Olórin

Generally, the worse an economic situation is, the more people apply to grad school. The economic situation has perhaps improved from last year, but still isn't great. I'm sure some people delayed applying for COVID reasons, but delaying only makes sense when one has a good idea of how to use the intervening time... It's worth noting that, just for comparison in this one case, Yale used to get applications in low 300s before pandemic, so last year was a *massive* increase, which has dropped off a little but is still much bigger than before.

I agree with all of this. Your MA helps demonstrate that you can succeed in doing academic philosophy, and getting your letter writers to explain your bad semesters is the right strategy. Black marks like this on your transcript aren't ideal, but they won't necessarily sink your application, especially provided that you have a strong writing sample and good recommendations. So make sure your sample is as strong as it can possibly be!

1. Transcripts typically play a stronger role at the beginning of evaluating an application, not in the later stage of evaluation.
2. Your application would look better without the rough semesters. There is no denying that. However, you are in a stronger position than you realize, because you have attended a master's program and have demonstrated your capacity to succeed in philosophy. That fact will reduce an admission committee's concerns.
3. If you are sure that you want to say something about it, ask one of your letter writers to address it in their recommendation. "DisplayName_1 informed me about two rough semesters from a time before deciding to pursue philosophy. I assure you these semesters are not representative of current academic ability and performance. blah blah."

1. Transcripts typically play a stronger role at the beginning of evaluating an application, not in the later stage of evaluation.
2. Your application would look better without the rough semesters. There is no denying that. However, you are in a stronger position than you realize, because you have attended a master's program and have demonstrated your capacity to succeed in philosophy. That fact will reduce an admission committee's concerns.
3. If you are sure that you want to say something about it, ask one of your letter writers to address it in their recommendation. "DisplayName_1 informed me about two rough semesters from a time before deciding to pursue philosophy. I assure you these semesters are not representative of current academic ability and performance. blah blah."

1. Transcripts typically play a stronger role at the beginning of evaluating an application, not in the later stage of evaluation.
2. Your application would look better without the rough semesters. There is no denying that. However, you are in a stronger position than you realize, because you have attended a master's program and have demonstrated your capacity to succeed in philosophy. That fact will reduce an admission committee's concerns.
3. If you are sure that you want to say something about it, ask one of your letter writers to address it in their recommendation. "DisplayName_1 informed me about two rough semesters from a time before deciding to pursue philosophy. I assure you these semesters are not representative of current academic ability and performance. blah blah."

Maybe look at Berkeley's rhetoric program, I think you could make a strong fit for them, especially depending upon the sub-field of your communications research.
Philosophy programs to look at (alphabetical): DePaul, Emory, Northwestern, University of Oregon, Penn State, Stony Brook, Vanderbilt, Villanova
There's other programs to apply to as well, but I think these are broadly a good match for you. Also, since you're coming to philosophy a bit later than some, apply to funded terminal MA programs as well, eg. Georgia State and Miami (Ohio). I think Duquesne, University of Mexico, University of Oregon, and Stony Brook also have good MA programs, but they are not typically funded and you'll be in the mix with PhD students too.
You're right: philosophers like to see lots of philosophy classes from applicants. Take as many philosophy (especially history of philosophy) courses as you can muster before you graduate. Continental philosophy programs often have history of philosophy requirements. Language requirements are less important than they used to be, but it will also help your application if you demonstrate some facility with a philosophical language relevant to your interests (ie. French, in your case). In your statement of purpose, clarify  some of your non-philosophy coursework and demonstrate that these courses were philosophically oriented.
Note: make sure only philosophers write your recommendation letters for your applications to philosophy programs. (Philosophers have a tendency to think they're special and that philosophy is special, so they sometimes tend to discount evaluations from people in other fields. Sigh.)
Another note: have a look at current student graduate profiles at different programs. Practice writing your interests in terms similar to the ones they use. You will probably fair better if you can describe your interests in terms of philosophy's sub-fields. I don't like that this is the case, but I do think it's the case.

Maybe look at Berkeley's rhetoric program, I think you could make a strong fit for them, especially depending upon the sub-field of your communications research.
Philosophy programs to look at (alphabetical): DePaul, Emory, Northwestern, University of Oregon, Penn State, Stony Brook, Vanderbilt, Villanova
There's other programs to apply to as well, but I think these are broadly a good match for you. Also, since you're coming to philosophy a bit later than some, apply to funded terminal MA programs as well, eg. Georgia State and Miami (Ohio). I think Duquesne, University of Mexico, University of Oregon, and Stony Brook also have good MA programs, but they are not typically funded and you'll be in the mix with PhD students too.
You're right: philosophers like to see lots of philosophy classes from applicants. Take as many philosophy (especially history of philosophy) courses as you can muster before you graduate. Continental philosophy programs often have history of philosophy requirements. Language requirements are less important than they used to be, but it will also help your application if you demonstrate some facility with a philosophical language relevant to your interests (ie. French, in your case). In your statement of purpose, clarify  some of your non-philosophy coursework and demonstrate that these courses were philosophically oriented.
Note: make sure only philosophers write your recommendation letters for your applications to philosophy programs. (Philosophers have a tendency to think they're special and that philosophy is special, so they sometimes tend to discount evaluations from people in other fields. Sigh.)
Another note: have a look at current student graduate profiles at different programs. Practice writing your interests in terms similar to the ones they use. You will probably fair better if you can describe your interests in terms of philosophy's sub-fields. I don't like that this is the case, but I do think it's the case.

UB has a PhD program and hence plenty of people who have insight to your question, right in your own backyard. Have you asked any professors in the Philosophy department at UB? Cohen, who teaches in both philosophy and Jewish studies department, might be worth considering meeting. He's very continental. Lawler works in continental. Williams is the dept chair. There are currently grad level courses on Nietzsche, on Hegel, and on pragmatists. Current grad students are working lots of the authors you named.

I might suggest having a look at the grad student profiles of programs that interest you. That could help you figure out where else to apply. (Also, I second all the suggestions above.)
The MA at stony brook is probably worth looking at, although I’m fairly certain they don’t have funding.

I might suggest having a look at the grad student profiles of programs that interest you. That could help you figure out where else to apply. (Also, I second all the suggestions above.)
The MA at stony brook is probably worth looking at, although I’m fairly certain they don’t have funding.

Maybe check out this place. https://fundedphilma.weebly.com/
Off the top of my head, these are some places that stand out to me. Miami University Ohio is a pretty good MA program for Continental philosophy. Though it looks like they do require the GRE. San Francisco State is also another one. They don't require the GRE. I think funding is a little less straightforward at SFSU, but it is definitely doable. At least from what I had heard. 
I know the MA program at Duquesne is perceived in continental circles as being a nice jumping pad. Their placement is somewhat decent. I had a couple of friends who went to Duquesne. But from what I understand there isn't full funding. Or only some students receive full funding. I'm not too sure. 
Also, don't feel like you can't apply to analytic programs because you do continental philosophy. If there is a faculty member at an analytic program who does continental and can help you with what you are interested in, you should apply there. The writing sample you come out of the program with, will generally be fine when applying to phd continental programs.

Take a look at Kent State. Full funding and good placement for SPEP.

They're not competitive. Those programs will take pretty much anyone, because they're cash cows meant to generate revenue for the department, not to prepare students to apply for the PhD. My advice: don't apply to unfunded MA programs, especially at schools that have highly ranked PhD students.

this.
The general rule of thumb is that you ought to be extremely cautious about any MA program that has a PhD program in that field. There are situations in which the MA at a school with a PhD is a solid, well-supported program, but that is not the norm. I mean, think about it - Are you going to get TAships at a place where you're competing with PhD students? Almost certainly not. One of the major reasons to attend a terminal M.A. program is to better set you up for PhD applications - you can broaden/deepen your understanding of the field, present at conferences, get some TAships, dip your toes in grad school life, etc. At the end of the day, the fact is that the department at a school with a PhD program has little reason (or, more importantly, time) to do that for unfunded MA students.

You should totally apply to the other school  
Re: letters of recommendation, go with those who know you and your work best. If you make a supportive connection with a faculty member in your current department, ask for their take on what to do. Some of my faculty members have spoken openly about how they switched programs in grad school. I think, as people, they’ll want you to be in the situation that works best for you. 
 
Also, if you stick around your current program, you’ll probably be okay. At a certain point in the program you’ll be allowed (encouraged…required…) to become the driver of your projects. I suspect you’ll find someone there to support you in those pursuits, even if they don’t specialize in the area. 

I had only taken 6 philosophy classes when I applied and got into three funded MAs.
 
Don’t sweat it, having fewer philosophy courses could even make you a better candidate for MA programs.

I had only taken 6 philosophy classes when I applied and got into three funded MAs.
 
Don’t sweat it, having fewer philosophy courses could even make you a better candidate for MA programs.

I know very little about MA programs, but in the interest of a timely response given your deadline, FSU sounds way better. FSU has a good reputation on this board, and its placement is solid, even if not the very tip-top. What matters most for future applications is the work you do in the program, as it translates into writing sample and letters. But during the program, the funding difference here is *huge*. Not taking on the extra financial burden of $8,000/year will give you much more flexibility, whether you decide to apply on to PhDs or not.

I’d say go for it. They might be able to tell you if x number of admits have accepted their initial offers, or they might give you an anticipated time that you might receive an update. More likely they’ll just tell you that they can’t tell you anything, but it’s worth a try. 

FWIW, there's different versions of this scenario in every department. In my department, one intended advisor left, and a second intended advisor retired. We have new hires, but they're too green to direct a dissertation and having non-tenured faculty on a dissertation committee is risky. Departments usually look different at dissertation stage than they did at admissions stage, and you'll probably be different by then too.

I’m here for this. I actually think you should only do a PhD in philosophy if you plan to work outside academia afterward, because otherwise you’re just getting a degree in financial instability on the adjunct circuit. If an academic job happens to pan out and you want it, great. If not, you didn’t plan on it anyway, so nothing lost. 

Echoing this, my situation and results were very similar to PhilgoreTrout. Where I did my MA, it is very rare for a student not to get accepted into a PhD. 

I got shut out of PhD programs two years ago. I did a funded MA and now I have 4 offers, 0 rejections, and 8 still pending. It's very doable.

Applying to grad school is uhhhhhhhhhh the worst. 

Grad school admissions is organized sadism (in the words of an old friend). Everything about it is horrible, I hate what it does to people.