Nick Piccone
A few weeks ago, Tony Bruno retired from terrestrial radio and it seemed like everyone at WIP was not sure what the next move was. People claim Josh Innes was melting down on the radio because he couldn’t announce what he already knew. I heard it live, and it wasn’t so much as a meltdown as it was he was annoyed that he couldn’t say anything that he had planned to say literally five seconds before he went on the air.
So, things happened, Bruno’s retirement was announced on the air by Innes and WIP Operations Manager, Andy Bloom, and everything seemed to be handled well by all parties involved. Innes went on a previously planned vacation so the station could buy some time to figure out what to do with their ratings-winning afternoon show. And this is what they came up with: a contest.
Yes, a contest. You, the listener, will be given information starting today on how you can win a job at WIP to be Innes’ cohost. Of course, if you think this is a joke, I could point you in the direction of 97.5 The Fanatic doing the same thing a couple years ago with the whole “Dream Job” thing.
However, I highly doubt WIP will hire anyone outside to cohost the show with Innes. In fact, I don’t think he really needs a cohost. He did well during his 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. time slot when he first got to the city, and putting him with someone else who might tire of his “act” might not last very long. It lasted six months for Bruno.
Sure, Innes has a great radio rapport with Jody McDonald, but I don’t know if he’s the everyday guy for the job. I’d not like to hear Howard Eskin on a daily radio show again, and I’m sure you wouldn’t either. The return of Spike to the airwaves? I doubt it. I just don’t think Innes needs a cohost, but having two shows back-to-back with one host also is an extreme change that I’m not sure WIP is 100% on board with. They would then have to give Brian Haddad someone to ride with from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and I don’t think he needs a cohost, either.
I could be completely wrong. Someone could go into this contest beginning today and completely wow the suits and get a job just like that. Maybe they already picked Bruno’s heir apparent and are just having some fun with this. I can’t blame them. This will only help Innes’ show heading into Eagles training camp. Thirteen more days…
Josh always talks about taking long weekends vs. taking a whole week off of work so he can spread out his paid days. If you think this was a pre-planned vacation, I have a bridge to sell you.
Also – I agree that Josh doesn’t need (nor can work with) a co-host for very long. He belongs on the air during the 6-10 hours BY HIMSELF. He should not be on during the drive times, and he will flop when the actual football season gets going. No guest of any worth are going to want to go on with him (because he’s a terrible interviewer) and he has no really deep knowledge of any one sport. He’s essentially the equivalent of that guy you meet at the bar who comes off as really knowledgeable but then you quickly learn that all he does is keep to 3-5 talking points and that’s it.
In the end, it doesn’t matter. Andy Bloom hitched his wagon to the Josh Innes circus. It will either be forced to succeed or the entire station will go up.
HUGE! What were they thinking! Still a nice shirt though.