Another longtime WIP voice returns; Howard Eskin heckles Bills receiver

Sue Schilling is a name that should sound familiar to WIP listeners.

Schilling was a host and update anchor for the station for more 20 years, dating back to the Fourth of July weekend in 1999. But she was let go in April 2020 as part of layoffs by then-parent company Entercom in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schilling will return to WIP to host the station’s overnight shift Saturday into Sunday, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. And despite the terrible hours, she’s excited to get back behind the microphone.

“I definitely have a lot to say about the Phillies and this issue with vaccinations,” Schilling told the Inquirer, alluding to a scoop by Marcus Hayes that nearly half the team’s roster remains unvaccinated. “If they’re in the middle of the pennant race, and if you’re a fan, you have every right to get angry if players get sick.”

Schilling has tried her best to remain busy during the pandemic. She continues to host a weekly show for families with special needs children, Everything Special Needs, which airs live on 1360-AM WNJC Mondays at 6 p.m. Shilling was inspired to launch the show in 2014 by her daughter, Jessica, who has autism and is considered nonverbal — except when she’s watching Phillies or Eagles games.

“The other night there was a base running blunder, and she yelled out, ‘Oh no,’ just before Tom McCarthy said ‘Oh no’ on the Phillies broadcast,” Schilling said. “That’s why I love sports so much. It brings us all together.”

The spot is just a one-off for Schilling, but she’s hoping it will lead to future hosting gigs during the summer, when schedules get tight as hosts go on vacation. She’s also not the only WIP veteran to return to the station recently — longtime host Rob Charry, whose tenure dates back to January 1989, returned as a fill-in host last month.

“It’s great to see some of our WIP family returning to the flock,” said longtime morning show host Angelo Cataldi.

» READ MORE: Longtime WIP host returns Rob Charry returns, Natalie Egenolf discusses 97.5 The Fanatic departure

There is a long line of athletes who have been called a “dope” by Howard Eskin.

The longtime 94.1 WIP host has a history with Buffalo Bills receiver Cole Beasley that dates back to his time with the Dallas Cowboys. This time, Beasley has been in the news as the NFL’s poster-child for vaccine hesitancy thanks to his resistance to getting inoculated (he could fit right in with the Phillies).

Enter Eskin.

Beasley attempted to respond by claiming his real beef is with the NFL’s testing rules. But the reality is this phase of the pandemic is among the unvaccinated. More than 97% of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated, and 99.5% of recent deaths are people who have yet to get a shot, government health officials said at a briefing Tuesday.

Eskin also offered to hold Beasley’s hand as he gets a vaccine shot. He already has the photo for it.

» READ MORE: Sources: Almost half of the Phillies roster is unvaccinated for COVID-19

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