‘Is this thing on?’: Mike Missanelli is returning to 97.5 The Fanatic

After months of rumors, it’s official: Mike Missanelli is returning to 97.5 The Fanatic.

Missanelli, 68, announced his return to Philly sports talk radio on The Fanatic on Friday morning. He will host the station’s midday slot from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., replacing Bob Cooney, who announced Wednesday he was no longer with the Fanatic after seven years.

“Is this thing on?” Missanelli said jokingly on the air Friday.

Missanelli’s first show will be Aug. 12. He’ll be joined by newcomer Bill Colarulo, an attorney-turned-sports talker.

“He is Philadelphia,” said Scott Masteller, the Fanatic’s program director. “I think he’s going to bring some real momentum to the station. ... We feel we’ve got an opportunity going into football season to be competitive.”

Andrew Salciunas and John Kincade will remain in the mornings, while Missanelli’s former producer and cohost, Tyrone Johnson, will continue The Best Show Ever? in the afternoon alongside NBC Sports Philadelphia analyst Ricky Bottalico, who just signed a new deal with the station.

Missanelli’s return to comes two years after listeners were shocked by his surprise exit from the Fanatic after 15 years, which he described at the time as “surreal.” In the months that followed, Missanelli made it clear he had no intention of retiring and said he had been pushed out by the station’s management, claiming they already had Johnson’s show under contract and that “retirement wasn’t even a thought in my head.”

That could make things a bit awkward in the hallways at the Fanatic’s Bala Cynwyd studios, since Johnson will continue to host the station’s afternoon show in Missanelli’s former time slot.

“The way I look at it now is that my last contract I had a two year, three month vacation. So I’m ready to return,” Missanelli said. “I miss talking to the callers.”

So what changed at the Fanatic? For one thing, the station’s management. Joe Bell, who had managed Beasley’s cluster of Philadelphia radio stations since 2016, was replaced in June by the group’s longtime sales manager, Paul Blake.

“With over 25 years as an iconic sports radio talk show host, Mike’s insightful commentary and engaging style, along with his passion and expertise, make him the perfect fit to lead our station into an exciting new era,” Blake said in a statement.

There also was a need for a proven personality following the departure of veteran sports talker Anthony Gargano, who was suspended and ultimately forced out over his involvement of digital sports start-up PHLY Sports.

It’s certainly a big addition for a station that has experienced a steady stream of departures that has included Gargano, Devon Givens, Jen Scordo, Pat Egan, Hunter Brody, and Jamie Lynch. The Fanatic has to hope Missanelli will help them better compete against 94.1 WIP’s midday duo of Hugh Douglas and Joe Giglio, who hold a sizable lead in the ratings.

Missanelli will continue to host his podcast for BetRivers. He also cohosts an Eagles postgame show for JAKIB Media Partners, a YouTube sports channel and recently launched a true crime podcast focused on the unsolved murder of child near Missanelli’s childhood home in Bristol.