Anthony Gargano out at 97.5 The Fanatic as part of settled lawsuit with PHLY Sports

The Cuz won’t be returning to 97.5 The Fanatic.

After a month in limbo, Anthony Gargano’s employment at the station officially ended Tuesday as part of a settlement between Beasley Media Group, The Fanatic’s parent company, and ALLCITY Network, which owns new digital outlet PHLY Sports.

Gargano had been suspended for nearly a month with pay stemming from his involvement building the new website and his plans to work for the outlet. Beasley claimed in a lawsuit he didn’t reveal his role until the day before the site launched.

According to the terms of the settlement, Gargano will be permitted to work for ALLCITY in other markets — including Denver, Phoenix, and Chicago — but won’t be able to appear on PHLY shows for six months. He will be able to start a preplanned national NFL show for ALLCITY with NFL Network analyst and former NFL lineman Brian Baldinger, though it won’t be allowed to air on PHLY’s network.

Gargano will also be permitted to launch a sports betting-focused podcast with Parx Casino. He cohosts a weekly Fox Sports Radio show with former NFL lineman Lincoln Kennedy called The Fellas.

Another condition of the settlement is an 18-month ban on Gargano seeking sponsorships or advertising from companies that have done business with 97.5 The Fanatic over the past year. One of Gargano’s longtime sponsors — Primo Hoagies — jumped ship to 94.1 WIP last month, a move that was cited in Beasley’s lawsuit. Gargano also won’t receive any severance from his lucrative contract with 97.5 The Fanatic, which was revealed in court documents to be a base salary of $300,000 a year plus bonuses.

Beasley continues to seek damages related to Gargano’s involvement with PHLY Sports, according to court documents.

It’s unclear who will replace Gargano at The Fanatic. Andrew Salciunas and Connor Thomas have been hosting the midday show while Gargano was suspended.

Gargano, a former reporter at The Inquirer, had been with The Fanatic since 2015, when he was hired to host the station’s first local morning show, replacing ESPN’s Mike & Mike show. Gargano never got close to challenging then-94.1 WIP morning show host Angelo Cataldi and ultimately was replaced by Marc Farzetta in 2018. Gargano had hosted the midday show ever since.

The Fanatic has shed talent in recent years. Devon Given left the station last month to join PHLY, where his non-complete clause will let him host their Sixers show starting next month. Longtime afternoon host Mike Missanelli was forced out in May 2022. One host from the afternoon trio who replaced Missanelli — Hunter Brody — was laid off in July. Former morning show cohost Jamie Lynch, known to listeners as “The Bro,” was let go in October 2022 before returning in a part-time role, also now works for PHLY. So does former assistant program director Eric Camille, who was laid off by The Fanatic in July.

Like other media outlets, Beasley has struggled financially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. During the second quarter of 2023, Beasley reported a net loss of $10.4 million and a 2.1% decline in net revenue, though the company said digital revenue grew 14.8% compared to the second quarter of last year.