The Boston Radio Blog

This Boston Herald article says that former WBCN DJ Sam Kopper is running FreeformBCN on HD radio (a WZLX-HD signal) and online...for now it's automated but there are plans to bring back some vintage WBCN names. And News Dissector Danny
Schecter is already doing some left-leaning political commentary.

The station offers freeform and freewheeling rock of the past and more recent times. WBCN left us in August but this is in the spirit of the original "Rock Of Boston".
“We are bringing back the musical, the sociopolitical, the radio technique of the great days of progressive rock radio - the great days of ’BCN, ’68 through the ’70s,"
says Kopper.

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Got this short note by email....

Keith, On Sep 25 morning and afternoon WEEI AM mentioned Gerry Callahan would move
to the Big Show immediately. Since then NOTHING! Not on WEEI, not in Globe / Herald,
Not in your Blog. Was it a joke?

Regards,

Jim XXXXX,
Salem, MA

Anyone esle hear this? Was it a joke?

Update:
On Oct 15 Dennis mentioned Callahan moving, Ordway said he didn't show up. Today Dennis said Gerry will be back Monday. Either it is an internal war or a stupid prank

Alan H. Dary died of kidney failure 10/2 after a brief illness. He had been in hospice care in Manchester, NH since Monday. Alan was 89 years old.

Born in Shelton, CT, his first radio job was at WSUN in St. Petersburg, FL in 1946. He later worked at WBRY in Waterbury, CT before moving to WORL in Boston from 1951-56, where his music show was called the "Dary-Go-Round."

From 1956-61 Alan was one of the inaugural crew of local disc jockeys at WBZ in Boston. His original airshift there started at 10:20 at night.

From 1961-63 Alan returned to WORL for a mid-day music show. From 1963-74 he was part of the airstaff at WHDH in Boston. From 1974-76 Alan worked at WMEX in Boston. An avid Red Sox fan, the WMEX duties involved hosting a pre-game show from the bleachers at Fenway Park where he awarded prizes to fans who could answer baseball trivia questions correctly.

In 1977 Alan and his late wife, Charlotte, moved to Londonderry, NH. He hosted the morning show on WGIR AM in Manchester for three years, later working at WKBR in Manchester and returning to Boston when the former WXKS AM featured a nostalgia format.

Here is Alan's page on the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasting.

WEEI, ESPN RADIO Announce Affiliation Agreement

October 7, 2009 (Boston, Bristol, Conn.) —The WEEI Sports Radio Network and ESPN Radio, the nation’s largest sports radio network, will join forces to bring ESPN’s national programming and personalities to New England’s top rated sports radio station.

The Boston- and Bristol-based broadcasters announced an affiliation agreement that will bring ESPN weekend and overnight programming to WEEI 850 AM, as well as a variety of play by play programming, including the Major League Baseball playoffs, the NBA and NBA playoffs and the College Bowl Championship Series, highlighted by the 2010 BCS National Championship Game in January. MLB playoff programming will begin this week.

Staring November 2, 2009, WEEI will syndicate ESPN’s overnight programming including AllNight with Jason Smith (1-5 a.m. ET Monday through Friday), as well as select weekend programming in and around its local coverage.

As part of the agreement, Adam Schefter, ESPN’s NFL Insider, will join Dennis and Callahan every Friday during the NFL Season beginning this week, and Peter Gammons, ESPN’s veteran Major League Baseball insider, will join The Big Show with Glenn Ordway every week during the upcoming baseball playoffs and once a week next season. A slew of ESPN personalities will also be joining WEEI shows on a regular basis, throughout the week and the weekend.

“This partnership is a win for everyone, especially our listeners,” said Julie Kahn, Entercom New England VP and Market Manager. “As WEEI’s footprint grows across the New England on the airwaves and across the nation online, ESPN brings invaluable national content and insight.”


Added Traug Keller, Sr. VP, Production, Business Divisions, “The recent success of the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins make this an exciting time to be entering the Boston market on one of the nation’s premier sports stations. Combining ESPN Radio’s content and personalities with WEEI’s local reputation is a win-win for both parties, as well as for the area’s passionate fans.”

Jason Wolfe, Entercom New England’s VP of AM Programming said, “This newly formed partnership will continue to solidify WEEI as the region’s foremost authority for sports coverage. Adding Peter and Adam, who we’ve enjoyed regular relationships with in the past, in addition to the many incredibly talented hosts and commentators that ESPN has in its stable, creates must listen radio for our audience.”

From the New Bedford market's WFHN:

Sharon Fogaren, 43, DJ on popular radio show





40 years at WCAP. From secretary to station manager...

Pauline Yates; guiding light at WCAP-AM in Lowell; at 84

Having recently celebrated their tenth anniversary, Greater Media's WTKK-FM 96.9 is
now shuffling its talk host lineup. Don Imus is being cut back to two hours, only one
of which is live, weekdays from 5 to 7 am. Former afternoon talkers Jim Braude and Margery
Eagan begin 15 consecutive hours of live and local talk from 7 to 10 am, followed by Michael Graham (10 am to 2 pm) who gains an hour, Jay Severin (2 to 6 pm) whose show gets pushed to an earlier time, and Michele McPhee (6 to 10 pm) who gains an hour. The rest of the lineup is the syndicated Curtis Sliwa from 10 pm to 1 am and Phil Hendrie from 1 to 5 am.

Two years ago WTKK thought they would be adding Howie Carr to their lineup in morning drive but a judge ruled otherwise. Now Carr, still at WRKO till 2012,
has had a blogger calling himself "Ernie Boch III" from the left-leaning
Blue Mass Group, urging advertisers to dump their spots due to the show's content. The real Ernie Boch Jr. however, who has long supported Howie (when his family owned WXTK on the Cape, they were the first
to syndicate Howie), has denounced the "impostor" and offered a reward to find out
who he is. He told Carr, “I’m going to tell you who he is so you can terrorize him every afternoon.” The "Carr who drives Boston home" was pleased by the show of support by Boston's "car czar".

Labels: ernie boch wtkk wrko howie carr blue mass group

It's always disheartening when radio loses a good talent for some silly reason, or no reason at all.

I'm not sure what the reason, but Ed Brouder will no longer be doing news at WZID/WFEA.

Everyone who knows Ed knows him to be a talented radio pro, and a gentlemen...which is something we need more of in this business.

Here are some comments in the Manchester Union Leader about Ed (along with another newsman being lost in NH due to retirement).

Two Fine Newsmen: Manchester Will Miss Them

Not retiring but no longer a radio voice for news and information in Manchester is Ed Brouder, who has left WZID and WFEA after 17 years and is teaching communication classes at Hesser College.

Brouder could teach his students volumes by just recounting his career to date, but he is too modest for that. In addition to providing local news summaries in the early morning hours, he found time to write several books, including histories of radio in New Hampshire and of the Manchester airport. He has also devoted countless hours to worthy causes, from Red Cross blood drives to the annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethons.

Radio news is not what it used to be in Manchester, where three stations at one time fielded local reporters. Ed Brouder did an admirable job of trying to fill that gap. He will be missed in that role.