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Philly Sports Radio Ratings Battle Intensifies

Jason Barrett

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Declaring a winner in September in the bitter ratings battle between Sportsradio 94.1 WIP’s Josh Innes and 97.5 The Fanatic’s Mike Missanelli depends on how important you consider digital streaming to be.

According to numbers obtained by Philly.com, Innes and new co-hosts Spike Eskin and Hollis Thomas earned an 8.4 share among traditional radio listeners during the September ratings period (Aug. 13 to Sept. 19) from 2-6 p.m., good enough for first place in the coveted men 25-54 demographic. Missanelli came in second place with an 8.0 share.

But that only tells part of the story.

Missanelli also nabbed enough local listeners from the streaming option on The Fanatic’s website to earn a 1.6 share, which dwarfs the 0.1 share Innes received from streaming listeners. Combining the two numbers would make Missanelli tops in the market among all listeners in the sought-after demographic.

That 1.6 digital share is a huge number for the Philadelphia market and could be a game-changer for Missanelli if he sustains it, especially thought the popular Eagles season. Radio stations sell advertising on radio and streaming seperately, and a growing digital audience could open up new revenue potential for The Fanatic.

But Innes isn’t buying that conclusion.

“Mike can cling to whatever metric he wants. The reality is that my show has never lost to him in the only metric that matters,” Innes said. “We won with Tony. We are winning with Tank and Spike. Why has Mike never brought up streaming before? Including the streaming is a desperate attempt to skew reality.”

For the month, The Fanatic had impressive local online streaming ratings for all three of their daytime programs among men 25-54. From 6-10 a.m., Anthony Gargano brought in a 0.9 share, compared to Angelo Cataldi’s 0.2 share. Rob Ellis earned an impressive 1.9 share from streaming listeners between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., while midday competitors Michael Barkann and Ike Reese brought in a 0.3 share.

The Fanatic’s streaming ratings for the previous two months were on par with WIP, so it remains to be seen if September’s numbers are sustainable or just an aberration. It is important to note the ratings have improved since the station overhauled their website and noticeably improved the audio quality of the stream.

Despite the streaming numbers, Innes topped Missanelli in the market for the second straight quarter among men 25-54 during the summer ratings book (June 18 to Sept. 9), one of four quarterly measurements of a show’s popularity that usually determines a host’s bonus. For the quarter, Innes earned an 8.2 share, placing him second in the market behind 93.3 WMMR. Missanelli finished just behind him in third place with a 7.4 share.

In other ratings news, The Fanatic’s Gargano kept things close with WIP’s Cataldi, though both were out on vacation a significant numbers of days during the ratings period. Cataldi finished the month with a 7.1 share, good enough for second among men between the ages of 25 and 54 from 6-10 a.m. Gargano finished just behind him in third with a 6.4 share, but if you add the streaming numbers both hosts would be tied with a 7.3 share.

Gargano has been narrowing the ratings gap in the morning between The Fanatic and WIP, so all eyes will be on next month’s ratings, with both hosts going head-to-head during Eagles season.

Credit to Philly.com who originally published this article

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Charley Steiner Injured; Tim Neverett to Handle Dodgers Radio Play-by-Play

“This will be the first Opening Day that I will have missed since 1976, when I wore a younger man’s clothes.”

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photo of Charley Steiner
Courtesy: Los Angeles Dodgers

As the Los Angeles Dodgers get set to take on the St. Louis Cardinals in their first home game on Thursday, team play-by-play voice Charley Steiner has revealed he will not be doing games at the beginning of the season due to a severe back injury.

Through the Dodgers, Steiner posted a statement which said, “Over the winter, I landed on the Injured List with three compound fractures in my back. (I don’t recommend it.) With the start of the baseball season upon us, the Dodgers are ready to go – but I’m not. This will be the first Opening Day that I will have missed since 1976, when I wore a younger man’s clothes. I look forward to returning to the mic later this season. In the meantime, go Dodgers!”

TrueBlueLA.com reports Tim Neverett will handle play-by-play duties while Steiner recovers. Neverett called the first two regular season games with Rick Monday as the Dodgers started the season in South Korea. Neverett and Monday did not travel with the team, however, they called those games in a studio back home.

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Ronnie Lane and Tom Krasniqi Put a Bow on The Ronnie & TKras Show After Nearly 10 Years

“Finally, Tampa Bay can sleep easy knowing this hideous show is finally over.”

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Photo of Ronnie Lane and Tom Krasniqi
Courtesy: iHeartMedia

After nearly 10 years, The Ronnie & TKras Show with Ronnie Lane and Tom Krasniqi came to an end today as the duo broadcast their final show on remote with many listeners, friends and co-workers on hand. Earlier this month, WDAE announced changes to its programming lineup which will take place starting tomorrow. Ronnie Lane will take on a new role as host of the Tampa Bay Rays pre-game show The Inside Pitch. Tom Krasniqi will continue on in afternoon drive with producer Chris Mathis for The Drive.

Their final show kicked off with station voice Jim Cutler saying, “…Finally, Tampa Bay can sleep easy knowing this hideous show is finally over.”

And with that went three very fast hours of looking back on a nearly decade-long run for Lane and Krasniqi. “It seems kind of surreal, doesn’t it?” said Lane.

Mathis had several special guests lined up for the final show and many others left voice messages which were played coming out of breaks. Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht and Chief Operating Officer Brian Ford took part in the final show. Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks also called in and, at first, identified himself as “Pete from St. Louis” before asking what the hosts thought of the Rays bullpen.

“I’m telling you man, when I hear all of these tributes it really brings a tear to my eye, Ronnie,” said Krasniqi. “It’s a surreal moment…It makes me feel so fortunate and blessed to be in this position sitting next to you all these years. This is one of those moments where I am almost speechless and just so incredibly overwhelmed by the support and the love that everyone has shown here today.”

Lane responded, “…Our time together is really coming to an end. I might get a little emotional before this show is over, but we have had a great time and been through many ups and downs…This business is crazy and for us to be able to do what we are doing and doing it on our terms…And for a company that believes in both of us to give us this opportunity to go in different directions with the same company is truly amazing…It doesn’t happen like this always in this business, usually it’s an ugly goodbye.”

As the show came to an end, Lane reminded everyone, “It has been a blast, but we’re not freakin’ leaving!”

“We’re not leaving folks,” ‘TKras’ said. “Thanks very much for being a part of our lives and thanks for having us as part of yours. Onward and upward. You are dismissed.”

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Tyler Murray Added to WEEI Red Sox Radio Bench

“Coming up on 13 seasons in [minor league baseball], it’s not lost on me how fortunate I am to have this opportunity.”

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Photo of Tyler Murray and logos for WEEI and the Boston Red Sox
Photo Credit: Ashley Green

The voice of the Worcester Red Sox, Tyler Murray, has been added to the Red Sox Radio play-by-play bench. WEEI made the announcement on their X account, saying, “On the heels of calling the Hockey East Tourney this weekend [and] adding to his excellent work [with the Worcester Red Sox], happy to announce that Tyler Murray will be helping to build our [Red Sox Network] bench this year! Tyler’s 1st series in the big leagues will be April 5-7 [with Will Flemming].

Murray, who has also called college hockey games on NESN plus college football and basketball games, said on X, “Coming up on 13 seasons in [minor league baseball], it’s not lost on me how fortunate I am to have this opportunity. Thank you to [WEEI brand manager Ken Laird] and [Audacy Boston Senior Vice President/Market Manager Mike Thomas], and to everyone who has reached out. Your support has honestly been overwhelming, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Murray’s first series will be the Red Sox taking on the Los Angeles Angels on the road, April 5-7.

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