RIP Toucher and Rich Show ... It was fun while it lasted
- Thread starter HomeBrew1901
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Putting yourself in the position to take over in case someone higher up the chain falls off is not always a career bad move.. think Jerrod Mayo
Between losing the guy I consider the most talented radio person on the station, and giving a daily show to an imbecile after conducting an extensive room-wide search (I think giving Joe Murray a show is akin to putting Matt Patricia in charge of the offense), 98.5 is making some spectacularly odd moves. Are they giving all of their money to Felger or something?
I would agree with your first part. Fred even mentioned that Rich was the “big idea guy” so the concepts combine with his production skills will certainly lead to a void. That said, Hardy is damn talented with the production piece as well.
Ill disagree with your Joe Murray take (well, not with your take on Joe- he sucks). The night show is clearly a low priority for them between Celtics and Bruins being broadcast 2-3 nights per week during most of the year and the fact that the night host is always the first sub for daytime fill-ins (Joe is in for Zo today, Adam Jones used to fill in all the time) makes me think the station doesn’t see value in the 6-11 time slot at all.
Yesterday in the 7:00 hour they were talking about the Patriots letting players go - Meyers specifically - and Rich was especially vocal. Something like "you have to keep good people around!"
I read into it then, and I'm reading into it now. My guess is all the stuff with Fred didn't help, but Beasley really dragged him around over the last few years, and probably didn't support him in the way he wanted when it came to the Fred situation.
Now it seems like Fred's back on track and Rich checked out a while back. It's hard to blame him, he still showed up and did his job, but all the extra stuff has long been gone.
It's a bummer. Hopefully the new co-host is a hit. There are a few I can think of that would put me off the show for good.
I read into it then, and I'm reading into it now. My guess is all the stuff with Fred didn't help, but Beasley really dragged him around over the last few years, and probably didn't support him in the way he wanted when it came to the Fred situation.
Now it seems like Fred's back on track and Rich checked out a while back. It's hard to blame him, he still showed up and did his job, but all the extra stuff has long been gone.
It's a bummer. Hopefully the new co-host is a hit. There are a few I can think of that would put me off the show for good.
It's the naming convention for all the other shows on the station with two co-hosts (and I imagine most radio shows in general).
Big radio companies are tanking. Audacy's stock (AUDA) is currently at 36 cents.
Yup. 98.5's 6am-6pm lineup is a unicorn. The radio biz is a bloodbath these days.
And the big ratings do not automatically raise the ad revenue. Thinking this is why 98.5 has been adding clips to Youtube, so they can get additional ad dollars there from monetized videos.
Edit: A small business structure as shown on WKRP has been dead for a long time. The independent stations are all now part of monoliths that are drowning in debt.
Per Kirk: Rich interviewed with EEI this morning.
Hill and Rich vs. Toucher and Hardy in 2024?
Hill and Rich vs. Toucher and Hardy in 2024?
For sure. I mean, check this out:
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/11/01/2770982/7973/en/Beasley-Broadcast-Group-Reports-Third-Quarter-Revenue-Of-60-1-Million.html
Beasley -- the entire operation, 61 stations across 15 markets -- generated a mere $60 million in revenue in Q3. And had an $85.5 million operating loss. That's horrific.
They prominently reported 9% digital revenue growth, which of course is a parlor trick designed to distract Wall Street from the apocalypse that is their core terrestrial ad business.
Sure seems like the obvious play for WEEI...and probably fun for listeners depending on how Toucher and Rich (separately) play it.
If that's true, I'm guessing Rich didn't know yesterday would be his last either. Pretty lame, he deserved the chance to sign off.
Hey there. I have had a story up for a while with the basics. Filled in with quotes, waiting to be edited and updated. Sometimes that takes a bit. My priority isn't Twitter, which provides no traffic and is essentially useless at this point. It's having it right -- which I have all along. Working on Sunday column with more detail beyond the news now. Hoping they'll post it later today.
I don't get this from EEI's or Rich's perspective.
For EEI, yes Rich will generate immediate buzz but I'm not sure even he's talented enough to carry Greg Hill and his show's bloated corpse to success after the instant sugar high.
For Rich, why stay in Boston morning sports talk? Now that he's not part of the Toucher and Rich show it seems like there would be far more interesting opportunities he'd be better suited for than having to deal with that. And I don't really see him meshing with Hill.
well from Rich's perspective it cost him nothing other than an hour or 2 so he might as well do due diligence and check it out
hehe. dodue.
hehe. dodue.
Oh I get the interview, and I would also see a positive for him in a return to afternoon there to revamp that programming. I just don't see the benefit for him of staying in mornings and having to deal with Greg Hill.
If Rich went to EEI mornings he would get direct access to Belichick. As a guy who will famously say anything to an interviewee I suppose that would be somewhat interesting. That said I’ve never heard the Hillman show, and don’t plan to start.
Where did he say this? On his podcast? Honestly, this seems like an odd choice to me if that’s where he ends up. I don’t see him meshing well with Hill at ALL.
Please not Big Jim Murray. I had to listen to him do mornings here in Ct about 10 years ago. He's totally insufferable as anything other than an update guy.
Did anyone catch Zo’s first comment when he got on the phone with Beetle and Hardy this morning?
“Hardy, don’t go!”
Beetle kinda tried to check Zo and redirect but Zo said something like “what? It’s out there now.”
“Hardy, don’t go!”
Beetle kinda tried to check Zo and redirect but Zo said something like “what? It’s out there now.”
Really think Minihane just makes this stuff up to make it look like he knows when he doesn't know anything. Just an act.
It seems to me as simple as the relationship between Fred and Rich became too toxic to continue. Rich made them choose one or the other, and they chose Fred. I think they picked the wrong one, but we'll see.
Rich on Twitter:
View: https://twitter.com/heyrichhey/status/1723035357824897288?s=20
HEY GUYS HEY- I’ve got nothing but gratitude for the 98.5 The Sports Hub listeners that have shared their mornings with us. My thanks to the listeners, and to each member of the Toucher & Rich show and the team at the station. To the T&R team, I’ve appreciated your efforts and waking up early every day and sharing all the fun we’ve had together. You’re an incredible group of guys.
There’s a lot to say and a lot more fun to have, and when we connect again every day, my commitment to you will be the same as it’s always been, to have a great time together. It was not my decision to not say goodbye on the radio, nor was it my plan to leave the program and station this soon, but just know that I’ll be announcing my plans in the near future. But for today, know that I TRULY LOVE YOU ALL and appreciate you sharing your time with me and the guys, and I can’t wait to share what’s next.
View: https://twitter.com/heyrichhey/status/1723035357824897288?s=20
HEY GUYS HEY- I’ve got nothing but gratitude for the 98.5 The Sports Hub listeners that have shared their mornings with us. My thanks to the listeners, and to each member of the Toucher & Rich show and the team at the station. To the T&R team, I’ve appreciated your efforts and waking up early every day and sharing all the fun we’ve had together. You’re an incredible group of guys.
There’s a lot to say and a lot more fun to have, and when we connect again every day, my commitment to you will be the same as it’s always been, to have a great time together. It was not my decision to not say goodbye on the radio, nor was it my plan to leave the program and station this soon, but just know that I’ll be announcing my plans in the near future. But for today, know that I TRULY LOVE YOU ALL and appreciate you sharing your time with me and the guys, and I can’t wait to share what’s next.
This sucks. T&R was the best show on the radio and has been for a long time. I hated the move to sports, but they were so good it didn't matter.
Good luck to each. I don't have a commute anymore (haven't since March of 2020) so whatever, but this show got me through years of awful commutes.
Good luck to each. I don't have a commute anymore (haven't since March of 2020) so whatever, but this show got me through years of awful commutes.
I could be way off base here but that sounds like he already has his other new gig lined up which might be why he wasn’t given the chance to sign off and told not to let the door hit him in the ass on the way out.
Will probably be in Chad's story that Rich to WEEI was in the works before this morning. Wasn't a very well kept secret the last few weeks.
Certainly sounds like it. Contract negotiations go down hill. Rich gets things lined up for WEEI, he says he won't sign the contract, Beasley immediately terminates him since he's going to a competitor. That's what we do. Thanks for the notice, you're gone immediately.
If you were WEEI wouldn't you fire Hill and pair Rich with someone else? Rich was half of the dominant show---Hill is the leader of a completely uncompetitive show. I get that we don't know what Rich as lead/with someone else looks like ---but if I were WEEI I'd sure bet on Rich + someone vs Hill.
I would pull Arcand off the afternoon show and do Arcand and Rich personally.
I would absolutely do that, I was just speaking to someone's proposal of a Rich and Hillman morning show.
Fred and Rich used to make fun of Greg Hill all the time when they were on BCN and Hill was on WAAF. It's possible neither Rich nor Hillmanwould want to work with the other.
I don’t really listen to these guys anymore, but mostly because Fred had become unlistenable recently. I love Rich, he seems like a genuinely good human being and was clearly the behind the scenes “idea guy” as Fred put it. But the show was never as good when one or the other of them was not on. Fred needed Rich’s concepts and production and ideas, and Rich needed Fred’s free form ad-libbed comedic genius. I wish them both the best, I really hope Rich doesn’t end up on WEEI, I fucking hate that station.
I just listened to the entire 20-ish minute segment that Fred did to address the situation. It’s hard to take anything he says as fact since Fred is such an unreliable narrator. So who knows what really went down.
Looking forward to someone like Chad reporting on things to learn some semblance of the truth.
Looking forward to someone like Chad reporting on things to learn some semblance of the truth.
It doesn’t matter, but I’m curious about what Fred “agreed to do” at the HR meeting with Rich in the spring. He thought it fixed things but it sure sounds like Rich made the decision then to ride out his contract, keep up appearances and split at the end of the year, and it was because of Fred. I don’t think we’ll ever hear Rich’s “side” unless they make up and talk about it on a podcast one day. The fact that Fred doesn’t expect to talk to Rich anytime soon says it all.
I was just thinking about that. It’s gotta be the statement he put out around May trying to put out the fire of saying Rich never reached out about the throat thing.