Mike Missanelli could be heading back to radio as 97.5 The Fanatic shakes up its lineup

97.5 The Fanatic announced a lineup shake-up on Friday that will see Andrew Salciunas move to mornings and former Daily News writer Bob Cooney shift to middays.

But what was left unsaid is whether former Fanatic host Mike Missanelli would be returning to the station.

Rumors have been swirling in sports radio circles the past few days about the return of Missanelli, once the station’s biggest star whose sudden exit from his afternoon show in 2022 after 15 years shocked listeners.

Missanelli spoke with management at the station about a possible return, according to sources at The Fanatic, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to comment publicly on staffing moves. There is no deal currently in place. Missanelli declined to comment.

“Mike’s name has come up. He’s a great talent, and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” new program director Scott Masteller told The Inquirer. “A lot of people are interested in the radio station right now. So I’ll leave it at that.”

Since leaving the station, Missanelli has hosted a podcast for BetRivers and been part of JAKIB Media’s Eagles postgame show, alongside former Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner, former Fanatic host Marc Farzetta, and Kayla Santiago.

His return would be as surprising as his exit, especially after accusing Fanatic management of lying about the terms of his departure.

“At no point in time was I ever afforded a chance to give a farewell, nor did they offer any kind of a celebratory farewell to me. In fact, they didn’t even mention retirement to me,” Missanelli told former WIP host Angelo Cataldi last year.

Missanelli claimed he decided to walk away during contract negotiations after discovering The Fanatic already had a show featuring Tyrone Johnson, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Ricky Bottalico, Hunter Brody, and Jen Scordo under contract. Brody was laid off by The Fanatic back in July and is currently a fill-in host at WIP.

The lineup changes are the first shake-up under Masteller, who took over in January facing the need to fill a hole in programming vacated by Anthony Gargano, who was suspended and ultimately terminated over his involvement with new sports outlet PHLY.

Salciunas moving to the mornings is the biggest move. Masteller said Salciunas will become the show’s “facilitator” and lead content discussion. That will free up current morning show host John Kincade, who replaced Farzetta at the station in 2021, to react to big stories and offer his opinion.

“Andrew has done a phenomenal job since the departure of Gargano leading middays, and he gets content in 2024,” Masteller said. “It’s going to be a different-sounding kind of show focused on urgency, anticipation, and energy. We want to try to make sure we’re not wasting time.”

While Gargano has cohosted a podcast with NFL Network analyst and former Eagles offensive lineman Brian Baldinger, he 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.

Here’s what The Fanatic’s new lineup will look like, beginning Monday: