Big changes at CSNNE and WEEI.com

Ironhead

Theo offers...
Jul 10, 2007
7
Lowell, MA
It's still the worst website I've seen in 15 years. I don't even disagree with your entire topic, the BSM is a pile of trash, but you really need a web developer. Pixelated tweets aren't great.
We're waiting for Bedard to resolve LoyKKKoGate before we freshen up our look. Bad opticz, I know.
 

JohnnyTheBone

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May 28, 2007
36,331
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It's still the worst website I've seen in 15 years. I don't even disagree with your entire topic, the BSM is a pile of trash, but you really need a web developer. Pixelated tweets aren't great.
I like the site. It is easy to read, and you don't get bombarded with pop-ups and auto-play bull$h!t. BJBSJ and Ironhead are doing a fine job.
 
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NickEsasky

Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em
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Jul 24, 2001
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I kind of assumed the cheap look of the site was intentional.
 

NickEsasky

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Jul 24, 2001
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As long as he's not part of Celtics' broadcasts, I can continue to avoid him like I have been for years.
 

Mystic Merlin

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Sep 21, 2007
46,769
Hartford, CT
Go back and read Tomase’s introductory column at WEEI, where he heaped praise on Callahan, Minihane, and Borges.

You’re welcome NBCSN!!

I just hope he doesn’t find his way onto Celtics, Bruins or Pats pre/postgame coverage.
 

BJBSJ

New Member
Feb 17, 2019
39
The Keefe effect.

Thanks to Ironhead, there’s more time for Chad Finn to spend time on his first love: rewriting Red Sox press releases.
 

WinterSoldier

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Jan 29, 2012
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Can someone tell me how having John Tomase is an upgrade to Sean McAdams on NBCSports? He must be pissed seeing him with his former gig.
 

Bunt4aTriple

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Jul 15, 2005
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The Keefe effect.

Thanks to Ironhead, there’s more time for Chad Finn to spend time on his first love: rewriting Red Sox press releases.
Can you please explain the relationship between you, Ironhead and WWIIFelger? If you're not all the same person, then you certainly use the same vernacular.
 

BJBSJ

New Member
Feb 17, 2019
39
I would say we share some similar opinions on sports and media. There’s not one person with 15 twitter accounts, as Fredgy Toucher would try to have people believe.
 

NickEsasky

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Jul 24, 2001
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Why the hate for Chad? Dude does a good job, writes some good stories, and seems to try to stay above the fray.
 

BJBSJ

New Member
Feb 17, 2019
39
I’d disagree with all of those sentiments. The good guy routine plays well of course, but he either slants coverage of media issues like the Felger knobjob he published, shines up Baseball Paper marketing and calls it a column, or sits on his hands as his employer conducts warfare against a rival. You can argue that he’s stuck there, which is true. But it also takes his value proposition down to nothing. He also writes about football like a caller to sports radio would. If other people enjoy him, that’s great. Just don’t see it that way.
 

TFP

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Dec 10, 2007
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Just an FYI to everyone, he's also a contributing member in good standing here and should be treated as such. Board rules apply as far as personal attacks go (which haven't been an issue yet) but it's not the same as other media members. He's free (and able) to defend himself as well if he pops his head in here.
 

mcpickl

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Jul 23, 2007
4,546
I would say we share some similar opinions on sports and media. There’s not one person with 15 twitter accounts, as Fredgy Toucher would try to have people believe.
You and Ironhead are the same guy though, right?

Or you just both work on the same website?
 

Byrdbrain

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Jul 18, 2005
8,588
Merloni is saying it is total BS on twitter(what else is he going to say). They have to do something and Ordway is awful but do they even have anyone they can backfill?
 

yeahlunchbox

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Jan 21, 2008
764
They could swap Keefe and Ordway. Turn midday into essentially an old school type show that should be competitive with Beetle and Zo and that puts Keefe into the afternoon with people he'd probably mesh better with. Also maybe having Keefe there will help get a younger audience. It feels like right now it's a mix of the worst worlds. If you're an older audience member who wants basically to just have the Big O show the way it used to be you're probably not interested in Merloni and Christian and if you're looking for something fresh you have Keefe but he's paired with Dale, so there goes that.
 

BJBSJ

New Member
Feb 17, 2019
39
Keefe was Joe Zarbano’s paint by numbers answer to closing the youth gap with 98.5. It didn’t work. Remember, he already got booted from PM drive once. Keefe’s ceiling is John Wallach - dorky 3rd man on a morning zoo like Toucher and Rich.

Volin is actually an interesting candidate, because he’ll say and defend breathtakingly stupid things with complete confidence. Just make sure the office only stocks nontoxic paste.
 

Patriot_Reign

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Apr 21, 2011
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Keefe's fine in my opinion, he suffers because of Dale Arnold as evidenced every time Dale isn't in the studio. "Oh and that's a ZINGER BURN 617-7 7 9-7 9 3 7 LEAVE THE AUDIENCE WITH THAT SIZZLE".
Ratings aren't going to move as long as Callahan, Arnold, and Ordway are the anchors of the station. It's not that difficult.
 

Koji’s Slider

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Jan 21, 2018
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My bet, they are going to shift Merloni into an on air Red Sox personality. Callahan and whoever 6-10, Dale and whoever 10-2, and a return of the Big Show from 2-6. If that doesn’t work, format change
 

jmm57

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Jul 15, 2005
1,485
Say what you want about Kirk being a terrible person, but Mut as a host on drive-time in a major sports market is a joke. I’m not surprised at all their ratings have tabled.

Seems like a nice enough guy and everything, but he’s the most boring person I’ve heard on air. Doesn’t even seem like he has John Wallach ceiling to me. I have no idea how he got that job, to me he seems like a fill in and weekends guy.
 

Murby

New Member
Mar 16, 2006
1,790
Boston Metro
My opinion of Kirk is that he is a terrible human. However, it seems if they gave him a job again, it would be exceedingly harmful to his mental health. Think the show brought out the worst of his alpha-male tendencies and that is not helpful one would think. He is definitely talented though. I was shocked they didn’t move him to 2-6 to take on Fleger when they figured out he could actually work.
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

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Apr 12, 2001
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EEI's biggest problem is that they think that anyone cares about what Callahan, Arnold and Ordway have to say about anything. It was the same thing with Eddie Andelman 15 years ago. Unless your name is Howard Stern, a radio personality's shelf life isn't really long. I mean, Felger and Mazz have been on the air for ten years and most people wish that they were gone.

CAO have been doing the same show over and over and over again, hitting the same beats, every day for 20+ years. They aren't around the teams anymore (I guess Arnold is, but he never reports anything newsworthy) so the only difference between them and you is that they sound better behind a mic -- though to be fair, this is true for 95% of all people on sports radio. I mean, is Marc Bertrand smarter than you? How about Tony Mazz? Or Adam Keefe? They aren't "experts" any more than half the people on this board.

If EEI were smart, they'd hire a bunch of young kids who have ideas other than "Democrats are scum", let them build an audience and see what happens. They don't have anything to lose*.

* Though they should lose Cristian Fauria. That dude sucks.
 

Vinho Tinto

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Dec 9, 2003
7,047
Auburn, MA
JMOH: I agree with a great deal of what you wrote. The one thing I disagree with is placing too much value in subject matter expertise. Talk radio in its various forms does not live or die on it. Of course, it’s better when the people on air know what they are talking about, but if expertise drove success
then a personalities like Sean McDonough would not fail with regularity.

The biggest asset hosts can have is a genuine passion for their shows. It’s what allowed Toucher and Rich to succeeded when they had to move to a sports station. You need more than that (Howard Stern’s charisma is often overlooked when people analyze his success), but a large number of listeners are not going to go out of their way to listen to a discussion that sounds like an earnings report.

That is why I find local sports\news talk a better listen than national programs.

EDIT: That’s terrible news about Tanguay.
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

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Apr 12, 2001
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JMOH: I agree with a great deal of what you wrote. The one thing I disagree with is placing too much value in subject matter expertise. Talk radio in its various forms does not live or die on it. Of course, it’s better when the people on air know what they are talking about, but if expertise drove success then a personalities like Sean McDonough would not fail with regularity.
You're 100% right, VT. It takes charisma and an innate ability for people to listen to someone drone on for four hours a day, every day. But the only reason why I bring up the expertise thing is because a lot of times, the hosts will use it as a the defacto fall back. "Caller, have you ever been in the Red Sox locker room? Have you ever been on a pro team? We know a little more than you."

Merloni does this all the time and it's ridiculous. Yeah, you've been on the Red Sox and you can also probably tell me more about Route 95 between Boston and Pawtcuket, but do a better job of communicating what's going on in the head of a pro athlete to your listeners. It's one thing to be talked down to by Tom Brady or Mo Vaughn. But who wants to be big timed by freaking Lou Merloni? Same thing with Zolak or Fauria.
 

Vinho Tinto

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Dec 9, 2003
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Auburn, MA
I agree with the you’re not a jock logic. Using that dictum, there are just three people alive who can talk about Donald Trump since no one else has held the Presidency.
 

ramfan

New Member
Jul 19, 2005
132
You're 100% right, VT. It takes charisma and an innate ability for people to listen to someone drone on for four hours a day, every day. But the only reason why I bring up the expertise thing is because a lot of times, the hosts will use it as a the defacto fall back. "Caller, have you ever been in the Red Sox locker room? Have you ever been on a pro team? We know a little more than you."

Merloni does this all the time and it's ridiculous. Yeah, you've been on the Red Sox and you can also probably tell me more about Route 95 between Boston and Pawtcuket, but do a better job of communicating what's going on in the head of a pro athlete to your listeners. It's one thing to be talked down to by Tom Brady or Mo Vaughn. But who wants to be big timed by freaking Lou Merloni? Same thing with Zolak or Fauria.
I don't ever recall Zolak doing the "Have you ever been on a pro team?" routine. Steve Deossie did it daily
 

Vinho Tinto

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Dec 9, 2003
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I don't ever recall Zolak doing the "Have you ever been on a pro team?" routine. Steve Deossie did it daily
The most unique tactic I’ve heard was from Dale Arnold. If callers complained about decisions made by Terry Francona, he’d ask if they’ve managed a baseball team and concluded he trusted the manager because he has. So unless you are Butch Hobson or Bobby V - pipe down caller.
 

Haunted

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Aug 23, 2006
6,196
That's awful about Gary. Cancer sucks but it sounds like he's where he needs to be to get the best care possible. Here's to a speedy and full recovery, Gary. Get healthy so I can go back to disliking you, alright?
 

Patriot_Reign

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Apr 21, 2011
1,150
Gare bear is on NBCBoston at the moment, sans hair. Wishing him the best and sounds like he's got this thing.
It's often felt like he gets grief for his opinions, but has been in on the joke so to speak.
As evidenced by the outpouring of support for him today, the people who know him cherish him.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
19,271
Keefe was Joe Zarbano’s paint by numbers answer to closing the youth gap with 98.5. It didn’t work. Remember, he already got booted from PM drive once. Keefe’s ceiling is John Wallach - dorky 3rd man on a morning zoo like Toucher and Rich.

Volin is actually an interesting candidate, because he’ll say and defend breathtakingly stupid things with complete confidence. Just make sure the office only stocks nontoxic paste.
So when is the announcement happening?
 

BJBSJ

New Member
Feb 17, 2019
39
Tomorrow. No, really....

When they’re putting feelers out to Hillman and VB, it’s a sign that the nationwide search isn’t going so well.
 

ramfan

New Member
Jul 19, 2005
132
We don't know the ratings on individual days (I think they have those internally) but I'm shocked with the Alex Reimer obsession. The morning show drive time ratings have dropped dramatically, Night ratings have dropped dramatically, I think weekend ratings came in like 18th. He works heavily all three, what am I missing?
 

mrl714

New Member
Dec 16, 2013
16
We don't know the ratings on individual days (I think they have those internally) but I'm shocked with the Alex Reimer obsession. The morning show drive time ratings have dropped dramatically, Night ratings have dropped dramatically, I think weekend ratings came in like 18th. He works heavily all three, what am I missing?
Alex Reimer comes dirt cheap.