By Michael Lipinski, Sports Talk Philly Editor 
A complete shocker returning from Memorial Day Weekend 2022, Mike Missanelli is out as the host of The Mike Missanelli Show on 97.5 The Fanatic. Missanelli made the announcement on the air just moments ago.
Missanelli, a fixture on Philadelphia sports radio since the 1990’s, has been the lynchpin of The Fantatic’s programming since for most of its existence. It was a major coup for WPEN to bring in a “WIP guy” in Missanelli which obviously opened the door for other hosts to jump the dial. As he mentions, his contract expires in a few weeks and the parent company, Beasley, decided to go in another direction.
Mike Missanelli is OUT at 97.5 The Fanatic! Mike announced just minutes ago that his contract is set to expire in a few weeks. He and the station have agreed to part ways. pic.twitter.com/t6fsgoWLcR
— Russ Joy (@JoyOnBroad) May 31, 2022
More: pic.twitter.com/mv7spU4e7s
— Russ Joy (@JoyOnBroad) May 31, 2022
Wow!
How shocking is this? Shocking considering this move even caught “Radio Wars' ' veteran Kevin Kinkead of Crossing Broad by surprise. Crossing Broad has been at the forefront of sports radio drama for the past decade or so and they knew nothing concrete of this decision. As Kinkead points out, Missanelli was on the final leg of his contract which he agreed to extend in Fall 2021.
As Missanelli noted, a new show is already signed, sealed, and will reportedly be delivered by 97.5 The Fanatic in a few weeks.
Let the speculation begin on that one. Has anyone tracked Josh Innes lately?
Say what you will about Mikey Miss, the guy has been a fixture in Philadelphia sports radio for over nearly 30-years (let's forget about that dumb stint at WMMR). He probably deserved a bit more of a send off than just coming on and saying "see ya" even though that's more than most people get. Beasley is taking a gamble here. Replacing Missanelli won't be easy from a listener/sponsorship standpoint. The company needs to hit a homerun or it could mean the beginning of the end for Philadelphia's first FM sports radio station.
