So now that we have a big enough sample size... The Hub vs. WEEI

Just an alternative.. Head to Sirius..

The Opening Drive and Moving the CHains are incredible.. The guests and Hosts are incredible..



7 am ET - 10 amThe Opening Drive


3 pm ET - 7 pm Movin' the Chains



They generally discuss topics and techniques during the mid week and what to watch out for on Sunday..


I haven't listen to the new station but WEEI is the pits.. Their hosts are illogical and when they don't understand how to answer a question, they scream over one another.. No thanks

I make it a point never to turn the radio on before 10AM since I can listen to Brady online after the fact and neither of these stations AM programs are worth a listen.

The Hub doesn't seem to have much to offer competitively vs. WEEI on Patriot programming days. I find Tanguay unlistenable and Zo is really a lightweight for a former backup player even. Of course I think he's a step down as is the overall cast of All Access these days. The show is basically the pre show minus Gresh... Dale may be a putz but he knows radio and Holley is generally more insightful on his worst day than Zo on his best day. I actually like some of WEEI better these days in the afternoon when they have guys like Lou and Max on. They should learn to seperate Fred and Steve for everyone's good, and get rid of Pete, but you can't have everything. Still beats the hell out of listening to squeaky and the brat boy ponficate. There show/act is becoming increasingly more juvenile host banter and kvetching by the week. I think it's because they don't have the right connections to land guests and the few they do are uncomfortable mixing it up with the duche bag. So they fill time arguing amongst themselves. Which is no worse than listening to the Big Show hosts talk over each other.

I must say though that the NYY/NYG fan they hired from Miami where he used to refer to Brady as Mr. Bundchen is a pleasant listen in the evenings. DA feigns genuine interest and admiration so well he's begun to refer to former enemies as we and us and our...

Just turned the Hub on and it's all WS and Sabathia and Red Sox spending at the moment...

I live in W MA so can't get the hub. On occasion I listen to Felger & co on the internet. The Big Show is like fingers scraping along a chalk board but D & C are okay in the am when they talk sports. Dale & Holly are too bland may as well tune in white noise. I listen to The Fan w Boomer/Carton, they are entertaining.

Just as an FYI, you can get all 3 (WEEI, 98.5, WFAN) on the internet:

The Sport Hub (Click on the 'Listen Live' area)

WFAN (Click on 'Listen Live')

WEEI (Direct Link to the player)

Definitely the Sports Hub for me. The morning show stinks on both stations, but since they leave their politics out (but not their frat boy humor) and sometimes include sports, I can tolerate the Hub's show a little better. If it gets really bad, I just switch to Dan Patrick (which I did before the Hub anyway) until Tanguay and Zolak come on. I've always liked Zo, and have come to like Tanguay's big-voiced buffoonery. I have always liked Felger too, and he provides a great foil for Tony Mazz's Napoleonic pomposity (wow, did I just say that?). I like Damon Amendolaro way more than that annoying Planet Mikey guy.

They seem to talk more Pats (and Bruins & Celtics) than WEEI. I like the music they incorporate; I like the stronger signal. I thought I would miss Dale & Holley, but I don't. I now just listen to them when there is a commercial on the Hub.

So glad the Hub is on!

I *love* Toucher & Rich. I've been listening to them since their days on WBCN... they have always delivered a good dose of morning humor that makes me laugh. That said, they're really not adept at delivering sports talk properly - their game is to just be themselves and goof off for the entertainment of listeners.

I cannot stand the big show on WEEI, or their morning show for that matter. I think Gary Tanguay is hilarious now that he is ultra serious about his sports talk. Sports HUB all the way baby.

WEEI has the superior hosts and shows with the exception of the 6:00 pm + shows.

Of the 5 worst hosts, 4 of them are on 98.5: Z&T, and F&M, along with Adams on WEEI, are all absolutely terrible radio hosts.

I can't get the Hub but after listening to EEI for about 10 or 15 years the Hub HAS to be better even with Felger.

Ok, I went back on my word and voted for 98.5 just because I was curious on how the voting was going. Surprised it is 2 to 1 in favor of 98.5. Granted several of the people who have voiced their opinions in posts haven't voted either way on the poll.

Rob0729 said:

Ok, I went back on my word and voted for 98.5 just because I was curious on how the voting was going. Surprised it is 2 to 1 in favor of 98.5.

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Shiny new car vs. old car.

Deus Irae said:

Shiny new car vs. old car.

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These polls aren't scientific by any stretch, but I think it has to do with more that many people have been frustrated with WEEI for a while now and any change from them is a good change. It seems to reflect that in a lot of the posts.

Rob0729 said:

These polls aren't scientific by any stretch, but I think it has to do with more that many people have been frustrated with WEEI for a while now and any change from them is a good change. It seems to reflect that in a lot of the posts.

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It seems to reflect the expected outcry from the usual suspects while the calmer people don't tend to get involved as much. The ratings actually reflect that, to date:

Newcomer WBZ-FM scored a weeklong overall 4.0 share, good for 11th place, among men in the coveted 25- to 54-year-old demographic during September, the station’s first full ratings month on the air.

Leading the pack was WEEI-AM (850), which nabbed the top spot with a 7.7 share.

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WEEI beats Sports Hub in round 1 - BostonHerald.com

I voted 98.5 only because they ARE talking more football. EEI is still in it's 90% MLB talk. But, the morning show on 98.5 is unlistenable. They sound like a bunch of dumb kids on college radio.

Deus Irae said:

It seems to reflect the expected outcry from the usual suspects while the calmer people don't tend to get involved as much. The ratings actually reflect that, to date:



WEEI beats Sports Hub in round 1 - BostonHerald.com

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I assume you are calling me one of the usual suspects. If you read my analysis, I think I was very fair to both stations and were critical and praising of both stations.

As for ratings, the ratings after two-three months don't mean much. The only guy who can come into a market and be competitive immediately was Howard Stern. For the most part, most format changes take a year or two before you can determine if they are successful or not. Radio listening is a habit thing and it is tough to make the change. Whenever there is a big shift in the ratings in any town, it usually happens in years, not months.

As the Herald points out though, 98.5 is off to a strong start. Their ratings are probably higher at this point than most people expected. I never expected 98.5 to take a huge chunk of WEEI's ratings at least not in the first year.

98.5 may never be close to the ratings that WEEI has, but even if they eventually overtake WEEI it won't be for at least a year or two because that is how these things work.

Deus Irae said:

WEEI beats Sports Hub in round 1 - BostonHerald.com

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so much for the Sports Hub being high up in the rankings...I had hoped for better..but just as bad....the best though is mid day....the worst afternoon...competition to be terrible..

Pats726 said:

so much for the Sports Hub being high up in the rankings...I had hoped for better..but just as bad....the best though is mid day....the worst afternoon...competition to be terrible..

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They have only been on the air since August. Shifts in radio ratings are usually a slow process. They are already getting much higher ratings than WBCN got in the key demographics at the time they pulled the format off the air (I think it is up 50%). So, by those standards, 98.5 is a success. Their ratings will continue to grow over the next year or two.

It is unrealistic to expect them to be a strong competitor for WEEI in the first six months especially without a huge amount of advertising or fanfare. I think the station manager is pleased with the ratings so far. If the ratings level off in the next six months, then it is a problem. But the station expected a slow climb to being competitive.

Rob0729 said:

I assume you are calling me one of the usual suspects. If you read my analysis, I think I was very fair to both stations and were critical and praising of both stations.

As for ratings, the ratings after two-three months don't mean much. The only guy who can come into a market and be competitive immediately was Howard Stern. For the most part, most format changes take a year or two before you can determine if they are successful or not. Radio listening is a habit thing and it is tough to make the change. Whenever there is a big shift in the ratings in any town, it usually happens in years, not months.

As the Herald points out though, 98.5 is off to a strong start. Their ratings are probably higher at this point than most people expected. I never expected 98.5 to take a huge chunk of WEEI's ratings at least not in the first year.

98.5 may never be close to the ratings that WEEI has, but even if they eventually overtake WEEI it won't be for at least a year or two because that is how these things work.

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My post simply addressed the poll in comparison to the actual ratings and you went off on this stuff. You have been one of the "usual suspects" on this issue, which is fine, and I wasn't trying to insult them. The reality is that polls like this are similar to political primaries in that they are only really responded to by a very small portion of the overall group.

The problem with both polls like this and with all the people saying "WEEI sucks"/"98.5 sucks!" is that a large tent is being thrown over separable items. "The Big Show", for example, doesn't suck, but it's not for everyone. It's designed to be a group of guys just shooting the breeze about sports, with the relative rowdiness that brings with it in comparison to a one, or two, man show. It's a deliberate choice that has resonated with enough listeners to make it's lead host a very wealthy man. It's an entirely different style of show than a "Dale & Holley", though, so grouping it together is sloppy.

As for my take now that we 'have a big enough sample size", 98.5 is going to struggle mightily after it loses its "new station!" appeal, unless it replaces its two daytime shows. They are both very weak shows, with the afternoon show being the weaker of the two. As for the D.A. show, we do seem to have some agreement there. He's a relatively smooth host who doesn't screw things up. That's enough to be better than anything else on 98.5 and to be better than Adams over on WEEI.

FYI - D.A. has given a caller his own theme song. That should be fatal according to your earlier gripes about WEEI, one would think

From the Boston Globe:

Thomas noted that The Sports Hub’s ratings among males 25-54 were up more than 40 percent (a 4.0 share compared with 2.8) over WBCN’s ratings during July, its final full month. They were up 26 percent with 18- to 49-year-olds (4.3 to 3.4).

“That the type of increase we’re looking for right now,’’ he said. “We want to perform better than WBCN was doing, and we are.’’


So are some of the specific programs. The “Toucher and Rich’’ morning show, the only major refugee from WBCN, saw its ratings climb 45 percent among men 25-54 and 49 percent for 18-49-year-olds compared to the show’s July ratings at its previous home. And the drive-time “Felger and Massarotti’’ show earned a 4.4 rating among 25-to-54-year-olds, up from the 3.6 rating WBCN earned in the time slot in July.

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‘Sports Hub’ dials it up a little - The Boston Globe

Pats726 said:

so much for the Sports Hub being high up in the rankings...I had hoped for better..but just as bad....the best though is mid day....the worst afternoon...competition to be terrible..

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It's too early for anything to be definitive. 98.5 will be inflated higher because of earlier dissatisfaction with WEEI, and it will lose some of those listeners when they realize that the grass isn't greener for them, but it will also attract more potential listeners through word of mouth for a few more months.

I'm Really Surprised by the lack of Support for WEEI here, I have been very dissapointed in the Sports Hub so far:

-D&C v. Toucher & Rich: I concur with the majority that both shows have major flaws, but at least Callahan, whetther you like his politics or not, is knowledgeable about Sports, particulary about football and the Pats. T & R sound like those kids in school who'd try to be cool by talking about sports but its obvious they don't what your talking about.
-Dale & Holley v. Tanguay & Zolak: Clear advantage WEEI. Tanguay is a panic button artist and they focus on irrelevant, yet negative topics incessantly, such their endless discussions about Laurence Maroney and the running game (The Pats always find a way to run the ball, relax, etc.) I can just see Tanguay in the radio booth with his eyes bulging, flipping out for no reason. Zolak is good, but Dale & Holley are together are very balanced, articulate, and i really enjoy their interviews with Pats players.
-Big Show v. Felger and Mazz: The Big Show has its flaws as well, but Ordway, Shepperd, and their football guests do really know football and the Pats well, and their interviews with BB are really insightful. I usually like Felger when he isn't being over-the-top contrarian and he also really knows the Pats. But teaming him w/ Mazz was a terrible idea. Mazz is overly negative, hates fans, hates BB and the Pats, and has a voice made for Al-Quaeda members @ Gitmo. 98.5 needs to pair Felger with a more calm and hoemrish type to even him out and then maybe they'll have some.
-Mikey v. DA. Mikey at least is funny, you just have to accept the fact that he will tal only Red Sox and Yankees and laugh at his drunk callers. But this DA guy sucks, particulary about the Pats. He reminds me of national writers from 03-04 who didn't "get" the Pats. He is another running game worry-wart, and like most of 98.5, is clearly taking an over-negative view on the pats just to incite callers.
-I also like WEEI's NFL pre-game show much better. Dale, Holley, Fauria (who really provides good insight on the Pats preparation and outlook from his 02-05 days) and Chris Price are much better than the Tanguay, Gresh, and Zolak team on 98.5
-Overall, WEEI-despite some flaws-is still clearly better than the competition. Not every segment on every show is going to please everyone, but WEEI is consistently more insightful and entertaining (much less often head-pounding annoying) than 98.5.
-The best Pats related programming is still the Patriots.com Radio programming on Tuesdays thru Thursdays. PFW in Progress "gets" the team at a much higher level than anyone else, and Patriots Playbook is good when John Rooke IS NOT hosting.