Boston Sports Media Watch

A couple of quick programming notes:

 The Instigators Returns to NESN

The Instigators presented by Cadillac Village of Norwood returns for its second season on Thursday, November 19th at 6:00 pm. The Instigators is an Original NESN Entertainment (ONE) production that was first introduced last December. The weekly show is hosted by NESN studio analyst Mike Milbury who is joined by color analyst Andy Brickley, play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards and other special guests as they debate the hottest and most controversial hockey topics every Thursday night.

The Instigators, which will once again air every Thursday at 6:00 PM and again at 10:30 PM the same night, is unlike traditional regional sports network programs as Mike Milbury and his co-instigators tackle national topics like hirings and firings, NHL rules controversies, and debates about their favorite NHL tough guys and personalities.

Comcast Unveils Expanded Celtics On Demand Library

The new season of Celtics On Demand returns exclusively to Comcast to put fans in control and give them access to in-depth coverage of the players, team and Celtics Dancers, as well as press conferences and community events, which have been produced by the Boston Celtics.  With Celtics On Demand, fans can watch Celtics Captain Paul Pierce teach a new generation how to play basketball; see Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo rollerskating; and take a front row seat at Coach Rivers’ post-game press conferences.  Soon, fans will also enjoy the latest documentary “Take It Back,” which tells the story of how the Celtics added Rasheed Wallace and other talent to this year’s team to make for another championship-driving season. 

Additionally, fans can tune into replays of Comcast SportsNet’s Celtics game telecasts within four hours of each game’s conclusion.  Games are available On Demand for 24 hours. 

Celtics On Demand programming is updated regularly and is available around the clock with the ability to pause, fast forward and rewind selections for Comcast’s digital cable customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.  It’s easy to access just by selecting the “Get Local” or “Sports and Fitness” categories from the On Demand menu, then choosing “NBA TV” and “Boston Celtics.”  For game replays and other Comcast SportsNet content, viewers can then select the “Comcast SportsNet” category.  As with the vast majority of Comcast’s 17,000 On Demand programs available each month, Celtics On Demand comes at no additional cost to the company’s digital cable customers.

Popularity: 3% [?]

With TBS having the rights to the Red Sox-Angels series, NESN still plans to cover the ALDS as best as it can with wrap around programming. As it has in previous years, NESN will provide pre and postgame shows. Tom Caron will host. Analysts Jerry Remy and Jim Rice will join him. Here’s NESN’s schedule for Thursday and Friday.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM Red Sox GameDay LIVE – (Tom Caron, Jerry Remy and Jim Rice in studio with Heidi Watney and Dave Roberts at the ballpark)

6:30 PM – 7:00 PM Bruins Face-Off LIVE – (Kathryn Tappen, Mike Milbury and Naoko Funayama)

7:00 PM – 9:30 PM Bruins vs. Anaheim – Jack Edward (play-by-play) and Andy Brickley (color analyst)

9:30 PM – 10:00 PM Bruins Overtime LIVE – (Kathryn Tappen, Mike Milbury and Naoko Funayama)

12:30 AM – 1:30 AM Extra Innings – (Tom Caron, Jerry Remy and Jim Rice in studio with Heidi Watney and Dave Roberts at the ballpark)

1:30 AM – 2:00 AM NESN SportsDesk (Cole Wright)

Friday, October 9, 2009

8:30 PM – 9:30 PM Red Sox GameDay LIVE – (Tom Caron, Jerry Remy and Jim Rice in studio with Heidi Watney and Dave Roberts at the ballpark)

12:30 AM – 1:30 AM Extra Innings – (Tom Caron, Jerry Remy and Jim Rice in studio with Heidi Watney and Dave Roberts at the ballpark)

1:30 AM – 2:00 AM NESN SportsDesk (Cole Wright)

The morning after both game #1 and game #2 NESN will schedule a half-hour replay of the Red Sox post-game show to alternate with NESN SportsDesk for Red Sox fans that are not able to stay up late enough to see the entire game.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Before you get all excited, this affiliate is WGAM in New Hampshire, which serves primarily the Manchester and Nashua markets.

WGAM (1250 and 900 AM)  announced the new affiliation (which begins on October 8th) this afternoon, and also announced that they will also be a Boston Bruins radio affiliate as well. The station now carries the Patriots, Red Sox and Bruins games as well as the Manchester Monarchs.

With the change, the new weekday lineup for the station will be:

The new weekday station lineup will be…

6A-10A “Mike and Mike in the Morning” with Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg

10A-12N “The Dan Patrick Show”

12N-2P “The Herd with Colin Cowherd”

2P-3P “The Scott Van Pelt Show” with Ryen Russillo

3P-6P “The Home Team”  with Mike Mutnansky and Rich Keefe

6P-7P “New Hampshire Game Night” with Pete Tarrier and George Russell

I listen to the The Home Team on occasion when I’m in the car, and found it a decent alternative to the madness of Boston sports radio. The Dan Patrick Show is not an ESPN Radio program, but is a Fox Sports Radio program, which WGAM is currently an affiliate of. From their announcement, they’re going to keep Patrick in place and only take two hours of Colin Cowherd, which I think is a smart move.

There is no news at the moment on the status of a Boston-based ESPN Radio affiliate. I had thought they might have one in place by this point, but nothing has been announced.

NESN Ratings for Season Opener

NESN earned a 3.9 HH rating in the Boston DMA for Saturday’s Bruins – Hurricanes game, the network’s highest rated Bruins season opening broadcast in 25 years of covering the team. (The actual Bruins season opener on Thursday night against the Capitals was broadcast on VERSUS.) NESN’s 3.9 rating was also the highest average household rating recorded in the Boston DMA during the game’s 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM window, besting all other broadcast and cable networks.

NESN’s Bruins pre-game show WB Mason Bruins Faceoff LIVE also reached a major benchmark on Saturday. The season-opening edition generated a 1.1 HH rating in Boston and was seen in 28,000 homes, more than any Bruins pre-game show during the 2008-2009 season.

The Batter’s Box debuts on NESN October 12th.

NESN is bringing on another trivia game show, as The Batter’s Box presented by Cabot Cheese will air weeknights at 6:00pm starting Monday October 12th. The show will run for three weeks, and be hosted by comedian and radio host Stephen Donovan.

16 players will face off over 4 rounds of trivia action, a mix of sports and pop-culture. The Batter’s Box questions are in a multiple choice format. The contestants are from all over New England, and selected from tryouts earlier this summer.

Popularity: 6% [?]

NESN has announced today that they have signed Bruins studio analyst Mike Milbury to a multi-year contract extension. This will be Milbury’s third season as an analyst with NESN, and he will also continue to host “The Instigators” and will contribute to hockey content on NESN.com.

Milbury also works as a studio analyst for NBCs NHL coverage, and as part of that will participate in the network’s coverage of the NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day.

NESN also announced their Red Sox playoff coverage plans, which includes pre and postgame coverage. NESN will have Tom Caron hosting and Jerry Remy and Jim Rice as studio analysts, with Heidi Watney and Dave Roberts reporting from the ballpark for away games and Tony Massarotti for home games.

A few other items:

As he did last season, NESN’s Don Orsillo will also be participating in the postseason, as he will again call one of the League Division Series for TBS, alongside Buck Martinez. Dennis Eckersley will work as a TBS studio analyst with Ernie Johnson, Cal Ripken Jr, and David Wells.

Chris Forsberg is the latest to join ESPNBoston.com. Forsberg had been working at Boston.com, and was a part of their Patriots coverage there. His first post at the new site is already up, as he provides a report from today’s Patriots practice.

Rico Petrocelli is going to be co-hosting with former MLB reliever Mitch Williams a new weekly show on SIRIUS XM Radio.

On Patriots Daily today, I’m Trading Places with the Baltimore blog Right Off Russell.

Joe Donahue has a 2009-10 NHL Preview.

Popularity: 8% [?]

A few notes from today.

I’ve got a new column up for the Metro: Moss Speculation Means New Lows For Media.

Rodney Harrison was a guest on the Dan Patrick Show today, and as always, had some interesting things to say.

Jeremy Gottlieb goes around the league on Patriots Daily.

The Big Lead has an interesting post on Should Sports Editors Forbid Their Writers From Helping ESPN Essentially Kill Newspapers?

With the Bruins starting the regular season and the Red Sox in the playoffs once again the NESN dance is set to begin again. Like last year, when the teams happen to play on the same night, both Bruins and Red Sox games will be available in HD, with one of them being moved to a NESNplus station.

On October 3, NESN will deliver simultaneous high definition (HD) coverage of the Red Sox and Bruins when both teams play at the same time. The Red Sox and Bruins are both scheduled to play 7:00 PM regular season games on October 3 and NESN will deliver live and exclusive coverage of both games in standard and high definition. The Red Sox – Indians game will be available on NESNplus and NESNplus HD channels with coverage beginning at 6:00 PM with Olympia Sports presents The Boston Globe Red Sox Game Day Live while the Bruins – Hurricanes game will be available on NESN and NESNHD with coverage beginning at 6:30 PM with WB Mason Bruins Face-Off Live.

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

A complete list of NESNplus and NESNplus HD channels will be available at NESN.com later today.

Popularity: 8% [?]

NESN announced today that Jade McCarthy will join NESN as an anchor, host and reporter in January 2010. 

From their press release today:

A Newton, Massachusetts native, McCarthy has spent the last 4 years with WCAU NBC 10 in Philadelphia, where she serves as a sports anchor/reporter. In 2008 she won 2 Emmy awards, one for best sports news story and the second for best sports special for Football Night in Philly. The Mount Holyoke College graduate also served as a host on Sports Final, an anchor on NBC 10’s weekend newscasts and a co-host for The10! Show, a daily lifestyle & entertainment show. 

“Jade’s passion for sports and her unique style will make her homecoming that much more enjoyable for our fans,” said Joel Feld, NESN’s executive vice president of programming and executive producer. “She will make a terrific addition to NESN’s on-air team.” 

“I am very excited to join the NESN family. I still remember sitting at my first Red Sox game with my great aunt being amazed as I watched Wade Boggs tower over Jody Reed in front of the dugout,” said Jade McCarthy. “My love for the Boston teams went with me as I worked in Alabama, and then in Philadelphia. While it is bittersweet to leave four years in Philly behind, I couldn’t be more thrilled to come home to the Boston area for this opportunity.” 

McCarthy began her career as a reporter at WGGB in Springfield, Massachusetts. She then moved to WAFF the NBC affiliate in Huntsville, Alabama to serve as a weekend morning show anchor and reporter before moving on to Philadelphia in 2005. Growing up, McCarthy rode horses competitively for 10 years.  Although she no longer competes, she still enjoys horseback riding. She will join NESN after completing her current contract at WCAU NBC 10.

Apparently they’re heartbroken in Philadelphia over this move…

Popularity: 12% [?]

WEEI today announced the lineup for their “NFL Sunday” football program.

The lineup has changed quite a bit over the years, with Ron Hobson and Kevin Mannix being replaced with the likes of Tom E Curran and Paul Perillo. Dale Arnold was the original host, and Greg Dickerson, Michael Felger and Doug Brown have also hosted the show in the past.

Dale Arnold will return as the show’s host this year, and he will be joined by his weekday co-host Michael Holley. WEEI.com’s Christopher Price will also be on the show, as will former Patriots tight end Christian Fauria.

The show will air from 9:00am to Noon on Sundays. WEEI’s “The Real Post Game Show” will also return, with Pete Sheppard, Fred Smerlas and Steve DeOssie.  

NESN adds Ted Johnson

NESN today announced that former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson will join the network as a regular contributor to NESN SportsDesk this football season. He will join anchor Cole Wright, reporter Kathryn Tappen, Mike Reiss  and The Providence Journal’sShalise Manza Young as regular contributors this season.

Johnson will regularly team up with Reiss on Saturdays for a look ahead at the coming week’s game followed by a Sunday or Monday appearance to analyze what happened in that week’s game. Johnson and Reiss will also team up for a mid-week report to provide commentary on the latest Patriots and NFL news.

Popularity: 9% [?]

I’m a little late on this, so I apologize…

JERRY REMY TO RETURN TO THE NESN BROADCAST BOOTH THIS FRIDAY, AUGUST 21ST

Popular Announcer Will Return to Work on a Part-Time Basis for the Remainder of the Season

BOSTON, MA – NESN announced today that longtime Red Sox color commentator Jerry Remy will return to the NESN broadcast booth on a part-time basis beginning this Friday, August 21st when the Red Sox host the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Remy took a leave of absence in May to fully recover from the effects of cancer surgery which included a bout with depression.

“I want to thank NESN, the Red Sox, and all of Red Sox Nation for their incredible level of support,” said Remy. “I’m really looking forward to getting back to work and doing the job that I miss terribly.”

“We are thrilled that Jerry is ready to get back in the booth this week,” said NESN president Sean McGrail. “He is an important part of the NESN family and we are all very happy that he will be back in his familiar spot next to Don Orsillo on Friday.”

Jerry Remy began as NESN’s Boston Red Sox color analyst in 1988, and has been working with play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo since the 2001 season. Voted Massachusetts’ favorite TV announcer by Sports Illustrated in 2004, Remy has been honored with four Emmy Awards and was named the Massachusetts Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association in 2004. Remy played 10 years in the major leagues including 7 years as the Red Sox second baseman. The Somerset, MA native had his best year in 1978 when he batted .278, scored 87 runs, stole 30 bases and was selected to the American League All-Star team. A 2006 inductee into the Red Sox Hall of Fame, Remy was elected president of Red Sox Nation in September of 2007.

Is that last sentence really necessary in a professional bio?

Popularity: 5% [?]

This information was just passed along by Gary Roy at NESN:

The Red Sox swept the Yankees at Fenway Park this week and Red Sox fans were watching on NESN in near record numbers. NESN averaged a 16.7 HH rating in the Boston DMA for the three games, the network’s best 3 game series since August of 2007 (16.8). NESN’s season average continues to rise (9.4 HH) as the Red Sox travel to Philadelphia to take on the defending World Series Champion Phillies this weekend.

The Red Sox likely got off to a slower than usual start in the ratings this season not just because of the absence of Jerry Remy, but more likely because in April and May either the Bruins or Celtics (and sometimes both) were on nearly every night during that span. Some of the Red Sox games were bumped to a NESN Plus channel which probably lowered the ratings a bit. Plus the Red Sox went to the West coast twice, which resulted in the late night starts and even later finishes.

Popularity: 7% [?]

A great annual event in Boston sports is coming up fast.

“The Tradition” is a yearly fundraiser benefit for The Sports Museum and its series  of innovative educational programs, such as Stand Strong: A Character Building Program For Young People and The Will McDonough Writing Contest.

This is the 8th  Annual edition of the “The Tradition”. Sponsored by New Balance in association with NESN, this unique event is held on the arena floor of the TD Banknorth Garden and features an awards ceremony and gala reception to honor sports legends.

Here is the list of presenters and honorees for this years event:

• Dr. William Morgan will present Curt Schilling with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Bill Belichick will present Troy Brown with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Jerry Solomon will present Nancy Kerrigan with the Figure Skating Legacy Award.
• Mike Lynch, WCVB sports anchor, will present Jack Parker and Jerry York with the Special Achievement Award.
• Aubre Jones & Bill Russell will present Sam Jones, with the Basketball Legacy Award.
• Milt Schmidt will present Ken Hodge with the Hockey Legacy Award.
• WEEI’s Dale Arnold and Michael Holley will emcee the event.

The Tradition will be held on Wednesday, June 24th from 5:30 to 9:30 pm at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Tickets are priced at $150 for General Seating and $250 for Preferred Seating.  For more information  or  to  purchase  tickets  online,  please  visit www.sportsmuseum.org or www.tdbanknorthgarden.com or call  617-624-1237.  For  sponsorship  opportunities,  please  call Rusty Sullivan, Executive Director of  The Sports Museum at 617-624-1237.

Popularity: 7% [?]