Red Sox lose RSN ratings lead

The Red Sox are still 5th overall in MLB in terms of local ratings, averaging a 6.52 per game on NESN.

Ourand has the following to say about the Red Sox decline, and notes that it crosses over to the radio side as well:

In Boston, the declining TV numbers are not the only evidence that suggests Red Sox Nation is more apathetic about this year’s team than in years past. Despite the fact that the team just had its 600th straight sellout at Fenway Park, the lack of the traditional enthusiasm around the local nine this year extends to the team’s radio broadcasts, too. For the first half of the season, Red Sox games on WEEI-AM were down 16.5 percent, to 107,500 listeners. The coveted male 25- to 54-year-old demographic was down 28 percent, posting a 10.2 average. It should be noted that the Celtics’ run in this year’s NBA playoffs required the relocation of 20 Red Sox broadcasts this spring from flagship WEEI-AM to WRKO-AM.

St. Louis has taken over the top spot, averaging a 9.70 on Fox Sports Midwest. The Red Sox have been at the top of this list every season since 2004.

Red Sox Ratings On NESN Down 35.8% From 2009 is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

NESN and longtime Red Sox color analyst Jerry Remy have agreed to a multi-year contract extension.

“I am truly fortunate to have been part of the NESN family for the past 23 years and that relationship will continue into the future,” said Remy. “I feel I have the best job in the world broadcasting Red Sox Baseball.

In 1988 Remy was hired by NESN as a color analyst to work alongside legendary Red Sox play-by-play voice Ned Martin. For the past 10 years Don Orsillo has been Remy’s partner in the NESN booth. A 4-time New England Emmy Award winner for sports play-by-play, Remy has also received numerous individual honors including being voted Massachusetts’ favorite TV announcer by Sports Illustrated.

The popular announcer will work his 3,000^th Red Sox game this Sunday, July 25^th.

NESN Inks Jerry Remy to Multiyear Extension is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

NESN Daily is described as “a substantive and provocative sports news debate program” which features co-hosts Jade McCarthy (right) and Uri Berenguer.

The show will air live seven nights a week at 11:00 PM and again from 5:00 am to 9:00 am and Noon to 1:00 pm the following day.

McCarthy, a Newton, MA native, joined NESN in January after four years as a sports anchor and reporter at WCAU, the NBC affiliate in Philadelphia.

For the past six months, McCarthy has anchored SportsDesk and reported extensively on the Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics and Patriots.

Berenguer comes to NESN from the Spanish Beisbol Network (SBN) where he has served as the radio play-by-play voice for Boston Red Sox broadcasts for the past ten years. In 2003, at the age of 20, Berenguer was named the lead play-by-play announcer for SBN’s Red Sox Spanish radio broadcasts, making him one of the youngest play-by-play announcers in the history of the league. When he was three years old, he moved to Boston from Panama to undergo sixteen years of treatment at the Jimmy Fund clinic at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. After beating cancer, Berenguer set his sights on a career in broadcasting, first working as an intern on WEEI’s Red Sox radio broadcasts and then serving as an analyst for SBN’s Red Sox Spanish radio broadcasts in 2001, while also working for the Red Sox Community Relations department.

“With our talent team now in place, NESN Daily promises to be the go-to program for fans of New England sports. Jade and Uri’s candid, dynamic and smart approach to reporting will appeal to those who are as passionate about the stories and events of the day as they are,” said Joel Feld, NESN’s executive vice president of programming and executive producer.

“Since his first day on the job, Uri has brought an energetic, smart and fun style to our broadcast,” said Bill Kulik, President & Founder of the Spanish Béisbol Network. “This new opportunity is a perfect fit for him, and we know he’ll be as great for NESN as he was for SBN.”

In addition to McCarthy and Berenguer, NESN Daily will include regular contributions from journalists, athletes and newsmakers.

NESN Daily With Jade McCarthy and Uri Berenguer Premieres August 6th is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

COMCAST SPORTSNET TO BLANKET CELTICS-LAKERS NBA FINALS WITH 25 HOURS

 OF LIVE COVERAGE FROM LOS ANGELES AND BOSTON 

SportsNet Central and Celtics Pre/Post Game Shows Live from LA for Games 1 and 2 

Coverage Tips Off with Live SportsNet Central NBA Finals Preview on Wednesday at 7 p.m. 

BURLINGTON, MA – Comcast SportsNet, the home to the Boston Celtics and the region’s largest all-sports news desk, will provide an unmatched 25 hours of coverage of the Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers NBA Finals from LA Live outside the Staples Center and TD Garden in Boston.

Comcast SportsNet’s coverage tip-offs with a comprehensive live one-hour SportsNet Central NBA Finals Preview, Wednesday, June 2, at 7 p.m. Anchored by Gary Tanguay, SportsNet Central NBA Finals Preview will feature analysis from Tommy Heinsohn, Mike Gorman, Donny Marshall, and Greg Dickerson.

Before and after Games 1 and 2, Tanguay and Marshall will host Celtics Pre-Game Live and Celtics Postgame Live from LA Live outside the Staples Center. Comcast SportsNet’s Mike Gorman, Greg Dickerson and CSNNE.com’s Celtics Insider A. Sherrod Blakely will join the pre and post game shows from LA. NBA Hall of Famer Tommy Heinsohn and Celtics Now host Michael Holley will join the coverage from Comcast SportsNet’s Burlington, MA studio.

Comcast SportsNet’s coverage of the Celtics-Lakers series will also include SportsNet Central live from Los Angeles on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this week. Draper will co-anchor the coverage live from LA at 6 p.m., 10:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. Gary Tanguay will also co-anchor Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight at 6:30 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from Los Angeles.

Comcast SportsNet’s full live schedule includes: 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2

6:00 p.m.:  SportsNet Central live from LA Live

6:30 p.m.:  Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight live from LA Live

7:00 p.m.: SportsNet Central NBA Finals Preview live from LA Live

10:00 p.m.:  Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight live from LA Live

10:30 p.m.: SportsNet Central live from LA Live

1 a.m.: SportsNet Central live from LA Live
 

GAME 1 | THURSDAY, JUNE 3
6:00 p.m.:  SportsNet Central live from LA Live

6:30 p.m.:  Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight live from LA Live

7:30 p.m.: Celtics Pre-game live from LA Live
11:30 p.m.: Celtics Postgame live from LA Live

1 a.m.: SportsNet Central live from LA Live

FRIDAY, JUNE 4

6:00 p.m.:  SportsNet Central live from LA Live

6:30 p.m.:  Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight from LA Live

10:00 p.m.:  Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight live from LA Live

10:30 p.m.: SportsNet Central live from LA Live

1 a.m.: SportsNet Central live from LA Live

GAME 2 | SUNDAY, JUNE 6
6:00 p.m.: SportsNet Central Live from LA Live

6:30 p.m.: Celtics Pre-game Live from LA Live
10:30 p.m.: Celtics Postgame Live from LA Live

1 a.m.:  SportsNet Central Live from LA Live

GAME 3 | TUESDAY, JUNE 8
6:00 p.m.:  SportsNet Central live from TD Garden

6:30 p.m.: Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight live from TD Garden

7:30 p.m.: Celtics Pre-game Live from ACE Ticket Studio and TD Garden
11:30 p.m.: Celtics Postgame Live from ACE Ticket Studio and TD Garden

1 a.m.: SportsNet Central live from TD Garden

6:30 p.m.: Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight live from TD Garden

7:30 p.m.: Celtics Pre-game Live from ACE Ticket Studio and TD Garden
11:30 p.m.: Celtics Postgame Live from ACE Ticket Studio and TD Garden

1 a.m.: SportsNet Central live from TD Garden

GAME 5 | SUNDAY, JUNE 13 (if necessary)
6:00 p.m.: SportsNet Central Live from TD Garden

6:30pm: Celtics Pre-game Live from ACE Ticket Studio and TD Garden
10:30pm: Celtics Postgame Live from ACE Ticket Studio and TD Garden

1 a.m.: SportsNet Central from TD Garden

6:30 p.m.:  Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight live from LA Live

7:30 p.m.: Celtics Pre-game live from LA Live
11:30 p.m.: Celtics Postgame live from LA Live

1 a.m.: SportsNet Central live from LA Live

GAME 7 | THURSDAY, JUNE 17 (if necessary)
6:00 p.m.:  SportsNet Central live from LA Live

6:30 p.m.:  Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight live from LA Live

7:30 p.m.: Celtics Pre-game live from LA Live
11:30 p.m.: Celtics Postgame live from LA Live

1 a.m.: SportsNet Central live from LA Live 

CSNNE.com

Comcast SportsNet will extend its on-air coverage with interactive coverage on CSSNE.com. CSNNE.com coverage will include exclusive content from Celtics Insider A. Sherrod Blakely and columnist Rich Levine; in-game chats; interviews with Doc Rivers and player post-game interviews; Greg Dickerson’s post-game recap video; and Mike Gorman’s next game video preview.  Fans can also post pre and post game questions on Comcast SportsNet’s Facebook page and selection questions will be used in show.

Celtics Now – Playoff Editions

Comcast SportsNet’s 30-minute magazine show Celtics Now hosted by Michael Holley will feature special playoff editions throughout the playoffs. Each show will include exclusive player interviews; a weekly panel featuring a Celtics official, a member of the media and a Celtics super fan; “HolleyWould”, Holley’s take on league news; and “Courtvision”, Donny Marshall’s breakdown on key plays for the week. Celtics Now runs every Thursdays at 8 p.m. and repeats throughout the week.

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Comcast SportsNet to Host 25 Hours of Live Celtics-Lakers Coverage is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

Millar will make his NESN debut on Thursday, May 27th at 6:00 PM on Olympia Sports presents The Boston Globe Red Sox GameDay Livebefore the Red Sox host the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park. He will join host Tom Caron and Jim Rice on the NESN Yawkey Way stage.

“We are thrilled to have Kevin join our team of outstanding studio analysts,” said Joel Feld, NESN’s executive vice president of programming and executive producer. “Kevin is a fan favorite and he brings first-hand knowledge of the game. He has never been shy about sharing his opinions and our fans will enjoy the added dimension he will bring to our Red Sox programming.”

Millar will join Hall of Famers Dennis Eckersley, Jim Rice and Peter Gammons in the rotation. Millar also recently joined MLB Network as a studio analyst.

Kevin Millar to Join NESN as Studio Analyst is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

Comcast SportsNet’s Sun schedule includes a matchup with the defending WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury and former UConn great Diana Taurasi on Friday, June 25. The schedule also includes Candace Parker (wife of Celtics reserve forward Sheldon Williams) and the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, July 24 as well as former Sun star Lindsay Whalen and the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday, August 3.

Comcast SportsNet’s full high definition Sun schedule features:

• Fri, May 21 @ Atlanta Dream – 7 pm
• Fri, June 11 vs. Indiana Fever – 7:30 pm
• Fri, June 25 vs. Phoenix Mercury – 7:30 pm
• Sun, June 27 @ NY Liberty – 4 pm
• Sat, July 24 vs. LA Sparks – 7 pm
• Tue, August 3 @ Minnesota Lynx – 8 pm
• Tue, August 17 vs. Tulsa Shock – 7:30 pm

Mike Gorman and Rebecca Lobo To Call CT Sun Games on CSN is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

NESN garnered a 13.2 household rating in the Boston DMA for Friday night’s Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Philadelphia Flyers. The program was the #1 rated show in the Boston DMA and the second highest Bruins game rating in NESN’s 26 year history covering the team behind only last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinal Game 7 (14.2).

NESN’s Game 7 coverage also earned the honor of being the top rated program in the Boston DMA in every measurable demographic category including Men 18-34 (14.1), Men 25-54 (12.6), Adults 18-49 (10.4), and Women 25-54 (7.1).

Game 7 Garners 13.2 Rating on NESN is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

NESN earned a 10.3 household rating in the Boston DMA for last night’s Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Philadelphia Flyers. This is the third highest Bruins game rating in NESN’s 26 year history covering the team behind only last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinal Game 7 (14.2) and the 2004 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game 7 (11.2).

NESN’s ratings in the key demographic categories are also impressive, including a 10.8 for Men 25-54 and an 8.0 for Adults 25-54. The Men 25-54 demo rating was #1 in the Boston DMA on Tuesday night while the Adults 25-54 demo rating was second in the market only to American Idol.

By comparison in Philadelphia, the Flyers actually broke an NHL ratings record for the local Comcast SportsNet affiliate averaging a 10.1 rating and a total of 300,000 households.

Game 7 should do well for NESN on Friday. And with the Bruins and Red Sox playing at the same time tomorrow night, NESN’s main channel will carry hockey while NESNplus will air the Red Sox-Detroit game. For game and channel in your area, you can go here.

NESN Brings In The Viewers For Bruins-Flyers is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

A few weeks ago, I had compared WEEI.com to CSNNE.com to ESPNBoston.com. In that review I noted that NESN.com wasn’t on the same level, content-wise, as those three outlets.

That just might be by design.

It seems to be generally conceded around the NESN.com offices that the aim of the site is traffic. That’s how they make some money from it, and accordingly, they do what is needed to get those high traffic levels.

The site is aiming to target a specific market base, which consists of search engine traffic, casual Red Sox fans and to capitalize on referrals from the TV side. They’ve done very well with that.

Because quick traffic is their aim, the content is different from what you will get from sites that are trying to retain readers longer on the site, engage them and keep them coming back every day. NESN.com’s aim is quick-hitting, often-updating blog posts on the latest items big and small that happen throughout the day.

NESN.com packs a lot into each page, with headlines running down the left hand sidebar, on the home page, each team/sport has its own section of headlines. The right sidebar is a mix of scores, which posts are getting the most comments, links to site contributors and video thumbnails.  There is a lot to take in, but to NESN.com’s credit, it is pretty well organized.

It is generally a young staff at NESN.com, with a number of recent college graduates getting their start in the sports media business with the site. They also take advantage of the veteran NESN on-air staff as contributors, with video segments with Tom Caron,  Jerry Remy, Dennis Eckersley, Peter Gammons and Jack Edwards being featured regularly. Some of the on-air contributors also contribute posts, as when Don Orsillo does a mailbag or Kathryn Tappen writes about the Bruins.

Some of the best writing the site has to offer include up-and-coming Patriots reporter Jeff Howe, Evan Brunell, who was/is a big part of the excellent Red Sox blog Fire Brand of the American League, and veteran Boston hockey writer James Murphy. They, along with others, provide some good original content for the site. Other articles I’ve seen on NESN.com aren’t so original at times. I’ve seen posts that were little more than a bunch of quotes pulled from other sources (once it was even Patriots Daily) and assembled into a post with a few lines of comment around them.

Videos on the site load quickly and come in very clearly and smoothly as you would expect from a multimedia site of this size and scale.

Overall, NESN.com is a good destination if you want a quick look at what is going on in the world of Boston sports, or are bored in the middle of the day and want to look in on some offbeat Boston sports items. It’s a good resource for the video segments from the TV side, and is worth a daily visit, if only to check in to see what they’ve have to offer that you might’ve missed somewhere else.

Tomorrow – Boston.com/sports.

Mainstream Media Review: NESN.com is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

The Red Sox looked dead in the water last night, as the Texas Rangers ran at will on the base paths. The Red Sox clawed to within two runs by the eighth inning, when last second callup Darnell McDonald hit a pinch-hit, game-tying two-run homer, and then in the bottom of the ninth hit a ball off the wall with the bases loaded and two out to give the Red Sox a 7-6win at Fenway. Check the full Red Sox coverage at RedSoxLinks.com. You can also get this one Reloaded.

Welcome back, Celtics - Paul Flannery greets the real Celtics, who finally showed up last night.

C’s do just fine without Garnett - Lenny Megliola has the Celtics getting a step-up effort from Glen Davis.

Their study is producing answers in test - Gary Washburn says that the Celtics have hit the reset button.

The rebirth of Ray Allen - David Willis looks at the Celtics guard playing at a Hall of Fame level last night. The Eagle-Tribune also unveils a new-look website. It’s an overall improvement from the old version, but the actual content is in a very narrow strip. It’s the second smaller paper in the region to redesign this week, as the NH Union Leader also has a new look.

Ray Allen puts the Heat on Dwyane Wade - Steve Bulpett says that the Celtics may have lost Kevin Garnett for this game, but they found Ray Allen.

The Mystery of Glen Davis - Rich Levine notes that whatever you may think of Glen Davis, you have to admit that the guy is a gamer.

Stingy defense rediscovered - Julian Benbow’s notebook wraps up a few other items.

A star is born in stunning Red Sox win - Amalie Benjamin reports on the newest Red Sox hero.

Wild win is exactly what the Red Sox needed - Sean McAdam says that this win was big for Boston.

Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald is an overnight sensation after 13 years - Ron Chimelis has more on McDonald.

A few things that Red Sox fans might not want to hear - Rob Bradford doesn’t want you fanboys to get too excited over last night’s win. (Actually the column is much better than the headline would indicate.)

Kevin Youkilis done with flip-flopping - Steve Buckley has Youkilis saying that he’s done moving back and forth between first and third on a game-by-game basis.

Ellsbury, Cameron both down and out - The Projo Red Sox Journal has a number of news items and notes from yesterday.

LB Brandon Graham fits the Bill - Karen Guregian thinks that the Michigan linebacker would be a good fit for the Patriots.

Patriots add veteran Holt to receiving corps - Robert Lee reports on the Patriots signing of WR Torry Holt.

Rich Garven’s Mock Patriots draft - The T&G Patriots writer looks at who he thinks the Patriots will end up with.

Mark Recchi still has much to offer as wise veteran - Stephen Harris looks at the influence the veteran is having with the young Bruins.

Rask plays it cool in first playoffs - Nancy Marrapese-Burrell has the Bruins goaltender looking quite good in his first series.

Pats Pre-Draft Visits and Workouts - Scott A Benson has a complete look at the reported visits and workouts between the Patriots and possible draft targets.

On the downside today, you knew someone would suggest it, and who better than Ron Borges to say that since Glen Davis played so well last night, that the Celtics should sit Kevin Garnett in Friday’s game three as well.

Also, with the NFL and Patriots schedule coming out last night, you got some people already trying to project game-by-game how the season is going to go. Given how much rosters will change between now and September, it’s a bit silly to try and do this. OK, Mike Reiss, we’ll let you get away with it,  Hector Longo on the other hand? Not with that garbage you submitted today.

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Gary Tanguay will be back on the 98.5FM airwaves for this week’s Patriots coverage. The former mid-day host will be on the air from Gillette stadium for tomorrow night’s first round of the NFL draft, and will also be will Patriots Pre and Post game colleagues Andy Gresh and Scott Zolak on Saturday from 10-2 for another draft show.

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The Bruins and Red Sox are both scheduled to play 7:00 PM games tonight and NESN will deliver both games in standard and high definition.

NESN’s broadcast of the Boston Bruins – Buffalo Sabres Game #4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at TD Garden will be available on your regular NESN and NESN HD channels. The Boston Red Sox –Texas Rangers game at Fenway Park will be available on NESNplus and NESNplus HD channels.

NESNplus and NESNplus HD are a compilation of channels that distributors provide NESN to carry simultaneous coverage of Red Sox and Bruins games.

In most Comcast communities, the Red Sox – Rangers game NESNplus feed will be on channel 81 and the NESNplus HD feed on channel 894. For DIRECTV subscribers, the NESNplus channel will be 629 and the NESNplusHD will be on 629-1. For Dish Network subscribers, NESNplus will be on 450 and NESNplusHD will be 442.

A complete list of NESNplus and NESNplus HD channels can be found at NESN.com.

NESN will provide updates on a game-by-game basis regarding which game will be available on NESNplus and NESNplus HD channels and on which channels fans can find the game through their local provider.

C’s Pound Heat, Sox Pull One Out is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch