Contracts with longtime morning hosts John Dennis and Gerry Callahan expire next year, and critics feel the duo exemplifies the station’s problems: They are highly paid — reportedly in the $1 million a year neighborhood — and can be polarizing; their talk often veers off into politics, and some former listeners complain they sound shrill or confrontational.
The Cup was in the summer of 2011 (right after TSH started) and they experienced a decline after it.mascho said:Just looking at that graph, the rise of 98.5 coincides with the Bruins' Cup run in 2011. FWIW.
The Four Peters said:The Cup was in the summer of 2011 (right after TSH started) and they experienced a decline after it.
It certainly helped put them on the map, but it didn't coincide with their rise since they actually declined after it.
I heard that and wanted to read the article because they made it sound like a D&C rip job. No fucking way I'm subscribing in order to read the whole article though.Vandalman said:Callahan and Minihane were dumping all over the article this morning, saying the author was a digruntled former intern who clearly hasn't listened to them lately.
Callahan laughed it off and said they stopped talking politics (unfortunately) two and a half years ago. Plus the article does not mention the practices of "the other station" at all.
I would have loved to hear Dennis' respond to this. Perhaps next week.
ThanksPatriot_Reign said:the author of the globe article is on live with d&c right now...must listen radio
HomeBrew1901 said:I heard that and wanted to read the article because they made it sound like a D&C rip job. No fucking way I'm subscribing in order to read the whole article though.
John Marzano Olympic Hero said:As late as Spring of 2012, EEI had a better afternoon show than TSH. That's amazing to me.
“If you don’t ruffle the feathers of your listeners, then you’re not doing your job,” he said. “And the end result of that is you have some people upset with you. But the last thing I want to do is say, ‘Oh yes, I agree with you. That’s a very good point.’ That’s not good radio. Good radio is stuff that prompts people to respond and react.”
NortheasternPJ said:This is everything that is wrong with D&C:
You know what I want in the morning? To listen to D&C come up with hot takes that are designed to just upset people. Nothing makes my day start out great than being prodded for 4 hours intentionally. Nothing says starting the day like getting pissed off and being miserable.
I can take it in the afternoon, but it still sucks when Felger does it.
Phenom said:
D&C are just angry. Today's interview with that Globe writer is indicative of that. Callahan came off as so small. I never knew the Providence, Worcester and Portland markets were such powerhouses. If only "The Sports Hub" could be heard in the boonies of Vermont. THEN, maybe they'd have a chance at unseating WEEI.
John Marzano Olympic Hero said:Callahan is the only person I am aware of that left the second-biggest paper in his town went to Sports Illustrated and then went back to the second-biggest paper in town.
His reason? "They didn't give him much to do." Boo hoo, Gerry. Boo fucking hoo.
To be fair, SI has a history of locking up talent and not letting them do a lot in their wheelhouse...Gammons on hockey and college basketball, for example.John Marzano Olympic Hero said:Callahan is the only person I am aware of that left the second-biggest paper in his town went to Sports Illustrated and then went back to the second-biggest paper in town.
His reason? "They didn't give him much to do." Boo hoo, Gerry. Boo fucking hoo.
URI said:To be fair, SI has a history of locking up talent and not letting them do a lot in their wheelhouse...Gammons on hockey and college basketball, for example.
To be more fair, Gerry Callahan is a raspy voiced bully who can unkindly fuck himself. And then die. And then come back to life. And die again.
Rocco Graziosa said:See, I think something happened somewhere along the lines with Callahan. I think he has loads of talent, has some interesting opinions on sports, and is a pretty damn good writer. Borges too. But they just got some bad career advice in so far as now everyone in the greater Boston area thinks they're assholes. Especially in Callahan's case, I think he could have generated the same fame and fortune without this result.
15 years ago, his columns in the Herald were must reads for me. He was a cynic to be sure, but he was interesting and not predictable. Now? He's just this old asshole who seems to hate everything.
Edit: And I don't know what happened to Borges. He's one of the top boxing columnists of ALL TIME. Then in the snap of a finger he was on every talk show in Boston just completely shitting on all the teams. If for one second I thought it was genuine, I would have no problem with it......I like negativity......but he's playing a role. A role someone, somewhere, thought would be good for him.
Now he walks around Boston like Ron Burgandy after he said "go fuck yourself San Diego". And unlike Callahan, best I can tell he didn't garner much fortune or fame.
jose melendez said:You know what would fix WEEI? Making Sean Grande the host of the drive time show. I'd listen to that guy do anything.
I don't think he'd ever take it, but he's the one guy along with McDonough who would be must listen.
riboflav said:
Exactly. Grande in the afternoons and McDonough in the mornings, or vice versa. Never going to happen as you intimate, but it's nice to dream.
Eric1984 said:Yeah -- the Globe reporter interviewing his buddy to get the listener's perspective wasn't unethical at all (arguably a little lazy and hackish, but whatever)l. Someone's personal relationship with a reporter is totally irrelevant to their opinion, as a listener, of the relative quality of the two stations. It's not like the opinion of a stranger in the street would have any more credibility -- you don't need any special expertise to decide if you like a station or not. I imagine the reporter probably submitted the piece without his pal's quotes and an editor said "You've got to go get quotes from a listener and then put together an anecdotal lead." And he knew a guy who listens to sports radio a lot and is in the wheelhouse demographic and got some quotes. A better reporter might have talked to more people, but really, why? Other than to show more legwork? But who else is he going to call? Is there a sports radio listener registry out there for him to thumb through?
On the other hand, he should have probably disclosed somewhere that he worked for WEEI. I say "probably" because it was so long ago and for such a short time that it probably didn't impact his reporting. But it is the type of thing that could still suggest an agenda without knowing more, so he shows his ass by not having done so.
Dalton Jones said:I thought it was an incredibly weak article, and I HATE Dennis and Callahan. The only meaningful thing is the chart that shows the trend in ratings over the last few years.
Once again I agree with Rocco. Gerry Callahan was (is?) a very good writer. I'd die to write like him.
But he's a bitter, angry asshole who harps on the same things over and over and over. The only reason he and Dennis are still on in the morning is the onerous size of their contracts. They'll be gone soon.
Dalton Jones said:I'm at a loss......
Politics is depressing. I'd rather invest my energy in trivial things.Sparky Lyle said:You're in the wrong forum. Go back to V&N. Where you belong.
I even think he's right that the Globe has it out for him and Dennis.
Great point.John Marzano Olympic Hero said:So let me get this straight, Callahan is mad because someone has a preconceived agenda against him and his colleagues? That must be really frustrating for him.
He's halfway decent on ESPN.Billy Jo Robidoux said:Fixing WEEI...this ought to do the trick:
http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2013/09/curt_schilling_weei_host_its_possible.html
Fixed!
Billy Jo Robidoux said:Fixing WEEI...this ought to do the trick:
http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2013/09/curt_schilling_weei_host_its_possible.html
Fixed!