Sports radio is huge in Philadelphia. The number one rated sports talk show on the drive home is on 97.5 The Fanatic which, from 2pm to 6pm, is hosted by Mike Missanelli. Since February 2013, Mike’s producer and partner on the show has been a former Malvern student, Jason Myrtetus.
Since joining the show, Myrtetus has helped the show increase its ratings 24%. He said, “Mike has never been stronger.” However, Jason has had quite a journey to this point in his career.
Jason attended Malvern for three years for his middle school education. The time Jason spent at Malvern left an impact on him. He left Malvern for a few different reasons, however still holds our school in high regards.
“The all boy school concept was great,” said Myrtetus. “The comradery that it developed with other people was really important.” Even though he is not a religious person, he valued the Catholic aspect of Malvern. “The backdrop of the Augustinian connection to the school was very important and still is now, as a moral compass.”
Myrtetus still remembers and respects many Malvern teachers. He had incredibly nice words to say about Father Wood, Mr. Colameco, Mr. Kindon, Mr. Chinici, Mr. Legner, and Mr. Stewart. Although Jason regrets leaving Malvern and not getting to experience some of the things he would have liked to, such as MECO, he stated that his experience at Malvern “was an important part of making me who I am.”
Myrtetus has worked for CBS Radio at WYSP (currently WIP) as a producer and on-air personality. While at WYSP, he helped lead a number of projects including one of Malvern’s favorite events, Wing Bowl.
“[Wing Bowl] is one of those events that there was no day you were happier than when it was over,” said Myrtetus. He was able to see the effect he and his partners had when “20,000 people showed up to see fat guys eat wings.”
After his success at WIP, Jason was hired by 97.5 the Fanatic, WPEN, to help boost ratings for the Mike Missanelli Show.
Myrtetus has a philosophy that the best way to assess your performance on a show is if you felt like you “did good radio.” He does not care about how many people called in, if you felt like you “did good radio,” your show that day was probably successful. He tries not to react quickly to measurements such as TSL. TSL (time spent listening) is a tool used to track how long people listen for and when they tune out. “If the show talked about the Sixers and a few listeners tuned out some people would assume you should not be talking about the Sixers,” said Myrtetus. “You cannot react long term to instant observations.”
Jason helps Mike prepare for the show by sending him the theme of the day. This theme is often a simple topic that will lead the discussion. However, Jason calls this just “the first layer.” He includes two or three more levels sometimes to keep the show refreshing and interesting.
“Mike is at a point in his career where he does not need to worry about the logistical things. My job is for Mike to only have to be concerned about going in, killing it for four hours, then leaving to clear his head,” said Myrtetus.
Myrtetus does many things on the show to help Mike, including objecting to some of his points to create interesting discussion, even if he does not feel that way. He says he needs to be “Mike’s foil.” Additionally, Jason has created segments on the show to get people laughing. One of the most popular segments is when they do things with Bernie from Broomall, one of Mike’s older listeners. The show will prank call him, test his pop culture knowledge, and have him sing. This all leads into the belief of “doing good radio.”
At 97.5, Jason additionally acts as the pre, intermission, and post game radio show host. This job comes naturally to Jason as he has played hockey since he was young and still continues to coach the game at West Chester.
Jason Myrtetus clearly has had lots of experience in a cutthroat business. He has obtained many skills and learned a lot of lessons over time, and he has some advice for Malvern students.
“To be successful, in general, you must be willing to put in the work. If you expect anything to be handed to you, you will stand with your hand down for a really long time. Identify what you want, and go get it,” he said. He believes that he became successful by being assertive, passionate and dependable, three necessary traits for a good leader.
Other qualities Jason finds beneficial are problem solving skills. “Never bring up a problem, without bringing a solution,” he said. According to Myrtetus, people who bring up problems and are looking for someone else to resolve it are not leaders. Leaders say, ‘Here’s the problem. I’ve also identified three solutions to the problem.’
Lastly, Jason seeks out people who are not going to do things because that’s the way they have always been done. “Do what comes natural and what you think is going to move the needle. If you do that and stay true to what you believe in, you cannot go wrong.”
Obviously, there is much more behind the Mr. Myrtetus than you hear everyday from 2-6.
Hear Missanelli and Myretus shoutout to the BFC and Malvern Prep on air:
