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Sports Radio Boston News – WEEI Game Day Line-Up – Jason Wolfe

sportsradioboston — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:17:20 +0000

WEEI/Boston Announces Game Day Football Line-Up

The WEEI Sports Radio Network, based at WEEI-AM/Boston, revealed Wednesday that its game day football programming line-up will kick off September 13 with the initial edition of “NFL Sunday.”

The “NFL Sunday” football pre-game show airs from 9am-12noon with Dale Arnold, Michael Holley, former Patriots tight end Christian Fauria and WEEI.com’s Chris Price.

“The Real Post Game Show” with Pete Sheppard, Fred Smerlas and Steve DeOssie will begin immediately following Patriots games, giving listeners their first opportunity to react and discuss how the team performed. Listeners will also hear the press conferences of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, as well as highlights from the game and from games around the league.

“WEEI has always provided the most complete and comprehensive coverage of the Patriots and this year will be no exception. I’m thrilled that we have been able to secure such a robust line-up featuring Dale, Holley, Christian and Chris before the game; and Pete, Fred and Steve after the game,” said VP/AM Programming Jason Wolfe. (09-09-09)

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 – Bad Karma at WEEI?

sportsradioboston — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:11:22 +0000

Sports talk radio-active

Posted by Chad Finn, Globe Staff February 26, 2009

"You Can't See the WIZARD... Now Go Away!"

We don’t change the station, and so the station sees no need to change. Ratings are huge, possibly even as huge as the station claims. Its primary demographic has tremendous appeal to advertisers. And New England’s fanatical dedication to the professional sports teams that the station’s hosts bloviate about in four-hour blocks is seemingly endless.

And so there you have it: WEEI. Your sports-radio leader. A perfect storm of arrogance.

What’s that adage about pompous silver-spooners? He was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple? That fits certain WEEI hosts as comfortably as a Bloomin’ Onion–stained Tommy Bahama shirt. They think the station’s success somehow reflects on them, that we tune in for their shrill banter, contrived characters, and prefabricated opinions. We don’t — never have, never will. We listen because we love sports, our beloved teams are enjoying a remarkable run of success, and WEEI happens to have both access and broadcast rights. Most of all, we listen because there is no other decent local alternative with a signal stronger than that of a ham radio.

Now, I’m not suggesting all WEEI programming beats your eardrums into submission. Dale and Holley are engaging in the midday, and Mut and Bradford make those weekend chores pass quicker. But it is telling that the two smartest sports radio shows in the city in recent years — Michael Felger’s drive-time program on ESPN 890 and the Ryen Russillo/Jon Anik/Anthony Pepe crew on WWZN 1510 — were broadcast elsewhere on the dial. If only either had owned a signal that didn’t turn into a French-language station a mile from the Zakim Bridge, they might have gained the appropriate audience.

So to feed our unquenchable sports jones, we have no choice but to suffer the WEEI banshees. But that doesn’t stop us from longing for something better, something not only entertaining but intelligent, passionate, and insightful.

We’re not here today for the purpose of holding a sports radio fantasy draft, but for a moment consider the station you could build — and the one ESPN Boston should have built — with roster depth that included the best of the Globe and ESPN, underrated talents such as Russillo and Mike Giardi, as well as the requisite WEEI refugees. (Remember Steve DeOssie after he skipped over to 1510? Thoughtful and articulate. On WEEI? An overgrown Scut Farkas.)

Maybe I’m naïve. Maybe the average Boston sports fan is less sophisticated than I want to believe. But I’m convinced that provided with an equal signal, some savvy program director could build what WEEI claims to be: the premier sports radio station in the country. And just in case such a benefactor happens to have read this far, at no charge we offer you a thinking fan’s guide to the real dos and don’ts of sports radio in Boston.

Have a well-considered opinion and the knowledge to defend it in an entertaining manner: No, passing yourself off as some sort of insider because of an association with the Celtics two decades ago does not count, particularly when there is mounting suspicion that you haven’t watched more than a handful of out-of-market NBA games since the days of short shorts and sky hooks. In a related note: Yelling the loudest doesn’t make you right. Didn’t your mom ever teach you that?

After you’ve beaten a story to death, please resist the temptation to beat on the corpse daily for another several weeks: Wait, wait, wait … you’re telling me Manny Ramirez quit on the Red Sox? And they traded him? When did this happen? How come you never mentioned this, Mikey? HOW COME YOU NEVER MENTIONED THIS??!!

No more celebrity callers …: Call it the Glenn Ordway Corollary: The more obnoxious the caller, the more airtime he gets. It’s a cornerstone of the lucrative business of pandering to the lowest common denominator. But I can’t be the only one who lunges for the scan button as soon as “Angry Bill” and his miserable brethren begin spewing their first word of venom.

… or sycophantic co-hosts: Ah, another Ordway self-preservation tactic. Surround yourself with a couple of knowledgeable co-hosts, then fill out the rest of the cast with talking-head lightweights and cronies who will argue with you only to the point where you say zip it, refuse to point out your factual missteps, and, for the sake of a paycheck, willingly play clichéd characters appropriate for a failed soap-opera actor. That way, you’re irreplaceable, since there’s no obvious successor to the throne. Brilliant! Also: Unlistenable!

In order to qualify for airtime, a co-host has to be able to put two consecutive syllables together without his tongue tripping over his mustache: Don’t worry, big guy. You’re halfway there.

Hosts are not permitted eight-part questions so long and windy that they require a syllabus and stretch from one commercial break to the next: That means you, Dennis … Denito … Dentillo …

Talk politics or the news story of the day when the moment calls for it: Credit where credit is due: WEEI was riveting radio in the days after September 11. The tone was sincere, heartfelt, and human. Since then, however, the tone regarding politics and world matters has become so extreme that certain hosts make Dick Cheney look like a beatnik. Worse is the increasingly snide disregard for those with different circumstances, views, and — the case certainly can be made — pigment. It’s one thing to be provocative, but too often that crosses the line to irresponsibility. Sure, a certain element is enthralled — hillbillies and cavemen, mostly. Others are simply waiting for the inevitable repulsive comment that leads to your downfall.

Enough with the drop-ins from comedians who’d bomb at the Ha-Ha House of Whiskey and Waffles: And if some clown named Shecky does find his way into the studio — either as a guest or as your nighttime host — have some dignity and refrain from hee-hawing and chortling and racing to laugh loudest as if he’s the reincarnation of George Carlin. He’s not. He’s a D-lister with a captive audience, and his best jokes wouldn’t make the cut for the Whiner Line. Which, by the way, is the best thing you have going. We might note the material comes not from you, but from the listeners. We’re going to assume you miss the irony of that.

“You Can’t See the Wizard… Now Go Away”

OT columnist Chad Finn is a sports reporter for Boston.com and can be reached at finn@globe.com