Media
The Sports Hub finished first with a 10.9 share in the men 25-54 demographic in the summer ratings period.
Perhaps someday, WEEI will put together a daily programming lineup that can compete with 98.5 The Sports Hub.
But that hasn’t happened in years. And this summer’s Nielsen Audio ratings confirmed more of the same, save for an evening bump in WEEI listenership due mostly to the Red Sox’ spectacular July.
Overall in the summer ratings period, The Sports Hub finished first with a 10.9 share in the men 25-54 demographic, which covered the period from June 25-Sept. 16. WEEI tied for seventh with a 4.4 share.
That’s slightly closer than it was last summer, when The Sports Hub was first (11.1) and WEEI tied for ninth (3.4). Yet it’s not really close at all.
The Sports Hub’s three daytime programs finished first in the aforementioned demographic, impressive given that rock and pop radio typically fare better in the summer than they do in Nielsen’s other three three-month ratings periods.
In morning drive (6-10), “Toucher and Hardy” pulled an 18.8 share. WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” was fifth with a 6.0.
The Sports Hub’s midday (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) “Zolak and Bertrand” lost some audience from the morning program, but still took the top spot with a 10.7 share. WEEI’s “Jones & Keefe” was eighth (4.1).
In afternoon drive (2-6), The Sports Hub’s “Felger and Mazz” show had a 12.6, up from 11.1 the previous summer. WEEI’s “Rich and Ken with Ted Johnson” was ninth with a 3.7. This was the first full book together for hosts Rich Shertenlieb, Ken Laird, and Johnson, whose show was assembled in April.
From 6-7 p.m., “The Baseball Hour,” hosted by Tony Massarotti, booked an 8.1 share. WEEI programming, which included Red Sox pregame or “The Christian Arcand Show” in that hour, was 14th (3.0).
WEEI did register a win at night, much like the Red Sox often did during their 32-5 stretch in the summer. WEEI finished fourth in the 7-11 p.m. window — which included Red Sox games and Arcand’s show — with a 6.5 share. Joe Murray’s show on The Sports Hub took sixth with a 5.3.
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NBC Sports strives to have a big-event feel for its Sunday night NFL, NBA, and MLB programming, even during the regular season.
In the first year of its rights partnership with MLB, I thought NBC’s batting average with its game broadcasts was high, fulfilling those standards. That was especially true during its exclusive coverage of the wild-card round, which I meant to acknowledge last week.
The success is largely due to exceptional production, and the figurative juggling skills of play-by-play voice Jason Benetti.
Benetti is incredibly adept at calling the game in an informative and enjoyable way — his style reminds me of broadcasters I grew up listening to in the 1970s and ’80s — while getting the best out of different team-specific analysts each week. The degree of difficulty is off the charts, but Benetti makes it seem like a breeze.
During the network’s broadcasts of the Red Sox-Yankees series, Benetti brought out the best in NESN’s Lou Merloni and the YES Network’s Joe Girardi, who developed an enjoyable rapport.
One nitpick: Anthony Rizzo, who served as the “Inside Pitch” analyst and the fourth voice on the broadcast, wasn’t necessary. In Game 1, he seemed fixated on Yankees starter Cam Schlittler’s social media battles with Red Sox fans, and at times came across as more nervous in that role than he ever was in the batter’s box.
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A half-inning’s worth of other MLB postseason broadcast observations:
1. During Game 3 of the Brewers-Padres National League Division Series on Tuesday, it was delightful to watch blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge’s emotional reaction when Padres fans sang the band’s hit “All The Small Things” while he was in the stands. (Fans at Petco Park sing the song when the Padres are leading going into the eighth inning. Might be a good adjustment to make with “Sweet Caroline” at Fenway, no?) I did find myself wishing TBS play-by-play voice Adam Amin would stop talking over the singing as the moment was playing out.
2. I’m adamantly opposed to in-dugout interviews during a live game, but in that same Padres-Brewers Game 3, TBS got one — and maybe the only one, ever — to remember. If you didn’t catch Brewers manager Pat Murphy’s mid-interview reaction when Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill ran down a Sal Frelick line drive in the gap, it’s worth a watch and a good laugh.
3. Confession: Nomar Garciaparra would be better, of course, but I get a kick out of Derek Jeter on Fox’s MLB studio team. He can’t hide his disgust with bad baseball, and the presence of Alex Rodriguez and antics of David Ortiz gives him a dad-threatening-to-turn-the-car-around vibe. Jeter’s primary form of expression has gone from a fist pump to a sigh.
