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WBOQ and another restaurant review show

raccoonradio

raccoonradio

WBOQ 104.9 announced they have a new show called Food Talk with Billy Costa Sundays 10am-noon
starting tomorrow (guessing it's restaurant reviews? or maybe recipes or something, I dunno...)…right up against WRKO’s long running Pat Whitley Restaurant show. Costa has
done “TV Diner” and “Dining Playbook”. I think Whitley’s show is called Wicked Bites now…?
Whitley has said one day he was hosting a talk show on a very hot day and nobody seemed to want to talk about much–till someone started talking about restaurants and it took off from there. So now
Costa has a competing show on at least “North Shore 104.9″.

There used to be a radio version of the Andleman brothers’ “Phantom Gourmet” on WTKK for awhile.
 
I don't find restaurant shows on radio/TV to be much help in choosing a restaurant. With a radio/TV program, you never know whether you are hearing an objective review, or a paid spot for the restaurant. I have gone to restaurants I've heard about on the radio/TV, only to find them to be perfectly awful "greasy spoons" on their last legs. I much prefer the reviews, both good and bad, on a site such as yelp.com or tripadvisor.com. Although an owner could load the site with great reviews for his restaurant, he can't keep out the bad reviews if the place is no good. So by reading both sides, I can better make the decision whether or not to go to the restaurant. I enjoy Pat Whitley's show though, because he is a friendly interesting person, and I'll be sorry when he retires.
 
The great thing about the Pat Whitley Restaurant Show- now called "Wicked Bites" - is that it allows callers not only to "Praise" a restaurant by to "Zing" a restaurant. Maybe that is why it has survived for 30 years. The other shows are just PR set ups. Sort of a Payola with food as the currency.
 
The restaurant was " Waylou's" that started Pat's restaurant show.
raccoonradio said:
WBOQ 104.9 announced they have a new show called Food Talk with Billy Costa Sundays 10am-noon
starting tomorrow (guessing it's restaurant reviews? or maybe recipes or something, I dunno...)…right up against WRKO’s long running Pat Whitley Restaurant show. Costa has
done “TV Diner” and “Dining Playbook”. I think Whitley’s show is called Wicked Bites now…?
Whitley has said one day he was hosting a talk show on a very hot day and nobody seemed to want to talk about much–till someone started talking about restaurants and it took off from there. So now
Costa has a competing show on at least “North Shore 104.9″.

There used to be a radio version of the Andleman brothers’ “Phantom Gourmet” on WTKK for awhile.
Click to expand...
 
Weylu's had several locations at one point;the orig Saugus one (where we saluted my Dad's 70th birthday in '91)later led to a huge palace built on a hill that Whitley made fun of as a "multi million dollar monument to grease". Mis-management and or not reporting taxes led to its downfall.

Whitley's site is nedine.com and has praise and zing reviews sent in.His son Scott may take over it eventually,who knows. At one point he had a network of stations like WJDA and WESX running it.
I recall him promoting some kind of weight loss product at some bakeries, Malsovit bread.He also mentioned efforts to ban smoking in eateries and said "I come to eat, not to smoke" and he used to play an outtake of an ad he recorded where he was trying to say "just heat, and eat" but it came out "eat and heave", leading to he and his producer laughing and goofing around.
 
it is speculated that the worlds current oldest teenager (the position formerly held by Dick Clark) Billy Costa has a huge alimony payment, so the fact he is doing Matty, a cable show, and now this on the weekends doesn't surprise me.

so lets assume it is pay for play dolla a holler radio.... someone is paying WBOQ for the time, and selling favorable reviews to restaurants to pay for it. How much money could they be paying Costa and still make money? Is Costa producing it himself? Is it clearly identified as paid programming? Are the sponsors clearly identifiable as the FCC requires?

How relevant are these shows in the age of Yelp! ?

just tossing it out there for discussion
 
Billy Costa is one of the nicest guys in radio. I have know him since the 81 and worked with him in the late 90's. I have never seen anyone be so helpful to interns and part timers just trying to get ahead in the business.

His former wife, Lisa Fell, is also a wonderful person and was the GSM at Kiss 108 and a VP at Chancellor Media. I have heard the alimony is not the budget buster but the cost of raisng his children. Both Lisa and Billy are very good parents.

Billy has always worked hard and had many irons in the fire, sometimes I think can't they give someone else a gig? He hosts the High School Quiz show on Ch.2, Community Auditions on 5, The TV Restaurant Show on NESN, the Matty Morning show and now another radio show.

I wish him the best.
 
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john garrett said:
Billy Costa is one of the nicest guys in radio. I have know him since the 81 and worked with him in the late 90's. I have never seen anyone be so helpful to interns and part timers just trying to get ahead in the business.

His former wife, Lisa Fell, is also a wonderful person and was the GSM at Kiss 108 and a VP at Chancellor Media. I have heard the alimony is not the budget buster but the cost of raisng his children. Both Lisa and Billy are very good parents.

Billy has always worked hard and had many irons in the fire, sometimes I think can't they give someone else a gig? He hosts the High School Quiz show on Ch.2, Community Auditions on 5, The TV Restaurant Show on NESN, the Matty Morning show and now another radio show.

I wish him the best.
Click to expand...

You are the first person in all my years in the business I've ever heard say something nice about Billy Costa. Man is scum. Matty and him have not spoke off air in 5 years. No one likes him.
 
Bos79 said:
You are the first person in all my years in the business I've ever heard say something nice about Billy Costa. Man is scum. Matty and him have not spoke off air in 5 years. No one likes him.
Click to expand...

Your post is quite a surprise to me. Do you know many people who have worked or work at KISS 108? All I can say is, when I worked at 99 RBP he was one of the most popular people in the building. I can only say good things about him. For example, I first met him in 1980 when I was working as a freelance reporter. One Sunday, I was hired to do some interviews at a tennis tournament in Newport RI. Just before I was set to drive down there, I realized my tape recorder was not working properly. I lived close to KISS 108, I drove over to see if I could borrow a recorder. Billy happened to be there, I explained my situation, he went into the little newsroom, got a recorder, put in fresh batteries in and just asked me to return it the next day. He didn't know me from a hole in the wall but he really helped me out.
 
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Bos79 said:
You are the first person in all my years in the business I've ever heard say something nice about Billy Costa. Man is scum. Matty and him have not spoke off air in 5 years. No one likes him.
Click to expand...


Pretty easy to take potshots at someone on an internet discussion board...from an anonymous keyboard.
 
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