How 97.5 The Fanatic plans to compete with 94.1 WIP; Beasley settles lawsuit involving Anthony Gargano

Philadelphia is definitely large enough to support two sports talk radio stations, at least according to Scott Masteller.

Masteller is the new program director at 97.5 The Fanatic and is burdened with the seemingly insurmountable task of competing with local behemoth 94.1 WIP. Not only is WIP a legacy station that carries both Eagles and Phillies games, they easily outpace The Fanatic in every time slot in ratings and are able to regularly feature interviews with local stars like Jason Kelce and callers like Bryce Harper.

So how can The Fanatic compete?

“We have to grow our audience, and it takes some time to do that. So every time people tune in, we need to make sure they get what we’re looking for,” Masteller told The Inquirer, noting the station is attempting to reach a younger demographic and hit on topics in a different way than the folks at WIP.

“They’ve got the Eagles, they’ve got the Phillies, but that doesn’t mean we can’t cover them,” Masteller said. “We just have to be smart about how we go about that process.”

Masteller served as the program director of Baltimore’s WBAL News Radio for seven years. Prior to that, he worked for more than a decade for ESPN Radio, including a stint as the network’s senior director of content. For several years, he ran the ESPN Radio-owned-and-operated station in Dallas, which, like The Fanatic, had to go up against a popular competitor in The Ticket.

“I remember the first couple of weeks I was on the job [in Dallas] there were people saying, ‘Scott, we need to be more like The Ticket.’ And I’m like, ‘No, if we do that, we’ll get killed,’” Masteller said. “So we [at The Fanatic] have to find our lane and make sure we’re in a position to be somewhat different, but also have really great content that people want to hear every day.”

Hopefully, Masteller and The Fanatic have better luck than ESPN did; their Dallas station switched to Christian talk in 2022, years after Masteller left.

Masteller began consulting for The Fanatic in August before being named program director earlier this month. He’s been evaluating the station’s on-air talent, which has shed some big names recently, including Mike Missanelli and Anthony Gargano. The Fanatic is still looking to hire a new full-time host that can join the station during the day, Masteller said, though the exact times and lineups haven’t been determined.

In addition to tinkering with a lineup, Masteller said his main area of focus is as a talent coach, a skill he honed at ESPN Radio. During his time consulting for The Fanatic, Masteller said talent was “thirsty for some leadership” and have been receptive to his coaching, whether it’s improving their opening segments to how they handle callers.

Staffers at the station seem to appreciate Masteller’s approach so far. One on-air host who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak to a reporter described him as a “good communicator” willing to coach talent up, adding that “things have not been good previously.” Another host called him a breath of fresh air who appears invested in making everyone better.

» READ MORE: Spike Eskin to return to 94.1 WIP to replace Jon Marks

Speaking of The Fanatic, the station’s parent company — Beasley Media Group — has settled a lawsuit stemming from Gargano’s involvement in the launch of PHLY Sports, according to court documents.

Terms of the settlement were not made public. Representatives for Beasley did not respond to a request for comment. ALLCITY, PHLY’s parent company, declined to comment, pending the negotiation of the final terms of the settlement.

Beasley sought damages related to Gargano’s involvement with PHLY, alleging he helped coax talent and advertisers away from The Fanatic to the new sports media website, which launched in Philadelphia in September. That includes former The Fanatic host Devon Givens, who left The Fanatic in August to jump to PHLY to talk Sixers.

As part of an earlier settlement, Gargano remains barred from appearing on any PHLY shows until April and isn’t allowed to seek sponsorships or advertising from companies that did business with The Fanatic until next year. He has been able to cohost a national football show called the ALL NFL podcast with NFL Network analyst and former Eagles offensive lineman Brian Baldinger, which will continue to air weekly following the Super Bowl and throughout the offseason.

Gargano also cohosts a weekly Fox Sports Radio show with former NFL lineman Lincoln Kennedy called The Fellas.

At this point, it’s unclear what Gargano’s role will be at PHLY once he’s able to appear on its programming, though it seems likely The Cuz will be popping up across the website’s YouTube shows. He’ll certainly be highly visible on their network, given he’s been a staple of Philly sports talk for more than two decades. ALLCITY CEO Brandon Spano called Gargano “a core part” of the company’s presence in Philly.

The Fanatic has yet to replace Gargano in its lineup, turning instead to Andrew Salciunas and Connor Thomas on the midday show the past few months.

» READ MORE: Anthony Gargano out at 97.5 The Fanatic as part of settled lawsuit with PHLY Sports