From the Globe on 2/12/07 (the day Finneran’s show debuted)—link is on that SaveWRKO.com column:
“More than 200 guests were at the Langham Hotel to celebrate the marriage of Entercom Communications’ Julie Kahn and Boston magazine bigwig Dan Scully. The nontraditional hitching included gospel singers and the band Tavares. Spotted at the event were Celtics honcho Wyc Grousbeck , former Speaker of the House Tom Finneran (who starts his show today on Entercom station WRKO), Harvard Pilgrim CEO Charlie Baker”
Celtics: Were on WRKO last year and move to WEEI for this upcoming season
Finneran: So much for “We know all about talk radio because...we...invented it” (Dana Hersey liner for ‘RKO)
And now they’re killing it.
Baker: Harvard Pilgrim is a MAJOR advertiser on ‘RKO. One of the reasons DePetro is gone is because
HPHC was upset at some remarks he made. (Their complaint about anti-gay remarks on the show
may have contributed to his later dismissal.)
Herald (Nov 06): “One of WRKO’s biggest advertisers, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, contacted the radio station in March because of an anti-gay conversation on DePetro’s show. Harvard Pilgrim asked WRKO not to run their commercials during DePetro’s program and management was “very responsive”
Radio-host-in-limbo Howie Carr is asking a Suffolk Superior Court judge to reconsider the decision that has kept him from working at WTKK, while his former station wants the court to ban Carr and WTKK from talking to each other until 2012.
Carr’s attorneys have filed an emergency motion for reconsideration. The motion says Carr is following rules laid out in the judge’s memo and hasn’t begun to work for another employer even though his agreement with the Entercom Communications-owned WRKO ended Sept. 19.
Before his WRKO (680 AM) contract ended, Carr struck a deal worth $7 million to host the morning drive show on WTKK (96.9 FM), an offer WRKO matched.
In a memo issued last week, Judge Allan van Gestel said the provision in Carr’s WRKO contract that gives the station the right to match a competitor’s salary is valid. However, the judge said, the noncompete clause in the contract is illegal. Van Gestel hasn’t ruled on whether Carr is compelled to stay at WRKO. But WRKO says that because it matched WTKK’s offer, Carr works for them until 2012.
Entercom has also filed an emergency motion asking the judge to ban WTKK owner Greater Media from talking to Carr or his agents or making any public statements about him working for them until 2012.
Entercom claims Greater Media “continues to try to lure Mr. Carr into broadcasting on its radio station and refuses to cease making statements to the public that it hopes Mr. Carr will come to work for it soon.”
In a court affidavit, Entercom Boston Vice President Julie Kahn said she has “no doubt that Entercom will lose substantial . . . money” if Carr leaves WRKO. Kahn said some businesses have told Entercom they won’t continue to advertise with WRKO “in light of the publicity indicating that Mr. Carr was or might be moving to WTKK.”
The judge yesterday set a hearing for Oct. 15, when both sides will argue their cases. Carr has been off the air since last week.