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Sports Radio Boston News – ESPN Boston Sports Media Scrimmage is Only the Beginning Folks

sportsradioboston — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:17:03 +0000

In ESPNBoston.com, The Leader Continues Localization

by T.J. Donegan – Sports Media Journal

For those paying attention, you may have noticed the Boston sports media landscape has changed by leaps and bounds in the past 18 months.

While local sports radio giant WEEI finds itself in a fight for ratings with the newly launched 98.5 The Sports Hub, it seems those on the print side of things will also have some company this Fall.

As I wrote about back in April when they launched their local Chicago site, it was only a matter of time before ESPN began moving in on other major cities.

As one commenter astutely pointed out, the main draw that ESPN’s local affiliate model lacked was a known, local talent that could produce original content.

Enter, The Boston Globe’s Mike Reiss.

As Ken Fang over at Fang’s Bites wrote about, the ESPN Boston site will launch on September 14th, the same day as the Patriots’ season opener against Buffalo on Monday Night Football.

Anybody else want to bet they promote ESPN Boston’s launch more than once during Monday Night Football?

In Reiss, one of the most-respected football writers in Boston, ESPN has already secured a font of local coverage—and taken away one of the Globe’s top talents.

It’s a savvy move by the media giant and it clearly shows where they’re heading on this front.

Contrasting the situations at ESPN and The Globe brings into sharp focus the way the sports media landscape is shifting.

While traditional outlets like The Globe are struggling to maintain circulations and cutting benefits and pay, national outlets like ESPN are expanding into new coverage areas.

The obvious question is, of course, what next?

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 – WEEI & Sport Hub Drama Continues…

sportsradioboston — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:17:32 +0000

Courtesy of: The Boston Globe.com

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.’’

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.

Sports Radio Boston – FM vs. AM

sportsradioboston — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 19:42:15 +0000

FM start-up muscling into sports talk

A CBS-launched rival to WEEI emerges in post-WBCN shakeup

By Don Aucoin, Globe Staff | July 15, 2009

Boston Sports Radio

Longtime sports-radio powerhouse WEEI-AM (850) may finally have a real fight on its hands – and this time its opponent will come from the FM side of the dial.

CBS Radio revealed yesterday that it will launch a new sports-talk station, named 98.5 The Sports Hub, on Aug. 13 in Boston. The station, which will be heard at 98.5 FM and have the call letters WBZ-FM pending FCC approval, will try to lure listeners with call-in shows and broadcasts of New England Patriots and Boston Bruins games.

Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers magazine, a leading trade publication, said that while WEEI is a well-programmed station with loyal listeners, the new station will present it with “very strong competition, because the FM dial is a better piece of real estate.’’

Earlier rivals, such as WWZN-AM (1510), known as “The Zone,’’ have tried and failed to dislodge WEEI from its perch as the top-rated sports station in Boston. But the play-by-play broadcasts of Patriots and Bruins games, along with a powerful FM signal and the corporate muscle of CBS, could bolster the fledgling station’s identity as a destination for sports fans.

Mark Hannon, senior vice president and market manager of CBS Radio Boston, had words of praise for both WEEI and ESPN Radio (890), another sports-talk radio station in Boston, but made clear he believes the newcomer will be able to more than hold its own. “We don’t intend to replicate WEEI,’’ Hannon said in an interview. “We intend to build our own unique audience on the FM dial. We feel that in this town, where fans are so obsessed with sports, that there is room for an FM sports approach.’’

To be sure, WEEI itself has an FM presence outside the Boston area, airing on FM stations in Cape Cod, Providence, Springfield, and northern New England.

Jason Wolfe, vice president of AM programming for Entercom New England, which owns WEEI, voiced confidence the station would withstand the challenge. “It doesn’t change what we’re going to do,’’ Wolfe said. “We’ve dealt with competitive situations before, and we’re fully prepared to deal with it again. . . . We have the largest audience, and we know what it takes to maintain that audience.’’

At ESPN Radio (WAMG-AM), station manager Al Turner said he welcomes another combatant in the sports-radio wars.

However, since ESPN Radio focuses primarily on national sports, it will be WEEI and 98.5 The Sports Hub that square off most directly in the competition for local sports fans. Two well-known sportscasters, Michael Felger and Gary Tanguay, are expected to join the afternoon lineup on 98.5 while retaining their roles on Comcast SportsNet, where they cohost a show. (Felger also writes for the WEEI website and fills in occasionally as a host.) WBCN morning personalities Toucher and Rich will handle the morning drive on 98.5.

More broadly, yesterday’s announcement underscores the continuing extension of the talk radio format, long a mainstay of AM radio, into FM territory. Sports radio has proven to be a lucrative format because of its appeal to a demographic that can be hard to reach: young and middle-aged male listeners. FM stations are increasingly trying to grab a piece of that audience, with sports-talk shows on FM in Detroit, Dallas, Washington, and, soon, Boston.

“As we see the twilight of the music-radio era, talk radio is migrating to FM, and a lot of that is going to be sports,’’ Harrison said.

The switch will result from the movement of several radio properties, all owned by CBS. Mix 98.5, which broadcasts adult-contemporary music under the call letters WBMX, will move up the dial to 104.1 FM, where it will replace WBCN-FM, the legendary rock station.

The Bruins games that currently air on WBZ-AM (1030) will move to 98.5, as will the Patriots games that currently air on WBCN. No change is envisioned in the Patriots or Bruins broadcast teams, Hannon said.

It remains to be seen whether there will be a change in the competitive balance in the sports-radio landscape. “This is the third effort to come after us at ’EEI,’’ said Julie Kahn, vice president and market manager of Entercom New England. “The best content will win.’’

Don Aucoin can be reached at aucoin@globe.com.

Sports Radio Boston – The Chad Finn Report – Boston Globe

sportsradioboston — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:51:42 +0000

‘Sports Hub’ dialing up a challenge for WEEI

GLENN ORDWAY is Ready to RUMBLE

By Chad Finn – Article Courtesy of the Boston Globe

Well, now we’ll find out.

With Tuesday’s revelation that a game of radio musical chairs will result in a new all-sports station, WBZ-FM “98.5 The Sports Hub,’’ debuting Aug. 13, we will finally begin to get an answer to one of the lingering questions in Boston sports media: Is sports radio behemoth WEEI 850’s dominance and popularity based on some common appeal of its bottom-scraping, self-proclaimed “guy radio’’ formula? Or has the station succeeded because of its wide-ranging AM signal (not to mention its nine regional stations throughout New England) and lack of a powerful competitor?

While the belief here is that WEEI has long been an unworthy and often ungrateful beneficiary of the region’s unquenchable thirst for its uncommonly successful professional sports teams, it’s repeatedly been made clear that WEEI views its success as an irrefutable confirmation of its own collective brilliance.

“The Sports Hub’’ has a reasonable chance to prove otherwise. While WEEI has essentially vanquished all supposed challengers, notably the still-airing-but-rarely-considered WAMG 890 and WWZN 1510, in recent years, the longtime heavyweight champ has never faced a challenger as capable as “The Sports Hub.’’ WAMG has limited local programming, a signal that fades to static within city limits after dusk, and has never fully utilized its affiliation with ESPN.

WWZN debuted its sports format in October 2001 with promise, hiring former Red Sox television voice Sean McDonough as its drive-time host and vowing “to raise the bar,’’ a direct shot at WEEI’s sophomoric approach. But WWZN, which owned Celtics broadcast rights until the end of the 2004-05, quickly proved no match for WEEI; the station continues to be plagued by poor reception in the evening.

“The Sports Hub’’ has crucial advantages previous would-be WEEI competitors lacked. The station already has a degree of established and respected brand recognition with the iconic WBZ call letters. It owns the broadcasting rights to the Patriots and Bruins, which is pretty close to a wash with WEEI’s deals with the Red Sox and Celtics. It has the backing of powerful ownership in CBS Radio, which also owns such prominent stations as WFAN in New York. There is synergy with the Patriots, who have significant ties with CBS as well as WBZ Channel 4. And, of course, there’s the potent FM signal.

While there has been no formal announcement, “The Sports Hub’’ lineup is beginning to take shape. There are encouraging signs the station intends to position itself as a compelling alternative to WEEI rather than as an imitation, even as it makes former WEEI staffer and jack-of-all-media Michael Felger its franchise player.

Felger – who according to a source close to the situation will go head to head from 2-6 p.m. daily with a show on which he used to appear, WEEI’s powerful “The Big Show’’ hosted by Glenn Ordway – is a savvy choice by “The Sports Hub,’’ even considering his WEEI roots. The former Boston Herald sportswriter already has a strong local profile, hosting “Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight’’ and “Sports Sunday’’ on Comcast SportsNet, though he will not continue to host CSN’s “The Baseball Show,’’ which is simulcast on WEEI.

(One source with knowledge of the situation indicated Comcast SportsNet is “likely’’ to eventually simulcast “The Sports Hub,’’ programming, though it was also noted that the network is always open to considering such partnerships elsewhere, including with WEEI.)

Felger, who hosted an afternoon show on 890 until returning to WEEI last July, typically plays the role of a contrarian, and he’s best balanced by a co-host who will challenge him – his recent pairing with Michael Holley on WEEI’s midday show was particularly enjoyable. But Felger’s self-effacing sense of humor serves to temper his brash opinions enough to make him a genial host.

What will be telling is how “The Sports Hub’’ stocks the rest of its roster. Both Felger and Gary Tanguay, his “Sports Tonight’’ counterpart who will host “The Sports Hub’’ midday show, most likely from 10-2, will have a regular co-host. The “Toucher and Rich’’ morning show will slide over from the departed WBCN 104.1, filling the 6-10 slot. While the depth of hosts Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb’s sports knowledge is yet to be determined, they did feature an entertaining weekly segment with the Bruins’ Aaron Ward this past hockey season, and they already are proving to be much more adept at conversing entertainingly about “water-cooler topics’’ than their WEEI counterparts, John Dennis and Gerry Callahan.

The temptation is to suggest the new station should resist any notion of plundering WEEI beyond Felger, who filled in on various WEEI programs while serving as a signature writer on the station’s website. (All evidence of Felger’s existence was wiped off WEEI.com by Wednesday afternoon.) But WEEI does have some appealing co-hosts, among them baseball writers Sean McAdam and Steve Buckley, and former Red Sox utilityman Lou Merloni, as well as unsung “The Big Show’’ producer Andy Massaua.

What the fledgling station should not take from WEEI is the reliance of “celebrity’’ callers or the dependence on sycophantic sidekicks who don’t dare to call the host on mistakes. Rather than stealing any ingredients in the WEEI formula, “The Sports Hub’’ should aim to find co-hosts and contributors capable of providing insight and humor, as well as at least a cursory knowledge of the sports world outside of Boston. In a sense, it’s too bad ESPN finally recognized it had a rising star in Ryen Russillo, recently pairing him with “SportsCenter’’ anchor Scott Van Pelt on its syndicated midday radio show. The former 1510 host and frequent Comcast SportsNet contributor has long deserved a more prominent role in the Boston market.

It should also be noted that there is mutual interest in having the Boston Globe’s sportswriters appear on the station. While Globe writers remain banned from WEEI programming – editors stopped permitting staffers to appear on “The Big Show’’ or “Dennis and Callahan’’ in 1999, and WEEI responded by not allowing them on any other programs – sports editor Joe Sullivan said staffers would be allowed on “The Sports Hub,’’ provided that the topics were related to sports.

No matter how “The Sports Hub’’ completes its staff, this much is certain: It is in for a fierce competition, and WEEI already has begun a predictable campaign of patronizing rhetoric. On Wednesday’s program, Ordway said he “welcomes the war,’’ while noting “they all start on my show.’’ It’s difficult to comprehend how insufferable WEEI will be if “The Sports Hub’’ fails, though Ordway’s words suggest that even WEEI knows it’s different this time.

On Tuesday, Julie Kahn, vice president and market manager of Entercom New England, told the Globe, “This is the third effort to come after us at ’EEI. The best content will win.’’

We can only hope she’s right, even if she misses the irony.

When content is the main factor in determining the winner of a battle for Boston sports radio supremacy, it will be the first time.

Chad Finn can be reached at finn@globe.com.