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Sports Radio Boston – Chad Finn – Mike Reiss Snubs Globe & Defects to ESPN Boston

sportsradioboston — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:59:31 +0000

Article Courtesy of: Boston Sports Media - Boston Globe/Boston.com

ESPN jumps into local fray with website

By Chad Finn Globe Staff / August 28, 2009

While discussing the flurry of transactions in the local sports media, a source at a popular Boston website recently mused, “There are not a lot of allegiances anymore. Every man for himself. It’s really become a free-for-all.’’

Yesterday, a well-known but unexpected player entered the fray. And did it ever land an important piece.

Mike Reiss, the Globe and Boston.com’s prolific NFL writer, is departing to join ESPN Boston, the sports network’s second city-specific site as it attempts to strengthen its national brand with a local online presence in the nation’s largest and most passionate sports cities. The site will launch Sept. 14, an ESPN spokesman confirmed.

“Adding Boston to ESPN’s local-sites network is a natural fit for our goal of serving sports fans,’’ said Jim Pastor, senior vice president for ESPN business divisions. “It is one of the nation’s premier sports towns and home to one of the strongest and most passionate fan bases in the world.’’

The relentless Reiss, whose “Reiss’s Pieces’’ blog has been a trusted resource for Patriots information since he came to the Globe in July 2005 after making his mark at the Metro West Daily News, is a shrewd initial hire, an indication that ESPN has done its homework on what has succeeded in the Boston marketplace.

“We have lots of online competition now in sports,’’ said Globe editor Martin Baron. “Our numbers show that we’ve been very successful before in meeting competitive challenges. And I can tell you that we’re determined to remain successful.

“We’re very sorry to lose Mike Reiss. But talent runs deep in our sports staff. We’ll draw on the other great sports journalists who work here, and we’ll bring in some new talent, too.’’

Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation indicate that ESPNBoston is pursuing other Globe writers. Sources at WEEI and the Boston Herald indicate that they are unaware of ESPNBoston pursuing any of their staffers, and The Sports Hub 98.5 website is still in the fledgling stage. And there will be yet another player on the local media scene soon, when Comcast Boston premieres a site that intends to compete with Boston.com, WEEI.com, and ESPNBoston, among others, in covering local teams.

ESPNBoston’s Sept. 14 launch date is not coincidental; it is the day of the Patriots’ season opener against the Buffalo Bills on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.’’ Reiss will travel with the Patriots, though it remains uncertain whether writers on other beats will go on the road to cover their teams.

ESPNBoston is the network’s second locally branded site; ESPNChicago debuted in mid-April. It has been a tremendous success, particularly regarding the most important factors to advertisers: visitors and page views. ESPNChicago (espn.go.com/chicago) had more than 700,000 unique visitors in July, up 19 percent compared with June, and 87 percent unique visitors since May. It quickly surpassed the traffic numbers for the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times websites to emerge as the most visited sports site in the city, although there is skepticism as to whether ESPN is including numbers from repurposed stories on the main site.

ESPNBoston intends to closely follow the blueprint of ESPNChicago, emphasizing its deep reservoir of ESPN-produced content while also utilizing aggregation and links to other sites in an effort to become the destination site for local sports.

Like the Chicago site, ESPNBoston will emphasize logical, symbiotic affiliations and integrations with various branches of its own brand. It will feature a brief daily “SportsCenter’’ regional highlight package as well as a partnership with the local ESPN Radio affiliate. Currently, ESPNBoston does not have a website, instead redirecting to ESPN Radio 890-AM’s site.

The appearance of the ESPNChicago website is certainly familiar: it is virtually identical to the ESPN mother ship’s home page, except, of course, that all of the content is localized, including all of the news links down the righthand column.

Among the national ESPN personalities who have contributed at ESPNChicago are columnists Gene Wojciechowski (a former Tribune sportswriter) and Chicago native Scoop Jackson. ESPN has a roster of columnists and contributors with significant Boston ties, including Bill Simmons, who writes the popular “Sports Guy’’ column and also hosts an entertaining podcast, baseball guru Peter Gammons, and NFL analyst Michael Smith.

ESPN confirmed that Simmons, Gammons, and Smith will contribute to ESPNBoston, though much if not all of their work is expected to be repurposed from ESPN’s main site.

Nonetheless, their contributions will be a tremendous asset. As one source at a competing Boston sports website put it, “If they come up with a creative way to spin Simmons’s and Gammons’s traffic as part of their site here, their numbers are going to be insane.’’

ESPN announced July 20 that it planned to follow its successful debut in Chicago by launching city-specific sites in Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York. ESPNDallas.com is expected to launch within the next couple of weeks, to coincide with the Dallas Cowboys’ opener.

ESPNLosAngeles and ESPNNewYork are slated for early next year, and other cities that already have ESPN Radio affiliates are likely destinations. According to sources with knowledge of the situation, ESPN is intent on expanding into virtually every major media market, with the possibility of regional branches down the road.

Eyebrows were certainly raised in Boston when the sports-mad region, home to six professional championship teams this decade, wasn’t listed among ESPN’s second wave of localized sites. After yesterday’s developments, perhaps the initial absence was part of the plan.

“We started hearing [ESPNBoston’s arrival] was a possibility weeks ago,’’ said a source at a competing local sports website. “But it certainly does seem to have been a clandestine operation.’’

Until yesterday, that is, when the local sports media’s seemingly never-ending game of musical chairs saw Reiss switch seats.

“Everyone is scrambling right now to position themselves in the best way possible,’’ a source from a competing website mused. “Only time will tell what the best situations actually are.’’

Chad Finn can be reached at finn@globe.com

Chad Finn Touching All the Bases

Sports Radio Boston – 98.5 FM Mix Up Kick Off SNAFU

sportsradioboston — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:48:36 +0000

For debut of sports radio station, a Pats’ audible

Lineup shift creates confusion; format to resume today

Listeners to the debut of 98.5 FM heard a replay of the Patriots’ Super Bowl win over Philadelphia, sealed by Rodney Harrison’s interception. (Globe/File 2005)

By Johnny Diaz Globe Staff / August 14, 2009

Listeners were confused yesterday when they tuned into Boston’s newest sports talk radio station, 98.5 FM: Instead of the live deejay banter the station had originally planned for its debut, it aired 10 hours of the New England Patriots’ three Super Bowl victories.

The station, billed as The Sports Hub, aired the title games from 3 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then went live with Comcast SportsNet personality Michael Felger and Boston Globe sports writer Tony Massarotti through 4 p.m. before airing the Patriots pre-game show.

On Wednesday, the station had said it would launch yesterday at 6 a.m. with Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb, formerly of WBCN, which went off the air this week. Toucher and Rich would be followed by Gary Tanguay of Comcast SportsNet and former New England Patriots’ quarterback Scott Zolak from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Felger and Massarotti from 2 to 6 p.m., and Damon “D.A.’’ Amendolara from 6 to midnight.

“Most of the listeners understood that we were building to a crescendo,’’ said Mark Hannon, senior vice president and market manager for CBS Radio Boston, which owns The Sports Hub. He said a decision to change the station’s lineup happened sometime Wednesday, but he didn’t specify what time. “We thought that listeners would get a kick out of the nostalgia over the victories.’’

Hannon added that having the first preseason Patriots game with quarterback Tom Brady, after he missed last season because of an injury, “threw the normal programming schedule out of whack.’’

The Sports Hub is the flagship station for the Patriots and Boston Bruins games. Hannon said that if the station had stuck to its original programming, Tanguay would have had to work his 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift and then return at 4 p.m. for the Patriots pre-game show.

“We just decided as we got closer to the launch that it would be a little clunky to set it up that way,’’ Hannon said. “We could have done a better job of communicating that message.’’

Hannon said he was pleased with the debut, which featured interviews with Theo Epstein, general manager of the Red Sox, and Jeremy Jacobs, owner of the Boston Bruins. “As with any start-up, there will definitely be a learning curve,’’ he said.

On news websites, listeners expressed mixed reactions about the station kicking off with the old Patriot games. Wrote one, “I was quite puzzled to hear a broadcast of a game.’’ Commented another: “An awesome way to get off to a great start.’’

Hannon said The Sports Hub will return to its regular schedule today beginning at 6 a.m. with Toucher and Shertenlieb. The station emerged after it replaced adult contemporary music station WBMX, or Mix 98.5 FM, which moved to 104.1 FM, former home of rock station WBCN.

CBS Radio Boston made the switch to make room for the sports talk radio station so it challenge powerhouse WEEI-AM (850) and ESPN Radio (890), also on AM.

Officials from WEEI could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Johnny Diaz can be reached at jodiaz@globe.com.

Sports Radio Boston – WBZ-FM Debuts

sportsradioboston — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:08:48 +0000

WBZ-FM sports-talk station debuts – Format competes with WEEI

By Thomas Grillo | Thursday, August 13, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Media & Marketing

Boston’s first FM sports talk radio station is kicking off today with surprisingly little fanfare.

WBZ-FM, dubbed “98.5 The Sports Hub,” will debut at 6 a.m. with former WBCN [website] disc jockeys Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb of “Toucher & Rich” trying their hand at sports talk.

At 10 a.m., Comcast SportsNet New England’s Gary Tanguay and former New England Patriots [team stats] backup quarterback Scott Zolak will take over.

Veteran Hub sportswriters Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti, who is still writing part-time for the Boston Globe, will go head-to-head against Glenn Ordway’s “The Big Show” on rival WEEI-AM (850) at 2 p.m.

Their debut show will feature Red Sox [team stats] General Manager Theo Epstein and Bruins [team stats] owner Jeremy Jacobs, Felger said yesterday.

Normally, Felger and Massarotti will be on until 6 p.m. But tomorrow, Tanguay, Zolak and Andy Gresh will host the Pats pregame show starting at4 p.m. as the lead-in to the first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“The Sports Hub” has radio rights to broadcast Patriots and Bruins games.

Media watchers think the new station could represent the first real threat to ’EEI, which has enjoyed a local sports-talk radio monopoly in the sports-obsessed Hub for years. But Felger, who has been a guest off and on at ’EEI over the years, wasn’t in the mood to talk too much trash about his colleagues turned rivals yesterday.

“They’re very sensitive to criticism,” Felger quipped. “They tend to overreact. Some of those guys are getting older and we don’t need to upset them.”

Felger said his mission is to carve out a market share and build an audience.

“What we’re doing has nothing to do with ’EEI,” he said. “We’re just going to do a better show. We will be focused, opinionated and passionate. That’s a formula that works.”

Damon Amendolara, most recently from WQAM in Miami, will hold down weeknights at “The Sports Hub,” working from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/jobfind/news/media/view.bg?articleid=1190691

Sports Radio News – The Sports Hub On-Air Lineup

sportsradioboston — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:40:12 +0000

The Sports Hub unveils its on-air lineup

(File photo of Zolak from his playing days: Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

By Johnny Diaz, Globe Staff

Boston’s new sports talk radio station, 98.5 FM The Sports Hub, debuts tomorrow and has announced its starting lineup of on-air personalities.

The station will launch at 6 a.m with hosts Toucher & Rich, who will anchor the morning show from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. The team was a popular fixture on the rock station WBCN, which is being pulled off the air by CBS Radio Boston to make room for the new station.

From 10 a.m. to noon, Gary Tanguay of Comcast SportsNet will be teamed with former New England Patriots’ quarterback Scott Zolak (pictured above in a Globe file photo).

The afternoon drive show, from 2 to 6 p.m., will be led by Comcast SportsNet personality Michael Felger and Boston Globe sportswriter Tony Massarotti, who will continue to write for the paper part-time.

The 6 p.m. to midnight hours will feature Damon “D.A.” Amendolara, who recently worked at WQAM in Miami.

“Boston is the greatest sports town in America, and we are very excited to bring Boston sports fans a new content experience,” said Mark Hannon, senior vice president and market manager for CBS Radio Boston, in a release.

The Sports Hub replaces adult contemporary music station WBMX, or Mix 98.5 FM, which moves to 104.1 FM, for many years the home of rock station WBCN. All day today, Mix’s deejays have been alerting listeners to “reset their preset” to the new dial position.

CBS Radio Boston, which owns WBCN, decided last month to take the classic rock station off the air to clear the way for the new station. The Sports Hub will become Boston’s third sports radio offering and will take on sports talk station WEEI-AM (850.)

Sports Radio Boston – Bar Stool Sports Scores!

sportsradioboston — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:55:37 +0000

Bar Stool Sports & Julie Kahn

Bar Stool Sports

That psssssst sound you just heard was Julie Kahn pissing herself because she just found out I’m going to be on Toucher and Rich tomorrow at 9am.

Courtesy of Bar Stool Sports Boston

And the first salvo in the Sports Hub Vs. WEEI war for the Stool has been fired!

Advantage Sports Hub.

My guess is that if I dominate this appearence, like I’m sure I will, I’ll probably get my own late night show and have to go head to head against Mikey Adams which would kind of suck since he’s my favorite guy on WEEI.

But what are you going to do right?

I don’t get paid to pick who I fight. I get paid to knock them out.

Mourning Boston Radio Stations – Neal Bocian

sportsradioboston — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:06:50 +0000

“RADIO DAY 2009? a.k.a. “MOURNING RADIO”

- by Neal Bocian

Before I begin let me commend Kathy Kiely, President of the Ad Club; Pierre Bouvard, President of Sales and Marketing for Arbitron; Mike Sheehan, CEO of Hill Holiday; Peter Smyth, Chairman and CEO of Greater Media; David Field, President and CEO of Entercom; Julie Kahn, Vice President of Entercom and everyone else involved behind the scenes, in putting together what could have been and should have been a fabulous afternoon.

Here we are (a few hundred people in attendance, including radio reps, management, advertising agencies, and clients alike) at the Ritz-Carlton from 2:30 in the afternoon to 6:00 in the evening listening to the leaders in our industry speak to us about the power, the future and the opportunities available to us in radio. The excitement and anticipation of what lied ahead was truly inspiring.

As Kathy introduced the guest speakers from all over the country, and having them gathered all in one place and at one time was no easy task to accomplish. Beginning with Pierre’s keynote introduction and his speech about PPM and the opportunities that lie ahead in radio-to Mike’s passion for the creativity that radio, like no other media affords us-to Peter Smyth’s excitement and inspiring talk about reinventing ourselves in the radio space with our clients; to David’s Power Point presentation that included the stability of the radio audience across the country as compared to the deterioration in newspaper readership and TV viewership, you had all our hearts pumped up, and our mind’s craving for more.

Unfortunately, that was the beginning of the end. When the next guest speaker, the President and CEO of Clear Channel Radio, John Hogan, gave his perspective the enthusiasm changed. Listening to him talk about the demise of the radio world, the deterioration of the quality of programming, the less than quality sales people in the industry was enough to make me angry!! How dare you, Mr. Hogan, come into our home, of which you are a family member, and totally change the entire sentiment in the room to “shit.” Yes, Mr. Hogan, these are challenging times, not limited to the radio world, but to “ALL” businesses!

This country has been losing jobs to the tune of over 500,000 plus per month! We all know that… we’re living it. With that said, there are opportunities out there for all of us. Those of us who want it will get it. If they are creative and show the value that radio brings to the table, clients will achieve their goals. The days of selling radio are over!! The days of getting our clients to buy into radio is just beginning (read Stop Selling Radio!!) All media must embrace new technology! Radio websites, banners, streaming audio, streaming video, podcasting, email blasts and SMS text messaging must be promoted and integrated into the strategy, the creativity and the execution of our client’s campaign.

I found your perspective on the future of radio, Mr. Hogan, humiliating to my brothers and sisters in the audience. You are a leader in our industry, and with that title comes responsibility to lead our respective “tribes” with ideas for improvement and reinventing ourselves in order to gain market share. I know that’s what the audience was anticipating. I know that’s what I was expecting.

Anyone can be negative these days, it’s the responsibility of our leaders like you, Mr. Hogan, and leaders like myself, to encourage our young people, as well as our seasoned people to grab the bull by its horns. We should be the evangelists and ambassadors of radio and the new products that each of the stations brings to the table.

That’s what our job is Mr. Hogan, with all due respect! You failed us yesterday, MISERABLY. You failed me as the CEO of Neal Advertising, and you failed the entire radio world in the audience who were looking for direction and hope for their future. The landscape for “RADIO DAY 2009” was designed to bring all the radio stations together in a by-partisan fashion. We are all in this together and we will all get through this together. At the end, those standing will be stronger than ever before.

Lastly, there are opportunities out there for radio. The demise and deterioration of newspaper readership and circulation is the potential growth dollars for radio. The automotive category, including Tier 1 and 2 have both cut newspaper and TV expenditure. Don’t you see the potential dollars that are going to be available in that one category alone?? Take the audience, the reach, the frequency and the new products that radio has on the interactive front, and you have an integrated game plan!

On top of which, you can measure the effectiveness of a campaign, CTA, while it is going on!! Your loyal audience is now interacting with your client’s engaging message–how good is that Mr. Hogan?

Respectfully, Mr. Hogan, you owe the entire audience an apology.

With all this said, I just wanted to commend the Ad Club once again and the rest of the radio managers and staff for their perseverance and hard work through these challenging times. My hat is off to each and every one of you!!!