Local News
The big takeaway from the summer Nielsen Audio ratings wasn’t about the Sports Hub’s “Toucher and Hardy” and “Felger and Mazz” shows continuing to reign in their respective drive-time slots, though they certainly did.
Nor was it about WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” drawing strong numbers in the mornings, only for the station’s ratings to nosedive the rest of the day, even after an August lineup shakeup.
No, the big takeaway isn’t about a big share. It was about a stunningly small one.
Rich Shertenlieb, who moved to classic rock station WZLX in May after a contentious split with the Sports Hub and longtime morning-show co-host Fred Toucher, had a 1.8 share among the men 25-54 demographic from June 20-Sept. 11.
A 1-point-8.
That’s bad for a grade-point average. It’s brutally low for a fledgling but much anticipated radio show featuring a well-known and successful host, and it would be even if we weren’t comparing it to what Toucher and Hardy (16.6, 1st) and Hill’s show (11.9, 2d) drew in the summer, a time when rock radio tends to fare its best.
In the spring, WZLX’s morning drive programming — which included about a month of Shertenlieb’s show, which had replaced Pete McKenzie and Heather Ford’s program — had a 3.7 share, including a 3.2 in that final month.
Parent company iHeart Media is understandably alarmed. Shertenlieb’s show, to his objections, added more music in late August. The cast has shuffled somewhat, with Mike Giardi having his frequent third-voice duties (Michael Hurley is the regular co-host) cut down to a periodic call-in, and Emerson Lotzia taking on a bigger role.
The program is not devoid of genuine positives. Former Patriot Ted Johnson is a compelling storyteller. Recent guest co-hosts Danielle Murr and Gary Tanguay were additive. The show never lacks for energy with Shertenlieb in the lead chair.
But that is part of the problem, too. The show sometimes feels like it is careening from topic to topic without any direction. Shertenlieb needs a counter to his exuberance; Toucher’s quick-witted cynicism was the perfect balance for so many years.
Hurley is smart and funny, but understated, and he gets overwhelmed by Shertenlieb — who himself might be proving beyond a doubt that he is best suited to being the No. 2 voice on a show — dominating full segments. Lotzia’s hype-man style is similar to Shertenlieb. The show would benefit from some decaf in its coffee maker.
It’s also fair to wonder whether loyal WZLX listeners are holding a grudge for McKenzie and Ford getting pushed out barely six months after the unexpected death of longtime fellow host Kevin Karlson.
After all, other WZLX programming is doing fine. The station had an 8.1 share overall in the demographic, including Shertenlieb’s 1.8. In one way or another, that’s damning.
As for the rest of the summer ratings:
Overall (among men 25-54): Sports Hub, 11, first. WEEI, 4.2, ninth.
Middays: “Zolak and Bertrand,” 12.9, first. WEEI (”Gresh and Fauria,” then “Jones and Keefe”), 2.4, 15th.
Afternoon drive: “Felger and Mazz,” 14.8, first. WEEI (”Jones and Mego,” then the current show hosted by Christian Arcand and Andy Hart), 1.9, t15.
Evenings: Joe Murray, 7.3, 3d. WEEI (Keefe through most of August, Red Sox), 3.0, t8.
Patriots get petty
If you missed what has to be the winner as the Annoying Media Controversy of the Week, a quick synopsis, accompanied by an exaggerated eye-roll at how dumb all of this is.
Evan Lazar, a writer and podcaster for the Patriots’ in-house media operation, said on its “Catch-22″ podcast that the team was “teetering on a mutiny” in the locker room after its loss to the 49ers Sunday.
“I was in that locker room on Sunday,” said Lazar. “The defense is mad at the defense, the offense is mad at the offense.”
This scorching take apparently did not sit well with the Patriots, and the comment was soon edited out of the podcast.
This wasn’t a great look for Lazar, who exaggerated clear frustration into a mutiny, the sort of thing that happens too often in a media landscape in which hot-takers make big bucks and the Zach Lowes are victims of budget cuts.
Lazar hopped on the Sports Hub Thursday night and again Friday, and acknowledged that he got carried away.
That was the right way to handle it. Can’t say the same for the Patriots and the website, which showed breathtaking hypersensitivity in editing the comment — thereby turning it into a much bigger story than it would have been had it remained in the podcast.
Sure, it was a silly thing for Lazar to say. But not as silly as the team’s attempt to make it disappear.
Master of his craft
One more thought on Joe Castiglione and what makes him so appreciated among Red Sox fans, beyond the obvious nostalgic (in a good way) generational connections: He never deliberately tried to prove his own talent as a broadcaster.
It was never about him, his call, his voice. It was always about us, the listeners.
He was an excellent storyteller with a deep well of institutional knowledge about the Red Sox and Major League Baseball. And he didn’t fight against silence. It’s not easy on the radio to let a game breathe, but in his 42 years in the Red Sox booth, he mastered the art.
I hope that young broadcasters that often come out of college sounding the same recognize what they could learn from Castiglione — and what will make you truly beloved in a market.