Boston Daily, the blog of Boston Magazine has an email interview with Michael Felger this afternoon discussing his recent changes in employment.
Felger discusses his departure from 890 ESPN and the Boston Herald, and sums up what his duties are going to be with WEEI.com.
I will be a fill-in host for primarily the morning and mid-day shows, when the regulars are on vacation or out. I start July 21 on Dale and Holley. I will also write for the web twice a week during the football season and every-other-week in the offseason. I will do my report card for one of the stories and an extended mailbag—responding to report card emails, looking ahead to the upcoming week, etc.—later in the week. That’s pretty much the extent of it. I’m a regular freelancer.
I guess I’m a little disappointed at the quantity of content he’s going to be creating for the website. I envisioned him sort of being the WEEI beat writer for the Patriots, filing articles each day from Patriots practice. I think if WEEI.com really wanted to be the online destination for Boston sports fans, that is the type of daily content they’re going to have to deliver if they want to compete with Boston.com.
In the rest of the interview Felger says that Comcast SportsNet is his full time employer, and that he had an arrangement with them that allowed him to serve out the remainder of his 890 ESPN contract. The idea all along was that he would be leaving the station at that point.
Popularity: 24% [?]
I’m not disappointed. The less of Felger the better.
Felger was never the brightest bulb on the radio, but he ran a very listenable show with excellent guests (Buster Olney, Gammons, John Clayton, Keith Law)from the mother ship. It was a breath of fresh air to get away from all the shouting, racism, homophobia and disrespect for callers further down the dial. I hope 890 continues to provide an alternative to all the noise on EEI.
…no way could Felger compete with Mike Reiss anyway…..and If Felger “filed articles each day from Patriots practice” he would always be trying to inject his “expert opinion” (in his mind) instead of giving you THE FACTS…..when training camp starts Mike Reiss will do just fine by me….Felger can crawl back in his hole for all I care
Boston Sports Radio was better when Felger had his own show.
Yup.
Arnold and Felger? Blech! The less-bad ‘EEI show just got worse. Wait ‘tll Felger starts taking a dump on Belichick’s kitchen table and see what they say at ‘EEI.
No Larry Johnson co-hosting during vacation weeks? “Approve!”
Why must people pick on Larry? He is a classy voice among the thorns in the weeds……..
Why must you keep singling out Larry? He is the classiest voice among all the thorns, especially big show types……
Titus 1:12
Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”
Very disapointed he is leaving ESPN. I cannot stand listening to those blowhards in the morning and evening and Felger always had a much more interesting and insightful sports show.
It was a funnier, more information driven program than anything at WEEI.
I’m actually pretty pissed at this…
Actually his funniest moments were when he was providing “original” insight and analysis. His shtick is to try to be a contrarian and he fails at that miserably because he’s just dumb. His act is as stale as a ten year old jock strap. And his callers (always the dregs of the gene pool) were amazing - “why don’t they try Cassel at WR?” “Why don’t they ever run a triple reverse?”
He pines for a national gig he’d give up his kid for it but there’s a reason he’s still local - talent scouts know he’s too vacuous for even the deep south.
Here’s a better question… why the subservient role for Dickerson? Can’t say that Felger is any sort of step up for CSN on Sports Tonight.
Dickerson = 100% vanilla
Felger = vanilla with some excrement swirled in
No contest for CSN as to who they want to pair with The Tanger.
Someone call the BPD CrimeStoppers line — there’s been a theft at the New Balance Building!
Pretty smart on Felgie’s part, getting big money to do very little work. Really, it’s quite brilliant. Why row against the rapids at the Herald — where all your best efforts probably can’t save a dying tabloid or a dying industry — when you can coast along at WEEI.com by filing twice a week? And those “stories” are strictly formula features — the now-ubiquitous “report card” and a mailbag. You know, filler.
See, isn’t the Internet great? It used to be that if you were a frustrated ink-stained wretch looking for a way out of the newsroom, all you had to do was convince a chummy elected official to give you a no-show job faxing out three-sentence press releases and not returning reporters’ phone calls. Now all you have to do is write two stories a week — and they don’t even have to be stories! Where do I sign up?
That said, I still fondly recall the time Sean McAdam called Felger “Mister Baseball” during a Big Show. Radio magic …
Absolutely right. Felger won’t be writing much at all. He has put in 20 years of service in the media and deserves a cushy gig. He should be given credit for surviving this long in that crazy industry.
I know Mannix used to watch the tapes of the games on Monday, which was why the report card came out on Tuesday. The idea was that the additional viewing, gave a different critical perspective.
The question is: Does anyone think Felger has or will continue to “break down tape” the same way in the role? Honestly, I have no reason to believe Jason Wolfe will be over his shoulder making sure he does.
…And I am done with “mailbags” as a regular column. It really is only filler.
…And can anyone say Felger does so much work on the Comcast show. None of these guys spend more than a half hour doing “show prep.” Watching games doesn’t count, because most of them don’t even do that.
I also must ask……we haven’t read anywhere why Dickerson was demoted? Is there an inside story there? How does he feel about it? Plus he is non-existent now on EEI….what happened??
Guys,
Regarding Dickerson, do you really think it’s a “demotion” to be the full-time sideline reporter for the celtics? He used to do the show when he only did home games. He actually got promoted to a higher profile gig and yes, the perk is he gets to work less. Dickerson didn’t get demoted. He in a sense got promoted.
When is more…….actually less? Sorry that was the spin put on it but I’m not buying it! I want to read or see a piece of him actually saying that. he went from a nightly high profile job to a low tina cervaiso type of role!
You can’t be serious - since when is a sideline reporter job a step up from studio host??
Read somewhere one time that Dickerson wanted to work fewer hours because it was taking a toll on his marriage and having a life, so I would think he’s pretty content with the move to the sidelines.
Dickerson got kicked in the teeth. He got demoted, plain and simple. He wanted to work less? Meaning hit the road for 40 games a year to be closer with his wife, and fill in for Tanger or Felger in the off-months? That isn’t the best formula for “spending more time with his family.”
I’m surprised he won’t be doing a Patriots blog.
I’m GLAD he won’t be doing a Patriots blog.
Felger has is it all figured out. Instead of working one job, which would raise expectations for the quality and depth of your work, take a few jobs that require only that you spout off ill-informed opinions.
The guy’s jobs are as a nightly talking head and as a sports talk radio fill-in who writes two columns a week during the football season.
I was never a big Felger fan. He was a C quality host. But I enjoy 890 a lot. They are a nice balance to the blowhards across the dial. I’m not sure if the people they are plugging in can draw an audience. They need a strong local personality for the drive time.