Since the introduction of Toucher & Hardy on 98.5 The Sports Hub last January, the show has proved to be a popular outlet for listeners and subsequently gained strong ratings in the locale. Although some of the other voices on the airwaves are new to the morning drive daypart, Fred Toucher has been situated at this time on the schedule since the launch of the station in 2009 and formerly paired with Rich Shertenlieb. Yet there was a public fissure on the airwaves that resulted in the end of the program, including Shertenlieb accusing Toucher of cultivating “a hostile work environment.”
During the same year in which the show concluded, Toucher was dealing with throat problems and had to take a leave of absence to receive treatment. Shertenlieb, who proceeded to launch his own morning program on 100.7 WZLX after less than six months, provided an emailed comment included within a recent feature article about Toucher & Hardy written by Chad Finn of The Boston Globe.
“I have stayed silent in an attempt to take the high road while Fred Toucher says untrue and slanderous things about me in an attempt to defame my character, much like he admitted to doing to other members of our show months before I left,” Shertenlieb said. “This is disappointing, as Fred was someone I once considered a good friend.”
Toucher addressed the comments during the Thursday morning edition of the radio program, during which he expressed that this story was “probably the most meaningful” of his career because of everything that was being said about him. In fact, he believes the story clears some of the misconceptions about him and also accentuates the synergy between him and his colleagues on the show.
“The article about our show is up from Chad Finn, and it’s a very nice piece,” Toucher said. “Everything seems to be correct. There is a quote from Rich that seems like a lawyer did not touch that – seems like that was just completely off the dome.”
Toucher proceeded to convey that the article will be in the Sunday edition of The Boston Globe and voiced that it was an honor to have a feature about the show considering everything that transpired. Describing the occurrence as “a sort of fairytale situation,” he explained that there was no plan to orchestrate Shertenlieb’s exit and that the extent of the conversations surrounding the future was where he voiced that he wanted Rob “Hardy” Poole on the show.
“There was a bunch of stuff going on around and it was all kind of false, but you know what I did? I rode through it, and it was very frustrating for me because I didn’t like that all these false narratives were being said, but I’ve learned my lesson on social media,” Toucher said. “Had it been two years before, I would have gone ballistic on social media, but I didn’t, and so I’m very pleased at this story.”
Finn reports that the show attained a 21.1 share in the Men 25-54 demographic in the last full ratings period and that the talent both on the air and behind the scenes “seems genuinely happy.” The story also contains quotes from Beasley Media Group Boston market manager Mary Menna, who discussed how the situation between Toucher and Shertenlieb was difficult for everyone else. To conclude the segment, Toucher circled back on what had been said by his former co-host, who he started hosting with in 2006 on WBCN before the show moved to 98.5 The Sports Hub three years later.
“There is a quote from Rich if you’re looking for that,” Toucher said. “It makes him look great – couldn’t make him look better. His instincts are still there, he’s still got it. He’s still got it. Good for him. He comes off beautifully…. And I don’t badmouth him at all in the article. I don’t even mention him by name in the article. I just say – management concurs with me about the thing, you can read it yourself – but he’s got a pretty quasi-legal statement up there, so good for him, good for him. That’s good stuff. He’s still got it.”
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
