RIP Toucher and Rich Show ... It was fun while it lasted

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
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Yeah, I'm not sure Fred brings a big enough audience on his own for Barstool/Penn to sign him on as a solo show/podcast. It would likely have to be under Kirk's gambit somehow. Good point about Portnoy's fallen clout. He couldn't even save a guy's job (Mintzy) due to saying something Portnoy himself has said countless number of times. (How long until Penn cuts ties there?) Maybe if Fred brought some gambling stuff to the table, but that's definitely not his forte.



Ugh that sounds kind of awful.
Id hope it’s be Toucher and Keefe but Keefe seems to be on the outs at WEEI. Unfortunate since it’d be great. Fred and Hardy I’d be all in on as well.
 

Patriot_Reign

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Apr 21, 2011
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Kirk had some intel on his show today. Rich going behind Fred's back in meetings, sharing text messages from him, wanting approval of the Tweet/Statement Fred came out with on Friday. Whole thing sucks and it really is reminiscent of the O&A breakup. Rich is 100% Opie and Fred is the talent that is getting forced out.
Anyone remember when Kirk and Fred almost got into a "fight" when both shows were doing radio row at the Superbowl?

Kirk has had this odd habit of claiming inside knowledge of how so and so is actually a really awful person. I've heard him label Rich as one of these people several times and that he's actually hated inside the building, which of course always struct me as odd given his on air persona couldn't be more opposite.
 

JCizzle

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Anyone remember when Kirk and Fred almost got into a "fight" when both shows were doing radio row at the Superbowl?

Kirk has had this odd habit of claiming inside knowledge of how so and so is actually a really awful person. I've heard him label Rich as one of these people several times and that he's actually hated inside the building, which of course always struct me as odd given his on air persona couldn't be more opposite.
I mean, who knows with this stuff, but I have a hard time reconciling Rich being a bad person with paying for a fired member of the staff out of his own pocket. Throwing around money isn't everything, but he also really didn't need to do that.
 

Billy Jo Robidoux

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Let’s be real, the only untalented person on the entire staff is Nick Gemelli. Unless we’re measuring talent as “ability to cover oneself in feces.”
 

8slim

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No offense to you, @RyanBros14 , but this seems like it’s coming from Fred to Kirk. Sounds very paranoid. When Fred was last on-air, there was discussion about how he was uninterested in and did not attend show meetings with management; that was something Rich handled. When Fred was beating up on Nick and Rich came to Nick’s defense, it was clear that Fred was out of touch with respect to management demands on the show and its staff. Fred got really defensive and wanted to know why he wasn’t tuned in to any of this. Rich didn’t want to air it out during the show and said they’d talk off-air. Representing this as Rich “going behind his back” may or may not be true, but given his previous disinterest in doing any of the hard work behind the scenes, I have my doubts.

What is true is that the phone works both ways, i.e. Fred could always try and reach out to Rich and resolve, but it sounds like he’d rather complain to Minihane (of all people). Remember, Fred is ALWAYS a victim. If Fred is trying to use this as a negotiation strategy with Beasley, he may want to start considering Plan B..
I was going to say that the "intel" sounds a lot like what Fred and Rich hashed out on air a couple months ago.

Maybe Rich is some mastermind who has crafted a public persona that's 180 degrees opposite of what he's like off-air. However, that seems really implausible to me.
 

dirtynine

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You can partner Fred with somebody else who's engaging or funny, but it's Rich's bit selection and production that really lets him shine. All of the Fred characters we enjoy came from reacting to bits. And Rich understands exactly what bit ideas (yes, yes) will get the best out of Fred too. Rich's production is the "straight man" in the team. That goes away and it's, eh. This is a greater-than-the-sum-of-their-parts situation, and I really hope they can figure that out.
 

bsqd

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Nov 26, 2022
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I haven’t seen any post from him today about his appointment. I hope everything went well for him.
 

RyanBros14

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Mar 16, 2023
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Yeah. The lack of update overall makes me think there's a pretty strong chance that he's not coming back. Yesterday seemed like a pretty important milestone day based on what he was saying on his IG.
 

mtm2025

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Feb 13, 2023
25
Yeah. The lack of update overall makes me think there's a pretty strong chance that he's not coming back. Yesterday seemed like a pretty important milestone day based on what he was saying on his IG.
Either that, or he’s cleared to come back but management wants to meet with him first to discuss his behavior before they let him back on air
 

sezwho

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You can partner Fred with somebody else who's engaging or funny, but it's Rich's bit selection and production that really lets him shine. All of the Fred characters we enjoy came from reacting to bits. And Rich understands exactly what bit ideas (yes, yes) will get the best out of Fred too. Rich's production is the "straight man" in the team. That goes away and it's, eh. This is a greater-than-the-sum-of-their-parts situation, and I really hope they can figure that out.
Yeah, it’s the only radio show I’ve looked forward to since I lived in San Diego many years ago and had Dave, Shelley and Chainsaw. Both T&R are individually so talented but it’s the interplay that pushes them to the rating heights they have reached.
 

Granite Sox

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I haven’t seen any post from him today about his appointment. I hope everything went well for him.
Not for nothing, but after the posted apology, Fred said he was off Twitter for a while (but would reply via emails). He also changed his Twitter bio several times.
 
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Rusty13

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Nov 3, 2007
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Either that, or he’s cleared to come back but management wants to meet with him first to discuss his behavior before they let him back on air
And, honestly, it would probably make more sense for him to start fresh next Monday than mid week here.
 

Rusty13

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Nov 3, 2007
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Awesome news. But I wonder if he’s going to need surgery for the “thing” in his throat? Hopefully, the gang tomorrow at least gives him a shout out on the air and we start getting some good vibes again for the show.
 

mtm2025

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Feb 13, 2023
25
Awesome news. But I wonder if he’s going to need surgery for the “thing” in his throat? Hopefully, the gang tomorrow at least gives him a shout out on the air and we start getting some good vibes again for the show.
if he's not back tomorrow, but they don't mention this news - then I'm going to start looking at Rich a little in this whole drama
 

Granite Sox

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if he's not back tomorrow, but they don't mention this news - then I'm going to start looking at Rich a little in this whole drama
Well, commenting on someone else’s health status without permission may not be advisable, so I wouldn’t jump to conclusions. I’m sure the show staff is being coached on how to handle given Fred’s flaky behavior.

Glad to hear it’s not cancer.
 

mtm2025

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Feb 13, 2023
25
Well, commenting on someone else’s health status without permission may not be advisable, so I wouldn’t jump to conclusions. I’m sure the show staff is being coached on how to handle given Fred’s flaky behavior.

Glad to hear it’s not cancer.
He posted it Instagram. You don’t think it would be weird if the show didn’t acknowledge the post?
 

Granite Sox

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He posted it Instagram. You don’t think it would be weird if the show didn’t acknowledge the post?
Not if Fred doesn’t want them to. T&R usually preface health updates on anyone with “So and so said it was okay for us to share this…” Anything other than “get better soon” or “hope to see you soon” suggests to me that there are behind-the-scenes conversations with the principals to control the commentary. Sounds like Fred is on unpaid medical leave (per one of his posts). In many/most companies there are rules associated with contact with and discussion about individuals in such status.
 

NortheasternPJ

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Nov 16, 2004
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Wow, Rich with a complete jab at Fred. Aztec Geno is lying about Rich and Rich said basically "Woah, he's making that up and to be honest I'm sick of people making stuff up about me"
 

Trapaholic

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Jan 11, 2023
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I really cannot make heads or tails of this situation. There have been times where Fred and Rich have argued on-air, and then by the next segment everything is okay again. When you work with the same people for so long, regardless of how close you may be, there will be professional disagreements and personal beefs. That is to be expected when you've spent that much time together.

It has been referenced before, but Rich does a great job in teeing up segments for Fred so that he can riff. They work well as a tandem.

We will never know the truth about what goes on behind the scenes. In my opinion I think the overall management of the station is bad. It has to be tough when you are lapping the field in ratings, and management is trying to strip the station down to the copper wire. I feel that this is having an effect on everyone, and its now straining relationships.
 

JCizzle

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I really cannot make heads or tails of this situation. There have been times where Fred and Rich have argued on-air, and then by the next segment everything is okay again. When you work with the same people for so long, regardless of how close you may be, there will be professional disagreements and personal beefs. That is to be expected when you've spent that much time together.

It has been referenced before, but Rich does a great job in teeing up segments for Fred so that he can riff. They work well as a tandem.

We will never know the truth about what goes on behind the scenes. In my opinion I think the overall management of the station is bad. It has to be tough when you are lapping the field in ratings, and management is trying to strip the station down to the copper wire. I feel that this is having an effect on everyone, and its now straining relationships.
I think you're spot-on. Fred's stressed with health/personal shit. Rich is carrying the show and stressed with awful corporate management. Combine the two and you get whatever the hell is happening.
 

8slim

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I think you're spot-on. Fred's stressed with health/personal shit. Rich is carrying the show and stressed with awful corporate management. Combine the two and you get whatever the hell is happening.
True. Combine the two and it seems you get Rich trying to be a professional, and Fred being a narcissistic, oblivious jerk. Maybe I'm totally misreading things, but it sure seems to me that because Fred has gone through/is going through a lot of stuff, he fundamentally believes it gives him free reign to treat people badly.

I take it there has been no mention of Fred's health news on the show?
 

mtm2025

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Feb 13, 2023
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I really cannot make heads or tails of this situation. There have been times where Fred and Rich have argued on-air, and then by the next segment everything is okay again. When you work with the same people for so long, regardless of how close you may be, there will be professional disagreements and personal beefs. That is to be expected when you've spent that much time together.

It has been referenced before, but Rich does a great job in teeing up segments for Fred so that he can riff. They work well as a tandem.

We will never know the truth about what goes on behind the scenes. In my opinion I think the overall management of the station is bad. It has to be tough when you are lapping the field in ratings, and management is trying to strip the station down to the copper wire. I feel that this is having an effect on everyone, and its now straining relationships.
I think the lockhart thing was one of the big events that really started the strain. I wonder if when rich decided to pay for Lockhart, he should have kept the details as simple as we worked something out and he's coming back and not told the audience he was paying + an extra markup fee. People started to question why Fred wasn't and put him on the spot.
 

DisgruntledSoxFan77

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I think the lockhart thing was one of the big events that really started the strain. I wonder if when rich decided to pay for Lockhart, he should have kept the details as simple as we worked something out and he's coming back and not told the audience he was paying + an extra markup fee. People started to question why Fred wasn't and put him on the spot.
I mean if people couldn’t figure out that Fred was in the middle of a divorce and didn’t have the money to spare that’s kinda on them. Fred didn’t even have the money to take the Vegas trip with the show and that was a work expense
 

Granite Sox

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True, but after Beasley let Lockhart go, Fred openly questioned what, if anything, Lockhart did for the show. Rich was incredulous; Rich had to get up even earlier to locate/edit/prep any/all clips to be used on each day‘s show (one of Lockhart’s responsibilities). Fred told him not to, that he (Fred) would just “wing it”… no big deal. Rich also articulated a number of other valuable contributions that Lockhart makes that are unseen/unheard by the audience. I think the rest of the staff thought (about Fred) “are you out of your fucking mind?”. One of many examples of Fred displaying a lack of awareness of the show’s mechanics. Not to mention him being a complete, insensitive asshole towards Lockhart.

Between him treating Gemelli and Lockhart like shit, lying about Rich not contacting him (especially after Rich showed extraordinary grace and dedication to the show when his wife was near death from cancer), not being interested in doing the hard work to make the show a success, accusing Rich of going behind his back… Fred is lucky Rich has supported and carried him for as long as he has. For some reason he’s doubling down on the lunacy.

I don’t wish ill on the guy of any sort. The things he’s been going through are experienced (unfortunately) by lots and lots of people. There’s nothing “special” or unique about this happening to Fred. I hope he returns to the show, but only if he squares his shit away and stops sabotaging his own career and the livelihoods of his work colleagues.
 

Patriot_Reign

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We will never know the truth about what goes on behind the scenes. In my opinion I think the overall management of the station is bad. It has to be tough when you are lapping the field in ratings, and management is trying to strip the station down to the copper wire. I feel that this is having an effect on everyone, and its now straining relationships.
Was listening to Zo & Bertrand the other day when they started talking about how there's been pressure from management to get more clicks on the station's website. Beetle went on to say if listeners wanted to pen some columns they could send them to him and if they were good they'd post them to the site. He then said that there would be no compensation for the work at the station as NO money. He repeated the money line several times while putting a strong emphasis on the "NO".
 

NDame616

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Jul 31, 2006
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I think Rich not commenting publicly on Fred being clear of cancer is an ominous sign. I know it's Fred personal health issue, btu Fred has very publicly update everyone including many tweets and IG posts. I don't think it would be out of bounds for Rich to mention it (unless someone at the station told him not to) don't expect Rich to dive into personal details about the situation, but I am surprised we didn't hear a "great new about Fred he posted yesterday he's cancer free and we hope he's back soon! We are all thrilled to hear the great news"
 

Marciano490

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Nov 4, 2007
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These are grownups that have been working together for, what, 20+ years - they have to like each other’s tweets? In my experience, when one guy is always in or causing trouble, he’s usually being the asshole, not everyone around him.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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Speaking out my arse here but perhaps where Rich's bitterness comes from could be simply that he and Toucher have different coping mechanisms. I recall Rich busting his ass to juggle work with helping out at home during the critical period of his wife's cancer diagnosis. Rich could simply be thinking if he was in Fred's shoes he'd still be doing non-air work in the form of putting together taped segments and other stuff for the show that didn't require his voice. But I can see Fred's side that without doing the on-air show, he can't really do his best creatively in other areas as well and just needs a total break. While their brand of humor and camaraderie on the show overlaps well, it is obvious during non-humorous discussions that their attitudes outside the show are quite different and they could grate on each other a bit.
 

bsqd

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Nov 26, 2022
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MUST SEE RADIO TOMORROW! FREDDY T. IS BACK. Jesus, I hope mom and dad make up. Fred and Rich that is.
 
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LoneWarrior1

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Was listening to Zo & Bertrand the other day when they started talking about how there's been pressure from management to get more clicks on the station's website. Beetle went on to say if listeners wanted to pen some columns they could send them to him and if they were good they'd post them to the site. He then said that there would be no compensation for the work at the station as NO money. He repeated the money line several times while putting a strong emphasis on the "NO".
Times are tough at Beasley...Based on the latest revenue report, I think they are doing everything they can just to keep the lights on over there...

“Beasley Media Sports “98.5 The Sports Hub” WBZ-FM Boston moves up to fourth nationwide with $34.25 million in revenue rising from $33.4 million in 2021 and $29.6 million in 2020.”
 

NortheasternPJ

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Times are tough at Beasley...Based on the latest revenue report, I think they are doing everything they can just to keep the lights on over there...

“Beasley Media Sports “98.5 The Sports Hub” WBZ-FM Boston moves up to fourth nationwide with $34.25 million in revenue rising from $33.4 million in 2021 and $29.6 million in 2020.”
So they’re up $5m in revenue and most of the shows Are on multiyear contracts. Beasley is keeping the lights on at shitty stations that aren’t profitable on 98.5s dime and nickel and diming Lockhart and others.
 

HomeBrew1901

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And they didn’t mention Rich at all going into the commercial break. Uh oh.
Haven’t been following the Fred stuff at all and assumed he’d been out to just rest his voice. Was psyched when I heard Fred back on the air this morning and thought it was odd that Rich wasn’t there.

Went to google and had no idea about him calling Rich and Jon out.

I hope they can work out their differences but this could be the beginning of the end.
 

JCizzle

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Fred sounds like his old self. Can't really tell anything is off (either with his voice or the social media stuff).
 

8slim

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Fred sounds like his old self. Can't really tell anything is off (either with his voice or the social media stuff).
So far I’ve heard him talking about traffic and himself. Yawn. Whoever said he needs Rich to set him up for bits may be 100% right.
 

Riconway3155

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So far I’ve heard him talking about traffic and himself. Yawn. Whoever said he needs Rich to set him up for bits may be 100% right.
I haven’t listened yet today, but I wonder if that is Rich’s point.
Also, give Fred a sec to get back into it. They usually save the big things for drive time so there will probably be something at 8am. Probably an update on him and his health.