Bill Colarulo is Embracing a Bigger Role as 97.5 The Fanatic Evolves

It was just over a year ago that Beasley Media Group’s 97.5 The Fanatic elevated Bill Colarulo to become the new voice of afternoon drive. At the time, the former lawyer-turned-sports-talk talent had only been with the station for just over a year. In fact, he had only been in sports media for less than four years. Yet, in the fifteen months since being elevated to drive time alongside Ricky Bottalico, Colarulo has reflected on a year of growth, change and a role that he always desired.

“I work a lot harder now than I ever did as a lawyer,” says Colarulo. “I’m very happy with the first year of the show, but I’m nowhere near satisfied. I want to keep growing. But one year in, I’m really proud of staying true to what we wanted the show to be. Based in real sports talk and genuine opinion as opposed to manufactured debate or topics.”

The basis for being a lawyer is building a narrative around the facts of a case. Turning evidence and rules into a compelling and clear human story. For Colarulo, the foundations he learned while practicing law provided him with a runway for early success in sports radio.

However, he admits the show remains a work in progress even a year later. After serving less than a year as the co-host alongside Mike Missanelli, Colarulo is still learning to adjust as the ‘A talent,’ navigating that narrative-building process and putting in the extra hours to prepare compelling content for the listening audience of Philadelphia. Even in self-assessment, there’s still room to grow.

“We need to find more ways to show our personalities more heading into year two,” explains Colarulo. “Sometimes it’s hard to show that. People think I’m serious, which I’m really just the complete opposite. That’s what we’ve been working on the most. Letting people in to know who we are as human beings and showing that personality.”

Since starting in afternoons just over a year ago, there’s been no shortage of sports happenings in Philadelphia to draw an audience.

Each of the four local professional teams made the postseason for the first time in fifteen years. Philadelphia was also home to the MLB All-Star Game and the World Cup this summer. Then last month, LeBron James took his talents to the City of Brotherly Love.

“We have always been a football city first. The Eagles have always felt like the king. But right now, it does feel like the Sixers are right there with them,” noted Colarulo. “Based on the engagement we’re getting in regard to the program and social media. A lot of people in town are fully invested in the 76ers.”

97.5 The Fanatic serves as the flagship station for the Philadelphia 76ers, as well as the Flyers of the NHL. However, the opportunities to capitalize on James’ arrival in Philadelphia are plentiful, which makes for another adjustment Colarulo is planning to make in his content approach this coming fall.

“This year is going to be pretty balanced between Eagles and Sixers as far as content. Our plan is Eagles in season on days after games. That’s has been and still is my first team. Football is king. But with where the Sixers are and how big of a story it is, we’re going to be talking a lot of Sixers basketball,” said Colarulo. “For the first time ever, it’s going to be very close in balance of Eagles content versus Sixers content.”

Following James signing with Philadelphia, 97.5 The Fanatic rebranded temporarily to 97.5 LeBron. The airwaves were filled with celebration, joy and happiness. It was an opportunity Colarulo felt was a rallying cry throughout the city and in every program on the radio station.

The moment also provided fuel for an initiative that Colarulo started when he took over afternoon drive last year. In an effort to gain traction with his new listening audience, he began a campaign simply called Make the Switch. A promotional campaign in which Colarulo attempted to position the approach of the content on his program compared to his direct competitor at SportsRadio 94WIP.

Now, one year later, Colarulo says the campaign, from his standpoint, has been effective.

“What’s made the campaign effective is how genuine it is. There are a lot of people in the city of Philadelphia who have grown tired of the manufactured and disingenuous opinions just to get phone calls. You can only insult the intelligence of the Philadelphia fan base for so long,” explained Colarulo. “We just want them to know there’s a better alternative.”

What started as a singular mission statement on a singular program has now expanded to every daypart on the radio station. It’s no secret to Colarulo that The Fanatic is very different than when he took over just a year prior.

But with the additions made to the lineup and how it’s currently arranged, Colarulo feels true momentum behind his campaign, especially when LeBron James was headed to Philadelphia.

“It reached a boiling point on the LeBron James signing. We understood at the station that this isn’t about us. It’s about Philadelphia fans. They want to celebrate this. This is a big deal for the city, the Sixers and the fanbase. We wanted to give them a platform to celebrate and enjoy it,” said Colarulo. “The other station did the complete opposite. That’s fine if you feel that way, but it wasn’t about you as a host… That day we felt a huge surge of people who made the switch.”

Any station or show can have a good day, but the key to making an impact is feeding off the momentum those moments give you. Colarulo learned that very premise during his time working alongside Mike Missanelli, who departed The Fanatic just months following Colarulo’s move to afternoon drive.

Radio is a relationship business, and Colarulo still considers his former on-air partner a friend and one of the names on the Mount Rushmore of Philadelphia sports radio. To this day, he still receives feedback and support from Missanelli before, after and sometimes during shows.

But Missanelli’s exit was one of a number of roster changes the station made over the last year. Jon Marks returned to middays, followed by Sean Brace. Then local evenings went away to syndication, and John Kincade stepped down from morning drive. Just last week, Marks shifted to mornings to co-host alongside Andrew Salciunas, with Ray Dunne elevated from producer to midday co-host with Brace.

“You can only control what you can control,” explained Colarulo, who recently lost his executive producer Sylvana Kelleher after she stepped down last month for personal reasons. “Change is difficult. But the lineup that we have now, it might be the best lineup we’ve had in quite some time.”

Following the announcement of John Kincade departing morning drive, Colarulo says there was never a consideration to shift the program to the morning daypart. The reason, he said, was simple: The amount of growth that the station has seen since Colarulo took over the daypart.

“We’re starting to carve out a solid afternoon audience. Our show is simulcast on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Those viewership figures have significantly increased as well,” said Colarulo. “I look at the data a lot to figure out what’s working and what’s not. But the Nielsen ratings system is extremely flawed. It’s an archaic model. But we’re seeing massive growth in other areas that matter more for a modern audience. There are so many other factors outside of Nielsen.”

It’s a common theme that every new show should be allowed 15-18 months to grow. Then you adjust based on your findings. That’s exactly the plan for Bill Colarulo.

For Colarulo, year two is less about proving he belongs in afternoon drive and more about building on the foundation he and Bottalico have established. The audience is growing, the station has found a new rhythm, and Philadelphia continues to provide no shortage of stories worth talking about heading into the fall.

There will be more change, more challenges and undoubtedly more moments that test the show. But after navigating a rapid rise, a changing lineup and the departure of people who helped shape his first year, Colarulo enters year two with a clearer understanding of what he wants the program to become.

“I’m not satisfied with just competing. I want to win,” stated Colarulo. “I want our station to not just be relevant, but be one of the best sports stations in the country. We have an opportunity to do that.”

Colarulo has already made the switch from practicing law to practicing the art of sports radio. Now, the goal is to make the next switch: turning a promising first year into a lasting presence in Philadelphia sports media.

For Colarulo, that may be the most telling part of the journey. The first year was about establishing himself. Year two is about finding out just how far he can take it.

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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.

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