Birds Brunch: Mike Missanelli reacts to the Black Friday Blowout

Mike Missanelli

Mike Missanelli is a long-time Philadelphia media personality whose career spans more than 35 years in areas of print, radio and television journalism. Missanelli has been an evening drive and midday sports talk radio host in Philadelphia at sports stations 97.5 The Fanatic, and before that at 94 WIP, at the origin of sport talk radio in Philly. He also worked at ESPN radio New York, co-hosting a show with national media personality Stephen A Smith. He has been named one of the top sports talkers in that nation by many industry trade magazine. Mike began his career as a writer reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is a graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Journalism – where he also lettered on the varsity baseball team -- and is also a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania, with a J.D. from Widener School of Law. He taught a course in sports law for several years at Delaware Valley College and St. Joseph’s University. In the mid-1990’s, Missanelli created a Philadelphia all-sports magazine called The Fan, which dug deep into the Philly sports scene via feature stories on high profile athletes and newsworthy controversies. A few years later, he was named sports anchor on television station WB-17 in Philadelphia as part of the night news team on WB-17 News at 10, subsequently doing both radio and television. He has also co-hosted several specialty sports shows on WB-17, including the Phillies post-game show, following live televised Phillies baseball games on the channel. Leaving sports talk radio for a spell, Missanelli became the lead player on a new morning show on WMMR-FM called “The Philly Guys.” Following that stint, he made his way back into sports talk radio and co-hosted a show on ESPN radio in New York City with ESPN mainstay Stephen A. Smith. In 2010, Missanelli returned to the Philadelphia Inquirer as a sports columnist for the newspaper’s Sunday editions. Missanelli has received numerous awards during his long career in journalism. He is also the author of The Perfect Season, a book that detailed Penn State football last national championship, when they upset heavily favored and controversial University of Miami at the Fiesta Bowl in 1986. Mike has also written a children’s book titled “The Adventures of Shima the Shiba.” The book follows the growth of Mike’s dog Shima, a Shiba Inu breed, as she navigates her way from puppy to grown-up, while it also provides valuable lessons for children to follow. Follow him on X @MikeMiss25.