Entercom announced today that they have come to an agreement with the New England Patriots to make Fridays on WEEI during the football season “Patriots Friday” to pair with “Patriots Monday.”
Patriots Friday had aired on 890 ESPN Boston last season, but now is switching over to WEEI. The first day of programming will be on August 22nd.
The lineup of guests scheduled for Patriots Friday is as follows.
- Vince Wilfork will be a regular guest of the Dennis and Callahan program.
- One or more of the trio of Wes Welker, Ben Watson, and Logan Mankins will be on the Dale and Holley program.
- Mike Vrabel and Matt Light will join the Big Show in the afternoons.
Patriots Monday will be relatively unchanged from past seasons, and will begin on August 18th.
The move is yet another blow for 890 ESPN Boston, which continues to struggle to attract listeners and ratings.
Popularity: 17% [?]
My reaction to ‘EEI’s press release
(yawn)
Yet another sign that the SS Jessamy is taking on water and the hole is too big to fix. Someone get Messrs. Winter, Salk and Carey a lifejacket stat! Felger’s got his CSN dinghy and is already beginning to row to shore.
The entire “Patriots” Day X programming sphere doesn’t really do much for me.
So I guess this means that D&C have to kiss Wilfork’s butt along with Brady’s, but they still have free reign to relentlessly bash Belichick and the rest of the Patriots’ “homers” whenever they want?
Say goodbye, ESPN890
Damn, I was hoping this was the season Matt Light would haul off and punch Felger.
890 didn’t do much with “Patriots Friday”, but I am sad for the loss because it means that WEEI is just becoming more monolithic.
So they’ve gone from a signal that reaches Belmont to one that reaches Weston. APPROVE!
No wonder they switched…All Felger did was bash the Pats, Belichick, talk Spygate, laud Tomase, etc…
This stinks. I can’t believe ESPN is permitting their Boston outlet to go to hell and a handbasket. The content on ESPN Radio is far superior to anything on WEEI. D & C have become virtually impossible to listen to, D & H are okay, the Big show passable and Adams has too much ego, not enought sports. Even the best of EEI is surpassed by the worst of ESPN. What am I missing?
your not missin anything brutha. espn is a welcome change from the crap on eei.
Maybe, but they don’t talk enough about Boston sports and that’s what New Englanders want to hear.
This is a toughie. WEEI sucks, of course, and having them monopolize more things is bad.
On the other hand, anything that screws over Felger is a huge, gigantic win.
So I’m really torn.
…I have to give it an APPROVE, just for the fact that down here in Rhode Island I couldn’t even get “890 ESPN”…and since I’m a football guy, I always approve of MORE football talk…..face it men,love em’ or hate em’ (and I do both) WEEI is the 800 pound Gorilla and they ain’t goin’ anywhere soon
You know, they could have G. Gordon Liddy and his team of ‘activists’ handling all the advance scouting, in full view, and be beating everybody by sixty-five points every week while Matt Cassel throws for three touchdowns in the last three minutes, and Belichick could go out of his way to knock over an elderly cameramen on his way to Inside Track-ing everything that moves, and I wouldn’t even blink when confronted by the Classiness Warriors.
But there’s something about them being in bed with WEEI that has me pulling the shades in shame.
You’re quite dramatic.
……jeeze…what do yo think about the Red Sox and Celtics then?….they are really “in bed” with WEEI, because WEEI like, ya know, BROADCAST THEIR GAMES….
I am very concerned because we need this town to be at least a 2 sportsradio city just like we need the herald to compete with the Globe. Competition is of course always good & this is no different!
…I agree, but some day one of these “competitors” has got to find a way to get a signal THAT CAN BE HEARD….I’m no radio expert, but I believe this has been the downfall of these other stations…not so much the on-air talent. EEI just blows everybody out of the water with their signal….hell, they KILLED the sports radio station we had here in Rhode Island…..R.I.P “790 THE SCORE”
EEI comes in pretty well up here in Concord/Manchester NH, and they’re the only sports station we’ve got. I’m just disappointed that I’ll actually have to listen to D&C to hear Wilfork. The big guy got screwed on this one.
Dan,
I would think that you should be able to get ESPN’s signal from their tower in the Lowell/Lawrence area, 1400 or something.
Sadly Duke, it wouldn’t surprise me if Boston becomes a one-newspaper town within the next few years. Hard to believe, but ESPN Radio might actually survive longer than the Herald with all the layoffs and relocating of their printers that the paper has had to make in recent months.
Well said, Marc…couldn’t agree with you more. It’s a sad day indeed, I enjoyed Pats Friday w/Hans & Franz, although at least one of them has moved on as well.
Too bad for espn, I am sad they let that happen.D and C
are impossible to listen to. I stopped being a regular fan a long time ago and only pop in for a few minutes a day before I get disgusted (and gerry if you are reading this I am a republican, I dont live in cambridge, and I still cant stand you), I dont know how they get the ratings they do.
D and H are pretty good, I find the big show enjoyable only when “O” is out. The weekends is when I listen the most since the weekday stuff has gone
downhill will the on-air talent becoming egomaniacs as the station has gotten locked in with the local sports teams. (d and h excluded)
I was hoping ESPN would grow the station as a solid local alternative.
Biggest obstacle that has kept ESPN Radio Boston minor league in terms of ratings and building a fan base has been their weak signal. That should’ve been looked into the moment that station went to a sportsradio format, now sadly it’s too late.
In hindsight it’s easy to say this but perhaps the management folks behind ERB should have looked into acquiring an FM frequency. AM will reach further but only if it’s not a lousy signal like 890 or 1400.
APPROVE. Although a different outlet for sports would help.
Unfortunately this will kill Felger’s show. I like Felger’s take and looked forward to Patriot’s Friday on 890 but its tough to compete with WEEI.
I don’t like this news…I like Felger (I know most of you don’t) and I agree with Christian…this is going to kill his show. All of the ego maniac hosts on WEEI have killed that station and have made it unlistenable…and I think Felger is the most knowledgeable football writer/radio host in the area. I don’t mind him being contrarian sometimes…it’s better than listening to the WEEI hosts kissing ass to the players they interview all the time. I hope 890 ESPN radio survives…the competition is good. It’s annoying seeing WEEI establishig the monopoly over sports radio in this town when a lot of the content over on ESPN radio is better…
As if Felger ever said anything about the Pats that was relevant. He’s contrarian just to be different, not because he possesses any insight. ESPN made their bed betting on the validity of spygate and now they’re sleeping in it.
I would be angry with EEI’s monopoly if ESPN wouldn’t have covered the Pats via sheer laziness. Felger makes a poor contrarian – and it’s because he’s just smart enough.
As much as I dislike much of WEEI’s programming, I can’t take Felger any more. His idea of being “controversial is to take a steaming dump on the dinner table of his audience. Good luck paying for that townhouse in the Back Bay when both Sarah and you are unemployed, Felger.
Deep down all you people know Feger is cant miss radio & you cant turn him off, much like Tony Maz. I will die a happy man if we can pair my two favorites, Felger & Mustard, onto one great radio show!
Has anyone told Vince Wilfork he will be talking to two of the biggest racists on Boston radio.
Do you think Callahan will let him know his views on civil rights – that “blacks are just upset because a few of them got lynched a long time ago and they have not gotten over it.