Legendary Philadelphia sports radio host Howard Eskin left 94WIP just before Christmas, and now we know why.
A new story from Philadelphia Iniquirer reporter Matt Breen fills in the gaps from Eskin’s messy exit.
Eskin was banned from covering the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park for what the Inquirer later revealed was an inappropriate advance toward an Aramark employee who served at the stadium. WIP parent company Audacy launched an investigation after the employee reported Eskin gave her an unwanted kiss. The Phillies even released a statement supporting WIP’s decision to ban Eskin.
However, the 73-year-old Eskin continued to host a Saturday morning show on the station and work as a sideline reporter for Philadelphia Eagles radio broadcasts.
That changed in mid-December, when Eskin announced his departure.
Now, Breen reports that after the incident with the stadium employee, Eskin shouted at a female WIP employee during a remote broadcast. The alleged shouting came during a broadcast alongside Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham at the sports bar Chickie and Pete’s.
Breen added that while Eskin no longer works Eagles radio broadcasts, he attended the team’s Week 17 home game and continued to post on X about the game as if he were covering it.
Howard Eskin helped launch WIP as a sports station in 1986. He also wrote for the Philadelphia Daily News and anchored television for WTXF and WCAU in Philadelphia. Eskin left WIP afternoons in 2011 after more than 25 years in the slot.
Now, his long run as one of the big voices in local sports media comes to an unceremonious end following separate incidents with women around his work over the course of 2024.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.