WIP (AM)

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WIP is a Philadelphia radio station with an all-sports format. Located at 610 AM, the station adopted its current all-sports format in 1986, making it the second all-sports radio station in the United States. One of its transmitters is located in the Cresent Park section of Bellmawr, New Jersey.

The station is known for its influence on the Philadelphia sports fanbase. Its prominent hosts include Angelo Cataldi, who arranged for a group of Eagles fans to attend the 1999 NFL Draft and demand the Eagles select University of Texas at Austin running back Ricky Williams with their #2 pick (which led to the booing of the decision to select Donovan McNabb), and Howard Eskin, whose notable achievements include the Terrell Owens "funeral" (following the announcement of Owens's four-game suspension from the Eagles during the 2005-2006 season), and a short-lived hunger strike in support of trading Philadelphia 76ers superstar Allen Iverson. The station is also known for hosting the annual eating contest, the Wing Bowl.

It is a sister station to WFAN (New York City, formerly WNBC-AM), KYW, and WPHT.

WIP is the flagship radio station for the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers. When both teams are playing at the same time, WPHT and/or WYSP will usually carry one of the games. WIP was also the flagship radio station for the Philadelphia Eagles until 1992, when Eagles broadcasts moved to WYSP-FM. On February 20, 2008, the station announced that broadcasts of Eagles games would return to WIP, plus remain on WYSP, with each radio station broadcasting different feeds to make it easier for local fans to participate in the common practice of watching television coverage of Eagles games but "turning down their TV" and listening to the game on the radio. The advent of digital television signals was putting television and radio signals too far out of sync. The station also carried Philadelphia Phillies games on Friday nights during the 2005 season, allowing WPHT to pick up some regularly scheduled programming on Friday nights. In 2008, WIP will broadcast the Phillies' March 31 season opener against Washington along with WPHT.

[edit] History

Founded by Gimbels department store, the station first went on the air on March 17, 1922 as Philadelphia's first commercial radio station with the call sign WIP, which people mistakenly think stands for "Wireless In Philadelphia" and "Watch Its Progress." WIP was a call sign randomly issued by the federal government. In the 1940s and 1950s, the station was an affiliate of the Mutual Broadcasting System. From the 1950s until the early 1960s, the station was owned by Metropolitan Broadcasting (successor to Dumont) and had a rock and roll format. In the early 60s the parent company name was changed from Metropolitan to Metromedia, and WIP, their flagship, adopted an MOR format. With this format, the station played pop hits of the 1960s, along with some 50s pop mixed in. Announcers during this time period included Joe McCauley (the "Morning Mayor"), Ned Powers, Tom Brown, and Chuck Daugherty.

During this time WIP called themselves "The Big W" after a phrase in the 60s comedy, "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," and the slogan was justified. WIP was number one in the market ratings through the 60s and for most of the 70s.

In the late 60s they began including more soft-rock until the format gradually evolved into an Adult Contemporary format which survived through the 70s and into the 80s. The music mix continued to include pop from the previous two decades. In addition, the station was full service in approach, as they had a heavy emphasis on news as well.

After many years of ownership by Metromedia the station was purchased by Ed Snider's Spectacor Group, the longtime owner of the National Hockey League's Philadelphia Flyers, in 1988. Snider sold the station to Infinity Broadcasting in 1994. Infinity later merged with CBS, and the station is now owned by CBS Radio.

[edit] 1970s and 1980s

By the early 1970s, WIP evolved to an adult contemporary format, and for a while, they were heavy on 1950s and 1960s rock and roll oldies. At the height of its popularity as a full service/adult contemporary station in the early to mid-1970s, WIP was the home to some of the most well-known air personalities in the city, including popular rush hour host Ken Garland (who had replaced legend, Joe McCauley, the "Morning Mayor,") late morning host Bill “Wee Willie” Webber, early afternoon host Tom Moran, late PM host, Dick Clayton, evening host Tom Lamaine, and overnight host Nat Wright. Weekend coverage included Alan Michaels, Alan Drew and Bill St. James. During this time, Metromedia's affiliate in New York, WNEW, had similar programming and it was not uncommon for DJs to swap back and forth for subbing duties. WNEW's Julius LaRosa was a frequent guest. WIP’s presentation, like other full-service stations, was heavily dependent on its personalities to entertain the audience as much as the music itself.

In addition to music, full-service music stations in that era were typically home to strong news operations, and WIP had local newscasts every hour, seven days a week (at one point they offered half hourly newscasts around the clock). The weekday morning news was so extensive that they had two anchors in later years, and even introduced a 5 a.m. 30 minute newscast. One of WIP’s news reporters, Jan Gorham, remained with the station after the switch to sports and continues to work there on a part-time basis.

The station hosted a popular radiothon for one weekend a year for several years, raising funds to fight leukemia. The events were staged on a large scale, in venues like hotel ballrooms, with local and national celebrities visiting the live broadcast.

WIP’s best-known contest was Cash Call, a call-out game in which the DJs picked numbers out of the phone book or from postcards submitted by listeners. If the person at the other end of the call could identify the exact amount of money in the “jackpot,” down to the standard 61-cent ending. Players who knew the 61 cents but not the dollar amount typically won a token prize from a sponsor. Every incorrect guess lead to a few dollars being added to the jackpot; a correct guess resulted in the jackpot being reset to $61.61.

Another long-running contest late in WIP’s run as a music station was Team Trivia. Two area businesses competed, one on the morning show with Ken Garland, the other on the afternoon show with (Bruce) Stevens and (Nick) Seneca (who had replaced Tom Moran).

As the popularity of music on FM radio grew, stations like Magic 103 and Kiss 100 began to eat away at WIP’s audience. For a time, the station experimented with general interest talk. Michelle Iaia was brought on to host “WIPeople Talk,” a weeknight call-in show from 8 p.m. to midnight. The show would later expand to include a weekend edition, and over time the talk block was expanded to run from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. (with the station touting that it played music all day and talked all night). One of the regular features was a Friday night segment called Desperate & Dateless, a show that eventually spun off into a stand-alone Saturday night program that included music mixed in with the calls from single listeners.

The local talk was scaled back to make room for Larry King’s syndicated radio show in the overnight hours, and eventually most of the local talk was replaced by music once again. The station later tried a programming experiment known as Midday Infotainment, a features-based midday show hosted by two people. That move pushed Bill Webber out of his longtime midday slot into the early evening shift. The show was canceled in less than a year, and the regular music format, hosted once more by Webber, returned.

As WIP continued adding more current music, it also added the weekly countdown show “Dick Clark’s National Music Survey.” WIP aired the version produced for adult contemporary stations, while WSTW-FM in Wilmington, Delaware, listenable in much of the Philadelphia market, aired the top 40 version.

[edit] Sports radio

WIP’s transition to sports was gradual, unlike many so-called format flips that happen instantaneously. The station began adding sports programming in the mid-1980s. More and more sports hosts were brought on to replace the music hosts that left, including Ken Garland, who moved to cross-town WPEN-AM, then a nostalgia-based music station. Garland was initially replaced by WIP part-timer Jeff Brown before the sports-based morning show debuted. Bill Webber’s show, then limited to 9 a.m. to noon, was the last regularly scheduled weekday music program. Webber also would eventually join WPEN, hosting his familiar midday slot on Saturdays.

WIP continued playing music on Saturday mornings for a short time before the transition to all-sports (save for an overnight talk show with Larry King/Jim Bohannon) was complete in 1987.

[edit] Notable dates in WIP's history

• March 25, 2008 - Steve Martorano's last day on the mid-day show with Anthony Gargano. Martorano, whose contract was not renewed, was replaced by Glen Macnow.^[1]
• March 21, 2007 - Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Mitch Williams makes his debut on the WIP Morning Show with Angelo Cataldi.
• April 21, 2006 - WIP rehires Steve Martorano, giving him a two-year contract with an option for a third.
• March 20, 2006 - WIP fires Mike Missanelli for on-air and off-air altercations with co-workers.
• February 13, 2006 - First broadcast of "Mondays with Mo," on the Glen Macnow show, with Philadelphia 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks.
• February 11, 2006 - First broadcast of the "Rhea Hughes show," 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Saturdays.
• October 8, 2005 - The date of the first Philadelphia Phantoms game to be broadcast on radio (on WIP).
• September 16, 2005 - WIP announces a deal with the Philadelphia Phantoms to broadcast games.
• September 12, 2005 - WIP announces that it has obtained the rights to broadcast the "Terrell Owens Show" at 5 p.m. on Fridays during the Howard Eskin show. The show originates from WAXY in Miami, Florida.
• September 12, 2005 - First broadcast of Brian Dawkins on WIP's "Morning Show" discussing the Eagles' game from the previous day.
• July 27, 2005 - WIP signs a long-term agreement with the Philadelphia 76ers to retain broadcasting rights.
• July 5, 2005 - Mike Missanelli rejoins WIP, being paired with Anthony Gargano in the 10 a.m.-3 p.m. slot, Middays.
• June 30, 2005 - Steve Martorano leaves WIP when his contract expires.
• June 21, 2005 - WIP begins simultaneously broadcasting over the Internet.
• September 9, 2004 - Howard Eskin is suspended by WIP for 30 days to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Richard Sprague, a lawyer for former 76ers star Allen Iverson.
• August 14, 2004 - WIP begins broadcasting from its new Bala Cynwyd location.
• July 23, 2004 - WIP program director Tom Bigby leaves to take a similar position with Infinity sister station KRLD 1080-AM in Dallas.
• May 24, 2004 - Intune Media announces the launch of a new website for WIP.
• April 16, 2004 - Steve Fredericks retires.
• May 23, 2003 - WIP sends a "cease and desist" letter to 93.3 WMMR's Joe Conklin over comments made about WIP on-air.
• May 1, 2003 - Mike Missanelli officially leaves WIP to begin a morning show called Philly Guys on 93.3 WMMR.
• January 2003 - Joe Conklin leaves WIP.
• August 14, 1998 - WIP signs a five year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers for broadcasting rights through the 2003 season.
• November 1990 - Angelo Cataldi joins the Morning Show, teaming with Tom Brookshier as "Brookie and the Rookie".
• November 1988 - WIP becomes all-sports talk except for the morning drive.
• September 1986 - WIP starts broadcasting sports talk with Howard Eskin in the afternoon from 5 p.m.-6PM.
• March 17, 1922 - WIP makes its first broadcast.
• March 16, 1922 - WIP is created.

[edit] Specialty Programming

• Sunday Night Football (through Westwood One; WIP cedes to WYSP's local Eagles play-by-play during SNF Eagles games and does not air national play-by-play)
• Monday Night Football (through Westwood One; same arrangement for Eagles games)
• Philadelphia Flyers games (during hockey season)
• Philadelphia 76ers games (during basketball season)

[edit] Personalities

[edit] Current Hosts

• Angelo Cataldi (November 1990-present) - Morning Show (5:30AM - 10:00AM)
• Rob Charry
• Garry Cobb
• Joe Conklin (?-January 2003, May 3, 2006-present)
  • Left WIP in January 2003 to begin a show with Mike Missanelli on 93.3 WMMR. Currently in a free lance period, usually on the Morning Show, on Tuesdays.
• Ray Didinger
• Hugh Douglas - Morning Show (5:30AM - 10:00AM)
• Mark Eckel
• Rob Ellis (formerly of WPEN950AM)
• Howard Eskin (September 1986-Present) - (Weekdays 3:00PM - 7:00PM)
• Marc Farzetta
• Reuben Frank
• Anthony Gargano - Middays (10:00PM - 3:00PM)
• Edward Gudonis ("Big Daddy Graham")
• Sonny Hill
• Rhea Hughes
• Dick Jerardi
• Paul Jolovitz
• Keith Jones - Morning Show (5:30AM - 10:00AM)
• Mike Kern
• Glen Macnow - Middays (10:00PM - 3:00PM),
• Don McKee
• Al Morganti - Morning Show (5:30AM - 10:00AM)
• Jason Myrtetus
• Ike Reese - M-R(7:00PM - 11:00PM)
• Brian Startare
• Steve Trevelise
• Mitch Williams - Morning Show (5:30AM - 10:00AM)

[edit] Sports Update Anchors

• Jan Gorham
• Rob Charry
• Rhea Hughes
• Steve Trevelise
• Sue Schilling
• Joe Altimonte
• Jon Johnson
• Marc Farzetta

[edit] Former

• Tom Brookshier
• Tony Bruno
• Bill Campbell
• Craig Carton
• Pat Croce
• Steve Fredericks (1992-April 16, 2004)
  • Retired from WIP on April 16, 2004.
• Jody MacDonald
• Steve Martorano (November 1987-June 30, 2005, April 21, 2006-March 25, 2008)
  • Left WIP June 30, 2005 after his contract was not renewed to make way for Mike Missanelli. Was rehired after Missanelli was fired.
  • Last Day at WIP Radio 3/25/2008. Will be consulting for CBS Radio and All Star Promotion, which handles athlete endorsement deals.
• John Marzano (deceased)
• John McAdams
• Jack McCaffery
• Donna McQuillan
• Mike Missanelli (1992-May 1, 2003; July 5, 2005-March 20, 2006)
  • Left WIP in 2003 to work for 93.3 WMMR and was fired 14 months into a 2 year contract April 2004. He later returned to WIP in July 2005 only to be fired in March 2006 after both physical and verbal altercations with co-workers.
• Dave O'Neal
• Sal Violante's (1993-1995, Hosted Saturday Morning Sports Page)
• Joe Pellegrino
• John Kincade
• Kris Gamble

[edit] Frequent broadcast locations

• Benny the Bums, South Philly (Rob Charry, during NFL Sundays. Stadium Holiday Inn)
• Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa (Howard Eskin's Tuesday show and Morning Show Fridays. One Borgata Way, Atlantic City, NJ 08401. http://www.theborgata.com/)
• Chickie's and Pete's (Midday Show Fridays; Anthony Gargano and Hugh Douglas for Philadelphia Eagles pregames. 1526 Packer Avenue, Philadelphia, PA.) http://www.chickiesandpetes.com/page/page/790062.htm)
• Cingular Pavillion at the Wachovia Center (Morning Show hosts with Eskin for Philadelphia Eagles pregames)
• Landmark Americana Tap and Grill (Unnecessary Roughness with Anthony Gargano and Jon Runyan. West Chester, PA http://www.landmarkamericana.com/)
• Lincoln Financial Field
• McDonald's (Midday Show Thursdays, Lansdowne Avenue at State Road, Upper Darby, PA 19082)
• Slack's Hoagie Shack (http://slackshoagies.com/)
• Wachovia Center
• Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel (formerly used for all Morning Show Friday broadcasts)

[edit] Former special weekly shows

• "The Terrell Owens show" with Terrell Owens, hosted by Dan LeBatard (Fridays, 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., during the 2005 NFL season. Broadcast live from a 790-AM "The Ticket" in Miami, FL.)

[edit] External links

• Sportsradio 610 WIP Official Site
• Query the FCC's AM station database for WIP
• Radio Locator Information on WIP
• Query Arbitron's AM station database for WIP
• History of WIP

[edit] References