Big changes at CSNNE and WEEI.com

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
19,271
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?
Felger has said at times that they actually track the ratings per break, which drives what they talk about on F&M. Sadly it seems the worst content on F&M must be doing the best because it sucks.
 

NDame616

will bailey
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Jul 31, 2006
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I think he talked frequently about how much he hated the DeflateGate talk but it literally drove ratings and they could track how that topic got the most listeners so they really had no choice
 

Vinho Tinto

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Dec 9, 2003
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I think he talked frequently about how much he hated the DeflateGate talk but it literally drove ratings and they could track how that topic got the most listeners so they really had no choice
Felger? He loved Deflategate. He’d be thrilled to go back to talking about it every show vs Red Sox regular season baseball.
 

HomeBrew1901

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Felger? He loved Deflategate. He’d be thrilled to go back to talking about it every show vs Red Sox regular season baseball.
To NDame's point though, I don't think he did as much as it drove ratings and it's his job as an entertainer/company earner to talk about shit that he may not want to because it puts money in his and his company's pockets.

Maybe Chad can correct me if I'm wrong but it seems Sports Radio is a lot like the WWE. If it makes more money and gets more viewers to have The Rock turn heel and be the bad guy, then whether he likes it or not he's going to be the bad guy.

If talking about the Red Sox daily drove ratings then they would talk Red Sox non stop. It sucks and the only thing you can do is what listeners to WEEI have largely done, turn off the radio.
 

Rusty13

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Nov 3, 2007
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OUCH.

[B]Displaced BJBSJostonian[/B]‏ @[B]Ironhead334[/B]
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Sports Radio Ratings for May 2019, men 25-54. Standard disclaimers of no Providence (#RhodeIslandTypical) or streaming numbers included apply: AM Drive: @Toucherandrich 9.4, 1st overall @MutCallahan 5.8, 6th overall Middays: @ZoandBertrand 10.4, 2nd @DaleKeefeWEEI 4.7, 5th

[B]Displaced BJBSJostonian[/B]‏ @[B]Ironhead334[/B] 1h1 hour ago
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PM Drive: @FelgerAndMazz 12.1, 1st overall - @OMFonWEEI 5.3, 4th Evenings: @985TheSportsHub 7.8, 2nd overall - @WEEI 4.2, 8th place Weekends: WBZ 6.4, T-2nd - Sinking Ship Dot Com 3.0, T-14th Overall, Monday - Sunday: Sportshub - 10.0, 1st overall EEI - 4.7, 5th place
 

NortheasternPJ

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When is WEEI going to do something? I don't mean go all country, but it's obvious all 3 shows aren't working. When do you start new offerings?

I know weekends aren't important, but WEEI's weekends are a disaster.
 

BJBSJ

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Feb 17, 2019
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They reached out to a lot of people this spring. Andy Hart was about the 10th choice, but the first one to say yes.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
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Is 98.5 that big of a giant that no one wants to go against them? I love T&R, I like Hardy featuring Zo & Beetle and despise F&M/Jones (Arcand is solid). How can they get no one to even try? Do they pay horrible?
 

NickEsasky

Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em
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Jul 24, 2001
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At this point, they could put 2 random SoSHers on the air and get the same ratings.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
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I actually listened a bit this week because of Ortiz and 98.5 seemed not wanting to really dive in they had Wiggy as their Minority Reporter talking about how people on the street and in 3rd world countries work. It was awful if not insulting.
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

has fancy plans, and pants to match
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Apr 12, 2001
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I'm shocked that three old, crabby white men, who actively despise their audience, can't get any traction in a dying medium.
 

PC Drunken Friar

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OUCH.

[B]Displaced BJBSJostonian[/B]‏ @[B]Ironhead334[/B]
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Sports Radio Ratings for May 2019, men 25-54. Standard disclaimers of no Providence (#RhodeIslandTypical) or streaming numbers included apply: AM Drive: @Toucherandrich 9.4, 1st overall @MutCallahan 5.8, 6th overall Middays: @ZoandBertrand 10.4, 2nd @DaleKeefeWEEI 4.7, 5th

[B]Displaced BJBSJostonian[/B]‏ @[B]Ironhead334[/B] 1h1 hour ago
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PM Drive: @FelgerAndMazz 12.1, 1st overall - @OMFonWEEI 5.3, 4th Evenings: @985TheSportsHub 7.8, 2nd overall - @WEEI 4.2, 8th place Weekends: WBZ 6.4, T-2nd - Sinking Ship Dot Com 3.0, T-14th Overall, Monday - Sunday: Sportshub - 10.0, 1st overall EEI - 4.7, 5th place
For clarification...is T & R #1 in the demographic for all radio, or just sports talk radio?
 

Murby

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Mar 16, 2006
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Boston Metro
To NDame's point though, I don't think he did as much as it drove ratings and it's his job as an entertainer/company earner to talk about shit that he may not want to because it puts money in his and his company's pockets.

Maybe Chad can correct me if I'm wrong but it seems Sports Radio is a lot like the WWE. If it makes more money and gets more viewers to have The Rock turn heel and be the bad guy, then whether he likes it or not he's going to be the bad guy.

If talking about the Red Sox daily drove ratings then they would talk Red Sox non stop. It sucks and the only thing you can do is what listeners to WEEI have largely done, turn off the radio.
I used to be a loyal F&M listener, but Felger’s hammering over and over the deflategate & other Patriot conspiracy talk drove me away. I do specifically remember him taking a call one day as I was considering moving onto another show, and he said to the caller he didn’t really want to do the deflate thing, but it was showing in the ratings. They saw the segments spike, so it carried the day.

I switched to paid satellite.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Sad news JMOH! Mustard and Johnson are being relegated to 850AM and will no longer be on WEEI! The end of an era.

I didn’t even realize 850 was a different channel. I thought It just played WEEI
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

has fancy plans, and pants to match
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Sad news JMOH! Mustard and Johnson are being relegated to 850AM and will no longer be on WEEI! The end of an era.

I didn’t even realize 850 was a different channel. I thought It just played WEEI
They were booted from the air about 15 years ago and thanks to complaints they returned. I am sure that they’ll be back at some point.

Probably M-F, from 2:00 - 6:00.
 

NortheasternPJ

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They were booted from the air about 15 years ago and thanks to complaints they returned. I am sure that they’ll be back at some point.

Probably M-F, from 2:00 - 6:00.
I would imagine most of those who complained 15 years ago are probably dead of old age.

maybe this is a sign WEEI is actually trying to improve programming? The new show is Andy Hart and someone else. I’m not a huge Hart fan but he seems rather level headed and knows the Pats.
 

shawnrbu

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Jul 14, 2005
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The thing that jumps out to me is the overall listeners in the morning is consistent, but there is a steep drop in the afternoon.

When was the last time Dale Arnold won a ratings book? Was it in this decade?
 

ggreene

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Jul 23, 2019
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I know for me after the C's and B's are done I kind of tune out sports radio for a while to recover. I'm not the biggest Red Sox fan anyways so not missing much in the Summer. Maybe a half hour in the morning.
 

pedro1918

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Mar 5, 2004
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I don’t really care that Ordway is back in the afternoon drive slot on EEI. It’s easily avoidable with music and podcasts and if I am looking for comedy, there is Francesca.

But my goodness, if you are looking to hear about a just completed Pats victory and you flip on the radio it’s Ordway, DeOssie and Smerlas. Deliver me from these bozos.
 

Patriot_Reign

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Apr 21, 2011
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It is remarkable that while being crushed by 98.5 (for years now ?!) weei boasts a roster of Dale Arnold (shudder) and the Big O. Maybe it's contracts or they're just content to sit in the ditch but c'mon at least try and put together a competitive team.
 

shaggydog2000

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Apr 5, 2007
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It is remarkable that while being crushed by 98.5 (for years now ?!) weei boasts a roster of Dale Arnold (shudder) and the Big O. Maybe it's contracts or they're just content to sit in the ditch but c'mon at least try and put together a competitive team.
I think they're just tanking to clear salary and get a top draft pick.
 

NortheasternPJ

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I don’t really care that Ordway is back in the afternoon drive slot on EEI. It’s easily avoidable with music and podcasts and if I am looking for comedy, there is Francesca.

But my goodness, if you are looking to hear about a just completed Pats victory and you flip on the radio it’s Ordway, DeOssie and Smerlas. Deliver me from these bozos.
Is Butch Sterns off of the postgame?
 

Patriot_Reign

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Rumour has it that the Mut at Night show and all local weekend talk is out at WEEI, instead going to CBS sports national
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Oct 1, 2015
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This is the sorry state of Boston sports radio. Felger and Mazz suck so unbelievably badly, and yet they're *crushing* OMF and every other show on WEEI.

I hate to say it, but NY sports radio is just so much better. Orders of magnitude better.
 

Kliq

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Mar 31, 2013
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This is the sorry state of Boston sports radio. Felger and Mazz suck so unbelievably badly, and yet they're *crushing* OMF and every other show on WEEI.

I hate to say it, but NY sports radio is just so much better. Orders of magnitude better.
I've written this many times, but I was a religious WEEI listener. Fell asleep at night as a kid listening to Ted Sarandis, always had the Sox games on in the background. For the first five years I had a car my dial never moved from WEEI. I literally didn't use the radio for anything else. When I got a car with bluetooth connectivity, I figured I could listen to podcasts/music of my choosing instead and I never went back to sports talk radio. It is just a terrible medium at this point as opposed to other options. The only time I ever listen is if I'm driving like under one mile somewhere and I don't feel like queuing up a podcast or music.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Oct 1, 2015
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The Kay show and Joe and Evan are so much better than F&M.
Joe and Evan - I've said this several times before here - are the best sports talk radio show going right now. They have great chemistry. They're funny. They talk SPORTS. They are just fantastic. I'm glad for them that they have the afternoon drive slot now.
 

scottyno

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Dec 7, 2008
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I've written this many times, but I was a religious WEEI listener. Fell asleep at night as a kid listening to Ted Sarandis, always had the Sox games on in the background. For the first five years I had a car my dial never moved from WEEI. I literally didn't use the radio for anything else. When I got a car with bluetooth connectivity, I figured I could listen to podcasts/music of my choosing instead and I never went back to sports talk radio. It is just a terrible medium at this point as opposed to other options. The only time I ever listen is if I'm driving like under one mile somewhere and I don't feel like queuing up a podcast or music.
Same, I used to listen to basically every single weei show for hours a day, now outside of a few interviews, which I still will find online afterwards instead of listening live, I can't think of the last time I listened to more than 5 minutes straight of any sports radio show except the patriots radio ones centred around the draft. Podcasts are just so much better when I have the option to pick from tens of thousands of episodes on any topic imaginable.
 

NortheasternPJ

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I love T&R but understand why a lot of people don’t like them. I’m a big Hardy guy so he makes Zo And Beetle. Felger and Mazz is awful and everything I hate about sports radio and add in Weekday Jim Murray it’s even worse. Murray’s ok on the weekends.

I love Keefe and I know why he went to WEEI (who wouldn’t) but the show is brutal with Dale.
 

Rusty13

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Nov 3, 2007
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Anything is brutal with Dale, to be fair.
Agreed. I am absolutely amazed he's still on the air. There has to be SOMEONE better (and younger) that they can pair off with Keefe. He's getting a raw deal right now.

But for Red Sox programming, I see a very broad formatting change in EEI's near future.
 

Patriot_Reign

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Apr 21, 2011
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Dale is boring at best and atrocious without the prop of current sports to discuss.

What makes me curious how F&M get these ratings. While T&R and Z&B have long proven capable of leaving the sports world for a bit to discuss all things entertainment this isn't the case with F&M. They discuss literally nothing except sports, and even within that topic they won't venture into anything that's sports related but involves politics or society issues such as the recent Tori Hunter stuff. It's just four hours of digging into how Brady's a fraud now, or Belichick's ego is all consuming. Or the quickest way to get sports back. But that's it, and they almost pulled a 20 last month. It's unbelievable that this limited scope of discussion is driving that large an audience.
 

Patriot_Reign

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sigh.
so of course I turn on f&m around 4 and they were doing a brief opinion piece on the state of current politics.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
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sigh.
so of course I turn on f&m around 4 and they were doing a brief opinion piece on the state of current politics.
I can't even listen to them. I'm not trying to be political and don't want to start that conversation here, there's other places but F&M basically take the Crossfire playbook, which is now the cable news playbook and have hot takeZ for hours. You can tell half the time they can't even fake their takeZ. If i listen for an hour a week its too much. Most weeks I listen to zero, but in the COVID world locked at home i have turned them on for 5-10 minutes here and there between WebEx/Zoom meetings and it's still awful.
 

Haunted

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Aug 23, 2006
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I don’t think I’ve listened to more than 5 minutes of sports radio since I started working remotely full time. I do miss T&R, but not as much as I love my new commute.
These are shares, right? I wonder what raw numbers are compared to last year.
 

ggreene

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Jul 23, 2019
215
I occasionally listen to Greg Hill in the morning and some F+M in the afternoon. Even then it's maybe 30 mins to an hour at most. I tried to listen to Minihane's podcast but it gets monotonous fast. There just isn't a lot out there that is compelling.
 

Mueller's Twin Grannies

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Dec 19, 2009
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You willingly listen to Greg Hill? Is the alternative just that feedback noise? If so... I might go with the noise anyway.

Rich Keefe must have done something to piss someone off in his career that is causing him to either get passed over or given dead weight to work with. He's outspoken but without the pompous air, so maybe that's why? I don't get it. He's a better radio host than just about anyone else on the air, more knowledgeable about any given subject than most, and doesn't get bogged down in stupid shit the way others do just to pass time. Is it because he's not an ex-jock and didn't get to gladhand his way to a network of people with clout or just bad timing?
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
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The only problem with Keefe is that he’s on WEEI, is associated with Dale and is opposite Hardy who appeals I’d guess to the same people but on a better show.

I love #dork