John Dennis, part of the long-running morning duo on WEEI that recently has been reinvigorated as a trio, agreed to a new contract today, keeping the program intact for the foreseeable future.
Dennis and co-host Gerry Callahan, who agreed to terms earlier in August, had been under contract since September 2007. They signed a five-year deal then, and had two more years added as part of a simulcast deal with NESN that will end soon. Their previous radio contract was set to expire at the end of the month.
The terms of the new deal were not disclosed. It will be formally announced by parent company Entercom early next week.
The program, which debuted in October, 1997 in a 10 a.m.-noon window and expanded with a move to morning drive (6 a.m. – 10 a.m.) two years later, was a rating powerhouse through much of the century’s first decade.
But in the last few years, despite still-strong listenership numbers, it has consistently finished behind fellow sports-radio station 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher and Rich program in the Arbitron/Nielsen ratings. The Sports Hub launched in August 2009.
Kirk Minihane was added as a full-time third voice in February 2013. The show has made steady progress in the ratings in recent months. In July, it beat Toucher and Rich in a monthly ratings period for the first time since February 2011.
There was significant suspense as to whether the mercurial Dennis would re-sign by the end of the month.
The previous deal in 2007 was touted as an eight-figure contract, suggesting the hosts’ salaries combined over the five-year span totaled $10 million dollars.
Sources with knowledge of the negotiations do not believe the terms are close to the same ballpark this time around.
Credit to Boston.com who originally published this story
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
