By Harry Allison
It’s been a bad week at 610 WIP, the former champ of Philly sports talk radio.
First, CBS Corp. upped the ante on its sale of CBS Radio, which means that WIP’s days as a sports talk outlet are certainly numbered. I mean, which new owner in their right mind wants to keep an “asset” that is quickly losing its vibrancy?
And, most importantly, its afternoon blowhard host Josh Innes (above left) is now losing so badly to the Fanatic’s Mike Missanelli that if it were a boxing match it would be called by the ref to be a no contest!
Once again, Missanelli crushed Innes in audience share in the key men’s 25-54 demographic, topping his WIP rival by more than 3 points during the typically slow June ratings period (May 19-June 15).
More importantly, Missanelli handily defeated Innes in the spring ratings book, one of four quarterly measurements of a show’s popularity that usually determines a host’s bonus.
“In the Shawshank Redemption, Andy DuFrain suggested to co-convict Tommy that he might want to try another profession because he didn’t seem to be very good as a thief,” Missanelli said in response to the ratings win.
