Report: Beasley Suspends, Then Sues WPEN's Anthony Gargano

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, September 19, 2023 | 3:24pm CT

Anthony Gargano

WPEN-FM (97.5 The Fanatic)/Philadelphia has suspended midday talent Anthony Gargano with pay over his involvement with PHLY Sports, a digital media outlet that launched last week, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. According to a federal lawsuit filed Monday by WPEN parent company Beasley Media Group, Gargano breached his contract, after he provided services to a competing business while he is employed by Beasley.

Allcity Network co-founder and CEO Brandon Spano, said he was "really shocked" by the lawsuit and remained committed to adding Gargano to their roster of talent. "Anthony's a core part of the network here in Philadelphia, so we're not going to turn our back on him now," said Spano.

In addition to writing for PHLY and appearing on its shows, Gargano, who is under contract with The Fanatic until October, 2024, is expected to launch a national NFL show that will appear across all of Allcity's sites, which include Philadelphia, Denver, Phoenix and Chicago.

Beasley said Gargano told WPEN that he intended to continue hosting his show while being employed by the new sports network, where he would write articles and appear on podcasts. "In other words, Gargano intends to work simultaneously for two competing business to provide sports coverage and commentary to the Philadelphia marketplace, targeting the same audience and competing for the same local advertisers on each platform," the lawsuit says.

Beasley also claims Allcity solicited nine of its employees at WPEN. Read the entire Inquirer article here.