Jon Marks leaving 94.1 WIP in surprise announcement

In the closing moments of Monday’s show, 94.1 WIP host Jon Marks made the surprise announcement that he is leaving the station after six years.

An emotional Marks said it was a “difficult decision,” but that he decided to leave the drive-time show to spend more time with his family. His last day is Wednesday, he said.

“This is the show that you wait your whole career for. You don’t leave that show — you stay with the show, you make it better, and you continue to do it,” Marks said. “But where I am with my life, and where my kids are, ... I thought, ‘Can I do this another five years?’ And I just can’t imagine not having dinner with all my kids.”

Marks joined WIP as the station’s evening host in 2017. He was moved to afternoons later that year alongside former Eagles linebacker Ike Reese after the departure of Chris Carlin, and the two have grown the show’s ratings and continued to outpace 97.5 The Fanatic after the departure of Mike Missanelli.

Reese said Marks has struggled with tension regarding his family time for the last couple of years and had nothing but praise and respect for his cohost.

“Thank you for all the contributions to the show. Thank you for being a great driver of the show. And I love you and I’m going to miss you,” Reese said.

It’s not immediately clear who will replace Marks. The move means WIP will have completely overhauled its entire lineup in the span of the year, after replacing retired morning show host Angelo Cataldi with Joe DeCamara and former Eagles fullback Jon Ritchie, and replacing its midday show with Joe Giglio and former Eagles defensive end Hugh Douglas.