Mike Missanelli Apologizes, Returns To The Fanatic
“Although he began the apology by highlighting “the temper of people of my culture,” Missanelli quickly pointed out his DNA is no excuse for the incident.”
After nearly two weeks off, Mike Missanelli was back on-air for 97.5 The Fanatic Monday afternoon and began the show with an emotional apology.
The popular radio host had been absent since NBC Sports Philadelphia showed him throwing his headphones and shouting at producer Tyrone Johnson off-mic last month. Missanelli directly addressed the May 26 temper tantrum, which stemmed from an argument over a viral video of a white woman calling police on an African American male for requesting she put her dog on a leash.
“Rightfully, I was excoriated in the public forum and would like to say that I’m ashamed about it,” Missanelli said near the start of his Monday afternoon show. “I suffer sometimes from a thing I like to call Sicilian DNA. It’s a condition where, at times, my temper, and the temper of people of my culture, are triggers for this temper and they get really sensitive and need to be put back in the shop and fixed.”
Although he began the apology by highlighting “the temper of people of my culture,” Missanelli quickly pointed out his DNA is no excuse for the incident.
“I can’t blame what happened last Tuesday on DNA. This was 100% on me,” Missanelli explained. “My tirade was wrong and embarrassing and would have been considered foolish and immature for an eight-year-old, much less for a grown man like myself.”
The headphone throwing incident was immature, but it also didn’t seem like an action worthy of a two-week absence. We don’t know exactly what Missanelli said off-mic to his colleagues, but The Fanatic afternoon host seemed genuinely upset over the tirade. As he apologized to Tyrone Johnson, Natalie Egenolf and the listeners, Missanelli was on the verge of tears, which you can see thanks to Crossing Broad posting a video of the show’s NBC Sports Philadelphia simulcast.
“And the worst part is that I hurt people who are close to my heart, so I need to take this time to sincerely apologize to my good friend Tyrone Johnson, who has been more help to me on this show than you can imagine, and also my colleague Natalie Egenolf who was caught in the wake of the verbal diarrhea that I used and should never have been subject to the salty language I used that day,” an emotional Missanelli said. “You guys are both extremely important to me and I would go to the wall for both of you. I’m deeply sorry I put you in such an awkward position. And I also want to apologize to the people who were listening and watching that day and how I made you guys all feel uncomfortable.”
Neither The Fanatic nor Beasley Media ever acknowledged the almost two week long layoff as a suspension. The first day he was off-air following the incident, Missanelli told Crossing Broad’s Kyle Scott he was taking vacation time and The Fanatic afternoon host reiterated that claim during his Monday show.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
Dan Patrick: NBC Created ‘Something That Was Brilliant’ With Flex Scheduling
“Networks were so upset that NBC would go ‘Hey, you know what? We’re gonna take that game and we’re gonna have it on Sunday night.’ Then FOX and CBS would be scrambling there.”
Roger Goodell wants flex scheduling to come to Prime Video’s ThursdayNight Football package. It could happen this season, but we won’t know for sure until May after league owners decided to table a vote on the proposal. On Wednesday, FOX Sports Radio’s Dan Patrick joined the chorus of critics calling it a bad idea.
Patrick said that the league always prioritizes revenue. If it were thinking about the fans, this isn’t something that would even be discussed.
The idea of flex scheduling was first introduced for NBC’s Sunday Night Football package in 2006. The goal was to make sure the prime time TV package could deliver high quality games every week.
“NBC did something that was brilliant where they were able to flex Sunday night games,” Patrick said. “Everyone wanted it.”
While the fate of flex scheduling for Thursdays remains up in the air, we do know that flex scheduling is coming to Monday Night Football on ESPN this season. Patrick, who worked for NBC when the practice was introduced, said that it always took care of one broadcast partner by screwing others.
“Networks were so upset that NBC would go ‘Hey, you know what? We’re gonna take that game and we’re gonna have it on Sunday night.’ Then FOX and CBS would be scrambling there.”
Dan Patrick suggested that perhaps Amazon’s Prime Video doesn’t deserve the same treatment as NBC or ESPN. Far fewer people watch the Thursday night game than any other primetime NFL contest.
Whether or not flex scheduling comes to Thursday Night Football, Patrick says it does not guarantee to change the package’s reputation for delivering largely unappealing games.
“I’ve long said it’s crazy to say you have to play Sunday and then turn around and play Thursday and we’d always go ‘Man, these Thursday games aren’t good,’” he concluded. “Well, was it the matchup or just the quality of play?”
106.7 The Fan has announced it has reached a multi-year extension with the Washington Nationals to remain as the MLB club’s radio flagship.
Nationals fans will continue to hear game broadcasts on the station, and those living inside the club’s broadcast territory will be able to stream the radio broadcasts on the Audacy app.
“Opening Day is finally here and we’re thrilled to celebrate the return of baseball season by extending our partnership with the Washington Nationals,” said Audacy Washington D.C. Senior Vice President and Market Manager Ivy Savoy-Smith. “We’re looking forward to continuing to serve as the home for everything Nats for the foreseeable future and give the team’s fans a front row seat to the action on the field and top storylines throughout the year.”
The Nationals have called 106.7 The Fan home since the 2011 season. Beyond game broadcasts, the station will welcome Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo to The Sports Junkies every Wednesday at 9:00 AM throughout the season. The station will also air segments titled “Nats Insider”, hosted by broadcaster Dan Kolko that feature player interviews and features. Those segments will air all along the Nationals Radio Network.
“We couldn’t be happier to partner with Audacy in bringing Nationals fans even more of the interviews and exclusive access they love,” said Lerner Sports Group COO Alan H. Gottlieb. “From in-depth interviews with execs and top players, to off-the-field profiles and more Spanish and English bilingual content than ever before, Audacy offers a comprehensive look at our ball club from all angles.”
“He has left an indelible mark in the Columbus market and within the sports/talk radio world by building The Fan with excellent programming, dominant ratings, and overall market share.”
Longtime 97.1 The Fan Vice President and Market Manager Todd Markiewicz has announced he is leaving the sports radio station.
Markiewicz has been named the President of the 1870 Society, a Name, Image, and Likeness collective working with Ohio State athletics and Learfield to devise NIL strategy, fundraising, and logistics.
In an internal memo, Tegna Columbus President and General Manager John Cardenas credited Markiewicz for helping to establish the brand as “the powerhouse sports station in the country. He has left an indelible mark in the Columbus market and within the sports/talk radio world by building The Fan with excellent programming, dominant ratings, and overall market share.”
Markiewicz joined the station in 2010. Under his leadership, 97.1 The Fan has routinely ranked as the highest-rated station in the Columbus market.
His final day with the station will be Friday, May 26th.
Garrett Searight is the Editor of Barrett Sports Media and Barrett News Media. He previously was the Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH. He is also a play-by-play announcer for TV and Radio broadcasts in Western Ohio. Reach him at garrettsearight@gmail.com.
