Boston Sports Media Watch

Former WEEI nighttime host Ted Sarandis has a new sports talk show, as 98.5 The Sports Hub announced today that he will be joining the station effective immediately.

Sarandis’ show, like his old WEEI program will be called the “Ted Nation Show” and debuts this Sunday, March 14th from 7:00pm to 10:00pm This first show will focus on the NCAA tournament selections which will be announced that day.

The show will begin its regular Sunday afternoon time slot in April.

Sarandis has been the play-by-play voice of Boston College Basketball (ironically heard on WEEI’s airwaves) for the last fifteen seasons.

A  quote from Sarandis passed on by 98.5: ““I am thrilled to be joining what I consider to be the best sports radio station in the country, exclaimed Sarandis. It’s my hope that my TED NATION audience will turn out big time to 98.5 The Sports Hub. I can assure one and all we will cover the Boston sports scene in a comprehensive manner and do it with dignity and class.”

In other words, he’s not going to ALLOW you to drag his show into a MORASS OF NEGATIVITY.

And Pete Sheppard is still unemployed….

Popularity: 10% [?]

Jessica Heslam has the story in the Herald this morning. (Also noted in Ken Fang’s Megalinks in the post below this one.)

The simmering feud between the city’s two sports radio powerhouses boiled over yesterday when a WEEI producer got slapped with a one-week suspension for texting “vulgar” messages to upstart rival the Sports Hub.

Andy Massaua, who works for Glenn Ordway’s “The Big Show,” was suspended yesterday and has been banned from texting anyone at WBZ-FM (98.5).

I thought 98.5 wasn’t even on WEEI’s radar?

Popularity: 12% [?]

A couple of notes from today:

The Beanpot is coming up over the next two Monday nights, and once again NESN has the complete coverage.

Coverage begins with Beanpot Hockey Tournament presented by SBLI beginning on Monday, February 1st.  The first game pits Boston College against Harvard at 5:00 PM followed by Boston University battling Northeastern University at 8:00 PM from the TD Garden. NESN’s coverage of the Beanpot championship game on Monday, February 8th will begin with Prelude to A Championship, a live, half-hour pre-game show starting at 7:30 PM.

Tom Caron and Andy Brickley will call all three games for NESN.

The championship game will also be available to 4.5 million homes in Canada on TSN2, which will rebroadcast the game in HD at 6:00 PM on February 9.

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Pete Sheppard might’ve been the most high-profile radio guy to be laid off recently, but he’s not the only one. Yesterday WGAM Manchester/Nashua announced that producer P.J. Huot, who had been with the station since 2002, along with morning sports anchor Darrin Root and a traffic/production guy David Kimball had all been let go due to the economic conditions.

In addition, there is talk that the afternoon drive show with Mike Mutnansky could be cut back from 3-6PM to 4-6PM starting next week, though that is not set in stone just yet.

——

The biggest interview on Boston sports radio today was Vince Wilfork talking with Michael Holley and Lou Merloni on WEEI this morning, where the nose tackle voice his displeasure at his contract situation and that he does not want to be franchised.

Meanwhile on Patriots Daily, the question is asked: Should The Patriots Re-Sign Vince Wilfork?

Popularity: 8% [?]

Since the announcement on Wednesday that Pete Sheppard was being let go from WEEI due to economic issues there has been a lot of questioning and speculation about what the “real” reason for the move was.

I did it here at BSMW. Chad Finn (sort of) did it in the Globe this morning. Other sites and messageboards have been doing it.

When the Big Show opened this afternoon, Glenn Ordway attempted to set the record straight, and very seriously said that it was solely due to the economy. He even said he could understand why people might be skeptical because of gags that they’ve done in the past. (Such as Mike Adams “locking himself in the studio.”)

It was unlike Ordway, as he didn’t take shots at those of us who have been wondering about the episode, just stated repeated that this is just a product of the economy and while WEEI has done better than a lot of companies in terms of not having to make large-scale cuts, they haven’t been immune from the effects of the economic downturn.

He seemed sincere, and while we know Ordway is an actor, and in the entertainment business, I guess I’ll take him at his word. (That weasel Jason Wolfe is another matter, however.)

But even with that, I still don’t think Curt Schilling left WEEI entirely because of the Sheppard layoff.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Entercom/WEEI is insisting that yesterday’s announcement about the departure of Pete Sheppard is strictly for economic reasons, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the timing and details of this announcement.

Why on a Wednesday? Couldn’t get through until Friday? Couldn’t have done it last Friday before a three-day weekend?

If this move was solely economic, this was the best way they could cut costs? Why not cut the Mike Adams show altogether and just go with ESPN programming at night? How about firing Adams and giving Sheppard that spot?

If it was strictly economic, why is Curt Schilling so ticked off? He said yesterday he wouldn’t be on the WEEI airwaves until Pete was rehired, and has moved his 38Pitches Blog off of WEEI.com and back to its original domain.

The Entercom release wording seems rather final. The standard policy for WEEI is that once you leave, you’re dead. You never get mentioned again. A few who been announced as no longer being employed there, such as Bob Neumeier and Larry Johnson (after the Mustard and Johnson show was cancelled) have been back on the WEEI airwaves. It doesn’t seem like they’re expected to have Sheppard back on.  

He signed his last contract in May of 2007. The article quoted below in 2008 stated that Sheppard had two more years remaining on his contract, which would have it ending in May of this year. Is he getting paid the rest of the contract? If so, why release him now? To allow him to find another job with a few months of pay still coming?

Was he flirting with 98.5 for the role that Andy Gresh was eventually hired for and Entercom got wind of it?

Will he show up in another market? In a column written by Eric Rueb in the summer of 2008 for the Narragansett Times, Sheppard talked about his future -

As each year goes by, Sheppard makes a bigger name for himself without having his own show.

He’s a second banana – a big one at that – on the Big Show, where he fills in for host Glenn Ordway when Ordway is sick or on vacation. He’s in the second year of his contract and has two more years left on it and it wouldn’t be shocking if a bigger market or even satellite looked to give The Meatman his own show.

Whether Sheppard could take that offer is another question. “I could go outside the state or the region and be OK, but it just plays to my strengths. I wouldn’t have the same passion going to Chicago and talking about the Bears and White Sox or Cubs. It just wouldn’t be the same,” Sheppard said. “But like anything else in this business or anything in this business and a lot of other businesses, you’re only as good as your last contract. The ratings have been good at the station, but there’s always a possibility but you have to have leverage. If there’s somebody else that wants me or there’s a bidding war, that’s nice, I don’t expect it.

“Let’s put it this way – I expect myself at ’EEI for a long time.”

So what’s next? Will be end up at 98.5? Chad Finn’s column this morning had WBZ-FM program manager Mike Thomas saying that he had not been in contact with Sheppard, and that they currently had a full staff.

Does he wind up at another Entercom station trying to create their own version of The Big Show? Does he end up in Jacksonville talking NASCAR?

Wow, that’s why too much time spent wondering about Pete Sheppard, but yesterday’s news resulted in the biggest day, traffic-wise for BSMW in months. Apparently people are interested in the fate of an afternoon sports radio flash guy.

Popularity: 12% [?]

It appears that Pete Sheppard has done his final sports flash for WEEI’s Big Show.

From Regan Communications (PR firm for Entercom New England) today:

Statement Regarding Pete Sheppard from Entercom New England Vice President and Market Manager Julie Kahn and Vice President of AM Programming Jason Wolfe

“As we continue to operate in challenging economic times, it is with regret that we announce today that we have eliminated Pete Sheppard’s position as sports anchor on the Big Show. We’d like to thank Pete for his outstanding work with WEEI over the last ten years. He played a major role in our growth, and helped “The Big Show” become one of the top radio shows in the country. We wish Pete the best of luck in his future endeavors and remain extremely grateful for all his contributions over the past decade.”

Too bad for Pete. He was the one guy on that afternoon show who actually had some passion for sports. The elimination of his position also raises the question of what happens to Patriots post game shows next season, and who becomes the standard “fill in” host for Ordway.

If this really is a economic layoff, and I don’t have reason at this time to believe otherwise, what would prevent Sheppard from becoming just another rotating fill-in co-host or flash guy in the future? Or does he surface at 98.5?

Sheppard had signed a multiyear contract with WEEI back in May of 2007, so it doesn’t look like contract negotiations gone bad here.

The Boston Radio Watch fellow says that Curt Schilling called in and said he won’t come back onto the WEEI airwaves until Sheppard is rehired. 

Glen Ordway stated on the air that the company has decided to outsource the flash updates for the Big Show, similiar to what they’ve done to other shows (Dale & Holley) in the past.

Approval Ratings – Pete Sheppard (BSMW)

Sheppard out at WEEI (Boston.com)

Popularity: 23% [?]

He’s been on the air for a few days now with 98.5thesportshub, but WBZ-FM sent out the official release this afternoon announcing his hiring:

ANDY GRESH TO JOIN 98.5 THE SPORTS HUB

GRESH WILL BROADCAST HIS OWN SHOW ON WEEKENDS AND SERVE AS FULL TIME SWING HOST

Boston—Notable sports broadcaster Andy Gresh will join the air staff at 98.5 The Sports Hub, WBZ-FM effective immediately.

Gresh will host his own program on weekends, broadcast on-air and online at www.985thesportshub.com, as well as serve as the full-time swing host for vacationing 98.5 air staff. Gresh currently co-hosts the New England Patriots pre and post game shows on the 98.5 The Sports Hub Patriots Radio Network.

This Saturday, Jan. 9, Gresh’s new program on 98.5 The Sports Hub will air from 4:00– 8:00pm, immediately following the Boston Bruins/New York Rangers game.

Gresh returns to the Boston area after hosting programs on satellite radio, and ESPN Radio. Prior to becoming a national host, Gresh was on-air at The Score in Providence. He also hosted programs on Comcast Sports Net New England, and was the color analyst for The ECAC Football Network.

“I am looking forward to contributing to the success that 98.5 has already achieved since its debut in August,” said Gresh. “I am just flat out looking forward to getting after it.”

“98.5 The Sports Hub is off to great start and to add a personality like Andy Gresh to our team is a victory for us and our listeners,” said Mike Thomas, 98.5 The Sports Hub Program Director. “Andy has been a big part of our Patriots coverage for years and it’s going to be great to have him on The Sports Hub beyond game day.”

Back in July I offered some Free Advice for WBZ-FM. Hiring Andy Gresh was not on the list.

But you know what? The latest ratings indicate that WBZ-FM is still gaining ground on WEEI. So maybe they know what they’re doing after all.

Popularity: 11% [?]

I recently received a IS9181 WiFi Internet Radio to test out and eventually use as a giveaway here on BSMW. (details upcoming on that.)

A product from VTech, this unit was promoted to me as something that transplanted sports fans could use to keep up with sports talk back home. Sports radio stations such as WEEI and WBZ-FM do stream their programming on the internet, making it available anywhere in the world. It’s not always convenient however, to sit in front of the computer listening to hours of sports radio. You can listen through some mobile phones, but my experience has been that it is a battery killer to do so for any length of time.

If you have a wireless router in your home or office, you can plug in this radio, (or put in 6 AA batteries) and it will connect to your WiFi network, and let you choose from about 11,000 streaming radio stations worldwide. The menu allows you to choose by location or by genre. Once you find your favorite stations you can save them as favorites. You can also connect this unit to a home stereo system, or hook up your MP3 player to play through the unit.

It also has a built-in FM tuner, and clock-radio wakeup. The time sets automatically over the internet, and you can get the accuweather 5-day forecast for your local area on the full color display on the front of the unit.

I took it out of the box, plugged it in, and connected without trouble to my wireless network. I then browsed to WEEI and WBZ-FM, and started streaming each. I then went and looked for other sports radio stations around the country, WFAN in NY, KNBR in San Francisco, WIP in Philadelphia. They all came right up. My wife listened to Alice 97.3 FM in San Francisco when she lived out there, and we connected to that and set it as a favorite.

You can control the unit either with the buttons on top of the device or with the provided remote control. The remote is small, and didn’t seem to work from very far away, but was still nice to have.

The unit has a suggested retail of $149.95, but is selling on Amazon for $136.87. It’s not exactly cheap, but when compared to many audio devices out there, or a subscription to Satellite radio, it’s not bad either.

It was easy to set up and easy to use, and does the job. In the time that I’ve listened to it, I’ve never had a station drop out on me, and the sound quality is really good. If you’re a Red Sox fan living in California, or anywhere else in the world, this could be a good way to stay connected to all the Red Sox talk here in Boston. WBZ-FM has streamed several Patriots games on-line this season. If you were somewhere in the country where you couldn’t see the game (didn’t have Sunday Ticket) you could listen to those broadcasts with this.

IS9181 Features and Specifications (VTech)

Popularity: 8% [?]

Continuing my series on the top 10 Boston sports media storylines of the decade.

They’ve dominated the ratings book, shrugged off all challengers thus far, and used their bully pulpit to sneer at critics.

WEEI has enjoyed unprecedented success as a sports radio station in a sports-mad town. With the success of the local professional teams this decade, they’ve ridden high, and benefited from a fan base that can’t get enough of their teams.

They’ve been challenged three times by rival sports radio stations this decade, two of them were KO’d and the third just started up a few months ago. Both 1510theZone and ESPN850 made a lot of noise as they got started up, but neither really made any sort of impact in the ratings book. Ultimately, they were both doomed by poor signal and with few exceptions, lackluster programming. WBZ-FM has had the most initial success of any challenger, but having been on the air only a few months, they have to prove they can keep it going.

WEEI has a power few media outlets can boast. In many cases, they create and dictate the coverage and storylines, and should anyone challenge or criticize them they can simply rant on air about them, or yell over them and hang up should the hapless challenger actually dare to call them up.

It’s really about entertainment first, and sports second, this is evidenced by their ability to milk a single storyline for weeks at a time. Remember the time in June, 2005 that Edgar Renteria bunted for a base hit with two out in the bottom of the ninth? He was successful, and it set up David Ortiz to be able to get to the plate and knock in Mark Bellhorn from second base for the win, yet WEEI killed Renteria over it for weeks. (Kevin Millar even called up to defend Renteria – over two weeks later, and they were still talking about it. Ordway blamed the callers.)

More so in the early part of the decade, WEEI’s success also forced the sportswriters who appeared on their airwaves into tough decisions. If they were a guest of the show and had gotten some information that day, did they divulge it on the WEEI airwaves, or sit on it for their newspaper the next day? (The addition of blogs to newspaper websites around the middle of this decade took out some of those situations.) Were they more loyal to WEEI, hoping for additional appearances, or to their newspaper?

In 2008 WEEI extended their online presence by re-launching WEEI.com with a number of high-profile reporters, hiring some away from their newspapers, such as Rob Bradford and Alex Speier. Now they were competing directly with the newspapers for content and getting news stories themselves rather than mostly relying on the newspapers to get the information first.

The rise of WEEI this decade coincided with the decline of the newspaper industry, as news became more instantaneous rather than waiting for the morning paper. More and more stories were being broken on the air, and online, rather than in the newspaper. While the sports sections of newspapers here in New England were still devoured by sports fans, the nature of the content changed. Since most people had already seen the game, and listened to some analysis of it, there was more emphasis on opinion, and getting noticed amongst all the noise.

WEEI has the power to make and break sports media people in Boston. If you get on their airwaves, you’re going to benefit from the recognition that comes with that. Larry Johnson and Fred Smerlas are among those who have benefited greatly from their association with the station. 

This power, along with the dominance of all competition and their ability to shape discussion about sports in Boston makes WEEI’s  presence one of the top stories of Boston sports media this decade.

Popularity: 11% [?]

WEEI Celtics radio broadcaster Sean Grande hits a milestone tonight in San Antonio as he broadcasts his 1000th NBA game.

Grande has been the play-by-play radio voice of the Celtics since 2001, and did three years as the TV play-by-play voice of the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to that.

In a statement released by Regan communications, Celtics team president Rich Gotham congratulated Grande on his milestone. “The entire Boston Celtics organization would like to congratulate Sean on reaching this significant milestone, his knowledge, insight, and preparation set the standard for play by play excellence across the NBA and have provided Celtics fans throughout New England with a consistently enjoyable, informative, and entertaining broadcast”. 

Saints/Patriots Game A Ratings Winner for ESPN

This week’s Monday Night Football game on ESPN earned a 15.0 rating nationally, representing an average of 14,872,000 households (21,402,000 viewers – P2+), making it the second most-watched cable telecast of all time among both households and viewers, as well as ESPN’s second-highest rating in the network’s 30-year history. The MNF game also ranks as the top prime time program of the past two weeks (since 11/16/09) among all broadcast and cable networks in households, viewers, and all key male and adult demos. 

The Patriots-Saints game finished just shy of ESPN’s Monday Night Football telecast October 5 (Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings), which set the all-time cable records for households (15,136,000) and viewers (21,839,000), based on an ESPN-record 15.3 rating.  ESPN has set the cable household viewership record four times in as many years since acquiring the rights to MNF. In all, cable’s seven biggest household audiences ever — and eight of the top 10 – (excluding breaking news) are ESPN MNF games. 

Monday’s game delivered a combined 35.0 rating locally in Boston (13.1 on ESPN and 21.9 on WCVB-ABC), as well as a combined 66.7 rating in New Orleans (23.3 on ESPN and 43.4 on WDSU-NBC). The New Orleans rating is the highest combined local rating for ESPN’s Monday Night Football this year, surpassing the 63.9 in New Orleans for the Falcons-Saints game (Nov. 2).

Popularity: 7% [?]