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Globe: Questionable business moves hamper once dominant WEEI

raccoonradio

raccoonradio

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business...rhouse-weei/9ZhyvkTx76XuMWx9sHm93I/story.html

>>Once a Boston radio powerhouse that had the local sports market to itself, WEEI already has lost many listeners like Mavrikos to 98.5 The Sports Hub, a CBS-owned rival that was launched in 2009. Though the station takes in much more money than its new competitor, revenues at WEEI are down nearly 20 percent since The Sports Hub began broadcasting, according to industry figures, and it remains saddled with an expensive contract to broadcast the Boston Red Sox

"Takes in much more money", hmm, but...
There were times it did technically have the local sports market to itself but there were the likes of 890 ESPN and 1510 (then-) WWZN. Not serious competition yes but they were out there.

The article says that the Sox contract they signed in '06, effective with the '07 season*, _averaged_ $20M/yr. We had heard that figure before but some said it was more like $14M, or maybe it was really that to begin with but increased over the years? I thought at one point Ent. "restructured" the deal with the Sox, but no details on how much money
was involved. The article does mention the hesitance to move to FM and other factors and said Ent. was pressured to pay big bucks for the Sox as Greater was rumored to start their own station, on FM (92.9 WBOS; which the Globe had reported in May of '06 had signed a deal in principle to carry the Sox. GM later backed down and Ent.
moved in..,..)

*--with WRKO as flagship at that time. There are bumper stickers around that say "Boston Red Sox--2007 World Series Champions-- WRKO AM 680"
 
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Yes and that has been mentioned on twitter and in comments section of Globe (someone else on twitter noted that if they made $35M last year, well,
that's half what the Globe is worth/J. Henry sale...)
 
Yet the Red Sox deal has become an unexpected financial burden on WEEI, said Fybush. Entercom’s agreement in 2006 to pay an average of $20 million per year made the Red Sox’ radio rights the most expensive in Major League Baseball, by far — about what two New York City radio stations combined pay to broadcast the Yankees and Mets.
Click to expand...

Of note - nobody from Entercom is denying the $20M figure.
 
"is a disgruntled former WEEI intern"
-------------------------------------------

Did he say why he was disgruntled in his internship (or why we should care)?

I only heard a few min's of D&C but they--J&K-- both thought a quoted salary of 5 Mil was a tad inflated.
 
Kirk Minihane writes on WEEI.com

http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/general/kirk-minihane/2013/08/30/new-low-boston-globe

>>You'd think any whiff of bias would be addressed, right? Nope. The story never mentions that Borchers was once an intern for Dennis & Callahan...True or not, it smells like a rejected high school newspaper pitch -- someone uses a couple of buddies for quotes that fit an agenda. And the Globe not only signed off on it, it put it on the front page of the newspaper. I can only imagine what didn't make the cut.

Various comments follow and it's mentioned that the Globe "hit piece" came out the day after the station raised $3M for charity.
 
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.........Of note - nobody from Entercom is denying the $20M figure.......

Except when the deal was signed, when they commented that the 15 million figure being batted around was 'on the high side." Does that count as a denial?

You seem to have a vested interest in believing the 20 mil figure, based on nothing, But, hey, Knock yourself out.

Regards,
TSB
 
http://www.beloblog.com/ProJo_Blogs/SoxBlog/archives/2006/05/sox_weei_agree.html

At the time it was a reported 10 yr/$200M deal. Some said it was probably more like $14M/yr. At one point I thought I read that the Sox and Entercom
did some kind of restructure.

>>The $20 million-per-year average, which combined cash and value, is unprecedented in its length and value.

Cash and VALUE, note.

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2006/05/Issue-157/Sports-Media/Red-Sox-Radio-Rights-Worth-$13-15M-Depending-On-Report.aspx?hl=Atlanta%20Braves&sc=0

>>(MAY 2006)
Red Sox’ Radio Rights Worth $13-15M, Depending On Report
The Red Sox’ new radio rights deal with Entercom is worth about $13-14M annually, making it “one of the most lucrative” in MLB, according to Sasha Talcott of the BOSTON GLOBE. Under terms reported today, the deal rivals the Braves’ $13M annual deal and “roughly doubles” the value of the current Red Sox deal. The Red Sox also have an option to take a “very small ownership stake in WRKO,” but would get “no control over the content on WRKO or WEEI.”

(That article mentioned Greater was also offering about $14M/yr but they denied they would have made WBOS a sports station. A Red Sox bigwig is quoted as saying thanks to digital, AM was going to sound "a lot like FM"...)
 
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For those of you who don't know how the newspaper business works ... an editor doesn't know his reporter's bias if the reporter doesn't disclose it.

It's up to the reporter to say when he's assigned a story, "hey, I was an intern there." I'm guessing the Globe's business editor doesn't keep his or her reporters' resumes on their desk to vet every potential conflict. The copy editors would have no clue.

So it was up to Callum Borchers to disclose that. I'm guessing he didn't. The questions Minihane raised were legit; for all we know, Borchers could have interviewed 20 other people for their opinions on WEEI, and those were the two strongest quotes. I don't know. It doesn't look good, though.

Anyway, some legit points were raised in the piece and they're being ignored because of sloppy reporting. The reporter should've at least spent five minutes going over the story with the sports media reporter, if he didn't, to make sure he wasn't writing out of his ass.
 
http://www.podcastgarden.com/episode/the-sheppard-and-zook-show-hour-1-aug-29th_2617

From his show last Thu Pete Sheppard says they wouldn't use his info in article because he quit on air; that the Red Sox-Ent. deal
was $20M/yr (this is in dispute, prob was less) and his fellow EEI-ers knew it was a joke but couldn't say anything; that Greater
wanted to put the Sox on 96.9 (the Globe in '06 said it was WBOS 92.9 that would have gotten them); that the C's situation is
that Ent. have a revenue sharing deal with them, not a big contract, and Ent. told the C's they'd be moving to 850 AM and the
C's said screw you, we're going to an FM or poss. AM, etc.

Am still listening but check it out and make of it what you will. Shep has roundly criticized Entercom's David Field and Jeff Brown (using a bunch of swears on a vid put on youtube) for their management.

(Lots of swears) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADbJF0ucoiQ
Sheppard predicts in one yr 93.7 will be a lot of ESPN radio "and maybe one local show left".... yikes...! Oh well...take it for what it's worth...that might be Barstool Sports' El Presidente talking to him. (The best he says about Wolfe is "he's a yes man")

Ha! Now Shep is saying 93.7 will switch to country music...?!? "I haven't been wrong yet."
 
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Shep truly showing his knowledge here: "This guy Fybush he writes for, for Boston Radio Watch."

No. Mark S. writes for BRW. Fybush writes for NERW. Sheesh.
 
"and his fellow EEI-ers knew it was a joke but couldn't say"
--------------------------------------------------------------------
They really didn't have to say anything. EEI overpaid and everybody knew it.
The RS really didn't want to be in the radio biz. They're threat to move was empty.

EEI is losing because their drivetime shows aren't good enough. Not due to RS rights fees.
 
Meanwhile Mark of BRW notes the various Pats-related shows are back on EEI (Pats Mon, Fri etc) for this season...and as for
Pete's 1510, not only have the local shows they had in mornings gone as I understand it, apparently Pete's not on today. NBC Sports Radio is instead...

@bostonradio No Sheppard, No Zook on 1510 this afternoon. NBC Sports Radio instead. Oh well, that was a good run...

Unless it's a vacay or something. Still listed on NBC1510's site.
 
Tweet from Sheppard:
>>Lots of good stuff happening kids...I will have more later this afternoon, that's all I can say for now....

WUFC made its official "NBC Sports Radio" debut a year ago...Shep was absent from his show and replaced by one from NBC-SR.
Maybe we'll find out at 3 on 1510...?
 
raccoonradio said:
Shep truly showing his knowledge here: "This guy Fybush he writes for, for Boston Radio Watch."

No. Mark S. writes for BRW. Fybush writes for NERW. Sheesh.
Click to expand...

Ehhh...we've both only been at it for 19 years or so. Give it time and people will figure out which one of us is which... :)
 
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