Angelo Cataldi recently signed a multi-year contract extension that will keep him at Sports Radio 94 WIP into his 70s.

Speaking with Rob Tornoe at the Philadelphia Inquirer, Cataldi revealed publicly what he had been saying privately for some time now – that Marc Farzetta’s departure for 97.5 the Fanatic fueled his decision to soldier on in the mornings.

From Rob:

It’s no surprise why WIP would want to keep Cataldi around and paired up with longtime co-hosts Rhea Hughes and Al Morganti — the show remains a ratings juggernaut. But according to Cataldi, there’s really one person fans can thank for keeping him on their air this time around — Marc Farzetta, a former colleague who left WIP in 2018 to host the morning show on rival 97.5 The Fanatic.

“I think it’s safe to say I would have retired by now if he had stayed,” Cataldi said of Farzetta, who accepted the position at The Fanatic while on a break from WIP following his wedding to focus on the now-canceled NBC Sports Philadelphia show Philly Sports Talk (known during its Comcast SportsNet days as Daily News Live). More than a year later, Cataldi didn’t hide feeling betrayed by Farzetta’s departure, noting he “wasn’t pleased with the way it ended” and made it clear Farzetta would have been his choice to ultimately replace him.

“Whether or not he would have gotten the opportunity, it wasn’t my say. But I kind-of groomed him for 13 years. So when he left, it was like, ‘That plan isn’t going to work,’ ” Cataldi said.

I don’t blame Farzetta for going to 97.5. Thirteen years is a long time to wait, and when the opportunity to have your own show presents itself, you should jump on it.

There was never any guarantee that Marc would have been Angelo’s successor anyway, since a lot of changes have taken place at WIP in recent years. CBS sold their cluster of stations to Entercom. Andy Bloom and Josh Innes crashed out, leaving Spike Eskin to clean up the mess they left behind (and to his credit, he has WIP humming again). Above him, Marc Rayfield was replaced by David Yadgaroff and the entire operation moved to new digs at 24th and Market, where Entercom corporate is now also located.

So there were a lot of moving parts. Farzetta had to look out for his best interests after more than a decade of grooming. And Angelo is probably justified in feeling betrayed by that decision, especially since Farzetta went to a crosstown rival. It’s one thing for a protege to head out on their own, but most don’t become your direct competitor in the mornings.

What I can tell you, however, is that Angelo’s show is fantastic. Best show on Philly radio. It’s insightful, innovative, and enlightening. He’s always presenting new ideas and exploring new concepts, and as a Philadelphia sports fan, I feel secure knowing that Cataldi represents me and speaks for me (thick sarcasm).