When Philadelphia Phillies infielder Trea Turner was in the midst of a prolonged slump in the first season of an 11-year, $311 million contract, patience was waning thin with the fanbase. As these difficulties persisted, a producer at SportsRadio 94WIP decided to pose an idea to the hosts about taking a contrasting approach towards the situation, eschewing the vitriol for a show of congeniality and support.
The Marks & Reese show deliberated the idea for nearly a week, eliciting listeners to interact with the show and stay tuned as to what the outcome would be. Show co-host Jon Marks could tell that it was becoming a storyline that picked up traction, and by the time the team slated to play at home following an off day, the unthinkable happened.
In a city with a reputation for zealous, pugnacious levels of fandom, those in the locale turned their jeers into cheers. As Turner stepped up to the plate to take an at-bat in early August, the crowd at Citizens Bank Park gave him a standing ovation, conveying their support and understanding of the difficult times he was facing. In the 48 regular-season games following this demonstration of support, Turner slashed .337, slugging 16 home runs and collecting 42 RBIs with a 1.037 OPS.
“If he continued to suck, we talk about it for a week and then that’s it, and then he sucks and then he’d move on,” Marks said, “but the fact that he turned his season around and turned into the player that they thought he was going to be when they signed him, that was a huge thing.”
The idea rendered itself to be a harbinger of stellar results and was one of various memorable moments during the summer edition of the Nielsen audio ratings book. During that quarter, the program attained a 10.2 share and ranked No. 1 overall within its daypart in the marketplace. In addition to this success, advertising revenue and other activities propelled the program into an endeavor that seemed profitable and sustainable. Looking deeper on both of those fronts, however, an entirely different truth is uncovered.
Jon Marks announced his departure from SportsRadio 94WIP in December after spending six years with the outlet and hosting afternoon drive alongside former NFL linebacker Ike Reese.
The rationale behind his choice involved being present for his three children, who are all growing up and have various events. Because of inflexibility within the broadcast industry, he was unable to attend a majority of their activities.
“Unfortunately getting home at 7:30 every night is right when everything ends,” Marks said. “Over the last couple of years when they’ve been doing these things, I felt like I was missing out, and not from their standpoint; almost from my selfish standpoint [in that] I didn’t want to miss out on them.”
Because his children had grown accustomed to the realities and sacrifices imbued within the field, they seemed unperturbed by his absence. For Marks though, the toll was beginning to wear on him and resulted in a decision having to be made. At the same time, his long commute to and from the outlet’s studios further diminished his quality of life. All of these factors led him to endure a genuine review of his self-efficacy to determine if he could continue in his role.
“We went year-to-year, and I didn’t feel like it was fair to the station or the show to keep doing the year-to-year,” Marks said. “They needed a commitment, and I looked at it and I said, ‘Could I see myself doing this for three more years [or] five more years?,’ and unless the financial stuff changed with it, I couldn’t have done it.”
Although Marks affirmed that SportsRadio 94WIP is profitable, its parent company, Audacy, recently filed for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection. The Philadelphia-based broadcasting conglomerate is looking to reduce its $1.9 billion in debt amid a reorganization and reached an agreement with a majority of creditors to cede business control. This occurred after Audacy missed interest payments on senior loans in October, a transgression for which it attained consent from lenders for a grace period.
“I thought it was a well-run company and unfortunately they ran into a lot of the same problems the other big radio companies did, but overall, as far as the bankruptcy and stuff like that, I wasn’t worried about that,” Marks said. “It was a matter of what they wanted me to do, I needed to be compensated in a certain direction, and they just weren’t willing to find that.”
Marks’ exit from the station is the latest in what has been a continuous string of changes at the station. The retirement of Angelo Cataldi made headlines early last year, resulting in the midday program with Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie moving to morning drive. Rod Lakin assumed responsibilities as the station’s brand manager two years earlier, taking place after Spike Eskin began to work with WFAN in New York City.
Had it not been for Eskin, however, Lakin may have struggled to continue bringing in ratings and revenue for the station. Shortly after the Eagles won the Super Bowl to close out the 2017 NFL season, Marks was called to a meeting to discuss the future of the show.
“‘What you’re doing right now is not good enough; just flat-out, I’m telling you that it’s not good enough,’” Marks remembers being told by Eskin. “‘It’s not the kind of show I want in afternoon drive,’ and he challenged me. He challenged me to be more focused… [and] to really come on the air every day and say something and mean it and not be worried about the reaction.”
The meeting altered Marks’ approach and helped him improve his own abilities as a host. At the same time, working with Reese was an experience that enhanced his acumen and prowess as well. Despite having played in the NFL, Marks views Reese as someone who is associated with sports media and possesses a great understanding of the craft.
“He was a rare combination of somebody that had really good radio instincts and had listened to sports radio and had listened to WIP when he was a player and really liked it,” Marks said of Reese. “Even when he was a player he was doing media, so you have that and you also have somebody that’s very likable and has great energy about him.”
Leaving Reese and the future of the program in question was an onerous decision for Marks to have to make. On top of that, he had fostered respect and a working relationship with Lakin, who arrived at the station during a period of success. Even though he will not be a part of the outlet going forward, Marks is optimistic that it will remain a force in the Philadelphia marketplace.
“WIP has never been stronger,” Marks said. “When I came in as host in 2017, it wasn’t like that; we weren’t No. 1. We were lucky to be No. 5 at that point, so the station right now is as powerful and as well-positioned to be great going forward.”
While he does not know for certain which direction the station will be taking in afternoon drive, he ascertains that his former producer, Jack Fritz, will end up being named the new permanent co-host. Marks believes that Fritz will have a successful future and is adept at being able to help the show realize new heights.
“Jack’s as talented as anybody that I’ve ever worked with,” Marks articulated, “and I see great things for him.”
The path for Fritz is similar to how Marks received a hosting position, starting as an intern from Temple University at 950 AM, which eventually became 97.5 The Fanatic. Due to the absence of a student-run radio station at the time, Marks and a friend also purchased air time on an outlet in southern New Jersey. Complete with their own producer, the program resembled sports talk radio by discussing germane topics and implementing callers.
After a few months interning at 950 AM, Marks was officially hired and began work with a variety of different programs. The station was in its formative years and airing several national shows hosted by talents such as Tony Bruno and Jim Rome. More live and local programming began to be a point of emphasis, and Marks stayed focused on duly executing his responsibilities.
Award-winning host Anthony Gargano exited SportsRadio 94WIP and signed a contract with 97.5 The Fanatic in 2015. The Beasley Media Group-owned outlet was working to gain listener shares and made the acquisition to help them achieve that goal. When Marks was named his co-host, he surmised that it likely gave him exposure to a new segment of the listening marketplace. Nonetheless, the early repetitions producing and operating the board for Mike Missanelli’s show are occurrences he considers invaluable to his development.
“I was able to learn a lot on the job to where if it would have been a station like WIP, I would have never gotten those opportunities because I frankly wasn’t ready,” Marks said. “I was fortunate to be able to work at a station where I could make mistakes and learn from them rather than, ‘Oh, we’re not letting him do another shift because he would screw something up.’”
Scott Masteller was recently hired by Beasley Media Group to serve as program director of 97.5 The Fanatic. The outlet has various play-by-play rights and digital endeavors with a focus on continuous and sustained evolution. As a former employee of the outlet, Marks is not sure if the staff underestimated the impact losing Missanelli would have, viewing his departure as a seminal moment for the station.
“I think at this point, they’re ready to regroup and start that next chapter of The Fanatic,” Marks said. “Scott – who has developed so many huge, huge talents over the years – I think he’s the right guy to lead the charge, and I’ll be curious to see what he does over there.”
When Marks began his work at WIP, he initially hosted evening shifts until moving to mornings. His addition to the daypart was precipitated by the short tenure of Chris Carlin, who moved to WFAN as part of what turned out to be an evanescent afternoon show. Six years later, the displeasure about certain aspects of the job, such as being unable to have dinner with his family, surfaced to fruition.
“It was a tough decision, yet an easy decision,” Marks said. “It’s a tough decision because you’re on a very successful show [and] you’re absolutely killing it in the ratings. You work with great people [and] a heritage [brand], but ultimately you have that piece inside of you that says, ‘I’m not happy.’”
Although the announcement came as a surprise to many industry professionals and ardent listeners of the show, it was something Marks had been pondering over for some time. Being asked to sign off the air during his final episode perhaps represented the culmination of this process. As his time on the program concluded, he came to experience the weight of such a move.
“The difficult part is leaving the station and saying goodbye to the audience, which you’ve grown very close to and we’ve built over the last six years, and doing it on air. It’s one thing if they would have zipped me and I didn’t have to say it. They wanted me to sign off the air and they thought it was important.”
Even though it ends his current tenure at WIP, Marks’ sign-off is hardly his final act. Once the non-compete clause in his contract expires on April 1, 2024, he intends to speak with a variety of different brands interested in his services. A return to radio is not out of the question so long as it is in a daypart that better accommodates his wishes for a family life. Additionally, an individual endeavor could come into play, trying to augment his versatility by providing listeners with a litany of content that expands beyond the airwaves.
For now, he is working a late-night shift with CBS Sports Radio on Sundays, but he feels that something during the day would better suit his wishes. Wherever his next stop ends up being though, it will take place in the Philadelphia marketplace, expressing no desire to move.
“One thing that I really need to improve doing is making my own content; making my own videos and doing something with my YouTube channel and giving people more of me than what I’m giving just on the air every day,” Marks said. “Once the radio’s over, then what?”
At the same time, working outside of the sports format remains a distinct possibility for Marks. “I would consider doing even a show that had some music and some talk,” Marks added, “but again, somebody would have to want to do that and I just don’t know who’s going to want to do that.”
No matter where his career ends up taking him, Marks is looking forward to getting back to work in a role that he can more evenly balance with his family. No matter the outcome, he will instantiate a maxim that he learned early during his professional ventures:
“My philosophy with anything in life was that I’m going to work harder than the next person because that’s the one thing I can control, and that’s just kind of been what I’ve been doing my whole career,” Marks said. “But early on, I just wanted to show that I’m willing to work harder than everybody else and learn from mistakes and show my radio instincts.”
