Mike Missanelli continues to be off-air from Philadelphia’s 97.5 The Fanatic following an incident which saw him launch his headphones and engage in an off-air argument with producer Tyrone Johnson. Without Missanelli, Johnson has sat in the host chair since last Wednesday, with update anchor Natalie Egenolf co-hosting and Andrew Salciunas stepping in as producer.
Last week, Kyle Scott of Crossing Broad received a text from Missanelli stating the host was using vacation time. While Missanelli didn’t say if the time off was scheduled, it seemed odd to return from a three day weekend, host one show on Tuesday, and plan to take the rest of the week off. Although no official announcement has been made, sources told both Crossing Broad and Philly Voice that Missanelli will not return this week.
Tuesday afternoon, Crossing Broad reported well-known caller, Bob from Tennessee attempted to ask midday host Anthony Gargano about Missanelli. Bob’s question appeared to get dumped, but Gargano did offer a vague response.
“Listen, just stay tuned is all I’m gonna tell you guys, alright? Stay tuned, there’s nothing bad going on when it comes to the station,” Gargano said.
Last Tuesday’s headphone throwing incident stemmed from an argument where Missanelli attempted to play devil’s advocate while discussing video of a white woman calling the police, falsely claiming an African American male was threatening her life. Although unrelated to the discussion between Missanelli, Johnson and Egenolf, the last week has seen the issue of social inequality and police brutality highlighted as civil unrest and peaceful protests rise throughout the country.
While Missanelli’s actions can certainly be categorized as immature, it didn’t appear to be a fireable offense or even worthy of a suspension, but it’s difficult to fairly judge the incident without knowing what was said off-mic.
Crossing Broad has speculated about Missanelli potentially not returning to The Fanatic, also noting his contract with Beasley Media is up at the end of the year. Beasley, like many media companies, imposed personnel changes and salary cutbacks in recent months as they endure the negative impacts of a global pandemic.