efin98

It wasn't mixed, it was just a music radio station airing 10 sports games a year minimum...at most maybe seven hours on sunday for the sport. All other times minus what the music hosts themselves initiated within their radio programs it was a music station first and foremost.

DGameguy

I think this has a really good chance to succeed.

When you look at the two most recent to challenge EEI, the stations had no chance to succeed for four reasons:

1. Poor Signal Strength
2. No Money
3. Lack of a morning show
4. Lack of broadcast rights

Now, WWZN did have the rights to broadcast Celtics games but the signal was too poor and they held them during some of the lowest points in recent Celtics history, whereas the Patriots are a big draw and the Bruins are experiencing something of a popular resurgence. When they did half-heartedly attempt to put together a local radio show it failed miserably (The Mikey and Candy Show) or got chopped to pieces and moved around too much (the Russillo vehicle). Toucher and Rich have a cult-like following and will bring a younger audience in at the beginning of the day. Don't forget, before they were moved to mornings they did VERY well against The Big Show with basiclaly no advertising. CBS is a bigtime radio corporation that I'm sure will be throwing money around to make this a success early on.

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jmt57

Yes, that's true, but - for those that want to listen to music, WBCN forces its core audience away every Sunday for twenty weeks of the year - with no guarantee they'll return. And for those wanting to hear about the Pats in particular and sports in general the reverse is true; that audience will be wherever they usually listen to sports (e.g., WEEI) while the pre and post game shoes are on, rather than on 'BCN.

efin98

WWZN held the broadcast rights to the Celtics during four consecutive playoff years including a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals...hardly a low point for the team when they are actually starting to come around before the bottom fell out.

Their other local sports ventures were covering crappy independent league baseball...not exactly something to listen to if you don't know who any of those people are and could turn the dial to listen in to people you do...

They have connections to local sports players already, especially on the Bruins. They are big sports fans and have had long running bits on their show devoted to sports(drunken recaps being most prominent).

efin98

Right, which took them years to finally say "enough music, go with sports".

I'll miss the music but I'll gladly take fresh ideas from the guys they have coming in over the same junk on EEI...can't wait until they hire more people to fill out the lineup.

jmt57

It's been a slow, painful death for BCN. They used to be considered not just the best music station in Boston, but one of the best, if not the best station in the whole country back in the 70's. Then Maxanne left, the station was sold, they tightened up the format and from then on the only thing the same about them was the call letters and the number on the dial.

jmt57

Hopefully that is the case - it doesn't do the fans any good to have a clone of WEEI as an alternative. Maybe CBS radio will see WEEI has that formula locked up and will try something else.

DGameguy

My bad on the Celtics part. I wasn't necessarily referring to their record. The Vin Baker thing and the Pacers series weren't exactly high points, but I should've checked that at first. I find basketball impossible to follow on the radio.

T&R have cultivated relationships with some of the athletes, especially Aaron Ward and the Bruins, and they have a nice apport with Tanguay who's rumored to be a part of the afternoon drive show. I've listened to them everyday for the past two years or so and while I'm not sure any 1 guy could carry a sports talk show, they all have some depth of knowledge of one or two sports Fred baseball and hockey, Rich basketball etc.

ANother reason I think the previous stations failed was a lack of creativity. Each show on the station was a similarly formatted call-in show with shuffled (normally dull) personalities. You're absolutely right T&R's sports bits are different. The drunken recaps are pretty funny (and would make a nice F.U to WEEI being as they're only really for Sox and Celts games), the Twitter game is entertaining, and I think the weekly spots with A.J. Daulerio have been very enjoyable. I could definitley see them being a sort of Deadspin of Boston sports radio. They're also never afraid of controversy or getting into it with rival shows.

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PatsWickedPissah

Great news for those of us outside 495 trying to listen late in the day. Back when I lived in Sudbury (Smerlas Country) I'd have trouble receiving EEI AM. The 99.5 FM signal is readily received here in Seacoast NH.

THe major question will be hosts and style. Will they be interesting and analytical or will they go for the manufactured 'controversy' that made me abandon D&C?

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BradfordPatsFan

At the very least this should signal more pats talk and less sox talk in November, December, January, etc...

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