The drumbeats are coming.

Our current global pandemic has brought countries to their knees, put nations on a permanent war footing. But long-since-descalated tensions remain. The marching minions of warring tribes appear to be converging— with the troops spaced 9.75 feet apart, of course.

Following a heated and mostly one-sided on-air exchange between Mike Missanelli and a headset his producer Tyrone Johnson and Natalie Egenolf yesterday, Missanelli curiously did not appear on his show today.

In a text exchange, he told me he was using a vacation day today and for the remainder of the week, explaining that he would be unable to use them once sports returned.

“I have five weeks of (vacation). With sports starting soon, I’ll never be able to take it then.”

The ol’ blow out the week after returning for only one day after Memorial Day routine. Of course, might be a much-needed cool-off period.

Following maestro’s Tweet on the matter, I heard from a well-placed 97.5 source, who states, flatly, that Missanelli was suspended, without pay, for the remainder of the week, as Kevin first reported earlier. The source also says – though there is a subjective nature to what follows – that station employees are fed up and seek to have Mike fired.

There may be some displeasure, on management’s part, with Missanelli last week inviting a listener to the station to fight him.

https://twitter.com/maloinx/status/1264909670357118978

Mike is adamant that he has not been suspended.

In any case, we may be coming to a resolution.

Missanelli, whose contract is up at the end of the year, may quit. Maestro gets the sense he’s long been unhappy with management at the station, which very much relies on Mike for ratings and, I’m guessing, revenue.

Me thinks we’re in a standoff.

Mike’s options to be the afternoon sports talk radio leader in Philly are limited… perhaps to only 97.5

97.5’s option to have one hit show are also limited.

There’s long been the notion that they need Mike, thus affording him a longer leash than they would a lesser host.

Maestro is receiving conflicting info that hints at spinning of the facts – wartime propaganda – as both sides broach the possibility of an end to the decade-long relationship.

But something is afoot. PLAY THAT SYMPHONY: