ON THE AIR Change of heart: WPHL wants Missanelli to stay Less than a month after WPHL announced that it was not renewing the contract of weekday sports anchor Mike Missanelli, station general manager Leslie Glenn has reconsidered and opened up talks with the WIP talk show host again. In a telephone conversation this week, Glenn said the main reason she changed her mind was because Missanelli's radio shift was changed from 3-7 p.m. to 10 a.m.-3 p.m., which would give him more time to devote to television. Station insiders say it's because there was a backlash from staff when Glenn wasn't going to keep the Bristol native. Missanelli's contract is set to expire in December. "We have been talking to Mike about staying," Glenn said. "The ball is in his court now." As for remaining at WPHL, Missanelli said, "I'll consider it." One factor that Missanelli is probably considering is if he wants to continue working for news director Chuck Carter, who began a few months ago. The WIP personality started at WPHL two years ago. As for the rest of the WPHL sports department, Glenn said the station has narrowed its weekend sports anchor search down to two finalists. Pennsbury High graduate Blaine Applegate has been filling in since Jenna Wolfe left town back in April. Ratings game While the Eagles blew out the Redskins, WPVI blew out the other stations in the ratings. The game had a 27.1 rating/40 share on Monday night. Many viewers stayed up late to watch "Eagles Total Access with Gary Papa." It had a 7.6 rating/23 share. Each local rating point equals 28,010 homes. The game also did well nationally. It was the top-rated show of the night with 15 million viewers. Johnson staying Jimmy Johnson and his hair will be the permanent co-host on "Fox NFL Sunday." Johnson was part of the original Fox pre-game show team when the network acquired the NFL in 1994. He joins his original castmates James Brown, Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw. Fox is the home for ex-Cowboys, including Troy Aikman, Daryl Johnston and Michael Irvin. Maybe Nate Newton can guest star on "Cops." Sweet revenge? It must have been sweet revenge for Lou Tilley, who won the local Emmy for "Outstanding Sports Newscast" Saturday night. Tilley spent more than a dozen years at KYW-3 before getting fired in 1998. After two years out of the business, not only did he end up with his own hour-long daily show on CN8, but won the Emmy, while KYW didn't earn a single sports nomination. Other sports notes from the Emmys: Jim Jackson of Comcast SportsNet won for "Outstanding Sports Play-by-Play," and the Eagles' preseason games produced by the Eagles Television Network won for "Outstanding Sports Coverage/Series." WTXF won "Outstanding Sports Coverage/One Time Only Special" for Public League Basketball. Harry Kalas added another trophy to his mantle - the "Governors Award." And let's not forget about that great "sportsman" Larry Mendte of WCAU who won for "Outstanding Sports Feature/Programming." The Channel 10 anchorman entered himself in so many categories, it's a surprise he didn't win for weather or health reporter. Laura Nachman covers television and radio sports for the Courier Times. She can be reached at [email protected]. September 20, 2002