A familiar voice is replacing Mike Missanelli on 97.5 The Fanatic.
Former 94.1 WIP host Jon Marks, fresh off a one-year stint at PHLY, is taking over the Fanatic’s midday time slot. Marks announced the move Thursday afternoon on the station’s afternoon show.
Marks’ first day on the air will be Monday, and he’ll host daily from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The plan is to eventually pair him with a co-host, but program director Scott Masteller said that’s not going to happen “right away.”
As to why the Fanatic turned to Marks, Masteller said it’s for all the reasons you’d probably suspect.
“He has some history with the Fanatic,” Masteller said. “He’s got name recognition and he’s got a following … He’s excited to be with us, and we’re excited to have him on the team.”
It’s Marks’ second stint at The Fanatic. He spent 11 years at the station from 2005 to 2016, co-hosting shows alongside Missanelli Anthony Gargano, Tony Bruno, and Brian Baldinger. More recently, he worked at WIP from 2017 to 2023, eventually earning the coveted afternoon drive-time role alongside former Eagles defender Ike Reese. He surprised listeners when he announced his sudden departure in December 2023 to spend more time with his family.
So why leave WIP only to rejoin The Fanatic? Hosting middays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. means Marks won’t miss time with his three daughters.
“Where I am with my life, and where my kids are … I thought, ‘Can I do this another five years?’ And I just can’t imagine not having dinner with all my kids,” Marks said when he left WIP.
Prior to cutbacks by Beasley Broadcast Group, The Fanatic’s parent company, the plan was for Marks and Missanelli to co-host the show together. But those plans were nixed when Missanelli was dismissed as part of nationwide layoffs last month.
“I wish I was allowed to retire from the station with a little more dignity,” Missanelli told The Inquirer following his dismissal.
Marks will have his work cut out for him. WIP remains the dominant sports radio station in Philadelphia in every time slot, including middays, where he’ll now go up against Joe Giglio and former Eagles defender Hugh Douglas.
Masteller said Philadelphia remains big enough for two sports radio stations to exist on the air, and there’s no expectation Marks will overtake his competition at WIP in the ratings.
“In terms of what we do, we can’t be what they are. They’re one of a kind,” Masteller said. “We have to stay in our lane and just be focused on delivering good, solid content that will build an audience.”