RADIO WARS: Spike Eskin Will Head WIP, Marc Farzetta Will Join Josh Innes
Credit to Rob Tornoe for his WIP scoop:
As expected, WIP program director Spike Eskin will absorb Bloom’s duties and take over the station, sources close to the situation said Monday. With the move, Eskin will give up his role as co-host of “The Josh Innes Show.”
While WIP won’t be filling Eskin’s role on the show, it will move Marc Farzetta from his current position as a member of Angelo Cataldi’s morning show to handle news updates and provide coverage alongside Innes and former Eagles defensive lineman Hollis Thomas from 2-6 p.m.
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Eskin will not assume Bloom’s duties managing the struggling 1210 WPHT, the least popular of all six local CBS stations thanks to ratings declines.
Not a huge surprise on either front: I had been hearing for a little while that Eskin and Innes didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye, something that was sometimes apparent on the air. I’m told Innes viewed him as a corporate suit to keep an eye on him, strange considering that Eskin has skyrocketed from rock DJ who didn’t use his last name (insert your own speculation as to why) to essentially running WIP in under five years, with his last name (insert your own speculation as to why). This is an odd transition, to be sure, but I can’t imagine Spike could possibly do a worse job than Bloom did over the past two years at forming a compelling lineup and fostering peace. Still, he seems inexperienced for that role in a major market. But he will cost CBS much less than Bloom.
When asked if he’s replacing Eskin on The Josh Innes Josh, Farzetta told me: “I don’t know about replacing anyone. All I know is I’ve been moved to afternoons.” For all intents and purposes, however, it would appear he is replacing Eskin as The Josh Innes Experiment continues. SAME SWEET TONES: