Ex-WIP host Chris Carlin taken off the air despite strong ratings

“Sometimes things just don’t work out the way you hope,” Carlin wrote on Twitter announcing his departure.

Former WIP host Chris Carlin (center) along with his former co-host, Ike Reese (left) and his ultimate replacement, Jon Marks (right).Read moreWIP

Published Sept. 12, 2019, 6:33 a.m. ET

Man, the radio business can be tough.

Former 94.1 WIP afternoon host Chris Carlin — who replaced Josh Innes before leaving Philadelphia in 2017 to join Entercom sister station WFAN in New York City — is out of a job despite posting strong ratings during his two years at the station.

“I’m sad to say today was my last day at WFAN,” Carlin wrote on Twitter Tuesday evening. He had co-hosted the station’s early afternoon show alongside Maggie Gray and former Jets linebacker Bart Scott, who will remain with the station, at least for the immediate future.

“I’m proud to count Bart and Maggie among my closest friends,” Carlin wrote. “I’ll always know we had a chance to do something special, but sometimes things just don’t work out the way you hope.”

It’s unclear why Carlin was the odd-man out. The three-person show, which airs weekdays on WFAN from 1 to 3 p.m., has posted strong ratings, finishing among the top three in its time slot during the last four Nielsen ratings books.

Carlin’s status at the station has been tenuous since April 2018, when retired WFAN host Mike Francesa (known to listeners as the “Sports Pope”) returned unexpectedly, forcing the station to move Carlin’s three-person show out of the coveted afternoon slot and reduce it to two hours. As a result, all three hosts were being paid as afternoon hosts doing four and a half hours a day, when in reality they’re working in a less-desirable time slot for half that time.

During his brief stint in Philadelphia, Carlin hosted WIP’s afternoon show alongside former Eagles linebacker Ike Reese and increased ratings 22 percent after the firing of Innes. In addition to his hosting duties, Carlin also does play-by-play for Rutgers football games.

NBC Sports Philadelphia adds a new Flyers host

Her nickname is “Kemmer,” if you were wondering.

NBC Sports Philadelphia has hired Katie Emmer as its new Flyers pre- and post-game host. She will make her hosting debut Oct. 4, when the team opens its season against the Chicago Blackhawks in Prague, Czech Republic (fans will have to wait until Oct. 9 to see the Wells Fargo Center’s all-new, first-ever kinetic 4K center-hung scoreboard).

Joining Emmer on its Flyers studio programming will be a rotating cast of WIP host Al Morganti, Radnor High School grad Colby Cohen, and former Flyers defenseman Chris Therien, who was removed as the network’s rinkside analyst last season.

Emmer comes to Philadelphia after a stint covering the Minnesota Wild and other teams for Fox Sports North. She’s also the first women to receive the Jim Nantz Award, which recognizes the top collegiate sports broadcaster. And though she’s only spent a little bit of time in Philadelphia, Emmer already has an appreciation for the passion the city’s sports teams garner.

“I went to church here on Sunday and saw fans wearing Eagles jerseys and I couldn’t stop smiling,” Emmer said.

Quick hits

• Having trouble reaching folks at WIP, KYW, or WOGL? The likely culprit is a $500,000 ransomware attack that has compromised the radio giant’s computer systems. According to my colleague Bob Fernandez, there are concerns over the company’s ability to process the direct-deposit payroll on Friday.

• The Phillies drew their smallest crowd of the year Wednesday night, with a paid attendance of 23,243 at Citizens Bank Park. Despite that, they’ll play their second nationally televised game in a row Thursday, when they take on the Braves at 7:15 p.m. on FOX. The team is two games back in the hunt for a wildcard spot, with just 17 games remaining.

• Former Eagles scout and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick drew rave reviews from sports media pundits after calling the Raiders-Broncos Monday Night Football doubleheader (alongside longtime SportsCenter anchor Steve Levy and analyst Brian Griese). “Riddick is ridiculously good on this broadcast," The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie wrote on Twitter. "For the love of God make his spot permanent.”

• Philadelphia sports fans who used DirecTV might not be able to watch ESPN, ABC, and other Disney-owned channels as soon as this weekend if the company can’t come to terms with AT&T on a new carriage agreement. The biggest impact would be Saturday, when Penn State football takes on Pitt on ABC at noon.