Well, that didn’t take long. Little more than an hour had passed since Tim Benz signed off from WEEI’s “Middays with MFB” program for the final time, and the station Thursday already had tweaked its promos to reference the program as “Middays with Merloni and Fauria.”
That would be the M and the F — holdovers Lou Merloni and Christian Fauria — but no more B.
Benz, who arrived from Pittsburgh in May 2014 to essentially replace Mike Mutnansky on the program (Fauria, a former Patriots tight end, signed on at the same time during the midday shakeup), announced Tuesday that he is returning from where he came.
Thursday marked his final show, and while those promos excluding him might have been updated quickly, he did receive an appreciative sendoff from his co-hosts as the clock neared 2 p.m.
“You and I obviously went at it,’’ said Merloni, who often found himself defending the Patriots when Benz, a Steelers fan, would antagonize listeners with his perspective. “That’s what this is all about . . . It made for good radio.”
Benz came to WEEI from 970 AM in Pittsburgh. He is returning to the Steel City for an undisclosed opportunity that begins next month. But his reasons are personal as well as professional. Benz’s family remained in Pittsburgh the entire time he lived in Boston. That makes for a heck of a weekend commute.
Whether he made much of an impact during his 15 months on the air in the city is debatable. WEEI did see an uptick in its ratings from last spring, when he was hired, to this spring. Last year, the program finished eighth in the market with a 4.5 share among men 25-54. This spring, it earned a 5.3 share, good for sixth.
So what — or who — is next? Phil Zachary, vice president/market manager for Entercom Boston, WEEI’s parent company said “at least five candidates were being considered to replace Benz, all local”. The whispers heard at this address include familiar names and voices: Gary Tanguay, Greg Dickerson, Danny Picard (though he has his fans and skeptics at WEEI), and Christian Arcand.
A triumphant return of Glenn Ordway, who was let go after a long and successful run on WEEI’s afternoon-drive program in February 2013, would make a lot of sense if Entercom corporate management would sign off on it. From this perspective, he is the odds-on favorite.
To read the full article visit BostonGlobe.com where it was originally published
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.
