The obvious question in August, when The Sports Hub (WBZ-FM, 98.5) began its quest to become the first significant challenger to longtime powerhouse WEEI, was whether Boston could sustain another sports-talk radio station.
Stunningly, the answer, just two full monthly ratings books into the competition, also has become obvious: Absolutely.
The Hub has nice set up. I knew Mazz and Felger would blow the Big Show out of the water but surprised to see how quickly they gained on the other shows. I listen to Toucher and Rich in the morn but only because the alternative (WEEI) is unbearable at that slot. That said--Toucher and Rich need to focus more on sports and less on telling us about their personal lives. Is this a generational thing? Its like Facebook on the airwaves.
i dont know how long they will sustain this. i hope they do because i finally have sports radio that i can tolerate. the only personality i dislike on the station is tanguay. the guy is a whiner, WEEI-style whiner. felger, surprisingly enough has grown on me. he might be a jerk, but he knows his stuff. besides, hearing him agree with somebody is always a treat, as rare as it is.
The Hub has nice set up. I knew Mazz and Felger would blow the Big Show out of the water but surprised to see how quickly they gained on the other shows. I listen to Toucher and Rich in the morn but only because the alternative (WEEI) is unbearable at that slot. That said--Toucher and Rich need to focus more on sports and less on telling us about their personal lives. Is this a generational thing? Its like Facebook on the airwaves.
they pretty much just took their existing show from WBCN, and added wallach. wallach is a good match for them though, and he has a good time with it too i think. its not so much "sports talk" as it is "immature guy talk" (hey i find it entertaining most mornings). fortunately for them, they built up a solid following on BCN that for the most part followed them to the new station.
however, if the crap ever hits the proverbial fan, i think the morning show will be the first one nixed
however, if the crap ever hits the proverbial fan, i think the morning show will be the first one nixed
You got that right! I also think that Toucher and Rich should add a 4th person now and then. Someone like Bruschi and Brickley who could add some depth and focus into the Pats and Bs talk. Toucher and Rich tend to wander......
I listen to Toucher and Rich in the morn but only because the alternative (WEEI) is unbearable at that slot. That said--Toucher and Rich need to focus more on sports and less on telling us about their personal lives.Its like Facebook on the airwaves.
This! Big time!
I honestly can't listen to the morning show all that long because of the incessant childish behavior (i.e. playing some annoying clip and them constantly voicing over with some 7th grade-level commentary).
Personally, I'd like to just hear a decent, sports-centric morning show with highlight recaps of the night before and some guest speakers from the local sports scene. Too much to ask?
You got that right! I also think that Toucher and Rich should add a 4th person now and then. Someone like Bruschi and Brickley who could add some depth and focus into the Pats and Bs talk. Toucher and Rich tend to wander......
yeah they could probably mix it up to help themselves out. almost like DA has beers and goucher on wednesdays from 6-7. they have a lot of guests on, much more than any other show on the air. but, its only cuz they dont know enough about sports to carry their own show. wallach is really good too, and he chimes in on just about every interview, but they dont give him enough credit for what he does.
i'm still going to listen regardless, cuz i enjoy the show. i just think that if they wanna hit a larger audience they'll need to brush up on their sports knowledge.
The Hub has nice set up. I knew Mazz and Felger would blow the Big Show out of the water but surprised to see how quickly they gained on the other shows. I listen to Toucher and Rich in the morn but only because the alternative (WEEI) is unbearable at that slot. That said--Toucher and Rich need to focus more on sports and less on telling us about their personal lives. Is this a generational thing? Its like Facebook on the airwaves.
Just the opposite. Toucher and Rich do a good and funny show. They talk about sports enough, and if its not enough you get the rest of the day to hear the same sports talk (on two different stations BTW). Its what they bring to the show outside of sports that makes them a good show. Its why they were kept in the fold when BCN went away. They bring other things to the table besides sports, similar to Dennis and Callahan talking news and politics as well as sports.
The competition is good because it forces all parties to raise their game. WEEI had it easy for too long and a lot of the schtick got stagnant (if you ever liked it). It's nice to have choices now. I particularly enjoy the DA show, he's destined for something big. I know a lot of people really like what WEEI does. The good news is that if it's not for you, there's something else to try out.
WEEI needs to produce some new personalities. Trotting out the tired "Mustard & Johnson" show and some of the weekend acts is an invitation to change the station. Even Gonzo Adams gets old if you listen more than once in awhile.
The competition is good because it forces all parties to raise their game. WEEI had it easy for too long and a lot of the schtick got stagnant (if you ever liked it). It's nice to have choices now. I particularly enjoy the DA show, he's destined for something big. I know a lot of people really like what WEEI does. The good news is that if it's not for you, there's something else to try out.
It shows up huge in the commercial breaks. For a long time EEI was taking 20 minute commercial breaks. My whole commute to work would be commercials on EEI. Not so anymore.
The Hub has nice set up. I knew Mazz and Felger would blow the Big Show out of the water but surprised to see how quickly they gained on the other shows. I listen to Toucher and Rich in the morn but only because the alternative (WEEI) is unbearable at that slot. That said--Toucher and Rich need to focus more on sports and less on telling us about their personal lives. Is this a generational thing? Its like Facebook on the airwaves.
God no. I won't have my T + R ruined by even more sports talk. They focus too much on sports as it is.
No surprise here. Felger is more interesting than two has-beens and a fat 60 year old man.
Complaining that a sports station is covering just too much sports is like me whining that Kiss 108 plays too much crappy music. The mistake is on your end, not on what Toucher and Rich are doing, IMO.
I love 98.5, and I never really saw the appeal of WEEI. I love sports, but to be able to tolerate that station must take a love of sorts talk that I have not reached yet.
I enjoy Felger and Mazz astronomically better than The Yell Over Each Other Show.
toucher and rich all the way, about time late 20's-30+ year olds had some demographic on the dial in this city, IMO. All my friends and brothers have become instant fans, and have grown up here and rooted for all the teams. T&R wont go anywhere, come on, them tuning up gary tanguay is great. I like Felger and most everyone over there can talk puck, & Zo can offer some half way decent pigskin talk. EEI is awesome if ya love fantasy land sox talk, to me thats suicidal, but it apparently melts some peoples butter, like kessel threads.
I'm not a huge T&R fan either actually, but I do prefer them over the competition on EEI. They clearly have their fans that would follow them to whichever station that should actually employ them. I think an all sports show would do really, really well in the morning drive slot because it would be running virtually unopposed. A lot of folks only listen to the radio on their way to/from work, so if they don't talk sports during those hours then they may as well not be talking sports at all.
Felger and Mazz seem to have made huge gains on the big show, so it makes no sense to move them to the morning. If they used DA in that slot with someone a bit more animated (Michael Holley would be ideal), it'd kick butt in the ratings IMO.
toucher and rich all the way, about time late 20's-30+ year olds had some demographic on the dial in this city, IMO. All my friends and brothers have become instant fans, and have grown up here and rooted for all the teams. T&R wont go anywhere, come on, them tuning up gary tanguay is great. I like Felger and most everyone over there can talk puck, & Zo can offer some half way decent pigskin talk. EEI is awesome if ya love fantasy land sox talk, to me thats suicidal, but it apparently melts some peoples butter, like kessel threads.
Yo not all us old fogeys enjoy the D&C golf-and-embittered-middle-aged-white-guy show. I like Holley, he's seems like a pretty cool guy. I wonder how long it will be before he jumps to a show on 98.5.
I really like 98.5, I have it on at work most of the time now [thank you internet!]
But I don't like the morning show at all. Maybe because I'm not a 20 year old guy
If I had my way, I'd hire Dale & Holley to do the morning show and leave the rest of the line up as is. They're doing a great job at the SportsHub, keep it up gang!
This is great news. I have listened to Sports Radio since day one and I'm tired of the "hockey is a joke" attitude at 'EEI. Let 'em go down in flames. The Big Show was entertaining for a while but has just become unlistenable with everyone shouting over each other. It's impossible to follow, even when the subject is compelling.
I'd say that Dale and Holley is the best show they have now, at least for serious sports fans, and they usually have interesting guests.
Now for T&R. I just haven't been able to get into that show and it's absolutely killing me because I can't stand Dennis and Callahan. Their "who cares about hockey", let's talk about golf, liberals are to blame for everything that's wrong in the world, format is tired and at times infuriating, but I still have to say that their show is more entertaining than T&R. T&R just seem to shut my brain off, kinda like when you have a car full of 15 year old boys and I can't handle that in the morning (and why I never liked Stern either). It kills me every time I have D&C on and they rave about their ratings. Luckily, I have found a solution. I just discovered WERS 88.9 FM and they play an interesting, ecclectic mix of indie music in the morning, so I have stopped listening to D&C altogether. Good riddance.
Does 98.5 have KPD on a regular basis? I'd listen to T&R if they'd do a Bruins Fridays show with KPD, or any knowledgable hockey scribe.
