A Shift in Sports Media? My Interview with Angelo Cataldi

For 33 years, Philadelphia sports fans woke up to Angelo Cataldi on WIP radio. It was the city’s water cooler where everybody went to talk about last night’s game, especially when the Eagles played. Now, about a year-and-a-half into retirement, he has no regrets about leaving.

“The biggest change is how much more successful the teams are in controlling the sports-talk narrative,” Cataldi told me via e-mail when I asked about how sports talk changed in his three-plus decades of doing radio. “The Eagles no longer hesitate to complain to the bosses when they hear something critical on the airwaves. I had to deal with that, too, and I did – by telling them my opinion was not for sale.”

“I came from a different era, a time when teams accepted negative sports talk as a part of the process. If I had stayed much longer, I’m pretty sure I would have had to leave anyway because I refused to compromise on this issue.”

As for the shift away from traditional media outlets to podcasts and YouTube shows that we are seeing from many sports talk hosts, Cataldi thinks the problem remains.

“Podcasts are one way to isolate issues of interest for fans,” he said. “But even there the opinions are often more modulated that I was prepared to give.”

The legendary sports talk host put out Loud last year, a book looking back on his radio career. He also has a blog and is part of a podcast covering TV. But he insists retirement is just fine.

“There is not more to come,” Cataldi said when I asked. “At 73, I live my life now strictly for enjoyment of the things I love, starting with my family.”

“I did the book as a tribute to the great Philadelphia sports fans who kept me in business for 33 awesome years. I do the blog and podcast because I love to write and I love even more talking about television. I make no money from either job – and practically nothing from the book.”

Yet, he still has strong opinions on what’s happening with the sports media. I asked about the dwindling sports coverage offered by local television and the number media members leaving radio and doing their own podcasts.

“The money issue is huge now, especially with Audacy in bankruptcy,” Cataldi said. “The ad dollars were shrinking when I was still there. I am no expert on business, but my best guess is that there are just so many different options now that the ad dollars are being spread much farther and thinner.”

He suggested that dollars are even impacting what type of content listeners hear.

“Corporate America is more in control of sports radio than ever before. So many decisions now are generated by lawyers and bean counters than by people who understand what makes a radio show compelling for the listeners.”

Cataldi got into the recent allegations against Howard Eskin, another long-time host on WIP. My understanding is Eskin tried to kiss a woman working at Citizens Bank Park, and faces allegations of sexual harassment. Cataldi’s remarks suggest WIP has banned discussion of the topic on air.

“The absolute worst thing a talk [station] can do is shut down conversation on a potential scandal when it involves someone from its own radio family,” Cataldi said. “What happens the next time a sports figure faces the accusation? Is WIP prepared to block those conversations, too? That position by my former station has all the fingerprints of lawyers, not radio people.”

The WIP morning showed lead by Cataldi seemed to truly cultivate their audience. Callers became a real part of the show. As the show progressed, Cataldi opened up more about his own life. I asked if that was a deliberate decision to pull the audience in, and if that type of connection was even possible for podcasters.

“Being so personal on the air was never a conscious decision for me,” Cataldi said. “I have always found privacy to be ridiculously overrated. My problems are really not much different than anybody else’s. Why shouldn’t I move closer to my audience by letting them into my world? What’s the downside?”

I was surprised that he told me that a good podcast does the same thing, citing the show of Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce.

“The Kelces share a great deal about their personal lives on their extremely popular podcast. I doubt anyone will ever really tire of insights into the romance between Travis and Taylor Swift. Radio hosts who are hesitant to share their lives are depriving their audience of the bond that builds an audience. If you don’t want to be a public figure, find a private job.”

Cataldi once famously once took a group of listeners to the NFL Draft. The “Dirty 30” were protesting the fact that the Eagles were not taking Ricky Williams, and ended up booing when Donovan McNabb was selected. I have a theory that the national media was never going to understand the true intent of the booing, and McNabb never got over it and it contributed to him struggling to connect with Philly. I shared those thoughts with Cataldi, and asked for his perspective on the event.

“It was NOT a radio bit,” Cataldi explained, after I used the term. “I hadn’t been in radio long enough to understand the benefit of that kind of national attention. We were simply doing what was suggested by [then] mayor, Ed Rendell, who even got us the tickets to the draft in New York. What it unexpectedly revealed is that McNabb was too sensitive to become a champion in Philadelphia. He never forgot, nor forgave.”

I asked if something like the “Dirty 30” is even possible in the era of podcasting. Comparing it to the “Wing Bowl,” an annual wing eating contest hosted by his show for years, Cataldi didn’t see anything like it happening again.

“Today, it would be much harder to do a ‘Dirty Thirty.’ The audience is much more fragmented, and the lawyers would probably never approve of such a stunt. It’s a lot like Wing Bowl. Its time has passed.”

With Cataldi’s decades of experience working in sports talk radio, I couldn’t resist asking for his thoughts on the future of sports talk. He didn’t hold back.

“The standard is already much lower than it was when I started,” Cataldi said. “At WIP, most of the hosts had a background in journalism and had spent decades covering sports teams. Many of the radio hosts now have never seen the inside of a locker room. The advent of podcasts has made everybody an expert – and no one an expert, too. It’s all hot takes with very little foundation of information or knowledge. Time marches on. I’m very happy I am no longer part of this new direction in radio.”

 

————————

Check out more installments of this series:

A Shift in Sports Media? (Including interviews Max King and Mike Missanelli)

A Shift in Sports Media? My Interview with Jon Marks

A Shift in Sports Media? My Interview with Harry Mayes

A Shift in Sports Media? My Interview with Angelo Cataldi