Longtime WIP host returns, while Natalie Egenolf discusses her 97.5 The Fanatic departure
“I’m a rookie at this,” Rob Charry joked after accidentally hanging up on some callers during his first night hosting on WIP in more than a year.
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Rob Charry still knows how to host a radio show, but he did briefly forget the station’s call-in number while on air.
The longtime 94.1 WIP host, who has been mostly retired since departing the station in April 2020, returned Monday to host the 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. shift, filling in for Joe Giglio.
Charry had worked for the station for more than 30 years, which began with a one-day tryout as a sports anchor in January 1989. Not surprisingly, callers lined up to congratulate the longtime host on his return, even when he accidentally dumped them while on hold.
“I’m a rookie at this,” Charry said, joking.
Charry told the Inquirer he’s back on a part-time basis. This week he’ll also host the late shift Wednesday, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
In addition to his on-air duties and his role hosting the Eagles postgame show, Charry was also responsible for editing the station’s popular end-of-year highlights packages.
“It’s good to hear his voice again,” said fellow WIP host Jody McDonald. “Rob Charry is one of the all-timers at WIP.”
Other WIP hosts took to social media to welcome Charry back.
TNT announcer for Sixers-Hawks will likely remember Sam Hinkie this time
Yes, TNT’s Brian Anderson knows all about “The Process.”
Anderson, who will be calling Game 2 of Sixers-Hawks on TNT Tuesday, was raked over the coals a bit in 2018 after mistakenly crediting “The Process” to former Sixers general manager and Twitter fan Bryan Colangelo, rather than Sam Hinkie.
Anderson took to Twitter after the game to correct the error, mostly to protect his crew from being unfairly criticized for his slip-up.
“There was a sense that there was a conspiracy to purposely omit Sam Hinkie from the narrative and that was not the case,” Anderson told the New York Post at the time. “It was a bad choice of wording, not some conspiracy.”
Calling the game alongside Anderson are analysis Jim Jackson and Stephanie Ready, who was the first female assistant coach of a men’s professional basketball team and first full-time female analyst in the NBA.
Natalie Egenolf discusses why she left 97.5 The Fanatic
Last month, Natalie Egenolf announced she was leaving 97.5 The Fanatic, where she was part of Mike Missanelli’s popular afternoon show alongside Tyrone Johnson.
The news came as a surprise. Egenolf appeared to be a rising star at the station, and people rarely leave popular radio shows on their own volition, especially in large markets like Philadelphia.
Egenolf opened up a bit about what she decided to depart on “The Lipstick League Podcast,” which she cohosts with 92.5 WXTU host Nicole Michalik. Egenolf didn’t offer many details about a new opportunity that “fell out of the sky,” but did signal some uneasiness about how her skills were used at The Fanatic.
“I don’t know how it’s going to sound, but getting paid for my brain is a really good feeling,” Egenolf said, in comments first flagged by Crossing Broad. “This is something I can talk about later, but when you’re in an industry that’s very male dominated, and somebody decides you’re attractive … they want to put you in certain roles because they value you based on that.”
Egenolf also made clear her decision had nothing to do with Missanelli or Johnson, whom she referred to as “close friends”
“In a space where there aren’t so many women, they respected me, encouraged me, believed in me, and accepted me for who I am, which is something I rarely, rarely got,” Egenolf said.
Quick hits
ESPN is parting ways with popular MMA insider Ariel Helwani after cutting his pay, the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand reported. The network also reportedly offered Kenny Mayne a large pay cut, which the longtime SportsCenter anchor turned down. “One thing I can promise you: There is always money at ESPN and Fox Sports and CBS Sports and NBC Sports if they want to keep you. Always,” wrote The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch.
Speaking of ESPN, longtime director Kurt Ackerman died last week after a five-year battle with cancer. Ackerman, who had worked for ESPN since 1996 and most recently directed Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman on First Take, was remembered by a number of on-air hosts, including Get Up! host Mike Greenberg and SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt.
Turner Sports said Monday that the first round of this year’s NBA playoffs have been the most-watched since 2018. Ratings are up 49% over last year’s bubble playoffs and up 5% compared to 2019, the network said, averaging 2.9 million viewers over all 23 games. But with the Knicks, Celtics, and LeBron James and the Lakers out of the playoffs, we’ll see where the ratings for round two end up.
The Inquirer has a new Eagles reporter. Josh Tolentino, who covers the Miami Dolphins for The Athletic, announced Monday he’ll be joining the paper to cover the Birds. “In this digital-focused role, I’ll continue writing in-depth feature stories, while also incorporating podcasts and on-camera/TV work,” Tolentino wrote on Twitter.