WEEI

Boston Sports Media Watch reports on how Pete Sheppard ended his career at WEEI this evening.

Boston Sports Media Watch reports on Glenn Ordway's departure from WEEI.

A couple of Staties visited David Portnoy of Barstool Sports and suggested it might be best for all concerned if he took down the nekkid photos of the Brady kid, if you know what they mean, and they think you do, so he did. At least, for today.

Meanwhile, Glenn Ordway, apparently tired of driving more people to Portnoy's site through his anti-Barstool radiothon, turned his sputtering mike and frothing listeners on Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch for daring to suggest Ordway just shut up already about the whole thing. Allen returns fire today:

Had WEEI just condemned and moved on, would this story have gotten as much attention as it did? While plenty of other media outlets did pick up on the story, there is no doubt that WEEI's incessant banging of the drum increased the visibility of the story.

I heard you state that the extended discussion of the topic had nothing to do with ratings. That is a boldface lie. Everything done at WEEI is for ratings. Are you claiming that this was some sort of selfless public service you were performing here?

The Weekly Dig, which, granted, isn't the most disinterested observer in such things, reports (third item) the hot rumor in local radio circles is that Entercom wants to throw some money at the Phoenix to buy 'FNX and replace it with that milquetoast Mike format from 93.7 so it can move faltering WEEI onto FM and try to smack the Sports Hub around.

The Herald reports dude got himself suspended for sending "vulgar" texts to rival WBZ-FM, a.k.a., the Sports Hub. Props to columnist Jessica Heslam for this:

Massaua never responded to repeated text messages seeking a comment.

Emily Rooney vs. Dennis and Callahan.

On the Boston Radio mailing list, Roger Kirk reports he fiddled between the Sports Hub and 'EEI on the way home last night to compare the two:

98.5's DA was discussing the Topic Du Jour i.e. Teddy Bruschi's retirement with callers.

The Sox had the night off, so WEEI's host was engaged in animated conversation with a caller comparing the breast size of Serena Williams to other Tennis Players.

From now on, all Sox games will be broadcast only on WEEI.

Via Boston Radio Watch.

Bruce Allen compares and grades Boston's newest sports-talk station and its established archrival.

Don Martelli: The guy is just a younger version of Dan Shaughnessy.

David Scott dons his Kevlar and reports from the uneasy truce line between the Globe and WEEI, following yesterday's incursion by Globie Chadd Finn:

... If there's going to be a sports media war in this town, it certainly isn't going to include the Boston Herald or any other of our local pretender sites. ... As for a WEEI/Globe escalation of activity, I say, "Bring it on." Something has to shake up the status quo in this town and if Chad Finn's WEEI Manifesto is it, then let 'er rip. ...

As long as he's on the topic of the Globe, Scott wonders when "Curt Schilling's BFF" will just start publishing "Best of ..." columns instead of pretending he's offering new insights in his columns.

A Cambridge wedding photographer faces criminal charges for a series of phone calls he allegedly made to WEEI last fall.

David Banner, 57, pleaded innocent in Brighton District Court yesterday to two counts of criminal harassment, two counts of threats to commit a crime and one count of making annoying phone calls to employees of Entercom Communications in Brighton, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. Banner was released on personal recognizance and ordered to not call any radio station in Boston.

The charges focus on four calls Banner allegedly made to the station in October and November:

In an Oct. 29 call that began with an expression of displeasure over his perception of the station's politics, Banner allegedly stated, "And another thing, the next time [Employee #1] laughs in somebody's face with his snide snickering laugh, I'm gonna come in there and kick his [expletive] teeth in. And then I'm gonna look for you and kick your [expletive] teeth, you [expletive] .... And you can tell [Employee #2] when he makes fun of people to look in the [expletive] [expletive] mirror. [Expletive] you." ...

In one Nov. 4 call, he allegedly said, "When you talk about somebody's look, look in the [expletive] mirror, you donut-eating [expletive] [expletive]. You and your [expletive] [expletive] daughter. Die, you son of a [expletive]."

In a second Nov. 4 call made to a different employee minutes later, he allegedly said, "Every morning when I listen to the show, I just say, jeez, maybe tomorrow I wake up and I hear that [Employee #3] and [Employee #4] died. That would be my wish, for you to [expletive] die."

"If someone finds a radio show that upsetting, the appropriate response is to change the channel," DA Dan Conley said. "Instead, we have here a pattern of extremely vulgar and, frankly, bizarre phone calls that rise to the level of criminal behavior."

The DA's office says all of the calls were taped; does not specify whether any were used on the Whiner Line.

Innocent, etc.

Does this mean he gets to share a press room with the CHB?

Big Schill actually announced the move on his blog last week, but I saw it and went, "oh," then went in search of my daily dose of gross T news or something.

Ron Borges moves to the Herald after a whole month at WEEI.com.

WEEI.com is running a contest to find two sports bloggers for their site. Winners get a blog there and $5,000 to blog for a year:

All entries will be up to 500 words and should be focused in on the Boston sports scene, reflecting the author's wit, creativity, sports knowledge, and unique perspective to craft a piece of work which will stand out from what promises to be a sea of candidates. The deadline for submissions will be Sept. 30.

Buzz Byne listens to WEEI for 12 straight hours (except for a few minutes when he just couldn't stand Dennis and Callahan a moment longer) so you don't have to:

10:29 AM

It's Manny Ramirez time. Dale tells us it was almost criminal what this guy did on this team this year. We hardly know all the stories. Really? Does Dale tell us any of these extra stories? Nope. We just gotta take his word for it. Good to see Dale's new part time gig in the Red Sox broadcast booth is paying off with unsubstantiated rumors passed on to the listeners during his radio show. ...

Via Boston Sports Media Watch.

No, not that one, the other one. David Scott reports Ron Borges is heading to weei.com. He also discusses how Tony Massarotti almost moved to weei.com instead of to boston.com.

Bruce Allen suddenly loses interest in weei.com:

I had high hopes for this new weei.com. Borges just about kills it for me. You hire him, you lose your credibility. Simple as that.

Adam Reilly has the details on Tony Massarotti jumping from the Herald to the Globe, where he'll become "the face and voice of boston.com sports." He also reports on Gordon Edes' replacement.

Dan Kennedy: Massarotti is a leading reason to read the Herald, so this is a huge, huge loss. Also shows Globe is taking weei.com seriously as a threat, he says.

Earlier:
WEEI to pose threat to Boston Dirt Dogs.

Not only has WEEI hired away two Herald sports writers to try to turn its Web site into the major go-to site for New England sports info, but it's advertising for some serious Web/systems help, Mats Tolander reports:

... I like weei.com's Director of Product Development:

You recognize Emacs is the one true editor (though I suppose vi will do in a pinch; anything but Frontpage). ...

Here.

Scott Allen Miller reads a recent Globe story about how Robert Coughlin moved from state officialdom to the chairmanship of the Mass. Biotechnology Council and notices an interesting detail buried far down the story: Coughlin entertained the CEO of a biotech company in Skybox seats at Fenway Park, using tickets given his office by WEEI for having placed some ads on the station.

So? As Miller explains, Skybox tickets are worth far more than the $50 that is the maximum price of tickets state employees are allowed to accept for free. Plus, he explains why one might ask whether those tickets helped get Coughlin his job at the council.

Jessica Heslam reports. So does David Scott.

Saving WRKO notes an odd WEEI ad on page 18 of today's Herald: It's a reprint of an older ad showing Dennis, Callahan and Meterparel at Fenway park, only Dennis's face has been Photoshopped over Callahan's and Meterparel's.

It'd be an awfully expensive message, no?

David Scott summarizes the whole thing.