are killing him.

          And Kyle’s giving Inness attention because Inness has dethroned “The outright leader”. But Kyle couches everything to put his source Gargano in a positive light.

          1. Don’t forget that at the time he was the prime time drive host on the only FM sports station in town. So people would much rather listen to that then the static that was 610. Then when WIP moves to FM, he goes up against that fat goomba gargano and his partner of the month. Gargano is such a miserable failure, that he finally gets canned (and the geniuses at 97.5 jump on him to be their morning “guy”), so now he goes up against real competition and gets slaughtered. End of days mikey, end of days….

            Also, if Mikey had the crushing lead over Innes, do you think he’d still be talking about how ratings are wrong and no one knows how to read them??

        2. Fox News wins the ratings because they provide a product that appeals to their audience, older, conservative minded folks.

          CNN, once a real and great news network is basically a viral news that provides sensationalist journalism to try to get ratings. Its like a facebook article your 50 year old mother shares “You’ll never believe what happens next to the blind, deaf, 3-legged puppy!” Except its about downed planes in the pacific or putting 4 reporters on the same corner during the boston bomber hunt.

        3. Grand Wizard Kelly…LOVE the name. Kyle should fire up the t-shirt press for that one.

          Anyway, Josh Innes is a egotistical fat retard. I’m embarrassed to say I’m from Philly that they are outpacing 97.5 that quick. The show blows.

      3. Or perhaps Kyle just sees it for what it is. People are allowed to report facts, or at the very least have an opinion, without being in bed with someone. Unless that someone is Khalysi.

    2. If you like Missanelli then you, like him, are a bad judge of character. Time to grow up.

  4. I think Josh is clearly the best. Can’t wait till mikey miss is gone and Josh destroys Gargano in the mornings when he takes over for Angelo.

    1. By the time Josh takes over for Angelo it might not matter nearly as much. Terrestrial radio is a quickly dying medium

      1. Define quickly dying. I have zero interest in Satellite radio. Cost to enter the market is too prohibitive and doesn’t show any signs of declining.

        1. Maybe not quickly dying, but in 5-10 years (i.e. the range in which Josh will presumably become the morning host) I believe that radio’s market share will decline. I’m not really talking about satellite radio, I’m thinking more about internet radio and podcasts. They may not have taken too much market share from traditional radio yet, but once the technology allows them to update more and play live in people’s cars traditional radio is in real trouble. Just look at recent car commercials, internet enabled cars are going to become more and more standard and with that technology it will be much easier to stream radio from the internet.

          Will Josh become the morning host? Probably, if Bloom has anything to do with it, but I don’t think that position will be worth as much as it is right now by the time he takes over. Either way, I don’t see Josh becoming the mainstay that Angelo (unfortunately) has been for the last 25 or so years.

          1. Angelo’s contract is up in like 1-3 years I think. And I believe it’s his last.

            Josh’s is up in another year. The timing is lined up. I think Gargano will at least get 1 yr.

          2. The problem with satellite sports talk is it’s national. All the talk is about Lebron, not who is going to be starting at QB at the Linc in September. They don’t care about our beleaguered baseball team and GM. They might talk about our basketball team because we have the third pick. In October the team won’t be mentioned. The same with our hockey team. I enjoy listening to MadDog because I like national topics. Most philly fans just care about the local teams. I also listen to Mike on the Fan in New York because he is rude and hangs up on callers. He can do that because his board is lit up all afternoon. No open lines ever. Satellite will never crush local sports talk shows. By law they can’t even carry or do local shows. They signed an agreement with the government because of the lobbying by terrestrial radio so they wouldn’t have an unfair advantage.

          3. Angelos’s show has actually been going down in ratings. I guess things like “What woman would you change you name for” contests aren’t doing it right now. Also, Al Morganti seems like he does not want to be there. Angelo said he signed a 3 year contract so I don’t see him leaving in a year.

      1. SH! What’s up bro? Meet me at the Ugly Moose after the show tomorrow. We’ll have a good time. I’ll bring Sludge.

    2. Angelo just signed a 3 year deal–if he does retire and Innes takes over I think Gargano would already be long gone—I don’t think he will be fired but def moved to a diff day part (or fired)

      1. His salary might be economical to keep him there. If they move Ant what do they do between 6-10. They gave up the rights to Mike and Mike to 610. You make it like they have a better talent alternative to put someone else there. Who, the 10am-2pm guys. That would be a joke. Ant still has a big enough following to do 6-10.

  5. 1) How are these ratings compiled?

    2) I’ve literally never talked to a single person who listens to Innes/Bruno. Frankly it kind of scares me that there are people out there who would actually listen to this garbage. Who are these people? The straight brimmed hat, own-name-on-back-of-jersey, chin strap, calf tattoo crowd I’m assuming?

    Mike Miss isn’t exactly great, but Jesus Christ, Innes is an abortion.

      1. And the stations actually put stock in that? Seems like a pretty unreliable source to base your whole business model on.

        I’d love to see Kyle post a simple poll:
        Who do you prefer in the afternoons?
        () Missanelli
        () Innes

    1. People who overuse the word “literally” should never be trusted.

      1. I’ve got a couple more for ya:

        1. I bleed green
        2. Mouth breathers
        3. Terrestrial radio
        4. Breath of fresh air
        Terms I literally despise and want to mame every time I read them.

  6. Thanks, Kyle. I love this coverage. Much more entertaining than the Phillies. I’m a WIP loyalist, and I miss the days of Angelo, Gargano/Macnow, Eskin. Still a fan of the old dudes (Angelo, Macnow, Jolly, Jody Mac, Eskin), but like Innes (despite his politics).

    I tuned into Mikey yesterday though to listen to him rip Innes, because I’m interested in the material.

      1. He’ s against spending tax $ for humanitarian purposes such as Food stamps, unemployment, disablity, section 8 housing, cash for clunker, free school lunches, student debt forgivness, Obama phone, SNAP cards, welfare, EIB payments etcetc for 50 % of the population. In fact he is against raising taxes to pay for more of these wonderful programs.

        1. I find it hard to believe he has never had to collect unemployment. OTOH, I am sure his daddy takes care of him when he is unemployed or his girlfriend.

    1. Most people I know loved Mayes and Bruno—I think Bruno is not getting enough credit—I think people really like him and tuned for him—Not taking anything away from Innes (not my cup of tea but is obviously doing a good job according to ratings)—I’m saying I think alot of people missed Bruno—wip was smart to put Innes w a likeable guy—only thing I’d like to see equal billing seems like Bruno I’d Def the sidekick—-I’m still mind blown that Gargano consistently lost to 975—w diff Co hosts –so what brillant move do they do?? Give him their other drive time spot—so idiotic

      1. Agree with you competely. I can’t imagine Bruno being happy with how Innes keeps talking over him, interrupting him & pretty much treats him like a side kick. There is no way he signed up for that. But Innes seems to have a track record of overstepping his role & alienating coworkers. Most people i talk to agree as well. They listen & keep listening because of Bruno. Innes us talked about mire becayse of the controversy, but Bruno is what makes that show work. Can you inagine what would happen if Bruno finally gets fed up & walks? Bye bye ratings. Mike Missanelli would be doing a happy dance.

      1. You know, I used to feel the same way you did about Jolly. Now, compared to Sludge and John Johnson, I would take him in a heartbeat. I listen less and less to this station all the time. Sludge is way worse than Innes and someone must have been either drunk or high when they hired Johnson.

  7. Kyle, any way to compile the clicks or views Brace is getting for his “Philly Influencer” nonsense?

  8. Innes is right in that Mike Miss likes to act like he has way more content than he actually has but there is no doubt in my mind that i would choose MM to do an radio interview over anybody that is on either station at any time. In terms of entertainment though, Bruno and Innes win.

  9. Kyle, you skipped some of the best stuff: Innes’s story about a confrontation with Gargano

    Also, Innes talking about his girlfriend’s sex drive is the funniest fucking thing. “She’s going to be changing birth control, so hopefully that helps.” Yeah, that’s the problem, as opposed to not wanting to fuck a sweaty walrus.

    1. and also how Innes claimed that Ant Gargano shows up 10 minutes before going on the air.

      Zero prep for a brand new show going up against Preston/Steve and Angelo.

      This is why Chip Kelly cuts players.

      1. They don’t compete with Preston and Steve cause they’re corporate sisters. Greater Media wouldn’t want the Fanatic to errode MMR’s audience.

  10. Maybe it’s my imagination (or my Twitter status with MM) but today was the first day that I had to create a U/N and P/W for logging in to listen to 97.5 live online.

  11. 1. Innes is a bad person.

    2, Miss is a bad person.

    3. Angelo is fake person.

    4. Garagno is a lazy person

    Philadelphia deserves better than these losers.

  12. Innes is a fucking Pussy. Talks all shit over the Internet, but we all know what would happen if him and mike met in real life. Innes hasn’t seen a weight room or an athletic field in his entire life. Innes is the fat kid who is forced to play at least 1 inning in right field and gets one at bat where he gets K’d on 3 pitches. He needs to take his act to WMMR because he doesn’t know dick about sports.

    1. What would the 63 year old, hair dying, faux-bro Missanelli do to Innes if they met in person?

      Innes isn’t some scared shitless producer making $6.75 an hour. Those are the guys Missanelli liked to beat up….you know 11 years ago when he was a young 52.

  13. Hmmmm…normal enough post…’awaiting moderation’…annnnnnnd it’s gone. Weird?

    Anyway, Bruno is the man, 97.5 stinks. That is all.

  14. You know Philly sports teams are all in the dumpster when these Radio Wars are a hot topic. So gay.

  15. So…just to be clear, did Barsky’s morning show not make the top 10 this quarter?

  16. I’ve been lied to for almost 34 years…I was under the assumption that if you talk shit, you should be able to physically back it up, not throw out “Use your words like a big boy”. If you’re strictly talking shit on his approach/radio skill (or lack there of), that’s one thing…but Innes got personal almost immediately. You can’t get personal, then go the “Stop being a tough guy” route. Either keep your jabs work related or shut the fuck up when someone wants to beat your ass.

  17. I fail to see how this is “nuclear” on ANY level.

  18. How come there is no official release of the ratings?

    I do think miss provides some great interviews, but his show has gotten stale. We don’t need salpal year round, curt schilling is a bore, and knowledge Wednesday has burned itself out.

    On the other hand I truly do believe innes and Bruno are a clown show and don’t see how anyone could listen to it for more then 4 minutes while miss is in a commercial, that is if your only choosing between those 2 shows.

  19. I’m a fan of Ant, but when Innes called him a squinty fred flinstone even i had a chuckle

  20. Kyle,

    Anyone have a guess at who Miss Robin is referring to when she says our Twitter troll wasn’t who we thought it was but worse?? Who did they think it was and who do they think it is??

  21. So… have the local sports talk stations stopped talking about sports altogether? Are they finally just talking about each other, all day?
    That’s why i stick with Mike and Mike and Dan Patrick… decent sports talk without any of the local schtick.

    1. Yes toolbag..I did see the guy who cleans my windshield on Island Ave near the airport has not been there for a few weeks but hell it’s a better living then pretending to have your own show on Youtube.HAHA..Your coworkers with my 8 yr old son….

      1. Haha, yea, not really sure who gave him that idea. Talk about a silly waste of time.

  22. Biggest thing about Innes I didn’t like is how he stirred all of the shit and then he gets the reaction he wanted from Mike Miss, he then pretends he’s taking the high road and he’s really the mature one.

    Not that Mike’s ‘threats’ were mature, because they’re idiotic.

    1. Totally agree. Making fun of someone’s name (Bitchanelli) and then jumping all over him for defending himself is hypocritical, and just makes Innes come off as a pretentious prick.

      Also, bragging about how your show has won the ratings for 4 months is ridiculous when the main content of your show is talking about how you’re winning the ratings and denouncing another show. It’s like Jerry Springer on the radio, minus that shitty, 90 sec “insight” at the end. Basically if Misanelli weren’t there to criticize, Innes show would have almost zero content relevant to sports (or reality).

      I hate them all now; I’m driving in silence.

    2. When everyone involved is acting like children, why would anyone expect these very people to be above hypocrisy and douchebaggery?

  23. Both Innes and Mike Miss Suck.
    Angelo is over. All he talks about is himself. I like Gargano. He at least talks about sports. Can do without MCW. I think Gargano will take out Angelo over time. Angelo was only option for so long.

    1. I listened to 5 minutes of the Gargano show talking about going muddin’ in swamps yesterday.
      That show is terrible.

    2. but how is Ant’s little league team doing!?!?! That’s all I remember hearing about on WIP afternoons.

      Or how SHADY 2K I GUARANTEE 2000 YARDS in 2014!

      You gotta believe!

  24. Mike Miss is losing his audience due to his arrogant attitude, political views, race baiting, and creepy behavior (i.e. playing alt music and going to concerts his daughter would go to). Time for some big changes Mikey or you will be going the way of the Burger King…

    1. How bout’ coming up to the show and getting topless, any problem with that?

      T-O-P-L-E-S-S TOPLESS, you’ll do it, when you get here you’ll do it

  25. Pathetic that Kyle hyped this non-story all day. Following the day-to-day happenings of grown men is pretty sad.

    That said, shouldn’t be too long before Jim buries this post with 9 straight Sixers Posts.

  26. Brace got a raw deal. He’s better than these midday shows. Sportsradio sucks during the offseason so Im happy with thefighting. Get him Innes

  27. Jose from Norristown: They need to trade Utley. Howard, too. I think they can get the Brian kid from the Cubs for him. Maybe their outfielder.
    Mike Miss: Kris Bryant, yea. I’m not sure, bro.
    Jose from Norristown: Well that’s what I think.
    Mike Miss: Ok, bro. You want a general knowledge question, bro?
    Jose from Norristown: Sure.
    Mike Miss: Alright, bro. This comes from the C-word category. What word that begins with “C” is a typical household pet?
    Jose from Norristown: Awwwww.
    Mike Miss: Bro, what word that begins with “C” is a typical household pet?
    Jose from Norristown: Ahhhhhh.
    Mike Miss: Bro, times up!
    Jose from Norristown: Man. Come on.
    Martinez: Wow.
    Mike Miss: It’s a cat.
    Martinez: Yea, a cat.
    Mike Miss: A cat! It’s a cat.
    Martinez: I got a cat.
    Mike Miss: You know that one, Martinez?
    Martinez: Of course!
    Mike Miss: Levi from Overbrook Park, you’re on 97.5, The Fanatic.
    Levi from Overbrook Park: Man I got Jordan allllll day over LeBron.

    1. I’m a fan of these comments. Keep up the good work slugger ;))))))))))))))

  28. Missanelli’s show was great when the city was tired of Eskin. I grew tired of Missanelli when every show was based around white guilt and how he’s bros with all the brothers. He claims Innes and Bruno lack for content but it seems every day I turn on Missanelli it’s either a conversation about Lebron vs Jordan or something about race. No thanks. I tuned out of Innes last week when it was all the jib jab about Stephen A and all the race issues. I’m there for sports talk, not race relations.

  29. What is with all the hate on Mike listening to alt rock? Once you hit are supposed to just listen to Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen? Reuben Frank is the same age and I follow him more for his music insight then his football knowledge.

    1. I think the difference with Mikey Miss is that it’s so blatantly obvious that he’s just trying to be hip and young by dropping these bands names and playing a cut of their music coming out of a break, he doesn’t actually really enjoy it.

      I consider myself a movie fanatic, but i find a director like Terrence Malick ( who movie critics seem to adore, as do a lot of film snobs) to make boring, pretentious flicks. Or i could pretend to like some art house movie to try and seem hip and fit in with a certain crowd

  30. I dropped some legit back-office 97.5 knowledge and the post was deleted. Oh well.

    1. do they really pay those hosts that much that they can’t afford to promote a new show? If so, what a shame ..I thought they got those hosts because of their affiliation with ESPN

      1. Yes. They also waste a ton of money on Sal Pal and one-offs with Trotter, Westbrook and Dawkins. To steal a phrase from Mike, you’d blanche at the amount of money Trotter makes to talk about the Eagles for a few hours on game day.

        97.5 doesn’t get a dime of ESPN money. The only thing the ESPN affiliation does is give them exclusivity to get ESPN guys on the air since they’re not allowed to go on CBS radio. However, it’s always great when Mike and Mike do their NFL roundup on Monday mornings and use sound from games and credit 94.1 Sportsradio WIP .

        1. WIP also pays their guest ‘talent’ like Phil Martelli, Rendell and the other commentators that call in. The Mitch Albooms etc. They aren’t calling in for fun.

    1. Fuckin’ rat anyway. His family’s all rats. He would’ve grown up to be a rat.

  31. Innes and Bruno win the ratings wars because they appeal to the lowest common denominator, like me and my friends.

    People won’t have to worry about him too long though because he’s gonna have a heart attack in like 5 years.

  32. Missanelli just said the offer Tony Bruno rejected from 97.5 was more than what he’s making with Innes. Wonder if that’s true.

    1. But he also going to get a big bump in pay if they continue to win the afternoon. He was only doing 2 hours a day at the Fanatic. I think he also got fed up so he wanted to leave anyway.

  33. Has anyone noticed Miss Robin not hanging around WIP as much? That’s because she does nothing but sit there an play with her phone. She hung around 975 all the time, and just did not thing. It was actually embarrassing.

    She has no job and looks like a bag of dIcks. My girlfriend once worked at a restaurant and her food came out cold and she went nuts and actually said I am a local celebrity, fix this. Then she didn’t leave a tip but wrote on the check “Hopefully you will learn from this”.

    1. She’s not playing on the phone, she’s producing Tony’s show. Because she’s a producer.

  34. Sounds like there is a huge amount of disgruntled fans who did not win Big Daddy Grahams big prize giveaway……………….. Tickets to his own show about his dad. No seriously there was a little sarcasm there I really hate big daddy graham that smug self absorbed pompous ass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1. Not for anything but I’m 63 and I don’t remember Tommy McDonald. That game is now 55 years old. You would have to be 65 to even have a recollection of it. The game wasn’t even on local TV. The league blacked it out. Ray, I’m glad he was your hero. You can talk to all the 70 and older fans who even have a clue. The way things are going around here it’s going to be like Boston when they finally won the series. They will be looking for 90 to 100 year old fans who remember when our football team last won a title. As far as Big Daddy no one gives a crap about Sea Isle and your dad.

    2. Eddie Gadonis gave himself the nickname Big Daddy Graham. It is retarded, why would he need a stage name when his name is not long or hard to pronounce. This guy probably isn’t even making 50k a year for his overnight spot that’s why he desperately plugs all his stupid appearances and book nobody wants to read.

    1. Guess she figured out that she didn’t want to be shopping for Depends with her boyfriend

    2. I know he try’s to sleep with the fantasy girl promotional models who are half his age.

  35. Have long been a fan of Missanelli… I enjoy hosts who actually know a bit about sports and I believe he is one of them. I stopped listening to Eskin because I felt you could never get an objective point of view when it came to the Eagles when Andy was coach or the Sixers when Larry Brown was coach. He was in their pocket and would defend everything they do no matter how bad.
    Having said that Missanelli seems a bit “off” lately, I always thought he was patient with callers, but not so much anymore. Met him in person a few times and he seemed like a nice enough guy. Maybe the anger is getting to him now. The main problem with sports radio at this point is that there’s nothing happening. At least from 2007-11, the Phillies could carry you through the summer and fall and then once the Eagles started they would get mixed in as well. Now, it’s dry, so what else can possibly be talked about?
    As far as Innes, it’s clear he’s trying to be the next Stern without half the talent. I flipped back and forth yesterday and you can tell he’s trying the same strategy that Stern used to beat DeBella, except what worked in the late 80’s doesn’t necessarily work today. And, as for Bruno, his silence speaks volumes during the show. I don’t think he signed up to be the Robin Quivers of this relationship, but that’s what he’s stuck with and he doesn’t seem happy.

    1. My point exactly. Bruno defintely doesnt seem happy. The more obnoxious Innes has become the quieter Bruno becomes. Its like hes embarassed or frustrated to be on with Innes. Dont really blame him. I bet more than half if all the complaints about Innes would be gone if Tony had the lead.

  36. There’s nothin goin on in sports right now so let’s talk about a bunch of boring, rich middle-aged white guys complainin abt each other.

    Philly Sportzzzzz Talk Radio Wars!

  37. Miss Robin is the producer of his podcast, tough job. My 12 year old also has a podcast. She has nothing to do with 94.1 nor did she have anything to do with 97.5. Yet, she felt a need to always be there.

    She thinks she is hot, yet she looks like a bowl of jelly. Id rather bang Josh Innes than hug Miss Robin

    1. check out askmissrobin.org to get her thoughts on oral sex and genital scents.

    2. Keep telling yourself that while you pretend your hands are Jessie and Kelly there, buddy boy… Oh yeah, Slater says, “Stick it, Preppy!!”

  38. Innes is just straight up better than Mike Miss. It’s not even close. This town is just to dumb to accept that an out of towner might have some actual talent.

  39. Fat Fuck Josh Innes Cooking food in the kitchen would be nuclear not this topic But Josh Innes girlfriend peforming at gloryhole will be great topic for crossing board.

  40. Mike will snap soon. The guy is so stressed he booked a cooking class in Tuscany for a week. He said he just had to get away for a while. His girlfriend dumped him and he is getting crushed by Bruno – the guy he used to belittle every day. Mike can’t keep an ally. He ends up alienating everyone. You can take the trash out of Bristol, but you can’t Bristol out of the trash.

  41. This is Stern vs Dibella circa 1989. There’s one huge difference though: While Stern was the outsider, the shows weren’t dependent on local topics, like sports. So it didn’t matter Howard was from NY, what mattered was who made us laugh and kept us interested. Dibella was arrogant, much like Missinelli, however, when your entire show is about Philadelphia sports I have a tough time believing that an outsider (though smartly paired with a known local commodity) will stay at the top.

    Then again, Missinelli has been off the charts arrogant for the better part of a decade, so I can see it’s wearing thin. And Gargano? Ever since that garbage screenplay he wrote, he’s been knee deep in smelling his own shit. He believes his opinion is better than any of his callers, and his bullshit opinion is often swayed by which athlete gives him bro love this week . Anyone remember him riding Kolbs nuts? How about when he trashed Vick for an entire season after Vick questioned his football knowledge, but then Vick approached him the next offseason and suddenly Gargano was praising him because they got to hang out? The guys been wrong on at least 75% of his up and coming philly stars, maybe 90%.

    And it cracks me up how he hates the suburbs, like South Jersey, yet he lived down the street from me in Sewell for a decade! Poser./

    1. Watching this fight is like watching 2 seagulls fighting over a fry on the boardwalk. Both stations suck, and they are ruining sports radio in Philly. A fucking NEWS and TRAFFIC channels wipes both of them off the face of the Earth. Fucking Philly sports talk is a joke.

    2. Gargano is a chimp with a crappy fake Philly accent. He should be swinging from a tire at the zoo.

  42. Jason Myrt was fired from WIP for being wasted on air after Howard Eskin’s last day and for calling Jolly a pussy while on air. He was just a guy who read commercials and had an ego about it.

    Mikey Miss was fired from WIP for punching a producer and fired more at other places and finally landed at 97.5

    Tony Bruno has been everywhere – WIP, ESPN, FOX, 97.5, WIP

    Gargano has been on WIP and FOX since forever and is now on 97.5 because he couldn’t keep ratings

    Every personality just switches stations and are advertised as a new personality.

    It is the absolute pits. At least Innes isn’t a recyclable yet.

    Philadelphia sports talk is awful and their insecurities are so pathetic.

  43. Can we get a t shirt of a silhouette of Kyle blowing his boy friend? I bet all the idiot eagles fans would go buy it if you make it Eagles colors

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