Boston sports radio underwent a major change during the fall ratings period. The market’s top-rated morning show, Toucher & Rich on 98.5 The Sports Hub came to an end when Rich Shertenlieb announced his departure. Despite losing a key part of its lineup, The Hub remained strong, finishing first in mornings with a 17.1 share according to the latest Nielsen Audio report.
Shertenlieb exited the station on November 10, surprising many since Toucher had signed a contract extension a few weeks earlier. A search immediately began to find Fred Toucher a new partner with Rob “Hardy” Poole landing the role. In the interim, Toucher hosted with multiple people throughout November and December. The new morning team, Toucher & Hardy will debut on The Hub on Thursday, January 4th at 6am ET.
Middays were strong once again with Scott Zolak and Marc Bertrand snagging a 16.7 share in the fall book to finish first. That was up from a 14.6 in the summer book. The lone setback was in year-over-year performance. Zolak & Bertrand experienced a dip, dropping from a 18.9 in 2022.
The large share accumulation continued in afternoons for Felger & Mazz. The popular tandem earned the best number among local sports radio programs. Mike and Tony garnered a 20.1 share for the quarter, up from a 17.2 share in the summer. Felger and Massarotti were slightly higher in 2022, recording a 20.9 share during the same period last year.
In weekday prime hours (6a-7p), 98.5 The Sports Hub gained a 16.3 share, up a full point from the summer book. That placed the Beasley Media Group-owned outlet first in the market.
Conversely, Audacy-owned WEEI dropped by three shares from the summer to fall book, finishing with a 4.4 share in the prime frame. That placed The Hub’s local rival in seventh place for the quarter.
Greg Hill, Jermaine Wiggins and Courtney Cox amassed the station’s highest share delivering a 10.2 share in the mornings, placing them second for the fall book. The program was down by 1.4 share points from the summer book but only five tenths of a point off from 2022.
Andy Gresh and Christian Fauria led middays to a 3.8 share, earning them a fourth-place finish. The show experienced a big drop this quarter, losing 3.2 share points from the summer book. The news wasn’t much better year-over-year as Gresh and Fauria were way off from the 10.9 share produced last year when Gresh and Rich Keefe teamed together.
Afternoons on WEEI were tied for 12th in the fall with a 2.6 share. Jones & Mego with Adam Jones and Meghan Ottolini did have the most dramatic year-over-year drop on the station, down from a 9.1 in 2022. They weren’t as far off from their summer book performance when the show tied for eighth with a 3.9 share.
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