Boston Sports Media Watch

In part of the buzz around the new 98.5 The SportsHub, some wondered the future status of the Patriots Monday and Patriots Friday programming, as well as the primetime NFL games through Westwood One.

WEEI announced this morning that they have extended their current deals to keep all that programming in place at WEEI.

WEEI has inked a multi-year extension with the Patriots to continue the top-rated Patriots Monday and Patriots Friday programs for the foreseeable future. The two shows provide listeners with the most comprehensive and insightful pre and post game analysis, and consist of top-flight interviews with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and a host of players. Past participants have included Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork and Tedy Bruschi.

The network will also continue its exclusive local programming of NFL Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football and NFL playoffs through its partnership with Westwood One. The contract has just been extended another two years.

“Patriots Monday and Patriots Friday are staples of the WEEI lineup and are appointment listening for New England fans,” said Entercom New England Vice President of AM Programming Jason Wolfe. “The Patriots are tremendous partners and we’re thrilled to continue this can’t miss programming while expanding our relationship with the team.” Wolfe continued, “The Patriots are primed for another Super Bowl run, and that will put a much larger emphasis on the games, league wide. WEEI is proud to be Boston’s only home for the NFL’s primetime lineup for the next two years.”

Smart move by WEEI to protect some of the most valuable aspects of their programming.

Update: This is weird. WEEI sent out a correction to say that the extension for Patriots Monday and Friday was was actually signed LAST YEAR. I’m trying to determine why they chose to announce it now.

Popularity: 9% [?]

There was a statement released tonight by Julie Kahn, Vice President/New England Market Manager, Entercom New England on the announcement today from CBS about WBCN and the new WBZ-FM. The first part of the statement is claiming total victory for Entercom’s WAAF in the Boston rock radio market:

For decades, WAAF and WBCN have competed fiercely against each other for rock radio listeners in this market. It truly has been an epic competition. With the announcement that WBCN will soon go off the air, WAAF has won that battle and is now in an even stronger position to attract new listeners and build upon its dominance among Boston rock stations.

“WAAF Boston is New England’s most listened to Rock radio station broadcasting on 97.7and 107.3 FM. Over the course of four decades, WAAF has been able to garner ratings in more Arbitron measured markets than any other station in the country. In Boston, WAAF is consistently ranked the #1 station among Men 25-44. WAAF is among only a handful of radio stations in the world that has been able to thrive in the same format as the day it signed on decades ago.

Can you say “victory lap?” Kahn then assures all that Entercom will win out the sports radio market as well:

“On the sports side, this announcement was not a surprise. We’ve been expecting it given the many rumors over the last few years. We’ve dealt with competitive situations in the past and we’re fully prepared to do it again. We’re blessed to have built the strongest lineup of sports content and talent in the country, and are proud to have expanded that content platform through the newly designed WEEI.com, and our 9 station regional network. We have the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, and Patriots Monday/Friday, and we’re fully committed to providing the best sports programming to our listeners for many years to come.

The statement is mildly surprising to me, though the email did specify that the statement was in response to several inquiries requesting comment on the CBS announcement.

The coming months will be interesting to see if WBZ-FM is more successful than previous attempts to crack the Boston sports radio market.

I’ll have more on this tomorrow, along with some thoughts on how things might shake out, and what I’m hearing from some in the industry on the situation.

Popularity: 10% [?]

It’s official – CBS Radio Steps up to the Plate and Launches FM Sports Stations in Boston and Washington, D.C.

Little did you realize that yesterday when I asked you to program The New Boston Sports Radio Station that there really IS going to be such a station…

There are a couple of stories going around today on the end of the current WBCN (Idolator blog):

Boston-area rock stalwart WBCN is going off the air later this summer, with its Linkin-Park-and-Led-Zep playlist being shoved aside in order for parent company CBS Radio to make room for a new, all-sports yakfest on the area’s radio dial. (WBCN had broadcast New England Patriots football.)

This was followed by the fine Boston Phoenix media reporter Adam Reilly, who says that what is actually happening is that parent company CBS will be moving Mix 98.5 to 104.1 in August, and that a new station, the Sports Hub will emerge at 98.5 will the call letters WBZ-FM. He also says that ‘BCN’s current morning duo Toucher and Rich will do the morning show at the new WBZ-FM.

He then adds this intriguing nugget:

I’m told that WEEI.com’s Michael Felger and Comcast SportsNet’s Gary Tanguay will be doing afternoon shows on the Sports Hub when the station’s up and running. Those are nice gets–and as the Sports Hub competes with powerhouse WEEI-AM, it’ll need all the talent it can get.

Felger on the move again? 98.5 and 104.1 have decent signal, at least up to up here in NH. That’s a leg up on prior WEEI competitors such as 1510 the Zone and ESPN890. Toucher and Rich have an established audience, and Felger and Tanguay are big names in the local sports media. It might just work…especially if the Patriots broadcasts come along as well.

I checked a little  into the Felger/Tanguay thing with some industry sources, and while I can’t say it’s 100% for sure, let’s just say I’m very comfortable echoing what Reilly says about them being on afternoons on the new station.

It is not clear as of yet where the Patriots games will be heard. It would make a ton of sense to have them on the new WBZ-FM, and give them something to anchor their sports lineup around. The Bruins could very well be in play as well.

Update: Multiple posts, plus apparently promos on WBCN itself, are saying at the Patriots and Bruins broadcasts will be heard on the new WBZ-FM.

Patriots and Bruins on WBZ-FM vs Red Sox and Celtics on WEEI.  

What do you think the rest of their lineup should look like?

Related Links:

Say Goodbye to WBCN. Say Hello to WBZ-FM (Ken Fang)

Official ruling on the field: The Rock is dead as FM sports talker comes to the Boston airwaves (Boston Radio Watch)

CBS sacks WBCN for all-sports Boston station - Jessica Heslam

Bruins to debut on new Hub sports radio station - Heslam

Popularity: 20% [?]

The first hour of today’s Big Show on WEEI was pretty interesting, as they discussed the transition of sports media into the internet age. The comparison was made to when radio and TV were getting into everyday sports coverage and resistance they encountered from the newspaper writers.

The topic came up when it was revealed that WEEI.com editor and Red Sox writer Rob Bradford, a co-host on the show today, is not currently a member of the BBWAA, (Baseball Writers Association of America) mostly because he does not write for a print publication, but instead for an internet site only. Bradford had been a member when he wrote for newspapers (Herald, E-T, Lowell Sun) in the past. Glenn Ordway even joked that Bradford appears on polls about Who is the best Red Sox Writer?  – so why isn’t he considered a writer by the BBWAA?

Ordway discussed coming up the media ranks in the 1970’s as a radio/TV guy (lugging around a giant reel-to-reel tape recorder) and the resistance he met from the old school newspaper writers. (Interestingly the name Clif Keane came up.)

It’s a pretty interesting discussion, we’ll see if they talk more about it as the afternoon goes on.

Popularity: 6% [?]

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% [?]

A few things on my mind this week…

Looking forward to the return of the RemDawg…he posted on Twitter that he was getting closer to a return…but his absence might end up doing Don Orsillo a lot of good in the long run. Remy is about the only partner Orsillo has ever worked with on the Red Sox telecasts, and this experience (I think they’ve trotted out about 27 partners for Orsillo thus far this season) has allowed Orsillo to stretch his legs a little, and this a good thing. Dennis Eckersley has been his most frequent partner, and at first, Eck would comment on a play and ask Orsillo his opinion, and there would be a pregnant pause, and Don clearly wasn’t used to having his partner ask him about the play. They’ve gotten as time has gone by, and in the Orsillo is going to be better for the entire experience.

Chad Finn, God bless him, might be the only person in town who takes more shots at WEEI than I do. Here’s a nice zinger from today’s Boston.com chat:

[Comment From Guest]
Do you now find it amusing that the Big Show has been so dismissive of people who were suggesting that Ortiz get his eyes checked? Their confidence in their opinions seems spectacularly misplaced. I still remember them making fun of every caller in the fall of 2006 who said the Patriots needed a reciever who could “stretch the field,” then the following spring they couldn’t stop talking about how Moss’ speed was going to improve the offense.

12:51 Chad Finn:
Nah. Their mode of operation is to be dismissive of anyone who knows more than they do and has an original thought. So they tend to do a lot of dismissing.

On the other hand, Finn has passed me on the “snide comments from Ordway” scoreboard.

Earlier in the week, Tom E Curran addressed his December column, in which the possibility that Tom Brady’s 2009 season was in jeopardy was suggested:

In December, a source told me Brady was significantly behind in his rehab from the early October surgery that fixed his torn ACL and MCL. A buildup of scar tissue after an infection set in limited the range of motion in Brady’s knee and there was laxity in both the ACL and MCL. While the source never said Brady’s 2009 season was doomed, it was noted that the laxity could present a problem if the scar tissue and range of motion prevented him from strengthening his leg.

Clearly, Brady’s made up whatever time he was behind. Now, the strength of the knee and repair by Dr. Neal El Attrache, who performed the surgery have made the knee strong enough for Brady to participate at a fairly astonishing level in early June.

Health is a transitory thing. And while I most definitely stand by the original story and the bona fides of my source, Brady is certainly not behind schedule now.

It’s better than Curran’s last comments on the matter where he merely said that “NBCSports.com” had reported that Brady was behind in his rehab.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Former FOX Sports Radio host and rumor monger extraordinaire Ben Maller will be filling in for Mike Adams on WEEI’s “Planet Mikey” tonight, tomorrow night and Thursday night.

A little about Maller from his online bio:

Ben Maller is an entertaining voice of sarcasm as a weekend host and the “sixth man” of Fox Sports Radio.

Ben’s unique, sarcastic, common-man view on sports mixed with a passionate cynical attitude has created a loyal audience. On the air, Maller takes it one call at a time and goes by the simple philosophy that “most games are lost, not won.”

Maller’s 13-year radio career began in the early 90’s as a reporter for XTRA Sports 690 AM in San Diego, and has included stops at Radio Sports Creations, and at KXTA in Los Angeles in the late 90’s as the host of the popular “Ben & Dave Show,” as well as the host of Dodger Talk.

Ben has broken a number of stories over the past few years on his popular Internet site, BenMaller.com, having received credit in major newspapers including the Philadelphia Daily News, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Houston Chronicle, Los Angeles Daily News, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Oregonian, Arizona Republic and San Antonio Express-News among others. Popular sports sites such as FoxSports.com, SI.com, MSNBC.com, SportingNews.com and NBA gossip site HoopsHype.com have also credited Ben’s site.
Maller has made numerous television appearances including the popular “Sports List” show on FSN.

Ben attended Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. The Native of Orange County is single and lives next to Dodger Stadium.

Popularity: 8% [?]

According to Michael Felger on WEEI this morning, last night’s local TV ratings break down as follows:

• Boston Bruins on NESN, 7:00pm – 10.2

• Boston Celtics on TNT, 8:00pm - 12.2

• Boston Red Sox on NESN, 10:00pm – 4.5

Update – According to NESN, the Red Sox number was really 5.5 – since the game was also shown on NESNPlus channels, and those weren’t factored into the 4.5 number.

The Bruins rating was the second highest Bruins rating in NESN history, behind only the 2004 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game 7 (11.2).

NESN’s ratings in the key demographic categories also established benchmarks, including an 11.4 for Men 25-54 and an 8.6 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.

Popularity: 10% [?]

If you missed it on The Baseball Show Saturday on CSN/WEEI, for Red Sox utilityman Lou Merloni talked about a time he was in a team meeting “before this last regime” when the following happened:

(Your best bet with the video is to hit play, then hit pause and let the video load entirely, and then hit play again)

If you can’t play the video, here is the important part of what Merloni said:

There’s a doctor up there and he’s talking about steroids, and everyone was like ‘here we go, we’re gonna sit here and get the whole thing — they’re bad for you.’ No. He spins it and says ‘you know what, if you take steroids and sit on the couch all winter long, you can actually get stronger than someone who works out clean, if you’re going to take steroids, one cycle won’t hurt you, abusing steroids it will.’ He sat there for one hour and told us how to properly use steroids while I’m with the Boston Red Sox, sitting there with the rest of the organization, and after this I said ‘what the heck was that?

If you watch the video, neither Sean McAdam or Steve Buckley immediately follow up on Merloni’s bombshell, Buckley instead tells Merloni he’s on a different topic altogether than what they’re talking about – which was whether it was the owners or the players association that first sounded the alarm about the dangers and entensive use of steroids. Here you had an ex-player say that the team condoned the use of steroids, and there was no real challenge or followup to the statement.

Nick Cafardo posted about the segment on the Extra Bases blog and has Merloni saying that the team never encouraged the players to use steroids, but just told them how to safely use them.

Former GM Dan Duquette is quoted in the post, denying that the incident took place. Cafardo also has Troy O’Leary and another unnamed player from the Red Sox in that era who also does not remember that meeting.

Merloni clarified on Sports Sunday that it was not a Red Sox team doctor that spoke to the club. So who was it?

Popularity: 13% [?]

http://www.weei.com/images/larry-johnson-cartoons

Boston Globe Staff Photo / Matthew J. Lee

The angle of the head is a little off, but perhaps LJ just got a photo a few frames off from this one…or maybe he actually drew Ellsbury’s head. In any event, he made sure to include the fan with the outstretched arms in the background…

Popularity: 11% [?]