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Guest Column: The Big Drop, Part II

July 28, 2011 By

Today’s guest column is from George Cain, with a follow-up look at the sports radio wars, and a number of thoughts on sports media personalities. 

The BIG DROP: PART II

By George Cain

Last November when I first wrote about the local Sports Radio competition between 98.5 (The Sports Hub) and WEEI, the two stations were in a close battle for the #1 spot in the local ratings.  Seven months later, the battle is over.  The Sports Hub destroyed WEEI in the May Arbitron ratings book and did it again in June.   There is no doubt 98.5 got a bump from the Bruins Stanley Cup run, but expect this trend to continue.  In November, it was just Felger and Massarotti knocking off the Big Show from 2-6 PM.   Today it is the Sports Hub winning in every time slot and every demographic that counts.     WEEI did not take 98.5 seriously when they debuted after several failures by other competing stations.  They are trying to counterpunch in recent months, but are having little success.   So here is my evaluation of the current matchups and what I see going forward.

Morning Shows – 6AM to 10AM – D&C vs. Toucher and Rich

In a desperate act, D&C has tried to become more hip in order to appeal to the under 35 audience.  They have brought in David Portnoy, aka “El Prez” and founder of the very popular Barstoolsports.com to serve as a guest on Fridays.   But 1st place is a thing of the past for this show.  They have cut out the political talk, golf talk and readings of Larry King’s columns.  But while D&C seems old and tired, Toucher and Rich have a fresh new feel.   They are funnier, wittier, and can talk sports and pop culture.  Face it, John Dennis comes off as an arrogant, country club snob a lot of the time.  And that was made clear years ago when he foolishly left that message on Ryan Russillo’s answering machine.  Hey John, that “Rotillo guy”, well he’s got a national show now on ESPN radio.

Prognosis – D&C will hang around for a bit.  They will never be number one again.  And they will not recruit new audience without major shakeups.  It might be time for two new consonants.

Mid-morning to mid-afternoon (10AM to 2PM) – Mut & Merloni vs Gresh and Zo.

Despite the ratings win for Gresh and Zo, we all lose here.  WEEI tried to go young but they went unknown.  Replacing the tandem of Dale Arnold and Michael Holley has exploded in their face.  The new duo of Lou Merloni and Mike Mutnansky are putting up pathetic rating numbers.  This “younger” pairing is 17thin the 18-34 demo.  I love hearing Lou Merloni talk baseball.  I could see him someday replacing Jerry Remy on Red Sox telecasts.  But, as a day to day co-host he just doesn’t have the gravitas that makes you want to tune in and listen.  Mut could be replaced by any of a 100 guys and you wouldn’t know the difference.  As for Gresh and Zo, well, they were failures in Providence and here they have been fortunate.  Yes, they are first in their timeslot. But, it’s like being the show following American Idol, its going to get ratings.  Zo, is similar to Merloni in that he knows one sport well and the rest not very well.   Andy Gresh is an absolute enigma to me.  If you look at polls he’s widely disliked, he arrogant, he’s unrefined, he’s obnoxious (by the way I must credit the movie Bachelor Party for those perfect adjectives) and he’s ignorant.  Just hearing him rail on women’s soccer makes me shake my head.   Gresh and Zo are riding the 98.5 wave.   You could trade the hosts on both shows and I guarantee the numbers on each network would pretty much stay the same.  The good news is most of us are working when these shows are on the radio.

Prognosis – An eventual shakeup at WEEI and more blather from Gresh.

Afternoon Drive – Felger and Mazz vs the Big Show (Ordway and Holley) & the Straw Man

Ordway was once the star of the market.  He was the Mike Francesa (WFAN) of Boston talk radio.  But, like Francesa he fell in love with his voice and his opinions and no other opinion really mattered.  When he had Smerlas, DeOssie and Shepard on with him to talk football, it was one of the absolute low points in Boston Sports radio.  The show became the Patriot Propaganda Network .  Any caller that had the temerity to levy a criticism at the Patriots were talked over, shouted down or hung up on.   Ordway, never a hockey fan, failed to see the Bruin Tidal Wave coming before it was too late.   Pairing him with Michael Holley, whom I consider the second best personality in Boston, was a great move.  But adding Mikey Adams  to the show is a real head scratcher.  His show is meant for a night time audience. It’s meant for a time when I am watching TV.  Holley and Felger would be the dream team but we won’t see that anytime soon.  Felger’s head is big enough so I won’t pat him on the back too much more.  He’s become the dominant sports commentator in Boston.  People love him or hate him and sometimes that’s in the same day; but that’s his appeal.  He’s light years better than when he first started hosting at 890 AM.  Felger has also re-formed himself as the new contrarian.  He is a card-carrying member of the anti-Patriot cartel dubbed by me.  This is a reference Felger seems to wear with a badge of honor.  As an audience I think we just want honesty.   Just because WEEI were propagandists 98.5 doesn’t have to be contrarian to balance it off.  Felger LOVES the Straw Man argument.  He much prefers arguing a point against the Straw Man over callers, who can be annoying.  Regardless, WEEI will always regret letting him get away.  As for Tony Mazz, well, Tony like Mike is the king of the Straw Man argument.  He creates a Straw Man, Pats fans or people that want Jon Papelbon out of town, or Pink hats and argues a whole show or Baseball Reporters segment against it.  His sports knowledge is strong but he’s agrees too much with Felger. “You’re absolutely right Mike!” (YARM) I would like a little more back and forth with these two, it makes for much better radio.  By the way, the segment “Naughty Mazzarotti” is hilarious.  Thank you Toucher and Rich for that gem.

Prognosis – Well Ordway might have a much tougher time in his next negotiation.  The question for WEEI is if he can’t bring home #1 how does he justify his contract?

7PM to whenever – Damon Amendolara vs Mike Adams

The mother ship vs the planet.  It sounds like a plot for a science fiction movie.  Who will win and do we care?  I myself prefer Amendolara.  He has a more well-rounded show and is more listenable if you happen to be driving around or working the late shift.  Nightime is tough; most people are watching TV, so good luck to whoever can make the most out of this timeslot.

Prognosis – Who cares.

The Near Future

I don’t see WEEI making a big comeback in any of these markets.  They need an FM signal in Boston and more tinkering of their lineup.  They should look heavily at Ryen Russillo and Chris Gasper, two budding stars in the radio and print media respectively.   I don’t know what Russillo is pulling down at ESPN but he might be tempted to come back home in a starring role.

The interesting thing to me is that all these media members go head to head during the day and then co-host CSNNE at night.  It shows you the dollar trumps all rivalries.  It also illustrates how bad the programming is on NESN.  Yikes.  But, that’s for another time.

Finally, I wanted to end with a little section I call the Head Scratcher.

Head Scratcher #1 – Gary Tanguay.  Tanguay is a co-host on Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight and does Patriot pre and post game on Patriot radio telecasts and Celtics TV telecasts.  I am sure he is a nice guy.  But I just don’t get him. He reminds me of that guy who is always talking sports but then if your really listen to him for 5 minutes you realize…he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.  I mean his sports knowledge is so, so limited.  His opinions are not well thought out.  He doesn’t know anything beyond local sports; he’s has no charisma, I find him often embarrassing to watch.  Recently, when talking Red Sox trade scenarios he did such poor homework all he could do was pull up a list of players from a March 2011 Baseball America list.  Hey Gary, do some research sometime!  The Red Sox have 5 or 6 blue-chip prospects at Double and Triple A they could trade for a player rental tomorrow.   They just might not want to let them go.  Part of your job is to educate the audience, not the other way around.  Try soxprospects.com, you might learn something at that website.

Tanguay  is also the king of overstatement. “Vince Wilfolk is gone, he’s gone.”  “Logan Mankins is gone.” “The Red Sox are not going to pay Jon Papelbon.”  “The Miami Heat cannot beat the Celtics.”  He’s almost never right about anything he says.  Guests on the show sometimes look perplexed by his commentary.  I get he has the TV and radio voice but he reminds me of Sam Malone when he hosted the Sports on an episode of Cheers.

Head Scratcher #2 – Taylor Twellman.   Hey I get he’s a nice guy.  He’s a funny guy, he’s a good looking guy and he knows soccer.  After that, he really is just an ex-soccer player that isn’t qualified enough to be on the air discussing the four “primary” sports in Boston.  Sorry, I want someone on there that knows who the Patriots backup quarterback is, who the Red Sox 4th outfielder is and who backs up Tim Thomas.

Head Scratcher #3 – Greg Dickerson.   Did you see him fill in for Felger on Sports Sunday? Whoa!! It was brutal.   Start with his ridiculous monologue on Woman’s Soccer after they won a historic game that day.   I am NOT a huge soccer fan, but I am a sports fan, and a sports fan knows when a great moment occurs.  Dickerson clearly did not, and that’s why he was probably booted as the co-host of Sports tonight and onto the Celtics sideline as an analyst.  And even there he’s such a sycophant I can’t take any analysis he gives seriously.

Head Scratcher #4 – As I said before, its Andy Gresh.  I don’t get Andy Gresh.  Can someone explain him to me?  He’s like the Dane Cook of the Boston sports broadcasting world.  Does anyone rush to their radio to listen to Andy Gresh?

Thanks for reading my ramblings.  Love to hear yours.

Filed Under: Guest Column
About George Cain

From Woburn, MA, George has been an avid follower of the Boston sports scene (teams and media) for 30 years and has been a contributor to BSMW since 2009.

Feel free to send him your feedback in the comment section below, or ping him on Twitter at @GeorgeCain72

  • Nicky_B

    "Zo, is similar to Merloni in that he knows one sport well and the rest not very well."

    I don't think so, the only thing Zo can comment on about football well is how to correctly carry the clipboard and wear your hat.

  • Winning_

    I agree with most of what was said, except I disagree with the thought that pairing Michael Holley with Glen Ordway was an excellent move. I am a fan of Holley, and loved D&H. However when pairing Holley with the round mound of sound, it was inevitably going to fail. There is not enough air time to support two full time hosts. The rotating guests worked best, because glen took up 80% of air-time whil the other two would split the remaining 20%. When there are two hosts, listeners want something 50/50 and unfortunately we have Ordway rocking out at 90% with Michael simply asking "Please sir, I'd like some more." I honestly cant comment enough on the New big show, because I never listen. I usually catch it driving home between 5:30-6 when TSH is on commercial. And as most of you know, this is Whiner Line time, so we don't hear much from the hosts anyways, unless Mikey is telling a boob or pee pee joke.

  • Nicky_B

    I disagree with this line

    "Zo, is similar to Merloni in that he knows one sport well and the rest not very well. "

    The only thing Zo knows well about football is how to correctly carry the clipboard and wear your hat.

  • latetodinner

    George… thanks for the nice column. Well thought out, well organized, easy to follow, pretty informative…thanks. My observations that are slightly different than yours are:

    - The morning show at WEEI can easily be fixed. I used to think it was getting stale because Dennis and Callahan were getting old. That was not it. They are actually pretty good when they stick to sports. Take this morning for example. At 8:00 am T&R were doing some sop****ric skit on female anatomy while D&C were seriously discussing the Haynesworth trade…first with callers and then with Tom Curran. They did a good job of it. It kept my attention, informed me, was serious and the segment with Curran was good radio. At 8:20 T&R had Shalise Young on for the same conversation and it sounded like amateur hour, between their lack of sports knowledge and her giggling. The thing is D&C have alienated so many people with their non sports talk that no one is listening when they do a good segment. At the same time, T&R's FM morning man show schtick is pretty amusing so people suffer through their lack of sports acumen because the rest of their show is entertaining. The solution, if I were WEEI is to make D&C a serious sports show. Let them do actual sports talk. The problem is they can't, I don't know if it is D&C, the media consultants or management but for some reason WEEI does not want to program a straight sports talk show in the AM drive.

    - Regarding your argument that Ryan Russillo has a national show on ESPN so he must be good. They gave one to Amy Lawrence for a while…do you want her back in the market too? I am not arguing that Ordway should or should not be replaced. I think Holley is killing that show but I seem to be in the minority with that one. I am saying Russillo is not the solution.

    - What WEEI should do with Ordway short term and then with the spot long term. My understanding is that 98.5's increase in ratings is not coming at the expense of WEEI. WEEI's real numbers are pretty consistent. The Big Show's numbers are pretty consistent. So I think for the rest of Glen's contract they should go back to the 2 guest co host format. Let Ordway be the MC where he can fence sit…a role he is great at. Put Holley on either mid day with a new partner…Bob Ryan maybe…or at night…alone so I never have to hear him again. To fix that time period long term…they need an FM signal. After that when Ordway's contract is up I think they should try and get someone with a national reputation into that chair…or maybe a two sport team. There were rumors a few years ago that Rich Eisen was looking to do a local show somewhere. There are people let Entercom do a search and see who sends in a resume.

    Lastly, as I just stated until WEEI switches to an FM signal they are going to have issues. My daughters do not know what AM is. They can tell you every station on the FM dial. I have a feeling they are not alone.

    • mandb97

      Late I think D&C's format change is a little too late. For years listeners pleaded with them to stop talking politics and the news. D&C responded to these listeners in a snide manner. Dennis was a wise ass and Callahan would mock listeners with his sneering accent. In fact, the day before the Spring book came out, WEEI ran an in house D&C ad. In the ad a caller is praising D&C for their Whitey Bulger coverage and the fact that it is good the show does not always talk sports. Callahan responded, "and we're going to continue that way". Talk about total lack of self-awareness. D&C's changes smack of two little boys crying wolf. By the way, I can't stand T&R either. They did drunken Red Sox wrap-up this morning and it was simply mind numbing.

    • dan

      "I don't know if it is D&C, the media consultants or management but for some reason WEEI does not want to program a straight sports talk show in the AM drive."

      This is because D&C were the replacement show for Imus. Has everyone forgotten that the Imus show used to be on WEEI? Of course Howard Stern just kept pummeling them so they decided to dump Imus and do a similar type show on on local level. A little sports,pop culture and plent of politics, a open disstain for their fans…just like Imus's show.

  • Lance_

    I rarely get to listen to morning "sports" radio during the week but was able to tune in yesterday. What I heard was interesting and, to me, indicative of the direction of the two stations. T&R were joking about the Jets "all Jets, all the time" and it was funny. The Two Miserables on 'EEI were talking non-stop about… Amy Winehouse. While it was maybe a 30 minute sampling the two stations confirmed what I thought they would be. T&R are funny and entertaining, the other two not at all. Thanks for the column George. I agree very much with your head scratchers.

  • http://twitter.com/rfmccarthy @rfmccarthy

    "He’s light years better than when he first started hosting at 890 AM."

    I would agree with this statement if "better" is understood to mean more successful, but Felger's show on 890 was so much better than the dreck that is turned out weekday afternoons. No screaming callers and dubious arguments with a focus on interviews and news.

    "My understanding is that 98.5's increase in ratings is not coming at the expense of WEEI. WEEI's real numbers are pretty consistent. "

    Where is this idea coming from? Their market share is down. Winter 2008, Glen Ordway had a 7.5 (25-54) without Providence included. They were down to 5.5 last spring. Just scroll through Heslam's blog and you will see that Ordway is way off his high in market share (He had an 8.2 (25-54) in October, 2009.). If you believe that his numbers are steady and he is just losing market share, where are all the listeners coming from? If you believe he has the same market share (which I don't think is true), where is F&M taking listeners away from then? WBCN didn't have that many listeners.

    • latetodinner

      I am not arguing market share. I am talking actual listeners. I think the increase in 98.5's numbers are coming from the music side. Of course I could be wrong and the next couple of books will tell us the whole story but both Jessica Haslem and Chad Finn have made similar comments. What I think is the FM talker is gaining FM listeners much more than it is canabalizing AM listeners. In the end it is a moot point. Ad rates are set on share rather than gross listeners. Still I think WEEI is not going bankrupt any time soon with Ordway and if they wanted to solidify that show they should move out Holley, bring back the rotating guests and ride out Ordways contract.

  • sportsfan

    Great column, George and good feedback!

    I usually catch D&C in their first half hour, and it can be quite good. But as pointed out by others, the second they slide into crap I didn't tune in to hear, I'm over to T&R. I do find T&R to be very entertaining and once I'm there I typically find no reason to leave. I might flip at commercial breaks, and then it becomes a case of which station is offering better entertainment value that day. (Too much Wallach or Callahan can push me to 92.5).

    Midday, without question, I need to go with Merloni. Mut adds little value, but Lou is definitely improving. He has reasonable knowledge across the major sports, or at least can speak articulately about them. He is open to opposing opinons and considering ideas that he hadn't thought of. I find Gresch to be a boar, and I don't mean boor. I think you nailed it with your assessment. Consequently, I don't care what Zo, or McAdam, or Shaughnessy, or whomever have to say. I can't handle Gresch. I may flip over on commercial breaks, but invariably I go back to EEI.

    Afternoon? Ordway hasn't changed, so pairing Holley with him is a waste of talent. I happen to love Felger, so i probably haven't given the big show enough time. It just seems that whenever I flip over, Ordway is up to his old trick of shouting over anyone. I actually think I have similar issues with the styles of Ordway and Gresch. I must also say that I was always a big fan of D&H at midday, and I felt back then that Holley was a much better second chair host, then a first chair. He tended to try and yuck it up more when he was in charge. I think Arnold was/is a very balanced talk show host, even with his irritability with certain regular callers. Pairing Holley with Ordway seems to have lost a counter-balance (again with limited exposure). In fact, I prefer the 98.5 commercials to listening to Ordway and his schtick.

    Thanks!

    • dan

      You are dead on with your opinion of the Big Show. Holly just seems to be lost on that show. He doesn't sound like he's having fun anymore. He sounds restrained. And I just don't get the vitriol towards Gresh. I like the fact that he uses facts a lot to make his arguments. sometimes i think he gets to bogged down in numbers crunching but it's better than Felger always saying Facts not opinions and that statement couldn't be any further from the truth. Felger is the biggest liar out of all the local sports host COMBINED! He's entertaing but 100% full of crap with his straw man arguments.

  • Frank

    Here's a head scratcher for you, how the hell did Felger become the dominant force in Boston Sports Media? He's not funny, and says things that piss people off. I don't get it. All I know is I fall into the hate him category and will NEVER listen/watch anything he's on. He'll always be a D-bag to me.

    • Winning_

      I think the thing is, most people whether dislike or like Felger, want to hear what he has to say. I myself, enjoy the show, if not by lack of other options, for the simple fact it entertains me. I don't listen to it for information I can share with others. Felger irritates 95% of the time, but thats why I like him. Mazz is another case, he's annoying because he is Felger's little "lackey" and I have no respect for that.
      Yesterday, Felger's incessant ranting about how everyone around here bashes the Jets and their Cap spending, yet I've never heard anyone harp on this more than him. I feel he invents arguments just to rag on the Pats and their fans. But this is why I listen, to disagree with him. At least there is dialogue. I feel that people will at least call out F&M and have the floor to do so, where on the old big show ( i can't speak for the new format cuz I dont listen) callers would be shouted at, talked over, down, and hung on on for disagreement.

      • Winning_

        I guess my point is, look at all the columns, attention, and feedback Felger receives on this site. The man, whether respectively or not, has made himself the talk of the radio town. You can't say his name without generating a full days rant on these board with 20+ comments. Were we talking this much about Stephen Harris when he was up, or even Cafardo. Yeah they get mentioned, but no1 can arouse so much anger, controversy, and debate as this man. Call him what you want, but he is good at entertaining. People need to stop thinking he is a writer/columnist and think of him as a performer. It's almost like when you were a little kid and realized that Hulk Hogan wasn't a wrestler, he was an actor.

        • Mark

          Hulk Hogan was acting??? Ouch…that hurts.

          I think column is right on. In fact the only reason I turn on NESN in the morning is to see how large John Dennis is getting.

        • latetodinner

          Winning what are you going to tell me next…Steven Segal is an actor? I am not sure this day can get any worse…Hulk Hogan not a wrestler…ugh.

      • Lance_

        I agree more with Frank's thinking. Why would anyone subject themselves to something that irritates them 95% of the time – unless being annoyed is fun? In the recipe for being miserable in life actively seeking to be annoyed is an important ingredient.

        Felger pulls opinions from his arse (they could not come from any other place) and if there's a demographic that supports it then fine but what a waste of time.

        • Winning_

          I should rephrase: I don't listen to be annoyed, but I don't mind listening to someone that doesn't necessarily think the same way I do. While Felger does pull opinions for his arse, I find it entertaining all the while disagreeing. Don't you find it enjoyable that Felger was so wrong with his Bruins predictions: Thomas, Chara, Julien, Marshmont and how they would perform this season. I thought he was wrong about Thomas and a goalie winning you a series or a cup, but I still wanted to listen. While he doesn't nearly spend as much time admitting he was wrong, as when he is right, do we really want to listen to 4 hours each day of Felger saying he was wrong. This is what a Radio Personality should do, generate discussion, whether in agreement or disagreement.

        • Lance

          Fair enough. Being around or listening to annoying/stupid people isn’t my thing but keeping abreast of those people is why I visit this site. Yes, discovering Felger is a moron, wrong about most things, petulant, etc. is kind of fun because he’s arrogant but once I realized it I stopped paying attention to him. He wants people to hate him (his demographic doesn’t seem to be college educated folk) which makes him uninteresting.

        • Frank

          I'm not saying you should agree with people all the time, or on every point, but the whole contrarian thing stinks. It comes off as arrogant and disingenuous. I want to listen to people who really believe in what they’re saying, not just hoping to upset people. That’s why Dale and Holly was THE best show period. Thanks EEI now every show, on both stations, sucks.

          If there are that many people out there listening to TSH strictly because they’re sick of EEI then there’s no doubt in my mind that this town could support a 3rd sports station.

      • Rick

        Winning, your comment on Felger ranting about the Jets and the salary cap is dead on. I was thinking the same thing yesterday listening to him go on and on. It's only Felger inventing "all these people call up about how the Jets will be in salary cap hell". I've never heard anyone call into F&M and talk Jets salary cap hell.

  • tl;dr

    RE: The Bruins and 98.5

    In the column you linked to, you call 98.5's efforts regarding the Bruins a "pathetic attempt by 98.5 to prop up the Bruins fan base for their show"

    That move doesn't look so pathetic now does it?

  • MikeMike

    I'm getting tired of the 'EEI pre-commercial "teasers", too. Trying to stem the flow of channel-flipping.
    "One Patriot player has spoken up about the trade. We'll tell you who, and what they said right after this commercial…"

    • tl;dr

      Every medium does that. Ever see a TV show where there's a mini-cliffhanger and you have to sit through the commercial to see what happened next?

      It's the exact same way in radio except it's an audio-only medium.

      • Siggy

        You're needed over at zerohedge tl;dr…

        • tl;dr

          I don't know what that is? A spam site, perhaps?

        • Siggy

          A lunatic commenter over at http://www.zerohedge.com , a popular financial site, uses the name tl;dr – thought it was you.

  • LOLFELGER

    Agree on the morning slot. More serious sportstalk but you feel like mothballs pop out of your speakers listening to WEEI. Once they lose those interviews or T+R stop trying to replicate Howard Stern with the garbage social stuff, I think D+C would be done.

    • ROFL ADOLFO

      WEEI needs to prioritize on an FM signal if they want to compete with the Sports Hub on an even playing field… it's like middle aged men who need viagra, some balding cure, or HGH just to stay in the game with the young generation.

      Regardless, WEEI needs to get a facelift or fat reduction… too many rolls and sags on that aging canvas…

  • Saul Goodman

    Not sure "witty" would be an adjective I'd use to describe Toucher and Rich. Listening to their show reminds me of going to a bar and having some annoying guys sitting next to you who won't shut up and make you sorry you went out in the first place.

    If they've stopped D&C from talking golf, though, it's a sign of progress.

  • Wally

    Excellent column, and I agree with almost all of it. I am still a fan of D&C, but mostly to hear C. You nailed Tanguay perfectly. My question concerning him is this – did he ever watch and play sports growing up? Honestly, he seems completely out of touch with even the most basic elements of football, baseball, and hockey. He is a textbook case of a kid wanting to be a sports caster growing up, and instead of going outside and playing pickup games of ball (you choose the sport), instead sat in front of the mirror in his bedrom for hours on end, perfecting the tone and cadence of his delivery "on camera". He should be the sportscaster on the nightly local news broadcast, where someone else has written down exactly what he should say. The Ted Baxter of Boston sports. A good sounding blithering idiot.
    And I often find Felger frustrating, but he is appointment listening for me. He is the king of the hill right now in Boston sports, and I do find him easy to listen to since he stays away from the bluster and hyperbole. He calls a spade a spade as he sees it.

  • TTFK

    WEEI needs more than just an FM signal in Boston; they need a more consistent signal along the Pike. Nothing is more annoying that having to fumble around between AM and FM several times as I'm driving across the state just because they can't get a decent signal into central MA. Many days, I just flip over to 98.5 somewhere around Brimfield and leave it there all the way to New Bedford and back around to Providence. Why bother fumbling back and forth with 105.5, 1440, 96.3 and 103.7?

  • Andy

    Nice summary of local sports radio scene. I particularly agree on Andy Gresh. I'll never forget hearing Andy Gresh on a Saturday morning on the radio just bitterly complaining shortly after he lost out to Michael Holley as the replacement for Bob Neumeier on WEEI (Dale Arnold's partner prior to Holley). What an arrogant, bitter rant he went on that day about how much better he was than so many others on the sports radio scene at the time. You know what, Gresh? You're not! I've never forgotten what an ungrateful little ahole he sounded like that day. I've never liked him since.

  • Siggy

    D+C are burned out, they have their money. The only energy I hear is when Dino goes into a tease, as that is a technical skill he respects, because he sure as hell doesn't care about the subject matter. I've always hated teasers.

    There was a time when Howie Carr could have represented in a morning slot but he has burned a lot of bridges and I think he has had a virtual self-lobotomy in order to deal with the hostage situation he is in over at RKO.

    The problem since the Bruins ended has been that there is absolutely nothing to talk about. Nobody wants to hear Red Sox talk when they're winning. A one hour Tony Show at 6:00 is about right. Football talk will now dominate the next six months, save for a one week window around the World Series, and that favors Felger.

  • kralldi

    Good column, well thought out and well organized. I have one point dealing with D&C specifically, and the entire local sports market….there is absolutely no "fun" on D&C, while i have never agreed with their politics, i recognize their knowledge and their history in this marketplace,but my primary frustration is that they are basically 2 miserable human beings cashing a big check, with no sense of joy or enjoyment in what they do or who they cover. For much of the entire radio schedule on both stations, it is the same…it's like they are just punching the clock. If you listen with any regularity, within a minute you can tell what is a legitimate conversation or what is a Felger created controversary designed to generate calls and prove to advertisers that the station has listeners.

  • Suzy

    In no way, shape or form does Tony "YARM" Mazzerotti have "strong knowledge" of sports.

    Overall nice job, though.

  • mandb97

    George this a terrific column. I agree with about 95% of what you said. Your takes on D&C, Gresh and the overall problems at WEEI are spot on. Here are a couple of minor issues I have with your piece.

    1) I actually think Felger was better on 890. I did not get to listen to him that often because I was not in postage stamp range of the station, but when I was his show was very good. His interviews were solid. He did not feel the need to act like a contrarian 24/7. He had an enjoyable show. He now believes that the Glen Ordway style of broadcasting is the way to go. That is, create a ridiculous issue, make a soap opera out of it and do it loudly. Oh and be wrong almost every single time.

    2) As Suzy said, Maz has strong knowledge of being a drama queen but sports, not so much.

    3) Chris Gasper would be one the dumbest additions WEEI could have. If anyone has been "lucky" enough to hear the Bertrand and Gasper show you know why. He continues to use the tired Felger argument that the Patriots put Brady up against the wall with regards to his contract while continually lauding how the Colts do business. What was Peyton Manning's contract worth again? A little more than a year ago Gasper tweeted that it was about time the media started to be more critical of the Patriots. A statement that left me speechless because the media here looks for every chance to take a shot at Belichick.

    Two weeks ago Chad Finn mentioned in one of his chats at Boston.com, that WEEI might have an out on Glen Ordway's contract due to poor performance. In hindsight, I think WEEI could have been a little more patient and had Ordway continue on. During this time Mut and Lou could have cut their teeth on the weekends. Eventually Ordway would have been let go due to the ratings. WEEI could have moved Dale and Holley to 2-6pm where they would have been far more competitive with F&M and you would have had a more polished Mut and Lou at 10-2. Another option would be to move D&H to 2-6 and steal Johnston and Flynn from 98.5. Mike Flynn has become the best sports personality in Boston. He is level headed, explains issues so that a five year old can understand them and has a great sense of humor. He did a great job explaining the players issues during the NFL lockout. Ryan Johnston does a very good job of moving the conversation and WEEI would have another strong hockey voice.

    • Winning_

      I wish Johnston and Flynn were on 5 days a week, especially 10-2 on TSH.

      • mandb97

        Truer words have never been spoken.

        • latetodinner

          I am going to pile on for a second. Last saturday I drove from Dennis to Providence and got to listen to a good 2 hours of the Johnston and Flynn show (thank you bridge traffic in both Borne and Fall River). It was quite good…I am not sure I agree that Flynn is the absolute best person on the radio but he certainly did a fine job with football and the lockout. I would have to hear how he handles baseball, a sport he did not play professionally, before I would anoint him the next big thing. If I were TSH I might have them fill in for a complete week while Gresh and Zo are on holiday and then take a look at ratings/listener feedback.

        • mandb97

          Late, Flynn has been a regular vacation fill-in on G&Z. He is worlds more intelligent than Gresh. He had a good repoire with Zolak. He also had a take on the Steve Williams vs Tiger Woods issue that no one else in the sports media had. He took the side of Woods. Flynn's reasoning was Tiger Woods made Steve Williams a multi-millionaire. Williams had his own Nike contract that I bet no other caddie had. Woods is Williams boss and he allowed him to caddie Adam Scott for one tournament. Woods decided that was it and told him to stop. Williams refused and Woods fired him. It was an accurate and well thought out take that nobody else in any part of the media thought about.

        • latetodinner

          I am willing to concede he is better than Andy Gresh. Believe it or not…as a Providence resident I always disliked Zolak more than I disliked Gresh (kind of like how I dislike brussels sprouts more than I dislike creamed squash) as such I would like to see both of them replaced. If Flynn can talk sensibly on other sports great…bring him on. I just thought it would be good to give the pairing a shot and not just one or the other.One take on Tiger Woods does not a well rounded career make….it is a step in the right direction. By the way, on the Stevie Williams/Tiger Woods thing…there is a lot more to that story and it all has to do with communications. Williams flies from New Zealand to Seattle only to be told Tiger is not playing in the US Open…there is disagreement whether Woods had said don't caddie for Adam Scott the second time as well…suffice to say there were issues. Now Tiger is playing either this week or next…so we will get plenty of “who's your Caddy talk” in the national media and maybe on the D&C show.

        • mandb97

          I agree with your view that one take does not make a good talker. I just used one example. Others in the media was lambasting Woods for not allowing Williams to work and what a miserable human being Woods is. I'm not going do deny the latter, Woods is a knucklehead. Everyone was spouting the same old same old. Flynn came up with a different take which one may disagree with but can't argue with how well thought the opinion was.

    • Doc Michaels

      I can't stand Gasper either. Comes off as the pesky, nerdy little runt you'd run into in high school and would want to avoid at all costs. Arrogant and obnoxious, with no radio presence, that would be even worse than Mutt and Merloni.

  • SnuffySmith

    God help us, if Merloni ever replaces Remy. Lou has the personality of a rock, totally humorless and lacking any appeal. All he can do is deliver the same boring "in sight" day after day and pretend to be a know-it-all (a la Ordway)

    If he can't pull in listeners on a daily show, how the hell is he going to attract viewers to a Sox game?

    • bawnkers

      Feel the same here. I always get that impression of "Well, I played for the RedSox and you didn't; ergo, stfu." — It reminds me of people you meet who say they work for the RedSox, meanwhile are just some sales agent of a marketing/affil company that works with them; or, even worse, guys who claim to be baseball players, and that's really cover that they're 2nd on a depth chart for an A-level affilliate. I'm sure it works fine at the bars, but it's a bit annoying when I have to see it more and more.

  • David

    Interesting column for the most part. However, I would disagree with Cain on Michael Holley – "Michael Holley, whom I consider the second best personality in Boston." Holley seems like a nice guy, but he's painfully boring and vastly overrated. Also, his unquestioned allegiance to the Patriots and Boston sports teams also kills his credibility more often than not.

  • http://www.facebook.com/anthrocoon Bob Nelson

    Not a full fledged move to FM, but WEEI is now the HD2 on WAAF 107.3 and WKAF 97.7, which is great news for the dozens of people who own an HD radio (like me, that $40 portable from Best Buy–which actually does get awesome FM reception, as it is). Awhile back they tried WEEI on the HD 3 of WMKK 93.7 (Mike). I couldn't pick it up the other night but who knows, it could be on. An HD2 signal is easier to pick up and can do full stereo etc. But again, does anyone plan to go the HD route? It's been pretty much a flop…Though who knows, maybe you could try it at your workplace and you may find you can get WEEI on the HD2 of 97.7 or 107.3 with no interference.

    Why isn't WEEI moving to, or simulcasting on, WMKK, WAAF, or WKAF? Simple: the "variety hits" format on Mike makes money at low cost and the rockers on the other signals must do well, too. This is why you get that Mike 93.7 guy and We Play Anything (not quite true), not WEEI on a clear FM signal.

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