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>> FRANK SAXE
Frank@insideradio.com
>> PAUL HEINE
Paul@insideradio.com
(800) 275-2840
Monday, August 8, 2011
THE MOST TRUSTED NEWS IN RADIO
Inside radio’s most competitive sports market. In all of radio, there
may be no more heated battle than the sports talk duel in Boston. Most
major markets don’t have one sports station in the top 10, let alone two, but
that’s the case in Beantown. CBS Radio’s two-year-old “98.5 The Sports
Hub” WBZ-FM is the current leader, propelled to first place in men 25-54
and third in persons 25-54 by the frenzy that accompanied the Boston
Bruins first Stanley Cup championship in 39 years. But that could change
when July PPM numbers are issued tomorrow, reflecting the first month
this year when the station didn’t have the added boost of Bruins play-byplay. Entercom’s Red Sox flagship WEEI (850) could see a lift from the
team’s perch at the top of the American League — it ranked fifth among
men 25-54 and third with men 35-64 in June. Pound for pound, round for
round, the Boston sports battle is an even match: WEEI has the Red Sox
and the NBA Celtics, the Sports Hub carries the Bruins and the NFL New
England Patriots. Each station has a deep bench of the best sports talkers
money can buy, and many moonlight on TV and other media. Both stations
are male magnets, with WEEI attracting an older audience than its FM
rival. Sports talk capture more than a nine share in Boston. “It’s arguably
the most rabid, fanatical sports region in the country,” Pearlman Advisors
president David Pearlman says. Consider this: In the past nine years
and four months, New England teams have captured seven professional
championships: three Super Bowl rings, two World Series victories, one
NBA win and a knock-down, drag-out Stanley Cup championship. “The
general population has been swept away in this unprecedented string of
championships, drawing extraordinary interest in sports across every demo and gender,” Pearlman says. “Duck boat parades
have become commonplace in Boston.” All of which makes for a lucrative sports market for radio and TV. Which station will
take the ratings crown? “We’re in the fourth inning of a nine-inning game and there are still a lot of at-bats to come for both
sides,” Pearlman says. “I think you’ll see lead changes and a very tight, spirited battle for many months to come.”
The Sports Hub strives not to sound like “your father’s sports radio station.” When CBS Radio threw in the towel
on iconic Boston rocker WBCN in August 2009, it already had a pair of building blocks to launch a different breed of sports
talk. The New England Patriots moved down the dial to “98.5 The Sports Hub,” along with morning duo Toucher & Rich, who
brought a strong young male following. “We felt they could transition their irreverent style and witty intelligence to sports
radio,” market manager Mark Hannon says. “It’s a different approach than other dayparts in that you’re getting lifestyle along
with straight-up sports.” It didn’t hurt that Hannon was knee-deep in renegotiating the Boston Bruins play-by-play contract for
news/talk WBZ (1030) just as CBS was conceptualizing a sports FM in Boston. The Bruins made the Sports Hub their new
home in fall 2009. With so many New England media outlets covering sports, including a pair of dedicated cable channels
and two daily newspapers, the station was able to corral a lineup of local sports experts to flesh out the day. Determined not
to sound like “your father’s sports radio station,” the Sports Hub is imaged like an FM rock station. And it shares more than
historic call letters with its sister AM and TV stations. CBS affiliate WBZ-TV brands it sports reports as Sports Hub reports in
evening newscasts and midday host (and former Patriot) Scott Zolak does Patriots post-game TV coverage. It was the Patriots
AFC-East clinching season that helped the station first move ahead of WEEI last fall in men 25-54, but WEEI regained the
lead in January. The Bruins historic Stanley Cup run put the Hub back out front from March-June, culminating in a 10.5 in the
demo in June, double that of WEEI. During game seven of the finals, the station had an astounding 43 share in men 25-54.
“People who had only sampled us were suddenly spending a lot of time at 98.5 and it sped up the whole process of how our
shows are maturing and building fans,” PD Mike Thomas says. With the Patriots first pre-season game Thursday, the station is
hoping for another strong fall. And with its second anniversary just days away, Hannon says revenue is “consistently growing.”
Entrenched WEEI network continues to grow, digital platform expands. With 20 years in the format, WEEI, Boston (850)
has expanded into a regional network heard on seven frequencies in four states. “The equity position we have in New England
is huge,” Entercom VP of AM programming Jason Wolfe says. “We’ve built a deep connection with our listeners and with the
teams and that allows us to provide the best guests and top newsmakers every day. The demand for our content in Boston
and across the region is incredible, and we continue to entertain calls about growing the network.” WEEI is dialed into many
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NEWS Monday, August 8, 2011
of the market’s top sports figures, including Pats QB Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, Celtics coach Doc Rivers and
Red Sox TV analyst Jerry Remy. “NFL Today” host Boomer Esiason, CNNSI’s Peter King and ESPN’s Adam Schefter also
make regular appearances on the station. Citing a need to “shake it up a bit” outside of mornings, Wolfe paired weekend
host Mike Mutnansky with 10-year MLB player Lou Merloni in middays as “Mut & Merloni.” The younger sounding midday
show moved Michael Holley to afternoons, teamed with veteran Glenn Ordway for “The Big Show.” “It’s going to take some
time for the shows to truly develop, but they’re finding their stride, “Wolfe says. “When you have legit competition it takes a
little bit longer.” But those February changes took Dale Arnold, WEEI’s most knowledgeable Bruins host, out of the fulltime
lineup — long before anyone had an inkling the team was Stanley Cup-bound. To ramp up Bruins coverage during the run
for the Cup, WEEI brought in a slew of guests and national pundits. “It worked to our advantage,” Wolfe says. “We did what
we should have done to give Bruins fans everything they expected as that run was culminating.” Next year, the station will
offer “a more complete hockey plan that will last us for the entire season,” Wolfe says. For now the focus is on the Red Sox,
the Patriots and a long-term view of the ratings. “There is always seasonality to the ratings, depending on which team is on
which station,” he says. “Looking at any single month, week or day is way too small of a sample to make any judgments.”
Beginning with a website relaunch in May 2008, WEEI has made digital a top priority, rolling out apps that offer access to
live and on-demand audio, breaking news, stories, video and scores. The station posts 75-80 pieces of new content a week
and averages nearly six million page views and one million unique visitors a month. “Our digital numbers have gone through
the roof,” Wolfe says. “That’s where the puck is going.”
Note: Due to a production error, an earlier version of this story was incomplete.
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