‘A Very Singular Figure’
We spoke with Philadelphia sports media giants Ray Didinger and Howard Eskin, along with Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard Desiderio, to hear their stories and reflections on Angelo Cataldi’s incredible broadcasting career.
“He brought a level of energy and passion to the morning, day after day for over 30 years. There was never a single day when you tuned in and felt like he mailed it in. It wasn’t always the same issue, but it was the same passion. There was something that had him excited, something that had him outraged, something you wanted to hear his opinion on. It’s next to impossible to do that for as long as he did. Angelo was unique. I don’t know that anybody’s ever going to be able to do what he did for as long as he did. In this era of mass communications, he was a very singular figure.” – Ray Didinger, Pro Football Hall of Famer who met Cataldi more than 35 years ago, when both were Philadelphia sports writers.
“We haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, but there’s no question how much I respect somebody who’s been able to continue to work at a high level in this business for that long at the same station. It’s really something that doesn’t happen that much. Success in this business is hard. He deserves a lot of congratulations.” – Howard Eskin, who launched WIP’s first sports radio show, and has been a colleague of Cataldi’s for decades.
“I remember on Sundays when we were doing Eagles Pre- and Postgame shows, the co-hosts would all be in a room watching the game together. And every time the Eagles were playing badly or gave the game away or something, Gov. Rendell would say, ‘Well, I can’t wait to hear what Angelo has to say tomorrow morning.’ And that’s the governor of the commonwealth! I think it’s safe to say that Angelo drove considerable influence.” – Didinger
“Angelo has been a good citizen of Sea Isle City. On one of his final shows, I was on to thank him and give him a key to the city.” – Mayor Desiderio
“Something that nobody should ever lose sight of is that Angelo’s really, really smart. He didn’t always play to that on the show, you know, when he’s interviewing people eating lard out of a can to get into Wing Bowl. But on those occasions when there was a real newsmaker who needed to be asked tough questions, that’s when you heard the Pulitzer Prize version of Angelo. He knew how to ask a question and get to the truth of things.” – Didinger
“I just can’t imagine getting up at 3 o’clock every morning to go in and do a show. I can’t imagine doing that for over 30 years. So, the fact that he endured that, he really deserves a lot of credit for that. – Eskin
“It might have sounded like just a bunch of people goofing around in a frat house. But if you were there, you saw the way Angelo controlled everything. There was a real structure and discipline to it. It could be off-the-wall comical. It could be real serious and analytical. Anytime you clicked on the radio station, you didn’t really know what you were going to get that day. But the one thing it was, every day was compelling.” – Didinger
“Years ago, when they wanted to build a new stadium for the Eagles, he was trying to get the mayor of Philadelphia on the show. So, he called me up and says, ‘I need you to call in on Monday.’ I called in at 7:30am on Monday and he says, ‘We finally have the mayor, we’re going to get an answer on the new stadium!’ And I thought, ‘Oh boy.’ So, I got on the air and he asks, ‘Mayor, do you think we should build a new stadium?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely!’ And Angelo says, ‘You heard it from the mayor!’ He’s a good showman and he had really loyal listeners.” – Desiderio
“Angelo was from somewhere else and had different allegiances, then he came here and became a lightning rod. He totally got Philadelphia. All of the things that make Philadelphia sports fans different was stuff he liked. Angelo is the outsider who became the ultimate insider.” – Didinger
“He’s been a great promoter of our community. And he’s ours now.” – Desiderio
