The year was 2015, and it was the day following President’s Day in Boston, Massachusetts. A balmy, partly sunny afternoon with temperatures climbing into the mid-20s. For Boston sports fans, the buzz surrounded the NBA All-Star Game two days earlier, trade rumors flying around the Celtics were discussing a deal for Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson, the Red Sox reporting to camp, and the hangover effects from yet another New England Patriots Super Bowl championship just two weeks prior were still present.
There was no better time or place to be a sports fan on February 17, 2015, than Boston, Massachusetts, when Beasley Broadcasting Group’s 98.5 The Sports Hub decided to add to their lineup a new midday show that for a decade has dominated the market, simply titled Zolak and Bertrand.
“It’s the best place to sort of be a fan, but the best place to host a talk show,” said Marc Bertrand, who was elevated to work with Scott Zolak ten years ago this week, leaving his post as the third voice on the Felger and Massarotti program to co-host middays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“I would say first of all he (Bertrand) is the bus driver, and I’m the reactor,” Zolak stated when talking about his co-host. “Since day one when Marc and I signed on air, we never struggled.”
It’s no secret that Boston’s rabid sports fandom is considered by many as the greatest envy of sports radio talent and sports media across the country. A passionate collective that, on a random cold Tuesday in February a decade ago, can light a fire for compelling conversation, always demanding greatness from the teams that represented their city.
98.5 The Sports Hub Program Director Rick Radzik, who has overseen the program since being elevated to the position in 2019, says what makes both Zolak & Bertrand work is they truly understand what the Boston sports fan wants from their sports radio hosts.
“Marc grew up here and has never been hesitant to give his opinion, about anything,” Radzik explained. “That can rub people the wrong way at times, but that doesn’t deter him from putting those opinions out there. ‘Zo’ is a fan, he loves sports. He loves the Pats and he doesn’t hide it.”
When you ask Zolak and Bertrand what separates the Boston market from anywhere else in the United States, the terms ‘dedicated’ and ‘passion’ crept into their vernacular.
“You just have dedicated listeners that don’t quit the teams and don’t quit being fans,” Bertrand said. “Even when the teams are not giving them a lot of great reasons to be locked in on what’s going on with the team.”
Zolak, who serves as the color analyst on the New England Patriots radio network since 2012, says there is no comparing the fans of Boston to anywhere else in the country.
“Continued passion passed down generation to generation. It’s not about new kids moving in,” Zolak believes.
The biggest challenge for any sports radio station is to form programs that speak to the culture of their market. Having to match the intensity of a market like Boston served as a test for any program that dared to crack the mic. A decade later, the challenge is still accepted, and programs are continuing to be executed to the highest expectations.
“I wanted our shows to sound like the biggest game of the night is on a Thursday, 86 guys are in here, and we’re talking sports,” explained Zolak. “We’re having fun, we’re eating, and somebody’s making a joke or laughing at that, and nobody’s getting offended. And we leave there saying, ‘Man, that’s the best time we had. Can’t wait to do this again tomorrow.’ That’s kind of what we do each and every day.”
“To still be here 10 years later, I think it sort of speaks to our ability to get along and come at it from different perspectives, and sort of be different people,” Bertrand pondered of the program’s success.
Radzik, who previously served as Assistant Program Director at the station since its 2009 launch, was asked to point to the key piece to the success of the program, it didn’t take long for an answer.
“Chemistry has always been the key to the show’s success,” said Radzik. “Zo, Marc and (Rob) Hardy spent 8 years together, created some great content and memorable moments. Now they are with Tim McKone, and the templet of the show remains. They can be discussing football in one segment, and then 15 minutes later are offering snow removal advice to Celtics coach Joe Mazzula during his weekly interview.”
Zolak and Bertrand’s program continues to be a consistent ratings juggernaut, most recently posting a 15.7 share in the key men 25-54 demo for the fall 2024 ratings book. In an ever-changing industry, they have continued to stay on top of how the audience is changing how they consume the show. Every show is broadcast live not just on the terrestrial 98.5 FM signal in Boston and The Sports Hub app nationwide, but also simulcast on NBC Sports Boston, with show clips produced on YouTube for consumption along with short-form videos posted for social media during the program.
With the adaptation of the video simulcast and social media in recent years, the show has taken itself to a whole new level of consumption and connection, both professionally and personally, with the Boston sports fan and more.
“I think we learned in a pretty short amount of time when we started simulcasting on then Comcast SportsNet (now NBC Sports Boston) that this is a good thing,” said Bertrand. “This is a way to grow audience. This is not a thing that is going to take away from your audience on radio.”
Earlier this month, Barrett Media once again revealed the annual Top 20 rankings, which landed Zolak and Bertrand another finish on top of the midday program rankings for a major market. The #1 ranking won the category for the fourth straight year and fifth time since the inception of the rankings, beating out WFAN’s Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata by 32 points. A panel of 46 program directors and corporate executives from a number of the top broadcasting companies voted The Sports Hub’s midday show the best in the country, which is a recognition not taken lightly by Zolak and Bertrand.
“It means a lot, because every time I leave the building, I see so many people now,” says Zolak. “They recognize me more now than when I had my helmet.”
Bertrand went on to say the reason why he prefers the Barrett Media recognition more than any other award, is because the people who vote each year are the people in the industry who pay attention, and understand what it takes to succeed.
“There may be some of these other awards that, without naming them, are largely political,” said Bertrand. “I don’t think that happens with Barrett Media. It’s voted on every year by qualified individuals. So to me, it’s awesome. I’m thrilled to win that award again this year.”
For Zolak and Bertrand, while they may not feel it, they understand a decade is a long time to be paired with another individual, whether it’s an arranged marriage on the air or a real-life relationship off it. Now, after a decade of dominance, both offered up advice to their peers on what makes a lasting partnership in an ever-evolving and challenging industry.
“You’ve got to bend and be flexible for your co-host,” Bertrand explained. “You’ve got to be able to allow your co-host to be themselves, and if it’s different from what you are, you’ve got to sort of find the space to do that. I think I’ve done a good job of sort of doing that for ‘Zo’ and letting ‘Zo’ be the high-energy guy that he can be, and I think Zo has done the same for me, allowing for the more serious sports takes, and sometimes takes that are more negative than he typically dabbles in.”
“I do think that you’ve got to have that balance,” said Bertrand.
For Scott Zolak, he offered these words of advice for how to accept responsibility as much as you want to dish blame in the rough patches of the working relationship.
“You always got to remember when things go bad, it’s not always the other person’s fault,” he says. “Sometimes it’s your fault. Step back, take a deep breath. You know, we always want to attack, and yeah, we have attacks, we yell at each other, no question. But that’s the best thing about us. We’ll have this massive fight between the show, we walk out of there seven minutes later, and it’ll be like nothing happened.”
A decade of memories, championships, and plenty of laughs along the way has earned Scott Zolak and Marc Bertrand the unwavering companionship of the Boston sports fan every weekday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A radio program that began on a balmy day in Boston ten years ago is still going strong, much like the city they call home.
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John Mamola is a columnist for Barrett Media. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. Honored to be a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Media and honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL). Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
