Fixing WEEI

Dave Stapleton

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teddykgb said:
I agree. Very weird to see it discussed so openly. Would be a real disaster for Salk, uprooting everything to make a run in Boston and ending up on "special projects" inside of a year.
 
I seem to recall that Salk signed a 3 year contract.  If true, he at least has some security while looking for a new gig.  I doubt he would have much trouble finding something. 
 
Still trying to figure out why the new director of a radio station is putting out information like this through a "gossip page".
 

Andy Merchant

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Even though Jeff Brown is gone, I still say dumping Ordway was a good move. They were paying him a lot of money to host a stale and mediocre radio show. Why would they bring him back and expect a different result?
 

ForKeeps

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I think someone mentioned it in this thread but how many partners is Michael Holley going to be given before they realize maybe he's the problem? Dude must have pictures of somebody.
 

Byrdbrain

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In that article Zachary called Salk and Mut "incredibly talented" so anything else he says needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
 
(The above is meant as a joke, I know he has to say that sort of thing.)
 
And yes I did hear Salk signed a 3 year contract so he has some security, I doubt Mut had leverage do get anything of the sort.
 

mcpickl

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ForKeeps said:
I think someone mentioned it in this thread but how many partners is Michael Holley going to be given before they realize maybe he's the problem? Dude must have pictures of somebody.
I see people keep writing this, and while it is true Holley has had three partners in the last three years, do many people really think it's Holley dragging them down?
 
Dale and Holley was the only show on WEEI winning their timeslot when Dale was demoted, a slot where they are now getting crushed by the Sportshub, when WEEI decided to move Holley(Holley wanted to move too) to try and stop the bleeding in drive time. It's Holleys' fault WEEI decided to just start over midday fresh rather than pair Dale with someone else? Has midday improved without Holley?
 
Then Holley got paired with Ordway to try to reverse the collapse that had already happened in drive time. Holley couldn't singlehandedly pull that off. So they let the guy in charge when the collapse happened go, and replaced him with a guy at 20% the cost. So that was Holleys' fault?
 
Now he's paired with Salk, a cheapo option that doesn't seem to be working out, and it's Holleys' fault that the listeners do not appear to have taken to Salk?
 
If there are folks that think it's Holley that is the issue, do you think a Salk/Dale or Salk/Ordway show would be better and have higher ratings?  I guess that's what you'd be saying if Holley is the problem. I find it hard to believe that Holley is holding these guys back.
 

yep

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Dave Stapleton said:
Interesting quotes from WEEI's new leader in the inside track this morning.  Seems a bit odd for him to be talking about changes to the current lineup so publicly and leaving the on air talent to twist in the wind?  Ordway coming back?
 
http://bostonherald.com/inside_track/the_inside_track/2014/01/weei_to_glenn_ordway_come_back
 
"A bit odd" is an understatement. For a boss to do that kind of thinking out loud about personnel changes, on the record, with a journalist,  is, like, indicative of mental disability or something.
 
These kinds of musings set off a bomb internally, and have no upside. This is like the professional equivalent of telling a reporter how your sex life at home isn't really that great, and you kinda wouldn't mind getting back with your ex. It's not like this gives him leverage with Ordway, and it's not like radio personalities are improvable via Glengarry-Glenross-style "your job is on the line" motivation.  It's not certainly not going to drum up current ratings for the station, for him to be publicly talking about how his current lineup isn't good enough, and they need to re-hire the guy they fired last year... 
 
I wonder if WEEI has a culture of drinking on the job, or something. It seems like everyone who walks in the door of that place immediately displays impulsive and reckless poor judgement, as though it were being run by teenagers.
 

Scoots McBoots

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Was listening to Mut and Merloni and apparently they didn't even get any signage for the booth in New York.  The only way of identifying the booth are the mic surrounds with the logo, and even somebody from ESPN commented to them that they would have had no idea who they were.
 

mcpickl

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Been thinking about what WEEI could do recently, after having enough of the afternoon Sports Hub show. I think my biggest issue with local sports radio is listening to the same two guys talking(yelling?) at each other for 20 hours every week, wash, rinse and repeat.
 
If I were running WEEI, I think I'd switch from three 4 hour shows daily to four 3 hour shows. Also, as someone brought up in another thread, I don't think the Big Show format was the problem, I think the guests they chose to ride with were the problem.
 
I'd get rid of D & C, but since WEEI seems committed to them it's unreasonable to leave them out of my theoretical lineup.
 
Mine would look like this
 
6-9  Dennis and Callahan(sigh)
9-12 Kirk Minihane (possibly have him sit in with D&C 8-9 as well since he's made that show better)
12-3 Lou Merloni (not sold on him, I'd just give him first shot since he's under contract)
3-6 Michael Holley
 
then I'd add guests to each show daily. I would also keep this very flexible. Some days I put two guests with Holley. Maybe Michael Smith is available for a day, so I just add him as the only guest. If it's NFL draft week, I load up on guests with a football emphasis. Another day I have a guest do the first two hours with Kirk, Mutt do the last hour with Kirk then the first hour with Lou, then another guest do the last two hours. I would switch things up as much as possible to keep these shows fresh.
 
I think they have enough good people in house at WEEI, or people who are regular guests, to make this a viable option.
 
Just in 2014 alone, these local people(some national with local ties) have appeared on WEEI as guests or hosts
 
from baseball Alex Speier, Rob Bradford, Scott Lauber, Dave O'Brien, Tim Britton, Curt Schilling(get well soon sir)
from hockey Jack Edwards, Andy Brickley, DJ Bean, Joe MacDonald, Steve Conroy, Fluto Shinzawa
from basketball Jackie MacMullan, Chris Forsberg, Chris Mannix, Paul Flannery, Jessica Cammerato, A Sherrod Blakely
from football Chris Price, Matt Chatham, Mike Reiss, Field Yates, Andy Hart, Tom Curran, Greg Bedard, Troy Brown, Christian Fauria
hosts/columnists Dale Arnold, Mike Mutnansky, Bob Ryan, Mike Salk
weekend guys who could get a shot Mike Petraglia, John Ryder, Chris Villani, Danny Picard
 
I'd also pull in national guys like Buster Olney, Adam Schefter, Michael Smith, Pierre McGuire for an hour or two they're in town covering something. Or current athletes like Shawn Thornton and Vince Wilfork if they have a day off. And maybe some new people like Jessica Moran, Abby Chin, Leah Hextall and Jamie Erdahl to break up the mostly dude radio monotony(Mary Paoletti would've been perfect for this)
 
That's a lot of people I'd like to hear from maybe 2-3 hours a week as opposed to 15 minutes a week while the hosts get 20 hours.
 
Maybe it's a terrible idea, maybe it's not even viable contractually but if it is, it's one I'd try if I were in WEEIs spot.
 

NortheasternPJ

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6-9  Dennis and Callahan(sigh)
9-12 Kirk Minihane (possibly have him sit in with D&C 8-9 as well since he's made that show better)
12-3 Lou Merloni (not sold on him, I'd just give him first shot since he's under contract)
3-6 Michael Holley
 
Sadly for WEEI, I'd rather listen to 98.5's weekend programs of The Hockey Show, Bertrand & Gasper, Johntston & Flynn over any of those shows. Then again, id rather listen to any of those shows over Gresh & Zo or F&M as well.
 

mcpickl

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NortheasternPJ said:
 
 
Sadly for WEEI, I'd rather listen to 98.5's weekend programs of The Hockey Show, Bertrand & Gasper, Johntston & Flynn over any of those shows. Then again, id rather listen to any of those shows over Gresh & Zo or F&M as well.
 
This is kinda part of my point. I like all these shows you listed as well, but would I like them as much if they were on 20 hours a week, every week?
 
I suspect I wouldn't. It's just too much and becomes repetitive and annoying.
 
On the flipside, if F&M were on weekends rather than daily, I bet I'd like it much more than I do now.
 

Steve Dillard

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Harry Hooper

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NortheasternPJ said:
A 4.7 for Salk & Holley? holy hell that's bad. 
 
 
As I noted previously, the Salk & Holley show was better when Salk was away.
 

soxfan121

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Spacemans Bong said:
Airing ESPN programming during midday in a major market - you might as well give up, right? That's not something a heavy-hitting, big player in sports radio does. 
 
The Dunkin Donuts money seems to be a big deal. And I get why D&C aren't rumored to be fired - they are the only ones getting any ratings at all. But its obvious that D&C's stupidity has hurt this station in the wallet, very much.
 

The Social Chair

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pedro1918 said:
I'll bet Ordway is sitting around thinking "This is what happens when you let ME go."
 
I heard him guest hosting the Dan Patrick Show this morning. He was interviewing a nascar driver. Felt a little bit of schadenfreude.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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soxfan121 said:
 
The Dunkin Donuts money seems to be a big deal. And I get why D&C aren't rumored to be fired - they are the only ones getting any ratings at all. But its obvious that D&C's stupidity has hurt this station in the wallet, very much.
 
Hasn't whatever resurgence D&C have made in the ratings been credited to the addition of Minihane?  He just signed an extension separate from whatever deals D&C have, which I believe expire at some point this summer.  I don't think D&C are at all safe from the unemployment line.
 

soxfan121

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Red(s)HawksFan said:
 
Hasn't whatever resurgence D&C have made in the ratings been credited to the addition of Minihane?  He just signed an extension separate from whatever deals D&C have, which I believe expire at some point this summer.  I don't think D&C are at all safe from the unemployment line.
 
Chad seems to think they are, which bums me out too.
 
I think this Zachary fellow is in way over his head and has no idea what he's inherited. He looks at the numbers and says "D&C is my best show". He doesn't seem to get that he has better talent being misused or under-utilized elsewhere in his lineup. He has every hallmark of a guy who has not read this thread, has not been plugged into the radio in this market, has not heard of Chad Finn or why he (Zachary) might benefit from reading his column and has been going exclusively off the pre-written playbook the suits at Entercom put together for him. 
 
If the D&D fiasco didn't end D&C, nothing will. They'll get a new deal. They'll shift Merloni to drive time with Holley and they'll put Salk on in the midday with a rotating cast of co-hosts. There's no way they A.) eat all of Salk's contract without using him somewhere and B.) put on ESPN radio in midday when that got a 0.1 rating on the AM station. 
 
Blaming Salk (who has sucked) for WEEI's problems is like blaming the plumber you called an hour ago for the pipes bursting and the house being flooded six months ago.
 

Rusty13

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Unfortunately, I do think this ratings report probably saves D&C.  Hopefully, any contract extension will be only short term though - as in 1 year. 
 

Andy Merchant

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I would love to see D&C move on, but apparently someone is listening to them. Time to offer them a contract with a low base and lots of performance incentives. Perform like a 4th place show, get paid like a 4th place show. Perform like a 1st place show and get an appropriate bump in pay. Take it or leave it.
 

Dalton Jones

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Phil Zachary's been in radio a long time. Other than Minihane he hasn't signed anyone yet so we don't know what he's going to do. And as much as I enjoy reading and contributing to this thread I hardly think it is representative of the average listener. Zachary would be a fool to base any decisions on what he reads here. And of course none of us is privy to what Entercom's thinking is with regard to this market. Whatever it is I doubt it aligns with our desires.
 

doldmoose34

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I don't think the Big Show format was the problem, I think the guests they chose to ride with were the problem.
 
 
BINGO, in the begining the Big Show was great, just think of the football days, Nellie, Manix, Hobson, etc, then the last coule years it ended up being endless commercials for Fred and Steve's steak house and the tailgate partys, that they all were making coin from
 
as soon as I heard the  Lar... of Larry Johnson, it would be click and I wouldn't hit that button again until the next day, and I'm a salesman who spends half hid life in the car
 

Steve Dillard

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Red(s)HawksFan said:
ESPN midday programming...that's still Cowherd, isn't it?  I'd rather listen to Mut and Salk.
 
One of my pet peeves is that WEEI already seems tied to ESPN.  Their programming seems to be "let's read an ESPN or deadspin story and then talk about it."   They play ESPN clips from Stephen Smith, Jaworski, they have ESPN guests.  It's like they have no story of their own and present "This is what ESPN is talking about, let's talk about it."   
 
Salk and Mutnasky seem the biggest offenders.   Just now they are talking about the NFL's policy of banning the "n" word.  But rather than talk about it, they play a 1 minute clip from "Pardon the Interruption."
 
At times I like the National media perspective on our teams, but this is so forced.  If you think ESPN's views are so important, then just switch over and play the ESPN radio shows and we can hear it directly.  The reason I enjoy are listening to Felger and others is that they mock the national media, and whether you agree with it or not.  In my view, that is why I don't embrace Mut and Salk -- they seem bland corporate agenda -ESPN type agenda driven, which often is contrived and of no interest to me.
 

dirtynine

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This is probably a cost-cutting move, but I have to say it's a welcome one as a radio listener.  Sports flashes were useful 15-20 years ago before constant mobile connectivity.  Now they're just annoying.  I hope 98.5 follows suit.
 

ivanvamp

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dirtynine said:
This is probably a cost-cutting move, but I have to say it's a welcome one as a radio listener.  Sports flashes were useful 15-20 years ago before constant mobile connectivity.  Now they're just annoying.  I hope 98.5 follows suit.
 
When you're driving I find them pretty helpful.
 

JimD

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RedOctober3829 said:
 
Yea, that will really help to attract new listeners.  They are whistling past the graveyard.
 
 
Pretty sure it's just a cost-cutting move, with little impact to their audience since the hosts will still be passing along this info.  
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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JimD said:
 
Pretty sure it's just a cost-cutting move, with little impact to their audience since the hosts will still be passing along this info.  
 
Exactly.  They already took the step of cutting out the dedicated "flash boys" like Meter and Sheppard in favor of the farmed out updates provided by Metro (the Sauce-man being one such Metro flash boy).  Now they're cutting the contracted flashes and putting the duty on the hosts already there in the studio talking into a mic.
 
The biggest impetus is probably that it opens more ad-time.  Instead of paying to fill the minute with an update, they get paid to put an ad or two there instead.
 

timlinin8th

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The X Man Cometh said:
The worst part about D&C is listening to John Dennis do ad after ad after ad....
Maybe they're hoping if he does the ads personally he'll remember what companies are paying advertising dollars and he won't insult them on-air?