After making a remark that offended the Eagles, Philly's sports talk radio station (WIP) suspended for 2 days the lead morning personality. No listeners complained, only the Eagles. The local reaction has been in favor of the suspended talk show host, and my conclusion is the Eagles desperately need a new PR person.
WIP is owned by Infinity, as is another local radio station that carries Eagles games. Infinity is owned by Viacom, as is CBS, who televises some pro football games. The decision to suspend went to the head of Viacom.
Is this what we can look forward to seeing in the future with the media monopolies further concentrating and the relationship between pro (and some collegiate) sports and the media conglomerates growing more dependent on each other (or almost in bed together)?
This was part of a thread on sports talk radio but I think it is an important enough issue to be part of a separate thread for discussion (hopefully the moderator will agree with me).
This is an article from Philadelphia Inquirer 7/22
WIP host in trouble over rant
Angelo Cataldi's remarks on the Eagles' food policy led to a 2-day suspension.
By Michael Klein - Inquirer Staff Writer
Angelo Cataldi, the bellicose morning host on WIP-AM (610), was suspended yesterday for two days without pay over a remark he made on his morning show last Tuesday, during a diatribe inspired by the Eagles' new policy prohibiting outside food at Lincoln Financial Field.
During a rant over comments by team president Joe Banner, Cataldi said that if the team was responsible for picking the people running the security at the stadium, he expected the guards to be wearing swastikas. A tape or transcript of the July 15 show was not available, and Cataldi declined to comment.
Banner and team owner Jeffrey Lurie are Jewish.
Cataldi, who will be off the air today and tomorrow, also was directed to apologize, a WIP source said.
Reached last night, Cataldi's agent, Steve Mountain, confirmed that Cataldi was suspended.
"I will also confirm that we intend to look into every remedy, including some type of grievance," Mountain said. "Recognizing the nature of sports talk radio and opinions and emotions it creates, I was shocked that, without notice and without due process, Angelo was suspended."
The directive to suspend Cataldi was approved by Mel Karmazin, president of Viacom Inc., parent company of station owner Infinity Broadcasting, according to an Infinity source. Another Philadelphia Infinity station, WYSP-FM (94.1), broadcasts Eagles games under a contract with the team.
Viacom also owns CBS, which in 1998 paid $4 billion over eight years for the rights to televise the American Football Conference package, which includes interconference games, postseason games and two Super Bowls.
An Infinity spokesman did not return a call seeking comment.
Cataldi, a former Inquirer Eagles beat writer who started on WIP in 1990, is the city's highest-paid radio host, reportedly making nearly $1 million a year.
Banner, who declined to comment, was said to be upset at Cataldi's allusion to Nazi Germany, according to a team source.
The Eagles last week were the talk of the town after reports surfaced that the team would prohibit outside food from Lincoln Financial Field, which will open next month. At a news conference last Tuesday, Banner insisted the team would bar food as a security issue, and not to make more money.
The Eagles today will show off Lincoln Financial Field to sports media and no doubt will be forced to address the issue.
WIP's hosts frequently walk an often-nebulous line between personal attacks and criticism. After an outburst in June 2000, then-midday host Mike Missanelli was suspended for two days, with pay, for criticizing the Flyers' management.
"WIP was always concerned with [what it perceived as hosts' making] personal attacks," said Missanelli, who now does the morning show on WMMR-FM (93.3), owned by Greater Media.
"But they would allow teams to dictate what a personal attack is. That was the problem we had. It seemed like teams would call all the time when it was clear [to the hosts] all the stuff was not a problem."
Missanelli added that he was not specifically addressing Cataldi's suspension.