Howie Carr
Vennochi goes after "Ernie Boch III," the not-the-car-dealer trying to organize a boycott of Howie Carr's advertisers:
The blogosphere opened up the public conversation to new, thoughtful voices, but it should not provide a shield to hide biases and private agendas.
Oh, excuse me, Miss High and Mighty. Read more
The Herald reports that Ernie Boch, one of its advertisers and an Inside Track crush (Gals just love him to pieces), is offering no money down $2,000 for the identity of Ernie Boch III, so that Howie Carr can taunt him mercilessly "terrorize" him.
Bob Nelson reports on the Boston Radio List that he was listening to Carr on WRKO this afternoon and the car dealer came on down and said:
- He is not the Ernie Boch III, who's calling for a boycott of Carr's advertisers on Blue Mass. Group (and on tried on Red Mass. Group, where the reaction was a bit less friendly).
- Flack Extraordinaire George Regan suggested he hire a private investigator to find out who III really is
- Boch thinks it's somebody at the State House
For trying to help him get out of his contract with WRKO. He hugs them and musses their hair and gives them a friendly "yer momma."
"Ernie Boch III" has been trying to convince Blue Mass. Group readers to boycott advertisers on Howie Carr's radio show (he's even posted a handy list of advertisers and contact info). Must be having some effect: The Herald today fires back with the news that Ernie Boch III is not, in fact, the car dealer (whom the Herald gives space to to complain about the imposter). Paper also reports, however, that people actually are calling advertisers to complain about Carr.
The Globe reports Howie Carr smashed his car into a telphone pole in Wellesley yesterday afternoon. He's OK, but was cited for disregarding marked lanes. The telephone pole, however, did not survive.
A columnist who pulls down almost seven figures a year, lives in a Wellesley manse and went to Deerfield Academy takes some cheap shots today at some guy who went to Boston State, whose father was a Boston cop and whose grandmother was an early union organizer.
Dan Kennedy fills in the background on Howie Carr's hatchet job on Globe Newspaper Guild president Dan Totten.
Sure, he's entitled to gloat, again, at the possible impending demise of the Globe.
But really, Howie, complaining that the Globe blew it in 2006 in some sports column? Is that really that much worse than Spygate? You have such a good memory, Howie - you're always bringing up obscure moments in hackdom from the 1970s - surely you couldn't have forgotten something that happened just last year?
And what about that time back in 1983 when Kevin White got you guys but good and you ran that front-page exclusive about him running for re-election, only it turns out he wasn't? That was a good one, too. Guess that means you should shrivel up and die, as well, huh?
Howie must be working on another book about the Bulgers, or maybe he spent too much time at Fenway with Castig and Obie last night, because based on the amount of time he put into today's CHB-like column about loser Patriots fans, he clearly is too busy to do any actual reporting for the Herald. Or maybe, he just needs a hug.
As Dan Kennedy notes, Howie Carr's column on Jim Marzilli today is your basic called-in faux-outrage piece about a pol in trouble. But read down to the last two sentences - man, Howie loves working at 'RKO.
Dare to complain about how Howie Carr called in a column about how awful the Marathon is? You'll do it on your own site, the Herald tells Tai Irwin, scrubbing its own Web pages clean of the former 'FNX jock's Tai-Rade blog (his blog URL now only brings up "Sorry, no posts matched your criteria").
Free Republic, of all places, has a copy of the offending post, which, OK, takes a dig or two at the Herald ("purchased by over a dozen Bostonians at newsstands"). Scroll down a screen or so.
Via Boston Radio Watch, which posts the e-mail Irwin sent to local media types (scroll down a bit on this page as well).
And on Howie Carr's show, no less. But damned if Entercom, which owns the station, is going to let you know that the evil government gave its evil approval to the evil Sirius/XM merger. Bob Nelson was listening today when Carr tried to announce the news:
"Oh, breaking news--- Justice Dept. has approved the (silence). Oh that's good...(to producer)
Did you bleep that out? I can't report the news?"
Went to drudge: Sirius XM Merger Approved.
That's right folks: WRKO does not want you to hear the news. ...
Ever get the feeling that when Howie Carr gets pressed for time, he just repastes a series of insults into his word processor? Joe Keohane helps to prove the point by looking up all the times Carr has made a "Jacques, rhymes with Fakes" crack about Cheryl Jacques, nominated this week for a judgeship, and so the subject of Carr's column today (as Keohane notes: "Naturally, because she's a politician who isn't dead or Steve Murphy, and is appearing in Carr's column, she's in for a beating.").
Scott Allen Miller, late of our local airwaves, spotted him up in Manchester yesterday doing his show while wearing a WTKK button.
As scheduled, Howie Carr came back on 'RKO right after the 3 o'clock news:
I'm baaaaack. I'm baaaack.
He waited a whole two minutes before bringing up Teddy Kennedy and Chappaquiddick.
Greater Media, which owns WTKK, recently bought WBT in Charlotte. Brian on Saving WRKO speculates if that could mean a move south for Contract Boy:
... Since a good chunk of New England has already resettled in the Carolinas, why not? ...
In September Murphy was trying to keep two jobs a $100,000 + state job and his $85,000 councilor seat
He is the one that tattled on Flaherty for having an expired City Council President placard in his window. How does Howie get is inside anonymous City hall info? Ratso gives it to him.
Turned his back on 41 well trained battle worn Boston Municipal police offices. They all got laid off in January and most of them were friends who had helped him win elections. Read more
At least, that's what the Herald is saying.
Dan Kennedy writes about Carr's hubris or bad advice or whatever made him jump the gun on the WTKK deal.
David notes that even with the court decision that ties him to WRKO, Howie Carr will still be pulling down 7 large over the next five years:
... Seven million bucks in five years. The next time Howie moans about Deval Patrick's house in the Berkshires or something, let's recall that Howie hasn't exactly got his finger on the pulse of the plight of the working stiff either. Like today, Howie's all worried because he's thinking about Hillary Clinton and "I close my eyes and it's 1993 again and my paycheck has suddenly shrunk." Your paycheck. Your seven million dollar paycheck. My heart bleeds, Howie, my heart bleeds.
First somebody at the station vandalizes a Wikipedia page about Scott Allen Miller. Now the little AM station has enlivened its home page with Virtual Howie - a Flash-based "puppet" that lets you pretend Carr is still on the station by clicking on various phrases.
Somebody who was really paranoid might think Entercom is trying to send Howie a message about who really pulls his strings by posting the thing the day their contract dispute goes back to court, but even Entercom couldn't be that petty, could it?
The Outraged Liberal says it's not loony MIT students but the way the government is now tracking even the books American travelers carry with them:
... Maybe George Orwell's only mistake was not naming his book 2007?
Speaking of Star Simpson (what, haven't heard enough of her already?), Dan Kennedy wonders just how long Howie Carr spent on his generic stupid-college students column today: Four minutes or five?
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