PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Sitting in a high chair inside the breakroom at Audacy Philadelphia headquarters early Friday morning, 71-year-old Angelo Cataldi prepared for his final WIP Morning Show.
“Getaway day,” I asked him. “How do you feel?”
“Relieved that I’m gonna finally be done with this incredibly challenging job,” Cataldi replied, “and nervous about sticking the landing.”
He wanted to finish strong. “I wanna get it right,” he said.
For a generation, that is the mentality Cataldi has had when hosting a show about Philadelphia sports. He wanted to entertain listeners, but also be an outlet for fans to celebrate and complain about their favorite teams.
On his final day — a sentimental one for both hosts and callers — Cataldi and others continued their criticism of the Eagles in the wake of their Super Bowl LVII loss. A main target on this day was former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who was just introduced as the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
“Shame on you,” Cataldi screamed about people who weren’t ripping Gannon. “This is my last show. I’m still doing it. Shame, shame, shame!”
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With the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss, Cataldi said he’s ending his career the same way he started it.
“Ripping people mercilessly,” he said. “Finding the best target and going after it. And I was able to do that in the final week, and I was comfortable doing that.”
All of the adulation and praise Cataldi received in his final days on the radio has been a humbling experience. It also made him use a common Andy Reid line — ironically, a coach he has criticized for so many years.
“[The praise] makes me wish I had done a better job,” he said, “because these people are worthy of even more than what we were able to give them.”
Cataldi feels he did the best he could, but maybe the new show — featuring Joe DeCamara, Jon Ritchie, Rhea Hughes and James Seltzer — can fill holes his show didn’t.
Next season, when he is no longer on the air, Cataldi encourages Eagles fans to do what they do best.
“Exactly the way you did before I was here at all — just show the same passion you’ve always shown and hold them responsible,” he advised. “They are responsible to you. A football team is a public trust. If they do not present to you what you think is right, let ’em know.”
SportsRadio 94WIP is a sister station of KYW Newsradio, both owned by Audacy. KYW’s Dave Uram used to work with Cataldi.