The Red Sox get back to work tonight as they begin a series in Tampa with the Rays. What will the second half of the season bring for the Red Sox? Can they pull it together and grab a playoff spot, or is a complete meltdown right around the corner?

Mismatched Sox wearing on Bobby? – Gordon Edes has today’s must-read column, with plenty of griping and back-biting going around the Red Sox clubhouse, most of it centered around manager Bobby Valentine.

Sox need to make a statement – Jon Couture tries to be optimistic about this team, but finds it increasingly hard to do so.

Adrian Gonzalez continues his quest to find the old Adrian Gonzalez – Rob Bradford has the first baseman trying hard to regain his power stroke.

Ciriaco takes chance and runs with it – Peter Abraham has the well-traveled 27-year-old giving the Red Sox a jolt of energy.

Media

Mediocre Red Sox not hurting NESN’s ratings – Chad Finn looks at NESN’s strong ratings numbers, has more on WEEI, and weighs in on Matt Millen’s torturous ESPN appearance yesterday.

McDonough talks and plays a great game – John Molori talks to Sean McDonough about his work at ESPN and his love of golf.

Examining Gary Tanguay’s New Confrontational Style – What in the world is going on with Gary Tanguay? That’s the subject of my SB Nation Boston column this week.

In an email to BSMW, Entercom’s Jason Wolfe disputed the numbers from yesterday’s post, (A sure sign WEEI is doing better, Wolfe has emerged from his bunker.) discarding the standard Arbitron numbers that run from 3-7pm and sending over what he claims are the 2-6pm numbers for the month of June.

He also zinged me with this line:

I know you’re a 98.5 fan and not an EEI fan, that’s fine, you’re entitled to your opinion, but you’re numbers are wrong.

OK. Has he paid attention at all to what I’ve said about Felger and Mazz, either here or on Twitter? A 98.5 fan? Someone over at CBS Boston is getting a good chuckle out of that.

Someone from 98.5 emailed me recently and said:

Maybe we suck. Maybe we’re too negative. Or too loud. Or too whatever. You are entitled to whatever opinion you have.

I sure am glad all the radio people are allowing me to be entitled to my own opinion on things.

Anyway, here is what Wolfe sent me regarding the afternoon drive numbers:

Men 25-54, Mon-Fri 2-6 pm.

Week One Week Two Week Three Week Four
6.9                8.4                7.0                 6.3                  WEEI
5.7                7.6                6.4                 5.7                  98.5

Men 18-34, Mon-Fri, 2-6 pm.

Week One Week Two Week Three Week Four
3.3               2.7                3.1                 2.6                     WEEI
7.7              9.8                 9.6                 9.6                     98.5

Men 18-49, Mon-Fri, 2-6 pm.

Week One  Week Two Week Three Week Four
6.1               6.6               5.8                  5.0                    WEEI
6.0               8.8              7.5                  7.0                    98.5

He also included the 35-54 age bracket, which really solidifies that older listeners prefer the Big Show, while the younger ones prefer Felger and Mazz.

Men 35-54, Mon-Fri, 2-6pm
Week One  Week Two Week Three Week Four
7.5                9.0             7.5                   7.4                   WEEI
4.6                6.9              5.5                   4.7                    98.5

The numbers from yesterday were taken directly off sheets with the Arbitron copyright on them. These numbers provided by Wolfe may well be accurate, but he’s also had a history of being, um, creative with how he comes up with ratings figures.

Yesterday, WEEI also sent over these figures, interestingly, the release contained the line “WEEI saw benefits of carrying both the Celtics and Red Sox game broadcasts.” Um, yeah. :

WEEI 93.7 Arbitron Ratings (rival station The Sport Hub compared in red):

M25-54                 June                                      Spring 12                              Winter 12

6a-mid                  6.8 #3    (BZ 5.5 #4)           7.1 #2    (BZ 6.0 #4)           5.7 #4 (BZ 8.5 #2)                                                                                           

6a-10a                   6.8 #4    (BZ 7.6 #2)           7.3 #3    (BZ 8.0 #2)           7.6 #3 (BZ 9.8 #2)

10a-2p                  5.5 #3T  (BZ 5.9 #2)           6.7 #3    (BZ 6.8 #2)           5.5 #4 (BZ 10.0 #2)

2p-6p                    7.1 #3    (BZ 6.3 #4)           7.9 #2    (BZ 6.9 #3)           6.2 #3 (BZ 9.8 #1)

6a-7p                     6.5 #3    (BZ 6.6 #2)           7.3 #2    (BZ 7.2 #3)           6.5 #3 (BZ 9.6 #2)

7p-mid                  11.0 #1  (BZ 4.6 #6)           9.5 #1    (BZ 5.5 #5)           4.0 #11 (BZ 6.5 #2)

Wknds                  5.8 #3    (BZ 2.6 #11)        5.6 #4    (BZ 3.2 #10)        3.7 #10 (BZ 5.6 #6)

Is your head spinning yet?

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Published by Bruce Allen

Automattician.

28 thoughts on “Will The Red Sox Surge or Melt In the Second Half? WEEI Responds To Ratings Claims”

    1. hahah too funny. i saw that too, wolfe is not the brightest bulb, he did disband the best show that was on boston radio (dale&holley)….fool.

      Like

    2. What a kindergartner Wolfe is. Being a media hack, he’ll waddle over here and see that I called him that, too.

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  2. How could he miss you being critical of both WEEI and TSH? If anything, without counting (the “Guest” or “Guesty” might wind up doing this), I say you’ve come out with more articles that are
    critical of TSH, esp Felger, lately. Moreover, if you had to take a barometer of what the past few months, Felger has started to trend lower, which it seems the ratings are showing.

    In listening to TSH enough now, not only have they used topics and material from the show, but Felger called Bruce out by name. He’s also read one of the letters that someone editorialized and posted about the cap being crap–to which Felger just laughed at it. So, thanks for paying attention.

    Maybe the winners here are the fans, and also the people who wind up commenting on this board? Personally, having competition is a good thing. It makes sure that both stations are working toward putting a better product out there, right?

    ———-

    “I sure am glad all the radio people are allowing me to be entitled to my own opinion on things.”

    Better watch out for people dumpster diving near where you live, Bruce.

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    1. Apparently the logic amonst the sports talkers on both stations is if you don’t praise them 100% of the time, you hate them and like the other guys.

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  3. Love the Tanguay article, all great points. In the clip you posted, I like how Borges (never thought I’d put those words together) is just baiting him to say Donny Marshal’s name. Everyone knows that’s his source. Donny plays golf with Ray twice a week. And then at the end of the segment Tanguay basically does give up Donny by saying that Marshal told people Ray would leave during the season. I beginning to think that the longer Gary’s hair gets the more irrational he becomes.

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  4. Is everyone ready for NFL season?

    Caller, “How can the Saints pay Drew Brees $40M this year?”

    Felger, “Well, the short answer is that the cap is crap”

    Start your engines.

    Gasper goes on to explain how a bonus is pro-rated over the years of a contract when it comes to cap hit (not exactly an esoteric fact).

    Like

    1. I heard this and 3 things happened:

      1) Cringe
      2) Thought of this website and Bruces earlier paragraph about Felger talking about the Cap is Crap commentary.
      3) Why Andrew Brandt has not been on their airwaves.

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  7. Figured this was coming:

    After posing nude for ESPN The Magazine’s “Body Issue” and partying
    at events for the issue and the ESPYs and co-hosting “Access Hollywood
    Live” in recent days — things that seem un-Patriot-like — don’t be
    surprised if tight end Rob Gronkowski lays low for the next couple of
    weeks according to Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe.

    Via a league source, Gronkowski has been told by the team that

    his summer of Gronk, so to speak, is over.

    (This is from the Bedard Sunday column she’s doing this week because he is on vacation. Note: I had to delete cookies before this worked w/o pay.)

    ———————

    Hate to see the Patriots enforce the “NFL=NO FUN LEAGUE” but one has to think that his newly minted millionaire status and his youth are just a volatile cocktail.

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  8. Pure class. I hope fat Bruce gets sued. This site did this with Dickerson during the winter as well.

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      1. That’s true. You’re NEVER SEEN on any reputable outlet…hence the insane jealous resentment towards 98% of the Boston Media.

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        1. LOL. I have no interest in appearing on any outlet. The idea of an independent sports media blog is that I stay separate on purpose, and thus am not beholden to anyone.

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          1. Yeah, that’s the ticket as Tommy Flanagan used to say. That’s why I don’t appear on the shows either.

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          2. bruce! whats the IP address looking like from those posts?! new balance building? sportshub studios?

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          3. Typical. One has to be a CBS or Entercom employee to de a dissenter. Both stations blow. And they could care less about this flea of a site.

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      2. Jason Wolfe and “bunker”. That’s nice, too. Spray any swastikas on synagogues this weekend,Adolf?

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    2. Owners of websites cannot be sued for the comments other people make. And what did the site do “with Dickerson during the winter”? I remember Bruce didn’t post anything until Dickerson spoke with the local newspaper.

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      1. Bull. Commenters HERE speculated about Dickerson much the same way the above referenced Tanguay. I’m not repeating the allegations. You know what they are.

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        1. Commenting here has two parts, and almost as soon as that Tanguay comment was posted, I thought I had deleted it from both parts, Unfortunately that was not the case. That’s my bad. I do not condone speculation of that sort. I don’t recall specifics of what you’re talking about with regards to Dickerson. If such things were said I believe I would’ve deleted them as well.

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  9. Felger is becoming what Ordway was 5 years ago when he was on the top of afternoon drive, arrogant, dismissive and rude. Ordway as toned it down and Holley keeps him accountable. Felger just uses the same old fall back topics and after a few years they have become old. Green Teamers, Texas Tough Guy, Hockey is the best blah blah blah…..Plus as an advertiser i would want the 25-54 age group becuase they have money to spend

    Like

  10. Sport Talkers 2012 Index is out from talkers. I don’t know if this came out sometime recent but I saw it quoted by a few media folks.

    http://www.talkers.com/2012-talkers-heavy-hundred-of-sports-talk/

    Notables:

    #1 – Francesa (really?)
    #7-D+C
    #11-T+R
    #21-BigShow (all of these beat out Colin Cowherd)
    #33-F+M
    #57-SaS (with his ESPNNY cohost)
    #73-Mutt+Merloni
    #78-Kay’s show in NY

    Besides the national guys, I think Boston had the most ranked the highest.

    Their criteria, they say, is based off mostly ratings and revenue (then these are obviously skewed) but also include “other factors”.

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    1. LOL at Mutt & Merloni being ranked. Kinda takes away whatever credibility this list may have.

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  11. So, since some shows devoted their entire time to the Sandusky story, torching everyone and everything who has one iota of doubt about everything, it seemed like a few turned their heads to what Bill James said here because he’s local. As F+M pointed out, why the Sox haven’t issued some 2-line memo distancing themselves from him but respecting his opinion is…. interesting.

    The story was big enough to appear on Deadspin, Sportsgrid, etc, but I thought the best article was done by Minihane. He discusses the story well and puts forward some good points.

    http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/kirk-minihane/2012/07/16/should-bill-james-be-fired

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  12. “I know you’re a 98.5 fan and not an EEI fan, that’s fine, you’re entitled to your opinion, but you’re numbers are wrong.” Dear Jason, I realize yours is an audible medium, not a written one, but knowing “your” vs. “you’re” might make you look a little more commanding.

    Like

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