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

[jane grant]

Both Steve N. and Dumber have elements of truth in their posts.
Dumber is correct that Steve N. went overboard, but Steve N. makes some good points about the conflict of having The Globe owning 17% of the Sox. That's no small 1/2 % chunk, it's almost 20 per cent or 1/5th of the team. That's huge.

One of the city councilmen saw me in a coffee shop; I said "I have a complaint - this NY Newspaper has ZERO coverage of The Red Sox". The Councilman agreed with me. And you know it wasn't the New York Times! So maybe the New York papers resent having The Times involved with the Sox. But back to Paperboy and The Boston Herald. The Globe and The Herald are in the same boat - newspaper reading is down across the board (somewhere on the web some big shot is accusing Google for the downward trend). This city - and most major cities - need two newspapers. When both The Globe and The Herald use an AP report on
Patriots/Colts, as was done this past Sunday, it is redundant and silly. They should use other news sources. As bad as The Track Gals are, they have some pearls of wisdom. The Herald sports reporting is excellent. Tony M. is superb.
Dan Shaughnessy is sometimes a joke, and his anti-Manny, anti-Schilling columns read like press releases from the NY Times during contract negotiations. TOO much of a conflict.

So we hope the Herald is around and we hope Howie Carr gets replaced with a writer who really cares about the column space in that newspaper. Carr is really getting lazy in his old age. It shows on the radio program and in print.

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

Steve N. makes some good points about the conflict of having The Globe owning 17% of the Sox. That's no small 1/2 % chunk, it's almost 20 per cent or 1/5th of the team. That's huge.

No. Steve N. makes no point at all, except his usual black-helicopters conspiracy theory which has already been thoroughly disproven. Sulzberger owns no stock in Entercom and is not listed as a director. Get this through your head: He has NO control over Entercom. None. Nada. Zilch. Bupkes. The idea that Pinch can have Howie Carr fired from WRKO is definitely the best comedy routine of the day. Had me rolling in the aisles.

As Entercom Derangement Syndrome plumbs new depths...

 

[jane grant]

I was ignoring Steve N.'s conspiracy theory and just going with the fact that both newspapers are facing an industry that is in transition. The Herald will remain as will The Globe. Boston needs 2 papers along with the
Christian Science Monitor, Metro and the other new daily freebie whatever it is called.

 

[BoscoGoldBear]

Steve N. makes some good points about the conflict of having The Globe owning 17% of the Sox. That's no small 1/2 % chunk, it's almost 20 per cent or 1/5th of the team. That's huge.

No. Steve N. makes no point at all, except his usual black-helicopters conspiracy theory which has already been thoroughly disproven. Sulzberger owns no stock in Entercom and is not listed as a director. Get this through your head: He has NO control over Entercom. None. Nada. Zilch. Bupkes. The idea that Pinch can have Howie Carr fired from WRKO is definitely the best comedy routine of the day. Had me rolling in the aisles.

As Entercom Derangement Syndrome plumbs new depths...

(Sigh) If Pinch has no influence with the Red Sox, how come they are no longer on the Herald-dominated WEEI, huh? Pinch and the Sox wanted control over the content of their flagship radio station, and let's face it, they had no control at WEEI. So it was off to WBOS (a struggling rock station which is in the 1s - yes, 3As are lumped under the rock umbrella), until Entercom begged the Sox to come back to their company on a station other than WEEI (i.e. WRKO) with more money and a promise of content control. Since Henry, Werner and Lucchino were all busy with their aspects of the Sox.... yes, it may be a conspiracy theory, but Pinch and WRKO dumped a suck conservative AM talker with a liberal AM talker (anyone who votes against the death penalty is a liberal - end of story) who sucks even worse than the ousted Scotto, and then they threw DePetro and Howie under the bus (OK, Howie threw HIMSELF under the bus, I'll admit that one), all so that the almighty Red Sox can stay on WRKO and not bolt to WBOS if things don't go their way at 680.

Oh well, the first fall ratings come out next week. If the ratings even slip WITH the Red Sox embroiled in an ultimately successful postseason, then this tells us that WRKO is in serious doo doo without Howie.

BTW, I'll bet that those contract incentives in Howie's right-to-match contract with WRKO are good for MORNING only, and don't apply AT ALL in PM drive (which is probably why Howie has been out all this time, even with the judgments against him).

 

[Dark Knight]

Um...the Red Sox signed a 10 year deal with WRKO, so they are not "bolting" any time soon, no matter who the talent is. Also, the Red Sox have no ownership stake in WRKO, nor any control of content, but don't let facts get in the way of a good theory.

Calling Finneran a liberal is an insult to liberals and to Finneran. I supppose some would consider that well played.

 

[TSBench]

[qu(Sigh) If Pinch has no influence with the Red Sox, how come they are no longer on the Herald-dominated WEEI, huh? Pinch and the Sox wanted control over the content of their flagship radio station, and let's face it, they had no control at WEEI.

The Sox were on WEEI solely, or partially, for the entire time the NYT has had a piece of the Sox and, not to put too fine a point on it, when WEEI was the flagship, the Boston Globe, over which Pinch does have control, banned their reporters from appearing. Since having your reporters front and center in the public eye and ear as much as possible is good for paper circulation, especially for the Globe which has always hung its hat on its sports section, the smart move, if Pinch actually had any programming control, would have been to have WEEI clean up its act rather than have his own paper take the hit. Of course, there's always the chance he thought those reporters too conservative.

Curiously, the radio station that the NYT DOES own, lock, stock, and barrel, WQXR, is still programming the same stuff it has for 50 years and didn't become a liberal talk station. Maybe Pinch forgot he owned it.

So it was off to WBOS (a struggling rock station which is in the 1s - yes, 3As are lumped under the rock umbrella), until Entercom begged the Sox to come back to their company on a station other than WEEI (i.e. WRKO) with more money and a promise of content control.

Since there is no content control, it must have been the money. Imagine that. Of course, the Sox have an option to buy a minority stake in WRKO, as they were also offered in WBOS, but that is a revenue sharing opportunity, not a control opportunity, especially for the NYT, which would end up with a minority stake in a minority stake. And, since the Sox ownership is as famous for finding revenue streams as they are for fielding competitive ball clubs, taking that option is right out of their playbook.

Since Henry, Werner and Lucchino were all busy with their aspects of the Sox.... yes, it may be a conspiracy theory,

Why yes, it is. And even paranoids have real enemies. But just because you can connect the dots doesn't mean there is a picture.

(anyone who votes against the death penalty is a liberal - end of story)

This is so simplistically absurd, and demonstrably false, as to be beneath discussion. Are you sure you didn't mean to post this to SaveWRKO? You'll find their 'reality standards' to be somewhat relaxed.

who sucks even worse than the ousted Scotto, and then they threw DePetro and Howie under the bus (OK, Howie threw HIMSELF under the bus, I'll admit that one),

Yes, and took Carr to court just for appearances sake and, despite their best efforts to lose, won. And now Carr will probably return, sandwiched between those reliable liberals Limbaugh and Savage. Replaced DePetro with the equally, or even more conservative, Feinburg, and hired Finneran, who is arguably the most reviled pol, to his Boston Globe, in recent Mass history.
Pinch must be pretty new at this 'control' stuff, because he seems not to have a handle on some the finer points.

all so that the almighty Red Sox can stay on WRKO and not bolt to WBOS if things don't go their way at 680.

Umm...in 2017. Pinch will probably be out of the newspaper business (he's already in the midst of a control battle of his own, with upset stockholders wanting his head on a platter), so maybe he'll have time to dream up ways to finally turn WRKO into Air America from the comfort of a pool side lounge chair in Boca.

But thanks for keeping watch.

Regards.
TSB

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

Pinch and the Sox wanted control over the content of their flagship radio station, and let's face it, they had no control at WEEI. So it was off to WBOS (a struggling rock station which is in the 1s - yes, 3As are lumped under the rock umbrella), until Entercom begged the Sox to come back to their company on a station other than WEEI (i.e. WRKO) with more money and a promise of content control.

You ARE entertaining. Thanks for an even better laugh than the last one. Do you do this as stand-up too, or just online?

I'll say it again, since you obviously didn't get it the first, second or third time: Sulzberger owns no Entercom stock. He is not a director of Entercom. Therefore, under federal law, he has NO control over content, operations, or any other aspect of WEEI, WRKO, or any other station Entercom owns. That legal restriction cannot be bargained away in a contract, and if it were, it would be declared separable and illegal by any court in the country.

And since you obviously don't understand how radio companies operate: WEEI and WRKO are both owned by the same company, and are managed by the same people. The idea that Pinch would have control over one and not the other (which he doesn't have to begin with) belongs in the non-existent comics section of The New York Times, together with the rest of your groundless theories.

Got it now, or are we destined to repeat this again tomorrow?

 

[raccoonradio]

And the Sox are still on WEEI, once per week and weekday afternoon games...

>>WEEI and WRKO are both owned by the same company, and are managed by the same people.

And of course are in the same building. Last night Mikey Adams was wondering on air where "Christine,
the e-mail female" had gone. It turned out she was socializing with Happy, producer of the
Not The Howie Carr Show (at least, for now it isn't) just down the hall.

For those who think the Sox have editorial control over WRKO, consider that after the games
(or instead of the games, on off nights) 680 ran Michael Savage. If Henry, Werner, Epstein, etc.
had their way, it would have been Air America or Jones libtalk shows. "Stay tuned for Stephanie
Miller"! For how the above Sox bigwigs feel politically, check out the Nov. 2004 section of
BostonDirtDogs.com for pix of them out campaigning for the candidate of their choice. Hint:
He served in Vietnam, you know. (Also has pix of Schilling stumping for Dubya.)

 

[TSBench]

If Henry, Werner, Epstein, etc. had their way, it would have been Air America or Jones libtalk shows. "Stay tuned for Stephanie Miller"!

How do you know this? For the sake of thinking people everywhere, I hope it isn't based on....

For how the above Sox bigwigs feel politically, check out the Nov. 2004 section of
BostonDirtDogs.com for pix of them out campaigning for the candidate of their choice. Hint:
He served in Vietnam, you know. (Also has pix of Schilling stumping for Dubya.)

Maybe I can save you from permanent residency in intellectual Palookaville. You may find this hard to believe, but most successful business people have no trouble separating politics from business. Support for Kerry, or any liberal candidate, isn't indicative of being a fan of liberal radio, as anyone who can read a ratings book, like you, is well aware. Neither is support for Republican candidates a sure sign of a Limbaugh, Savage, or Hannity aficionado. In fact, these same liberal businessmen just signed the most prominent conservative-leaning player on the team, Schilling, to a guaranteed $8mil for waking up in the morning, tossed in another $2mil if he skips lunch three days a week, and another $3-$4 mil if he wins more than he loses. They didn't seem to have any problem separating politics from business on this one. On a current note, you'd be hard pressed to find a collection of liberal Democrat Party supporters and financiers more monolithic than Hollywood and television program producers (think Larry David), and they are currently locked in a death match trying to screw the members of The Writers Guild, possibly the single most liberal, and I mean moonbat lefty, union this side of British coal miners (I've partied with some of these folks, and they make Sean Penn seem like Ronald Reagan by comparison.) So much for 'our liberal brothers-in-arms' when there is money on the table.

Most surprizingly, you've actually come up with the truth yourself, but won't even take your own word for it. You state, accurately, that the liberal owners of the Sox exercise no control over the programming of the Entercom stations. Well, the guy who actually OWNS the stations and can do whatever he wants with them, David Field, is probably more liberal than all three of them put together, and he has stacked conservatives from sunrise to midnight on WRKO, fought a legal battle to lock up Howie Carr for what is essentially the rest of his broadcast career, and just cut a big money, long term deal with the biggest right-winger in Boston radio, Gerry Callahan. Are we all missing something here or, as Michael Corleone would have said if he had been in the radio business "It's not political, Sonny. It's strictly business."

So, unbeknownst to you, you got it right. Once you realize that, you'll be smarter than Maloney. That's not a great accomplishment in itself, but it's a start.

Regards,
TSB

 

[jane grant]

not to be a spoilsport but the original topic was Joan Vennochi visiting Howie Carr's plight


http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ed...s/2007/11/04/howie_carrs_bales_of_hay?mode=PF

So to bring this somewhat back on topic, let's chat about Howie's boss (The WHO ring true, "Meet the new boss/ same as the old boss - and we can thank Judge Allan van Gestel for "Won't Get Fooled Again" as the new theme to the Howie Carr show:
http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/11/07/judge_vs_the_judges/ )

So let's talk about the new/old boss, David Field:

TS Bench, I'm intrigued that you call David Field a liberal. Can you give us some links to back that up?
Hard to believe someone forcing the tag team of Limbaugh/Savage down the throats of America could ever be called a progressive.


DAVID FIELD
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/radio/broadcast.html
In addition, numerous radio stations across the country have won accolades -- and loyalty -- from listeners by championing local artists and causes, including spearheading fundraising efforts for regional crises and natural disasters.

"The truth is that, historically, we have not been an industry of self-promoters," David Field, president and CEO of the radio broadcast company Entercom Communications, told Billboard Magazine in Feb. 2005.

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

Hard to believe someone forcing the tag team of Limbaugh/Savage down the throats of America could ever be called a progressive.

You either didn't read what TSBench wrote or you chose not to believe it. Do yourself a favor and believe it.

Radio is a business. First. Last. Always. Radio airs what sells. Limbaugh, Savage and the rest have measurable audiences in the millions and are an excellent draw for advertisers. Nearly all liberal/progressive/whatever-we're-calling-them-this-week hosts have tiny audiences that don't even exist in most markets.

The owner's ideology has nothing whatsoever to do with what he programs on his stations. He's running a business. He wants to make money. Therefore he airs what sells. Period. That's the name of this game, and it's no more complicated than that. I realize this one simple fact blows everyone's farcical black-helicopter theories out of the water, but it's still true.

 

[jane grant]

I disagree with it, Mr. Box of Hair.

Also, my request was for some evidence that the owner is a liberal. Some links would do nicely.

Yes, we have heard the Mantra "Radio is a Business" on this board for eons. Truth be told, it is "Big Business", not the radio business anymore. Mark my words, the sheep that go on the air - who follow-the-leader - will be replaced by computerized voices as soon as big business gobbles up every bit of the spectrum and internet that they can. When no one tunes in at all there will be a radio revolution.

That being said, Entercom could do better numbers in Boston without Rush and Savage. They could make more profit. Just because you accept the alleged reality they are forcing on you certainly doesn't mean it is the only option. There are so many complaints about a drug addled mid-day syndicated host and a foul-mouthed dinner time jerk that it appears that alleged audience has not only diminished, it is artificial, inflated to bilk advertisers.

The Savage/Limbaugh joke is pathetic; stick a fork in it, it is over. We get a Democratic White House as well as both houses of Congress, a new FCC, you might see the tide turn. Unless the Republicans have found a way to remain entrenched and continue to steal radio. Again, the numbers for those jokers are artificial and inflated. How many "new" stations do they attract? Please give us some evidence that Mr. Field is the second coming of Al Gore. Thank you.

 

[TSBench]

TS Bench, I'm intrigued that you call David Field a liberal.

And I'm intrigued that you're intrigued. I guess that makes us even.

Can you give us some links to back that up?

Yes, I can. But I think I'll let you find them on your own, especially since you're so intrigued. Learning to do your own research may help you improve the accuracy of your future posts, and you might be well-served by the mental discipline imposed by having to actually understand and correctly interpret what you are reading, which doesn’t appear to be your long suit. Besides, I'm already working on one reclamation project.

Hard to believe someone forcing the tag team of Limbaugh/Savage down the throats of America could ever be called a progressive.

Whomever told you that may have gotten him confused with Mrs. Fields, the cookie entrepreneur, who actually is trying to force, or at least encourage, people to put things down their throats.

David Field, the radio executive, isn't forcing anyone or anything down anyone’s throat. I guess you can rest easy.

Sleep well.

Regards,
TSB

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

Yes, we have heard the Mantra "Radio is a Business" on this board for eons. Truth be told, it is "Big Business", not the radio business anymore. Mark my words, the sheep that go on the air - who follow-the-leader - will be replaced by computerized voices as soon as big business gobbles up every bit of the spectrum and internet that they can. When no one tunes in at all there will be a radio revolution.

Ah, Jane (resisting with all my might the epithet made famous by Dan Ackroyd on "Saturday Night Live")...the black helicopters are approaching. Take cover immediately.

Entercom could do better numbers in Boston without Rush and Savage. They could make more profit. Just because you accept the alleged reality they are forcing on you certainly doesn't mean it is the only option. There are so many complaints about a drug addled mid-day syndicated host and a foul-mouthed dinner time jerk that it appears that alleged audience has not only diminished, it is artificial, inflated to bilk advertisers.

The Savage/Limbaugh joke is pathetic; stick a fork in it, it is over. We get a Democratic White House as well as both houses of Congress, a new FCC, you might see the tide turn. Unless the Republicans have found a way to remain entrenched and continue to steal radio. Again, the numbers for those jokers are artificial and inflated.

Let's see some proof for some of this. Actually, proof for any ONE of your assertions would be welcome. Not holding my breath, however, since every single one of your assertions is just plain wrong and contrary to all available evidence. It's funny, actually, how you ask for proof that David Field is a liberal, but post unproven...no, make that DISproven...theories about radio programming which have no basis in fact whatsoever.

Which programming works and which doesn't has nothing to do with who's in power, and it NEVER has. Your failure to understand that one simple fact (which is obvious to anyone who actually works in radio) is why you continue to post such demonstrable garbage.

 

[Dark Knight]

I don't know to what extent you are willing to take my word (though I have been fairly right on most of my assertions, if I say so myself...), but I know and respect Mr. Field. For the most part, I agree with Mr. Box of Hair and Mr. Bench. David Field's personal beliefs do not effect his business decisions, at least as far as radio content goes. He is rarely involved in local content decisions anyway. Rather, he tries to offset certain business practices that are incongruous with his own beliefs. He is an environmentalist. The majority of Entercom's newly purchased company vehicles are hybrids. He offsets carbon in his private life and would like to see Entercom use less paper, conserve resources and become a more environmentally sound company. Politically, he is reasonably left of center and politically aware. I have not seen a list recently, but I believe that while he contributes to both sides as most CEO's do, he gives more to democrats. He is also open minded, hiring people from both sides of the political spectrum for his executive team. I have found him to be intelligent, reasonable and probably the most human CEO I have met.

 

[jane grant]

1.TSBench can't give the documentation which nullifies his position.

2.Dumber Than A Box Of Hair speaks like he's never listened to NPR or looked at their Boston numbers. He resorts to name-calling. Credibility shot.

3)Dark Knight doesn't seem to understand that Conservative begins with the letters
c-o-n. EVERY Conservative claims to be "independent" until they go into the
voting booth and pull for Darth Cheney and his chimp sidekick.

There is money to be made with both formats, though the progressive talk will
have a decidedly bigger chunk of the market with Bush's approval ratings down
beneath Tricky Dick's knees - IF the Democrats can unfreeze the hold the
neo-cons have on radio. It's hardly "fair and balanced" when one political party has infiltrated the allegedly public airwaves. Think Ohio Vote and the shameless silence that followed on both radio and tv.

They keep the NPR numbers hidden but fact is, the real money for Entercom
(and do the math, that includes Mr. Field) is in the obnoxious tax breaks the neo cons give to big business. Go where the money is. leaning a little left is a ridiculous place to be - "reasonably left of center" says Dark Knight. Is that like being a little pregnant? Successful people don't merely put their toes in while everyone else is swimming. They often swim in the dark of night when few can see them...sharks take note.

 

[DanStrassberg]

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").

Based on the reports of his annual take, even when he's voluntarily "on the bench" from his radio gig, I guess Carr could write an AUTObiography and name it "The Pockets Bulging." He sure isn't above that kind of self-promotion.

 

[TSBench]

1.TSBench can't give the documentation which nullifies his position.

Ah, "Jane", if only it were so. My position ( People who run major radio groups don't have the luxury of running them for their own political edification, they run them to generate listenship and turn that listenership into dollars) can't be 'nullified' because it is the demonstrable truth. It is not my job to tutor you in how to find information. What is surprising is that you took issue with my statements and then admitted that you had no information to the contrary. The proper sequence is 1. Research, 2. Post. It is, also, not my job to teach you how to think logically, or how to spot contradictions your own postings. You may think that espousing your own liberal conspiracy theories is the way to take on conservative conspiracy theories. In this, you would be wrong.

And why should I give you cites, since they'll only be a waste of time. You gave away the game in your response to Dark Knight. David Field cannot be a true 'liberal' because he's a successful businessman and everyone knows that only conservatives in bed with the government know how to run successful businesses, a position which is just idiotic, and your statement "reasonably left of center" says Dark Knight. Is that like being a little pregnant?" is both a non-sequitur and non-sensical, unless you actually believe that there are only extremes in political thought, and only to-the-ramparts lefty nutballs wearing Che tee-shirts classify as liberals. But, it did give you the chance to mis-use the inappropriate and trite 'little bit pregnant' line, which is also a habit of 'other' waste-of-oxygen posters. You really should watch that. It's a giveaway.

It is not my problem that you know nothing about the commercial radio business, it is your problem, and can only be solved by you.
It is not my problem you don't know how to dig up facts, it is your problem, and can only be solved by you.

There are about a dozen people posting to this board who understand the commercial radio business. There are some who don't, but are trying to learn and open to ideas. And then there are the ones who don't even know what they don't know, and they are the recreational cannon fodder for those who do know. I'd think you'd grow tired of leading your own personal Pickett's Charge on these boards.

Regards,
TSB

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

2.Dumber Than A Box Of Hair speaks like he's never listened to NPR or looked at their Boston numbers. He resorts to name-calling. Credibility shot.

If you don't want to be called names, try educating yourself, instead of coming on this board to spout your demonstrably false theories of radio programming and management. Regrettably you are the perfect illustration of the old saw, attributed to various folks ranging from Abraham Lincoln to Mark Twain, which states: "'Tis better to be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

How many more times do you have to be told, by those who are in a position to actually know what they're talking about, that you don't?

 

[Mickey37]

That being said, Entercom could do better numbers in Boston without Rush and Savage. They could make more profit.

With who, Jane? Al Franken?

The Savage/Limbaugh joke is pathetic; stick a fork in it, it is over. We get a Democratic White House as well as both houses of Congress, a new FCC, you might see the tide turn.

Limbaugh in his day, and Savage now, give good radio. Agree with them or not, they get people talking. That's good radio. Conservative-leaning talk radio is interesting because it inflames passions, whatever side you take. Liberal-leaning commercial talk radio doesn't attract enough of an audience.

I'm not slamming the liberals. I wish they'd be entertaining enough to sustain a show or a network for longer than five minutes. We do need to hear different views to form intelligent opinions.