Boston Globe Columnist Joan Vennochi: Howie Carr Lost His Car!

[D. R. Tucker]

An interesting column by the Boston Globe's Joan Vennochi notes that Carr had to give up more than just his check when he tried to bail out of WRKO in September:

" ...Carr took himself off WRKO's air in late September, so he isn't being paid, according to Shepherd Davidson, a lawyer for Entercom Boston, which owns the station. The talk show host also lost a car provided by Ira Motors that was part of his pay package, according to publicist George Regan, who represents WRKO."

Vennochi apparently shares Judge Allan van Gestel's view of Carr's "hypercritical screeds":

"His critiques go far beyond differences over ideology. His commentary is often rude and personal and he takes adolescent delight in mocking physical characteristics. His unflinching meanness undercuts an admirable willingness to take on the powerbrokers. But from a marketing perspective, Carr obviously knows what he's doing, as proven by the bidding war for his services."

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/11/04/howie_carrs_bales_of_hay?mode=PF

 

[raccoonradio]

Interesting about losing use of the car (though I think he and Cathy aren't hurting; they won a Porsche
or some kind of car in some kind of raffle a couple years back, etc.). The article mentions a "new book"--
as in, NOT the Brothers Bulger but something else? I know Howie's listeners have urged him to write a book
(or "drag up old columns", as some would say here) about what he calls The Kennedy Crime Family,
for example.
Also I haven't heard enough of Finneran's show to judge but does the Felon refrain from criticizing
ANY politician? That doesn't sound right.

And someone just asked me, if Howie isn't being paid, why is Entercom still using his name, etc.? I pointed
out that they feel his contract got renewed for 5 years (and a judge seems to agree) when they matched
the offer and he's not getting paid because he "benched himself". The ads still run in the paper,
the show's still in his name, etc., but Howie's sitting it out--for now. And Entercom has even hinted
he could be liable for the time missed (last show was the day before his contract expired, Sept 18)

 

[Casablanca]

Notice the dig by Entercom's lawyer that Howie has a "second wife". Now, that is really going to encourage Howie to come back to WRKO.

 

[raccoonradio]

Yes--I think his first wife's name is Sharon and he has two daughters by her, and he has three daughters
by Cathy. I also don't know what he makes at the Herald, but if we read in a (Globe) gossip column
that Howie's selling the Wellesley manse and moving into a small condo somewhere, we'll know
times are getting tough...
Hey--is that Howie I just saw, driving a Hyundai? And he had to PAY for it? Just kidding. Howie
may still be doing OK but the radio career was making him a good chunk of change.

 

[D. R. Tucker]

I thought the "new book" referred to in the article was a reference to The Brothers Bulger, even though it came out last year (define "new").

I don't think the problem with Finneran is the supposed refusal to criticize any politician; what finally drove me away from the show was the near-constant references to his kids, his wife, Boston Latin School, Dorchester and Mattapan, etc. If Howie talked about Cathy, Deerfield and Wellesley every three seconds, it'd drive me crazy too.

By the way, does anyone really think Entercom will go after Howie for damages if he decides to drop the lawsuit, say, this week (or next) and return to 'RKO? Wouldn't that be a PR nightmare for Entercom? I imagine that the Herald (and other media entities) would harshly criticize Entercom as a corporate behemoth trying to squeeze money out of Howie due to vindictiveness despite being presumably rich enough to cover the losses from Howie's absence. It would be Entercom, not Howie, that would suffer in the court of public opinion if they pursued him for damages even after he returns. Or am I wrong?

 

[Casablanca]

This Is War?

Howie was on this Sunday with Jon Keller on Channel 4. Missed the very beginning did he talk about his current situation with WRKO/WTKK?

Also, wonder how many wives the Entercom lawyer has had....or domestic partners...hmmm I think that wise-ass move by the Entercom slime ball lawyer and his boy-toy Georgie Regan will get the juices of The Inside Track flowing. Expect this to be a war where all the Entercom/Regan Communications dirt and gossip flows like an exploding volcano.

 

[Finn]

Re: This Is War?

Howie was on this Sunday with Jon Keller on Channel 4. Missed the very beginning did he talk about his current situation with WRKO/WTKK?

Also, wonder how many wives the Entercom lawyer has had....or domestic partners...hmmm I think that wise-ass move by the Entercom slime ball lawyer and his boy-toy Georgie Regan will get the juices of The Inside Track flowing. Expect this to be a war where all the Entercom/Regan Communications dirt and gossip flows like an exploding volcano.

Casa, you kill me. I believe that I first learned of Carr's marital history from your posts.

 

[Casablanca]

Re: This Is War?

If you learned it from me then you must have a very sheltered life.

Howie was on this Sunday with Jon Keller on Channel 4. Missed the very beginning did he talk about his current situation with WRKO/WTKK?

Also, wonder how many wives the Entercom lawyer has had....or domestic partners...hmmm I think that wise-ass move by the Entercom slime ball lawyer and his boy-toy Georgie Regan will get the juices of The Inside Track flowing. Expect this to be a war where all the Entercom/Regan Communications dirt and gossip flows like an exploding volcano.

Casa, you kill me. I believe that I first learned of Carr's marital history from your posts.

 

[Finn]

Re: This Is War?

If you learned it from me then you must have a very sheltered life.

Howie was on this Sunday with Jon Keller on Channel 4. Missed the very beginning did he talk about his current situation with WRKO/WTKK?

Also, wonder how many wives the Entercom lawyer has had....or domestic partners...hmmm I think that wise-ass move by the Entercom slime ball lawyer and his boy-toy Georgie Regan will get the juices of The Inside Track flowing. Expect this to be a war where all the Entercom/Regan Communications dirt and gossip flows like an exploding volcano.

Casa, you kill me. I believe that I first learned of Carr's marital history from your posts.

Yeah, I'm sure that's it.

Now, back to the subject.

Come on Casa, has it always been sleazy to mention Carr's marital history, or just now that it's in your interest to do so? Will you concede to a little hypocrisy here??

 

[raccoonradio]

I think Brothers Bulger came out in Feb of '06--I got it signed over at the Paper Store in Beverly in
June of last year. They must be using the same definition of "new" that some radio stations use
(The New...or, in Spanish, like "La Nueva Rumba" which is about to celebrate its first anniversary
in Dec. But I would rather see something less than a yr old being described as "new" rather than
something almost 2 years old.

amazon.com lists publication of hardcover as 2/23/06 and paperback as Nov of last year

>>It would be Entercom, not Howie, that would suffer in the court of public opinion if they pursued him for damages even after he returns.

That's right and the emphasis is AFTER he returns. If somehow he managed to
wind up at WTKK, they'd go after him but not if he returned (or at least they wouldn't want the bad
publicity).
I got my car at Ira too, only I had to pay for it (make that STILL paying for it). No more free car for Carr.

 

[Finn]

If he returns, I think we'll see Entercom do everything they can to enhance the Howie Carr brand, including statements about what a 'bad boy' he's been, what a tough negotiator he is, how valuable he is, blah, blah, blah.

Probably get him a bigger, better, badder car. So his audience forgets...

 

[jane grant]

What's interesting to note is that the most always fair Joan Vennochi, perhaps The Globe's best writer, is very balanced in criticizing and praising Carr. She puts in the piece what many have been bashed for saying on this very board. So chalk one up for the good gals and guys.

Did Howie live with Sharon in the Acton area or up the Route 3 North region - and what court did they sign their "agreement" in and allegedly seal it?

Speaking of Agreements, whatever deal Howie and Entercom make they will tie up with a bow and all will be right with the world. There won't be more litigation back and forth - that's how it is done in the Corporate world, kiss, make up, and move on. It is interesting that as bad as this is for Howie, both sides have yet to take the gloves off. These are just love taps. If Howie does hold out for Greater Media it could be a wonderful thing for those of us who want to see a knock-down drag out - much like my new heart-throb Joe Calzaghe did last night against the almost equally handsome Mikkel Kessler

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hSt8otPYM2by0M8jsED5P_nWG-Nw

Of course if Calzaghe and Kessler was the battle of the good lookers, Entercom & Howie would be the battle of the bulge...but I digress

 

[D. R. Tucker]

From what I've seen, the legal blogs have yet to weigh in on the recent Appeals Court ruling, as they did with the original van Gestel ruling. Even without the ruling, it's apparent that based on the law of averages, Howie must return to the 'RKO fold:

http://stockstradamus.net/2007/11/04/running-up-the-score-on-howie-carr-not-the-colts/

 

[TSBench]

Casa, you kill me. I believe that I first learned of Carr's marital history from your posts.

You may be referring to a thread, that Casa himself originated, titled...

With A New $ 7 Million Contract Will Howie Carr Have To Pay More Alimony ?

Wonder if Howie Carr's first wife, the mother of his two oldest daughters that he dumped for Janet Jhegalian's girl friend, will go back into court and demand more alimony now that Howie will be earning $ 7 MILLION BIG ONE'S.

Must be an enterprising lawyer out there who can't wait to represent The First Mrs. Howie Carr in Divorce Court.

Although Casa sees something unseemly in the lawyer mentioning Carr has an ex-wife, he seems to think that going beyond that to hoping a divorce lawyer takes Howie to the cleaners is somehow more, shall we say, seemly.

Of course, that post of Casa's is probably six weeks old, so he might have changed positions since then, since it does seem that he spends an inordinate amount of his spare spare time serving as a lightning rod on his perpetual Road to Damascus.

But, he does seem to have quite an interest in the marital and sexual lives of folks with whom he disagrees.

Go figger.

Regards,
TSB

 

[D. R. Tucker]

Dan Kennedy also weighs in. The comment section on his site should get interesting...

http://medianation.blogspot.com/2007/11/vennochi-to-carr-phone-home.html

 

[raccoonradio]

[EDIT-reply to removed post]

Speaking of contracts and such, keep in mind that 'RKO matched the 'TKK contract which
has a lot of incentive language (and a lower base salary than they were giving him before)
so whether 'RKO takes him back with the old slot or puts him in mornings where he wants to
go, there's no guarantee he'll make the full money.

 

[Casablanca]

As a negotiating tool Entercom's lawyer using someone's first wife to encourage you to come to the table seems to be extremely self defeating. Again, one can expect the Herald's Inside Track to expose the relationships and long -time companions of both Entercom's lawyer Gestel and WRKO' PR flack George Regan. If Entercom wanted a war with Howie they certainly have started one.

Casa, you kill me. I believe that I first learned of Carr's marital history from your posts.

You may be referring to a thread, that Casa himself originated, titled...

With A New $ 7 Million Contract Will Howie Carr Have To Pay More Alimony ?

Wonder if Howie Carr's first wife, the mother of his two oldest daughters that he dumped for Janet Jhegalian's girl friend, will go back into court and demand more alimony now that Howie will be earning $ 7 MILLION BIG ONE'S.

Must be an enterprising lawyer out there who can't wait to represent The First Mrs. Howie Carr in Divorce Court.

Although Casa sees something unseemly in the lawyer mentioning Carr has an ex-wife, he seems to think that going beyond that to hoping a divorce lawyer takes Howie to the cleaners is somehow more, shall we say, seemly.

Of course, that post of Casa's is probably six weeks old, so he might have changed positions since then, since it does seem that he spends an inordinate amount of his spare spare time serving as a lightning rod on his perpetual Road to Damascus.

But, he does seem to have quite an interest in the marital and sexual lives of folks with whom he disagrees.

Go figger.

Regards,
TSB

 

[BoscoGoldBear]

As a negotiating tool Entercom's lawyer using someone's first wife to encourage you to come to the table seems to be extremely self defeating. Again, one can expect the Herald's Inside Track to expose the relationships and long -time companions of both Entercom's lawyer Gestel and WRKO' PR flack George Regan. If Entercom wanted a war with Howie they certainly have started one.

That, of course, is assuming that the Herald is EVEN around to publish a daily newspaper. You forget who's running WRKO these days and has Julie and Jason's hands tied behind their backs - none other than the biggest owner of the Red Sox (at 17%) Pinch Sulzberger, who runs 'RKO like John Henry (15%) runs Fenway Park, Tom Werner (14%) runs NESN (assisted by Sulzberger in a limited capacity - Globie sportswriters, you know) and Larry Lucchino (10%) runs the actual Red Sox team (Theo is directly under Lucchino). For those who forget, Sulzberger is the owner of the Boston Globe and the New York Times, and he wants the Herald destroyed (to stop his newspaper's bleeding), and that includes both Howie and the Inside Track. If Howie actually attempts to come back to 'RKO, Pinch will instruct Jason and Julie to fire him for "insubordination." People have forgotten already that the Herald-ization of WEEI is what drove the Red Sox off WEEI in the first place. Right now the only political talk is from Tommy Taxes, and he brownnoses Democrats like Billy Bulger and Deval Patrick to a sickening degree, while whoever's on at 10 will do nothing but consumer tips and Todd Feinberg will do nothing but food recipe talk. I wouldn't be shocked if Savage and Jerry Doyle are yanked for consumer-type talk (or ragtime talk, as I put it). Sulzberger will care nothing about WRKO's ratings - except for when the games are actually on, of course (and yes, all 162 games plus every preseason and postseason action will be only on WRKO next season).

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

You forget who's running WRKO these days and has Julie and Jason's hands tied behind their backs - none other than the biggest owner of the Red Sox (at 17%) Pinch Sulzberger, who runs 'RKO like John Henry (15%) runs Fenway Park, Tom Werner (14%) runs NESN (assisted by Sulzberger in a limited capacity - Globie sportswriters, you know) and Larry Lucchino (10%) runs the actual Red Sox team (Theo is directly under Lucchino). For those who forget, Sulzberger is the owner of the Boston Globe and the New York Times, and he wants the Herald destroyed (to stop his newspaper's bleeding), and that includes both Howie and the Inside Track. If Howie actually attempts to come back to 'RKO, Pinch will instruct Jason and Julie to fire him for "insubordination." People have forgotten already that the Herald-ization of WEEI is what drove the Red Sox off WEEI in the first place. Right now the only political talk is from Tommy Taxes, and he brownnoses Democrats like Billy Bulger and Deval Patrick to a sickening degree, while whoever's on at 10 will do nothing but consumer tips and Todd Feinberg will do nothing but food recipe talk. I wouldn't be shocked if Savage and Jerry Doyle are yanked for consumer-type talk (or ragtime talk, as I put it). Sulzberger will care nothing about WRKO's ratings - except for when the games are actually on, of course (and yes, all 162 games plus every preseason and postseason action will be only on WRKO next season).

Quite possibly the finest example of Entercom Derangement Syndrome ever posted here. Hey Steve: The black helicopters are approaching. Time to put on your propeller beanie and join them.

I guess it's not enough that your conspiracy theories were laughed off this board once, not to mention being proven wrong by subsequent events. Going for a new world's record, are you?

 

[burnedout guy]

nice, one newspaper dumping on a columnist of the competition. Too bad that never made Joan's column. But I wonder what bale of hay, Joan eats from? or does she eat slop?