Posted on 09/24/2007 5:42:37 AM PDT by raccoonradio
(Scott Fybush): *A MASSACHUSETTS judge barred WRKO (680 Boston) Howie Carr from jumping ship to rival talker WTKK (96.9 Boston) last week, but the decision didn't make the host's future much clearer.
Suffolk Superior Court Judge Allan van Gessel ruled Wednesday, just hours before Carr was to have started his WTKK morning shift, that while WRKO owner Entercom couldn't enforce the non-compete clause in Carr's contract, it could enforce a clause that allowed WRKO to match any competing offer for Carr's services.
What does "match" mean? There's the seven-million-dollar question as the legal battle keeps plodding along: would merely matching WTKK's paycheck be enough to force Carr to stay with WRKO, or are there other factors at play, too, such as the Red Sox preemptions that have annoyed Carr all summer, not to mention WTKK's FM signal and the conspicuous absence of Carr's nemesis Tom Finneran over at the Greater Media talker.
In any case, WRKO succeeded in barring Carr from his scheduled Thursday morning debut on WTKK, but for now that's the extent of the victory. Carr was already off the air at WRKO last week while the lawsuit was being heard, and he's not rushing back to the WRKO studios now, either, which leaves substitute hosts filling the afternoon slot both there and on the remaining affiliates of Carr's syndicated show.
Over at WTKK, the picture's only marginally brighter. While the station issued a statement saying "we are disappointed that Howie will not be on WTKK tomorrow, but we are hopeful that he will be a part of the Greater Media family in the very near future," there's every reason to expect Entercom to drag the legal wrangling out as long as possible, which leaves WTKK filling its morning drive slot with substitute hosts as well. That's Michael Graham, for the moment, with weekender Michelle McPhee handling Graham's usual 10-noon slot.
WTKK is moving forward in other ways - it has a new website in development, and it's started to use a new logo proclaiming the station as "Boston's Talk Evolution." (Given the political bent of most of the station's hosts, we'd think "Boston's Talk Creation" might be more in order, but we digress.)
By teh way, how is Jay Severin doing these days, and is there any new regarding he and Howie. I know Jay mostly works out of NY, and I recall they’d snipe at one another.
Welcome to the first Monday of life after Howie. Who knows how long this will last? We can use this thread to talk about Howie’s substitute hosts (if Howie makes a sudden re-emergence this week you’ll know about it here), maybe what’s being
talked about, or whatever...
Are you still bothering to listen or is it a case of if Howie’s not there, I’m not there? Do you hit the button for
WRKO or your Howie affiliate and once there’s no Howie to
be heard, you then switch to Jay Severin, Hannity, The Big Show, or whatever?
It really stinks not having Howie on! I will post some of Howie’s columns here, possibly. By the way we know that WCRN in Worcester dropped him and we had thought WGAN in
Portland would do the same but apparently the “announcement” was that one of the morning guys on WGAN was running for Senate or something, not that Howie would be dropped.
If Howie stays away from Entercom and/or the legal mess
drags on, and on, and on, I would not be surprised if
Howie’s other 6 or 7 stations were to drop him. They can’t
wait forever.
Column above is by Scott Fybush of NorthEastRadioWatch
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I don’t know how he’s doing but actually I think Jay allegedly works out of the WTKK studios at 55 Morrissey Blvd
in Dorchester. You know, the ones Howie would have been at right now had it not been for a judge’s decision. Jay found a mini-mansion one town away from me in Manchester-by-the-Sea
(for all I know he could broadcast from a home studio there
but I doubt it).
Jay had broadcast from Sag Harbor Long Island before. Who knows he could be there still but as part of his return to
WTKK, he said he’d be locally based.
raccoonradio despises Jay Severin. Don’t take any assessments from him.
As for sniping at each other (Jay: “fart radio”; while on Howie’s show it was said, “broadcasting from his basement
in Long Island—no wait that’s the OTHER guy”), Howie said
in his Ch 4 interview (taped last Monday, 2 days BEFORE
the judge’s decision), “What will I listen to in the
afternoon? Probably Jay Severin on WTKK.”
Well I’m not fond of his voice and the whole fake Pulitzer
thing was something I could make fun of (and the dropping of the o from the end of his name, and the “WHAT wife” thing).
I can’t say I despise him but I thought he was dishonest
(he’s not exactly a swinging single either like what he
tried to sound like) and the voice kinda turns me off.
THIS guy is not fond of him:
http://www.jayseverin.org
When Jay started his brief syndicated show (9 months;
was it a matter of him wanting to leave, or the show
bombing? prob the latter) someone asked how his lovely
wife Renee was doing. With a touch of arrogance in his
voice, Jay denied on air that he was married to the
former Renee Klock. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
There’s the difference between Jay and Howie right there.
Howie isn’t a put-on guy.
Jay and Renee (just walk away, Renee) Severin in the Ultimate Taxi. That was no lady, that IS his wife.
http://www.ultimatetaxi.com/1997/jan4c.htm
Renee Klock, James Severin 3d
Published: May 18, 1997
Renee Melanie Klock, a writer and editor in Sag Harbor, N.Y., was married there yesterday to James Thompson Severin 3d, a political consultant in New York. The Rev. Christine Rannie Grimbol performed the ceremony at the Old Whalers First Presbyterian Church.
Mrs. Severin, 33, graduated cum laude from Barnard College. She is the daughter of Jeanne and Felix S. Klock of Glastonbury, Conn. Her father founded the Klock Company in Manchester, Conn., a holding company for metallurgical engineering companies. The bride’s mother is a substitute teacher at Glastonbury High School.
Mr. Severin, 45, is the chairman of Severin Media in New York. He graduated from Vassar College and received a master’s degree in journalism from Boston University. The bridegroom, who dropped the last letter of his surname, is the son of Iris Severino of Sag Harbor, and the late Mr. Severino 2d. They were the founders of the Letter Shop, a direct-mail advertising agency in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Severin: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
(Because he wanted his callers to think he’s a swinging
single guy in his 20s or 30s or something.)
I have a one+ hour commute and listened to Howie every day. Now my CD player is getting a workout. (AMs I listen to Bill Bennett for the time being.)
Jay lost me when he went moonbat over the war. He started doing all the things he accused Democrats of doing: shouting people down, twisting what was said, engaging in intellectual dishonesty and heavily demagoguing the issue. I also grew very tired of Jay’s adolescent flirting and his promotion of some predatory professor who went after his female students. It was boring!
The last couple of days I haven’t heard any promos or commercials done by Howie, however, yesterday, I did hear a promo for his show done in his own voice...wonder what that means........
I haven’t really been listening to WRKO since he left other than the Red Sox (at work, the other Sox station, WBOQ
in Gloucester, doesn’t really come in too well). The Felon,
Feinburg or some fill in, Rush (maybe for a minute or two
but lately not really), Whomever is filling in for Howie...
nothing really for me.
Howie was doing a promo in his own voice? Hmm. Entercom
does claim he’s theirs for the next 5 years...they may have to be frozen out and, after a few months, just give up. He ain’t
coming back, not unless WTKK gets so tired, tired of
waiting, tired of waiting for him...
Hannity for me I guess, maybe the Big Show for awhile. I did
tape part of what was Howie’s last show (the 18th, feat.
the taser guy IIRC) and I have cassettes of:
—VB’s last show with Howie before he left for Fox 25)
—Howie’s show the day after the election in ‘04
—Howie’s show paying tribute to Jerry Williams the day
after he died
I’m not sure of the legality of me posting it but I could
convert these to digital and post for those lonely for
Howie’s show :)
Try some audio books. Those long commutes are great for catching up with "reading". On the other hand, I sure miss the "Chump Line". :-)
the guy on jayseverin.org is a Libertarian who agrees with a couple things Jay says but disagrees with a lot, etc.
The whole thing about Jay’s syndicated show was interesting.
After a big fanfare, he jumped to a nationally syndicated
7 pm show on Westwood One, with WTKK carrying it. But in many cities he got pre-empted by sports (like WPHT in Philly)
and the ratings weren’t really there so he was gone by
the following Sept.
And soon back on WTKK with Extreme Games or Has Issues
or whatever he’s calling his show now.
I guess Feinburg is still doing the chump line but someone else doing the Chump Line is like getting a 10 year old
kid to pitch for the Sox in place of Josh Beckett. Just
not the same, folks.
LOL!
No, it's not. Todd Feinberg's (do I have the name right?) not that bad (mostly), but Howie makes me laugh, and that counts for a lot with me!
Can’t stand Severin. Howie isn’t perfect, but he’s far more entertaining.
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