The Herald breathlessly reports that Howie Carr is abandoning WRKO for the morning drive slot at WTKK, where, as the Herald subtly puts it, he'll be competing against "disgraced, ex-House Speaker Tom Finneran, Carr's longtime nemesis" - who is now left to flop around on what the Herald describes as a weak-signaled pathetic excuse of a talk-radio station (Note to self: Get a nemesis; good for ratings).
Sure, Buddy Cianci wound up back in Providence, but wouldn't he make just the greatest on-air partner for Tom Finneran on WRKO? Jeff Keating says it'd be a win-win:
... By all accounts, Buddy is a real personality, he’s got tons of radio experience, and WRKO is clearly looking for someone to partner Tom up with. Heck, they're both convicted felons! Sounds like a perfect marriage to me.
The Globe quotes Dan Kennedy as saying that, unlike race-baiter Bernard McGuirk, Tom Finneran has "some class and dignity." Carpundit retorts his definition of class does not include somebody who is an unrepentant, convicted felon.
Jessica Heslam gets the scoop: WRKO won't be inviting Imus's little sidekick in for a test spin this week after all.
Nothing like jokes about blacks to liven up the deadening Tom Finneran show.
But Elias seems just a little skeptical:
... McGuirk is an brutal little thug with what my mother would call "a cheap mouth" and a grating New York accent. For that reason alone I don't think he will last long if WRKO hires him. ...
The Herald's Laurel Sweet will get Tom Finneran to insult today's insult-o-matic column by Howie Carr, thus letting her extend the Herald's Finneran/Carr streak to four days with a story that consists of one paragraph of new material and twelve paragraphs of background (or maybe two paragraphs of new material if she gets Carr to make a crack about Ron Borges over this boston.com poll).
John Daley takes note of today's most important, 72-point front-page story in the Herald, that Tom Finneran has upset Howie Carr with a cheap joke:
... Howie Carr is such a nice guy. He always takes the high road in his columns, never resorting to tough guy, cheap shot, desperate attempt at humor, attacks on his subjects. Now radio competitor Tom Finneran is making derisive jokes about poor Howard. I'm sure this is very upsetting to the man. ...
Carr thinks it's too bad the alleged killer will only serve 11 years in jail unless somebody kills him first.
Hub Politics marvels that WRKO allegedly canned John DePetro for calling Grace Ross "a fat lesbian," yet thinks its OK to give new felon Tom Finneran a radio show (hmm, anybody of the Rhode Island variety remember which station Buddy Cianci got a show on after his first conviction?).
On Blue Mass. Group, Charley on the MTA declares victory in his site's seemingly unending war with WGBH's "Greater Boston" over John Carroll's inability to detect sarcasm - apparently Carroll rolled on his back last night and showed his throat to the bloggers, so Charley gave him an affectionate nip and now all is well in the pack again.
But Dan Kennedy, a panelist on the show (also: a blogger), says Charley misquoted him.
Mats Tolander turns on 'RKO today and promptly gets annoyed:
... Now the news are delivered by Fox News Radio, "Live from New York" as the feed happily informs WRKO's listeners in the Puritan hinterlands. It annoys me, it really does. It cheapens WRKO. What's next? A drive-time talker out of Chicago? ...
Well, there's always Jay Severin. Oh, wait, never mind.
WRKO today got rid of its entire news department. Jessica Heslam talks to veteran newsreader Listo Fisher, who says he was caught off guard and can't imagine how an all-talk station could broadcast without news.
Will sue WRKO if he doesn't get his job back, but in exchange for his job, willing to undergo sensitivity training and give Grace Ross an hour a week on the air.
Seems the woman who fired DePetro for calling Ross a "fat lesbian" had argued a couple years ago that it was perfectly acceptable to call Hillary Clinton a "fat bitch".
The Herald's Greg Gatlin reports the radio station says nuh-uh:
Carpundit has had enough of the Herald's endless series on the guy with the stapled stomach:
Enough with the stupid fat guy ... Shut up and go away already.
'Derogatory' quip gets talk jock DePetro fired.
Hub Politics doesn't get what the fuss is about, because what's wrong with calling a fat lesbian a fat lesbian?
Yeah, no worse than calling the Margolis brothers a couple of short Jews. It's true, right?
Dan Kennedy wonders why DePetro was axed when Howie Carr's been snickering about gays and overweight people for years:
Pundit Review hosts Hub Politics's Matt Margolis and Blue Mass. Group's David Kravitz at 7 p.m. on Sunday on WRKO to discuss November's election for governor.
Dan Kennedy says bad news for gabby Howie Carr on WRKO.
Radio Equalizer reminds us of Jimmy Severino's, um, Jay Severin's past fun with the truth.
Dan Kennedy fact-checks Scott Allen Miller:
... Scott Allen Miller is raising a ruckus because "taxpayers" several years ago refurbished the landmark Citgo sign in Kenmore Square. Citgo, you see, is owned by the Venezuelan government, and Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, went off on President Bush yesterday.
< br />Trouble is, Miller was wrong -- in fact, Citgo refurbished the sign at its own expense, replacing the tubes with LEDs. ...
Sully leaps to defend Ramirez against media attacks:
... What I do know is that, unlike the racist, bloviating Boston mainstream press I am not going to pin the current Red Sox plight on the one guy that had the balls to show up over the weekend against the Bombers. ...
John DePetro has 72 hours to sit in a corner for calling Matt Amorello a fag and a sissy boy.
David on Blue Mass Group: Hey, guess what John? You're an asshole. And no one can suspend me for saying so.
Aaron Margolis begs to differ:
... Shame on WRKO for caving in, and having such a spineless policy. Go screw, you bunch of sissies. ...
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