Fred Toucher lives a life that most radio professionals would be envious of. He is the star of one of the most respected shows in America. He has monster ratings. His listeners are as passionate about his show as they are about any of Boston’s teams. Yet right now, I don’t know that any of us would want to trade places with him.
The Toucher & Rich star has not been shy about what he is dealing with. Something is very wrong with his voice. He doesn’t know what and he doesn’t know why. Even scarier, he doesn’t know if or when things will get back to normal.
“I mean, it has occurred to me. Is my career over if I continue to talk like this?” he admitted on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s morning show earlier this week.
Although Fred swears he feels no pain, it would be naive to think he is not bothered. One listen to him on air and it is clear that something is wrong. He sounds like Tom Waits singing about haunted junkyards, except he is talking about the Celtics’ playoff seeding. Even if you love the show, it isn’t easy to listen to these days.
Toucher has an amazing sense of humor about all of this. If he were in serious pain, the story might be different, but right now, he is making jokes about the physical grind of radio and giving glory to Zeus.
It is the stuff sports radio needs more of. Here is a guy that hated the very idea of sports radio, so he decided to do a show he would want to listen to. Toucher & Rich makes time for sports, but the heart of the show is the way they exist in their market, whether that means talking to drunks at games or eavesdropping on 911 calls from Brookline, MA.
It has never been hard to like Fred Toucher. Even if you think he is a grumpy smart-ass on air, his vulnerability is commendable. He has always been honest about his struggles, whatever they may be. That is why this one is tough.
Each update is a mixed bag of emotions. I am happy he is not in pain. I am frustrated that the first treatment he was given is one that a new doctor dismisses as inconsequential. I am encouraged to hear he is learning new ways to speak that do not strain his throat as much. I try to have sympathy and understanding when he needs to take a day off.
Through all of this, the show soldiers ahead. Rich Shertenlieb, Mike Lockhart, Jon Wallach and crew are all incredibly talented guys. Even without Fred Toucher, there is no way 98.5 The Sports Hub will grind to a halt in the mornings.
What he is going through right now is like a nightmare that has come to life for those of us that have ever made a living with our voice. Not being able to speak is bad. Being able to speak but not sounding like yourself? That has to be maddening.
He isn’t just at the top of his game. Toucher & Rich routinely tops the BSM Top 20 list of Major Market Morning Shows. The show is at the top of the sports radio game in general. I am not trying to be dramatic for the sake of clicks, but that is in jeopardy and no one can tell Fred Toucher or his listeners why. It’s not fair.
This reads way more like an obituary than I intended. That is unnecessary. After all, the point that Fred Toucher keeps hammering home is that physically, he is doing fine.
The situation isn’t dire. Things just don’t feel right. The uncertainty facing Toucher and his show is not easy to sit with, no matter what your relationship with him or the show may be.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
