Co-hosts Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb, courtesy wbcn.com
By now the demise of influential alternative rock radio station WBCN “The Rock of Boston,” is everywhere. Every Boston news outlet has reported on it and the outcry from long time listeners to save BCN is coming out in droves. While the theories behind the decision to pull the plug on the historic station are still swirling there is one positive to come out of this, the change of format for current BCN morning show Toucher and Rich.
On August 13, the Toucher and Rich show will be moving to the new sports talk station 98.5 The Sports Hub and will remain in the 6-10 a.m. time slot. The Sports Hub will also be the home of the New England Patriots and the Boston Bruins and will be the first FM sports radio in Boston.
“This is going to be a big, big thing,” said co-host Fred Toucher during the broadcast this morning. “What I know about who they might be binging in, this is going to be a great alternative to what is currently out there.”
“And if everything goes in the direction we are all hoping that it goes, its gonna be the show the way we have wanted to do it, with no songs,” added co-host Rich Shertenlieb.
When the news of WBCN leaving terrestrial radio broke there was much speculation as to what would happen to the on air talent.
“I thought we were going to get fired when our agent called and said I think you are going to get fired today,” said Toucher.
The fate of the rest of the on air talent has yet to be announced.
While they may be changing stations and formats, Toucher and Rich assured fans this morning that they don’t have to worry about any massive changes to the show itself.
“This show is not going to be a sports talk show per say,” said Toucher. “It is going to be very much what it is now. We don't see a reason for [the show] to change.”
“We have been told that dating on demands, drunken recaps, all our popular bits will be the same,” said Shertenlieb.
Toucher added, “this is a guys talk show and that is what we are going to bring to this radio station. And our main competition is not entirely sports they are basically a political talk show with a sprinkling of sports. We will be a pop culture, humor show with a lot of sports content.”
While the future of the Toucher and Rich show looks promising, assuming everything goes the way they hope it will, Toucher was quick to point out a possible negative outcome.
“Now is there some speculation that we will only do that until our contract is up and then be removed from the air…whatever we’regoing there.”
While the current sports talk king, WEEI, isn’t taking the new competition very seriously they should. A ratings war is coming.
Comments
Bye bye EEI.
Thanks for the memories. And Toucher and Rich, see you on the unemployment line in a few months. Later.
I heard the chili guy is getting his own afternoon drive-time show called "Sox Talk with The Bronco Guy"
I miss T&R the way they were back on WBCN. I'm not much of a sports fan, so I'm probably not coming from their target audience. Whereas before they'd talk about entertainment, now they seem more interested in talking about either sports or liberal politics -- two things I really have no interest in. I miss WBCN.
“This show is not going to be a sports talk show per say,” yea-ok-right give me another one, show sucks now and CBS can burn in hell for what they did to BCN, granted BCN was slipping unfortunately because of their corporate mandated play lists, CBS you wounded your station and suicide was the easy way out, dumbasses, next time you decide to shut a radio station down because it isn't working try not to play the same 3 blink 182 songs over and over again for the next 10 years
toucher and rich still rule if they should not want them around realise the sports hub will fail and t nad r will continue to succeed even if they go to wfnx or aaf toucher nad rich will succeed no matter what format they are on
Crash was one of the best parts of the show!! I hate eyebrows Mcgee!!!!!
Dude from Incubus wonders where things went wrong..
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