Red Sox Radio Broadcasts Return to WEEI

Courtesy of:  Fang’s Bites

August 25, 2009 (Boston) — Entercom New England announced today that, effective with the team’s game against the Chicago White Sox Wednesday evening, August 26th, all future Boston Red Sox games will be carried on WEEI 850 AM in Boston, the flagship station of the WEEI Sports Radio Network.

From 1995 to 2006, Red Sox games were carried exclusively on WEEI. In 2006, the games were shifted to Entercom sister station WRKO AM 680.

“We have a tremendously close partnership with the Red Sox, and are very excited to bring them back to WEEI,” said Jason Wolfe, Entercom New England’s Vice President of AM Programming. “This move will add consistency to our lineup, whereby all of our sports assets will be consolidated in the same place. There’s no better compliment to the Boston Celtics, Patriots Monday and Patriots Friday, Sunday Night and Monday Night NFL football, the Super Bowl and NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, than adding Red Sox baseball back to nation’s biggest sports radio station.”

Added Julie Kahn, Entercom New England Market Manager/VP: “We’re delighted to bring the Red Sox back to their original home on WEEI.  The Red Sox and WEEI have a long history together and it’s a partnership that’s a win for all – WEEI, the Sox and the Boston sports fans.”

“Our partnership with Entercom ensures that Red Sox fans know where to go for the best, most compelling sports news and features on radio,” said Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino.  “Today’s announcement marks a return home for us, and now all of Red Sox Nation will know they can turn to WEEI to catch every Red Sox game all season long.”

WEEI is the nation’s highest rated sports radio station, a three time Marconi Award Winner, and home to Dennis and Callahan, Dale and Holley, The Big Show with Glenn Ordway and Planet Mikey with Mike Adams. The WEEI sports radio network includes the following stations:

WEEI-850 AM      Boston, MA
WEII-96.3 FM      Cape Cod, MA
WEEI-103.7 FM   Providence, RI
WVEI-105.5 FM   Springfield, MA
WVEI-1440 AM    Worcester, MA
WPEI 95.9 FM     Portland, ME
WEEY-93.5 FM    Keene, NH
WAEI-AM-910 AM / WAEI 97.1 FM    Bangor, ME

The Boston Globe-WEEI feud finally ends
posted on August 7, 2009

Boston Globe sportswriters have been barred from appearing on WEEI since 1999.  This week they have announced that Globe writers will be back on the sports station.  Was this new move prompted by a new all sports FM station starting up next week?

WEEI, Sports Hub expand their rosters

By Chad Finn, Globe Staff | August 7, 2009

And in this week’s dramatic episode of Boston Radio Wars . . .

Actually, this is still the prologue, since WBZ-FM’s “98.5 The Sports Hub’’ doesn’t launch until Thursday. Nonetheless, there were two significant plot twists in the past few days leading up to the impending showdown for local sports radio supremacy with WEEI, the longtime and lone behemoth in the genre:

WEEI and the Globe have come to a truce, allowing the newspaper’s sports reporters and columnists to return to the station’s airwaves after an often-contentious 10-year absence.

The Sports Hub, trudging toward its launch, has yet to formally announce any personnel moves, but sources with direct knowledge of the talks confirm that the Globe’s Tony Massarotti will become Michael Felger’s permanent cohost on the station’s weekday show from 2-6 p.m. Massarotti will continue to write for the Globe and Boston.com multiple times per week.

Let’s look a little deeper at this week’s developments and the implications:

“The border war is over.’’ Those are the words WEEI’s Glenn Ordway, host of the drive-time program “The Big Show,’’ used Tuesday afternoon while informing his audience of the reconciliation while announcing that Globe columnist Bob Ryan was asked to call in later in the show. Ordway, who was parroting a phrase made famous by Bill Parcells to declare the end of the Patriots-Jets feud in the ’90s, essentially was correct in his assessment, though there are more guidelines this time around, at least for the time being.

The disagreement between WEEI and the Globe began in 1999, when Don Skwar, then the newspaper’s sports editor, banned writers from appearing on “The Big Show’’ because of what he considered offensive content. Shortly thereafter, the ban was applied to the ribald “Dennis and Callahan Show’’ in the mornings. WEEI responded by barring Globe writers from all programming.

Under the new agreement, the Globe permits its writers to be call-in guests on “The Big Show’’ and “Dennis and Callahan,’’ but only if the topic relates to sports. They are allowed as in-studio cohosts on the midday “Dale and Holley Show’’ – coincidentally, Michael Holley was a Globe sportswriter when the ban was first instituted – though WEEI program director Jason Wolfe said, “Right now, it’s all about being on the phone.’’

The primary impact of that decision could be on the contributors’ wallets: Globe reporters have not been paid for call-in spots thus far, while a source said certain cohosts receive upward of several hundred dollars for a four-hour show.

The timing of the renewed relationship is both curious and fascinating. After a decade of veiled and not-so-veiled shots over the airwaves, Globe writers were, without a hint of irony, greeted as long-lost friends during their appearances this week, and that includes columnist Dan Shaughnessy on “Dennis and Callahan’’ yesterday morning, which was hosted by fill-ins Steve DeOssie and Jon Meterparel. Later in the day, WEEI.com touted the audio of Shaughnessy’s appearance with the headline, “Guess Who’s Back.’’

Wolfe denied that The Sports Hub – which because of its strong FM signal and affiliations with the Patriots and Bruins (including game broadcast rights) figures to be the strongest challenger WEEI has faced – prompted him to extend an olive branch to the Globe.

“That didn’t have anything to do with it,’’ said Wolfe, adding that he has spoken to Globe editor Marty Baron and sports editor Joe Sullivan many times over the years about having Globe writers return to WEEI’s airwaves. “We’ve been successful, everyone has been successful, but the timing just felt right, it felt like the right time to make it work.’’

While offering similar sentiments, Baron said the policy with WEEI is essentially the same one the Globe has with other stations.

“It’s an arrangement that works for both sides,’’ said Baron. “It’s a normalization of the relationship. Our writers and columnists have the freedom to go on the air on a voluntary basis if they desire.’’

Wolfe said WEEI isn’t seeking exclusive deals with Globe reporters, while Mark Hannon, the senior vice president and market manager for CBS Radio Boston, said The Sports Hub is considering every possible contributor on a case-by-case basis.

Thus far, The Sports Hub has taken a below-the-radar approach as its launch date nears.

According to an industry source, former Patriots backup quarterback Scott Zolak will fill the permanent cohost role alongside host Gary Tanguay during the midday program, similar to the Felger-Massarotti pairing in the afternoon.

Hannon said an announcement about on-air staff could happen today. He also noted the station has had “informal’’ contact with a few Globe writers, and it intends to air local evening programing.

“We expect to feature a full slate of local shows,’’ Hannon said.

While The Sports Hub assembles its roster, WEEI goes about preparing for its challenge. While he won’t confirm it, Wolfe’s recent actions to maintain or deepen WEEI’s roster of contributors, such as retaining former Sox utilityman Lou Merloni after he was vigorously pursued by The Sports Hub, strongly suggest he is taking the competition seriously.

The mutual conclusion of the WEEI/Globe ban stands as another indication.

“Ten years is a long time,’’ Wolfe said.“We’re just focused on what we have to do. The Globe has great writers and excellent reporters, and we’ve proven very good at we do, and we can benefit from each other. That’s what we all want.’’

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.