David Scott of Scott’s Shots is reporting that the Mike Salk and Bob Halloran midday show (Noon-2 p.m.) at ESPN 890 has been cancelled, effective immediately. The show, which launched in August will likely be replaced by ESPN national programming. Salk, who was full-time at the station and the show’s producer, Ross Carey (also full-time) have been let go from the station all together. Halloran was part-time. The trio was told of the show’s cancellation at the end of Tuesday’s show.

At the present time, there doesn’t appear to be any further cuts at the station and the only other local programming, the dreadful “Lew and Mike” show is likely to remain. (Giving legitimacy to whispers the show is either a time-buy or a revenue share, likely in conjunction with major station advertiser Kelly Automotive Group, where Lew (Goldstein) is the marketing director) 

The move is an indication that ESPN 890 is stepping further into the abyss realm of what WWZN 1510 AM has become, which is a time-buy based operation augmented by national programming. The question now is, how long will ESPN national allow the Little Station That Can’t to continue sullying the brand name of ESPN. To have such a weak station in one of the nation’s top sports markets does nothing but embarrass the Worldwide Leader, especially as 890 continues to make no perceivable dent whatsoever in WEEI 850 AM’s stranglehold in the region.

Salk, Shots is told, will continue his weekly national work for ESPN Radio in Bristol while he and his newly-hired agent pursue other opportunities for the rising talent who made a name for himself in three and a half years at 890. [DISCLAIMER: Shots had a short-lived Saturday morning show with Salk in 2007 and we have remained professional acquaintances since.]

Carey will also be looking for work, but should have little trouble (economic turmoil notwithstanding) as he has been considered one of the top radio producers ever since  guiding the Mike Felger radio ship at 890.

Two other on-air talents, Kevin Winter (afternoon updates) and Adam Jones (morning updates), appear to be unaffected by the cuts.

One other thing pertaining to 890 – it seems the station’s rumored move out of the Schraffts Building in Charlestown is just that, and the station will remain in its current location. 

Perhaps it will be buried there as well.

Published by Bruce Allen

Automattician.

23 thoughts on “Salk and Halloran done at ESPN 890”

  1. For shame…one of the highlights of that crap hole of the station, for two hours it was good.

    Oh well, adios 890

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  2. Is Bob Halloran the sports media hack who wrote a book on boxing that was full of errors and ‘mistakes?’ Maybe he can give it another try (roll eyes).

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  3. No startup is ever going to beat WEEI. They’re too well established and entrenched and they’re run by a horrible company. ESPN should cut bait and put its national shows back on WEEI so people can hear mlb and nba national games.

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  4. He was also the clown who ripped the high school basketball coach for playing the autistic kid who got hot and made a bunch of 3’s at the end of a game.

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  7. “the dreadful Lew and Mike Show” Really? Why is it so bad? Is it because they dont yell on the airwaves for four hours like a bunch of cracked out monkeys? Is it because they don’t have a host who flip flops on every issue? Give me a break. They try to at least bring you know sports discussion to a market that is more concerened with piss poor entertainment. Bunch of mindless meatheads, both them and their listeners.

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  8. I agree with Mike. If Lew & Mike are “dreadful”, then there must not be a word in the English language that can describe what that jabbering idiot Ordway and his crew of jocksniffers are.

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    2. Agree with Dave completely. Just because they don’t invent topics to debate but talk about sports knowledgeably then they’re dreadful? They talk intelligently about things that just happened in sports. They don’t drivel on their microphones like the NYC radio types do and they don’t suck anyone’s ass.

      What exactly are the standards of a good sports radio show according to Bruce Allen?

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      1. I’ve never said anything negative about Lew and Mike. This post was composed by Dave Scott, and I posted it here for him. It’s his opinion, not mine.

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  9. Interesting. We have 3 all-talk sports radio stations here in Vegas, and the ESPN franchise is the most successful. They have about 8 hours of local programming a day, and cover the Rebels football and basketball games. You’d think that an ESPN franchise would be successful in Boston, greatest sports fans in the world and all.

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  10. And the number one reason why 890 failed: they never bothered to strengthen their radio signal.

    If the folks running the station didn’t take it seriously, why should any listener, especially when it fades in and out of their car radio?

    They might’ve had a fighting chance for ratings if they ever had a signal as strong as the allmighty 850…but alas we’ll never know.

    Good luck Salk, his new agent and Mr. Carey.

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    1. Where is the signal a problem? I was in Worcester today and 890 came in better than 850. Throughout the Metrowest I don’t have problems with it. Is it a big problem north of Boston? Traveling to Lowell there is a problem switching between 890 and 14whatever.

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  11. exactly who other than the dynamic duo here at bsmw is speculating that lew and mike are a time buy? the only guy raising that issue is scott who whined openly when these guys got the felger gig.

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  12. The Lew and Mike Show is not a time buy, I know for a fact. The money brought in by Kelly Auto is measly coin, not worth keeping a show over. Salk should head over to WEEI, he would fit in perfectly with the other blowhards over there.
    New Englanders are notorious for not dealing with change well and being rather backwards in their thinking, hence why another sports station will never do well without proper marketing and signal strength. The complaints about the “talent” at 850 are endless, but unfortunately, the antiquated nature of the typical Boston sports fan wins out again.

    Best wishes to Ross Carey though.

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  13. Am I the only one who finds only the morning show awful on WEEI. The others have a lot of nonsense but can be entertaining. D&C is a dumbed-down version of Rush Limbaugh – if that is possible.
    My only concern of 890 going under would be having no sports talk to listen to in the morning

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    1. No no no no no… I can’t listen to those two schmucks. Their sports opinions are even more inane than their politics. Remember “Run Up the Score”Gate?

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  14. Salk & Holleran was a horrible show. So is Lew & Mike. That is their problem. They need better talent & a stronger signal. I’m out in Worcester & you can’t get the signal until after 7 AM and you lose it around 4:45 PM.

    I listen to sports talk most of the day and I am willing to give them a shot but, the only good programming is Mike&Mike and The Herd.

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    1. Ok so your issue is the signal or the talent? I must have “missed” it when WEEI was able to get wkly chats with Keith law. Or when local sports talk actually gave the listeners a chance to speak rather then be ripped, made fun of and talked over. But hey maybe “you like” being blown up, or listening to slanted politics in the morning on you know a “sports” talk radio network.

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  15. Thank the good Lord! Mike Salk is anything but a “rising talent” His knowledge of sports was decent, but his smugness & sub-par radio voice were more than enough to change to an altrernative station. Better dip into that trust fund Salk, agent’s cost money.

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  16. Problem with S&H and 890 is not the signal, it’s that they talk about topics other than Boston sports and were actually objective about the local teams instead of breaking out the kneepads. That will never play with the typical retarded, provincial Boston fan.

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  17. I was listening today at noon when the station, with no prior annoucement, “went dark”. ESPN’s the Herd ended at noon,,, then sappy music and a criptic farewell… which I think is still playing as of now, Odd, I’ve listened to radio all my life and never heard a station die while I was listening to it, (WBCN doesn’t count, they lost their soul years ago.)
    I’ll miss the alternative. On WEEI, I find the D&C show & the Big show UNlistenable. Rats. I tip my hat to the local effort, despite the apparent failure of same.

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