The open to the morning drive program early Thursday morning on 98.5 The Sports Hub with Fred Toucher sounded different from what listeners had grown accustomed to for parts of the previous 14 years. Instead of the typical “Honey Bucket” by Melvins, the show’s introduction was set to “Night Boat to Cairo” by Madness.
For the first time since it took the air in 2009, 98.5 The Sports Hub welcomed a new morning drive program. The show now consists of Toucher and new co-host Rob ‘Hardy’ Poole. The four-hour block presented a new sound while retaining the familiar elements that have distinguished the daypart from others.
Throughout the program, there was a blend of sports talk and other entertaining elements to commence the first chapter of this new endeavor. The planning process leading up to the episode was collaborative, entailing meetings with the show staff that resulted in a bit featuring Mike Lockhart and production pieces from Poole, the latter of which Toucher did not know and elicited feedback on air.
“In all honesty, I was much more comfortable today than I’ve been in a year,” Toucher said. “Certainly in eight months, I was much more comfortable today. I was much more comfortable than I’ve been in a while, which sounds weird but it’s true.”
The decision to bring Poole onto the program as a permanent co-host came after the departure of Rich Shertenlieb from the outlet. There were reportedly disagreements between the station and the former morning host, tension of which Toucher was aware of. In fact, Toucher prognosticated that the days of Toucher & Rich were numbered when he signed a contract extension with 98.5 The Sports Hub in late October. Under these circumstances, he floated the idea to management that he would like to work with Poole in the future if that was an option, a proposition he had been pondering for nearly a year.
From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toucher and Shertenlieb did not converse with one another outside of the show. Even when the program moved back into the station’s studios, the only interactions the co-hosts would have would occur in the studio. There was no animosity or fighting between them; instead, Toucher claims Shertenlieb was introverted and that much of the success of the program came from the synergy that existed in the studio. Toucher would customarily show up to the station and react to what was planned, offering his viewpoints and perspectives and then repeating the sequence the next day.
“I didn’t have the relationship with the staff that I’ve had over the last couple of months,” Toucher said. “I feel like there’s less pressure now; I feel like everyone’s more in control, and that’s not an insult to Rich. That might be an insult to me.”
In the interim period, Toucher hosted the program with a rotating panel of personalities contributing to the program, such as producers Nick Gemelli, Dan Lifshatz and Dan O’Brien, along with anchor Jon Wallach. Throughout the process, he learned more about the deep roster of talent that works at the station, including Ryan Johnston and Kendra Middleton. While Johnston filled in on the show over 100 times last year, Toucher had no idea who Middleton was before the summer and now feels she is on the cusp of landing a big job somewhere else. Moreover, he thinks that Johnston is due for a larger role at the station for his performance and abilities.
“[They] were excellent on the show filling in,” Toucher said of Johnston and Middleton. “They both are big talents that deserve full-time gigs somewhere.”
Although his preference to work with Poole was known, management still engaged in a search process that intrigued a variety of talented people. Toucher was not directly involved, but he expressed that he wanted someone who was able to produce show elements and had experience doing comedic work. Poole fulfilled both of those requests, and his experience in music radio is commensurate with the history of Toucher & Rich since it initially debuted on an alternative rock format.
“I don’t think in the mornings on sports talk radio you [discuss a] topic and then [take] calls,” Toucher said. “You can’t do it. It’s more of a passive listening experience. I think that you’ve got to entertain.”
During the process to find a new personality in the mornings, Toucher was granted the ability to announce Shertenlieb leaving the show and Poole being hired as the new co-host at his own accord. The gesture from management is something that he thoroughly appreciated, along with the level of trust it has placed within the duo to cultivate chemistry and find success in the timeslot.
“Management has been very hands-off in terms of all this, which has been fantastic,” Toucher said. “They’ve helped when I’ve asked, and I’ve had meetings with them and things, but in terms of the actual on-air stuff, they’ve just been very positive and let us kind of control it.”
Since its launch in 2009, 98.5 The Sports Hub has found success with a consistent lineup of compelling personalities, and there has been little turnover at the outlet altogether. With Shertenlieb’s sudden exit though, there existed a palpable challenge in retaining the spirit of the program while adding a new personality. Utilizing a rotation on a long-term basis was not something that Toucher, nor program director Rick Radzik had any interest in as a long-term solution.
“You have to start with starting a new show,” Radzik said, “and to have that consistency and have that dynamic each day between the hosts is important to me and I think also to our audience.”
With consistent double-digit shares through its dayparts, 98.5 The Sports Hub has had success in the ratings. The station was honored last fall with a Marconi Award by the National Association of Broadcasters despite uncertainty in the morning daypart.
Last year, Toucher took a five-week leave of absence in order to receive treatment for leukoplakia, a throat condition that affected his vocal cords and engendered concern about his career. At the same time, he underwent a relapse with an alcohol addiction, prompting him to admit himself to a detoxification facility where he spent five days to maintain his stability. Combined with the enigma surrounding Shertenlieb and his future, there was considerable noise surrounding the morning program that rendered the environment distressing for him.
“I like open communication; it makes me feel more comfortable,” Toucher said. “I like knowing what’s going on, but if something’s not broken, I wasn’t going to come in and start demanding changes.”
Poole had worked in middays with Scott Zolak and Marc Bertrand for several years and enjoyed his role on the show, but was immediately interested upon discovering the opening in the mornings. He and Toucher worked together in the past at WBCN and remained in contact, which played a role in making the transition seamless.
“As long as you don’t change your mannerisms and your style too much, just go into the studio and do a show,” Poole said, “because Fred will not change from the hallway to the studio.”
“Hardy has filled in over the years, so the long-term relationship that they have off the air, which is solid, will hopefully continue as they become long-term partners here,” Radzik added. “I think the comfort level that they have with each other, not only as friends [but] as co-workers, will also play into the four hours each morning on the show.”
Toucher expressed that he is not sure what he would have done if things did not work out with Poole in signing a contract to host the program. Upon applying for the job opening, Poole determined that it is something he really wanted, but he didn’t want to set himself up for failure and remained patient as interviews and deliberation took place.
Having been in the business for many years, he has learned not to take things for granted and tempered his expectations. Within the interview process though, Poole thinks that his bosses knew that he was going to be able to do the show. The questions pertained to the associated lifestyle change with hosting a morning program that takes the air at 6 a.m. and leaving his partners in the middays.
“I had to give it some thought; it wasn’t an immediate ‘Yes,’” Poole said. “I know they’re going to be great without me, but we had a very good thing going and we’re very comfortable together, so there was a bit of a leap of faith there.”
During Nielsen Media Research’s fall ratings book, the morning program on 98.5 The Sports Hub attained a 17.1 share within the Male 25-54 demographic. The figure placed it first within the marketplace, but the mark was down 6.3 shares from the year prior when it had a 23.4 in the category. Although the recent rating still equates to a first-place result, Toucher conveyed that the numbers are heavily scrutinized in the marketplace.
Audacy-owned WEEI airs The Greg Hill Show opposite Toucher & Hardy in the mornings, and its host recently signed a contract extension with the outlet. The two programs are frequently compared to one another, and the ratings battle oftentimes makes it to newspapers and other television outlets as a considerable story.
“Sports Hub ratings are like college football playoff rankings. It’s not enough to win; you have to run up the score,” Poole said. “So, if I allow myself to think about it too much, it’ll change the way you do things on the air and I don’t want to do that. I’ve worked for great radio stations that had crappy ratings, and I’ve worked for some stations – not this one – that had better ratings that I didn’t think were as good as the ones that got bad ratings.”
Aside from previously filling in, Poole frequently listened to Toucher & Rich because he genuinely enjoyed the program. Due to his experience consuming the show and working with Toucher, Poole was more inclined to take the opportunity to work in the daypart, although he understands the impact Shertenlieb made on the program. The discourse, he presumes, is going to sound different because of the personalities and takes that will be offered on the show as well. While he has several ideas, he is excited to bring to the table, he also does not want to alter its performance and is cognizant about displaying a sense of restraint.
“It’ll probably result in a little more – I don’t want to say conflict – but it probably will result in a little more conflict,” Poole said. “You sit with guys for years and you either know which subjects to avoid because you know you’re not going to agree on them and it might cause some discomfort, but Fred and I don’t necessarily know everything about each other. So, we’ll talk about all kinds of stuff and bring different things out of each other that maybe haven’t been brought up before.”
Poole continues to work on Boston’s Rock 92.9 as a host, a classic rock station that is also owned by Beasley Media Group. Regardless of having the new job with 98.5 The Sports Hub, he is aware of the many similarities that exist between the two formats. Toggling between the genres and balancing multiple roles for several years has allowed him to intersperse elements of each into the program while being able to pivot at a moment’s notice.
“Whether it’s rock radio or sports radio, it’s still radio,” Poole said. “Being able to sit and have conversations with a variety of different people… and kind of bring some of those conversations to life with some production elements, I was already real comfortable doing that.”
Even though Poole was nervous before the show began, the extent of such was much less than he originally thought. Reflecting on the process, he is grateful for how things played out and for continuing to trust management at the station. With the first episode complete, Poole is focused on introducing his personality and mannerisms to the program while also accentuating his colleagues and serving the listeners.
“Everyone loves to talk sh** about radio these days and how awful it is,” Poole said. “This is, I think, one of those stories that comes along all too infrequently where, ‘Wow, it actually worked out,’ and I think everybody is happy as a result.”
If the New England Patriots end up firing head coach and general manager Bill Belichick after the season, listeners can expect the program to discuss the topic at length. The success of the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics is also a prominent part of the program, and there is also discussion surrounding the offseason transactions made by the Boston Red Sox. As the marketplace looks to celebrate its first championship since the Patriots won Super Bowl LIII over the Los Angeles Rams, Toucher & Hardy will aim to satisfy the appetite of the fans for discussion combined with reprieve, respite and revelry.
“I think that if we can maintain the success that the station as a whole has had and just maintain that, that’s the goal,” Toucher said. “A fresh show – there’s an opportunity here – have fun; be entertaining; do well in the ratings. That’s my only goal – make money for the company.”
“As comfortable as it is already, I came from a comfortable show,” Poole said. “Moving into another comfortable show is a huge plus, and I would continue to do this for as long as they’ll have me and as long as we’re successful.”
