Who Joins Mid-Days At WEEI?
By DJ Smith
Ever since Tim Benz left WEEI at the end of July, speculation has run rampant over who would fill the chair that Benz left open. To give some perspective, lets go over the somewhat revolving door of the WEEI mid-day shows since 2011:
2005-2011: The Dale and Holley Show featured former Boston Bruins play-by-play man Dale Arnold and Boston Globe columnist Michael Holley. The duo had a chemistry that allowed them to stick together almost 6 years. After 5+ years, WEEI shook things up by moving Holley to the The Big Show with Glen Ordway while Dale Arnold was removed from their regular schedule. A reunion between the two would occur in 2014 when Arnold was named as the co-host of the afternoon show alongside Holley.
2011-2014: Mut and Merloni featured Mike Mutnansky who served as an intern for WEEI while at UConn as well as co-hosted weekend Red Sox coverage on WEEI. Mutnansky was joined by former Red Sox infielder Lou Merloni who had stints with NESN and Comcast SportsNet before landing a spot on the mid-day program. The two lasted 3+ years together however subpar ratings during their final months lead to Mutnansky being removed from the program, while Merloni was spared.
2014-2015: Middays with MFB saw Merloni joined by former Patriots tight end Christian Fauria as well as Pittsburgh native Tim Benz. The three-man crew brought a new format to the mid-days and a different dynamic between the three hosts. Fauria and Merloni, give in-depth information about their respective sports but are also known for their sophomoric antics. The dynamic between the two are very clear for those who listen, and whomever steps in will have to find their way to mesh with the two
So with reports stating that a new host could be announced before the Labor Day weekend, let’s take a look at some of the potential hosts for mid-days at WEEI.
Danny Picard
Danny Picard has a lot of projects on his plate right now, but I’m almost certain that if WEEI came knocking on his doorstep he would take the chance to join Merloni and Fauria on mid-days. Picard had stints at the New England Hockey Journal and Comcast SportsNet from 2008 until 2013. Nowadays Picard fills in during the weekends at WEEI and occasionally during night shifts, he also hosts a daily podcast “The Danny Picard Show”.
Likelihood Danny joins mid-days with Merloni and Fauria? I’m pulling for Picard in this one, he brings a recognizable voice on the airwaves and his connections to the Boston community are transparent. Listening to his podcasts, he seems to be very well working solo because he is able to get everything he wants to say without being interrupted. I wonder how working with 2 other hosts would work with Danny’s style.
Glen Ordway
The veteran at WEEI for so many years before being removed in 2013. Glen Ordway hosted The Big Show with the Big O, which was widely considered the best sports talk show in the region and one of the best in the country for 18 years. Ordway’s resume at WEEI needs no further explanation, since he left WEEI in 2013 he began hosting his own show on SirusXM The Big Show Unfiltered however the show has been on a hiatus since April 2015. The Big O has filled in several times on WEEI in the past year, most notably on the Dennis and Callahan morning show.
Likelihood the Big O joins mid-days with Merloni and Fauria? While I’d like to see a return of the Big O on the WEEI airwaves, I’m not sure the combination of Merloni and Fauria would mesh well with the Big O. No disrespect to Glen, but I don’t see a spot for him at WEEI.
Greg Dickerson
Greg Dickerson has been a staple over at Comcast SportsNet most notably serving as the Celtics sideline reporter as well as a co-host of Sports Tonight on Comcast. Lately Dickerson has done less Celtics coverage and more TV show appearances and radio fill in’s, he also hosts the Sunday morning show football show on WEEI. His voice is another recognizable voice throughout Boston, he would serve as a good moderator for Merloni and Fauria for the four hours they are on the air.
Likelihood the Dickerson joins mid-days with Merloni and Fauria? Dickerson is a tough one to call, on one hand I could see him fitting in nicely with Merloni and Fauria. However Dickerson seems to stay calm throughout his shows, and in radio you have to have an outspoken personality. The current spot he is in seems to fit his personality best and a move to mid-days could end up hurting him if anything.
Michael Giardi
When I heard that Michael Giardi was being considered for the mid-day spot, I was shocked because he does so well on TV I thought a move to radio would be a step back in his career. Giardi served as a sports reporter and television host over at NECN before jumping to Comcast SportsNet in 2009 where he has served as an anchor and reporter for the network. After Benz left WEEI Giardi has been more present on WEEI serving as a fill in during the mid-days as a “try-out”, while still working for Comcast SportsNet.
Likelihood the Giardi joins mid-days with Merloni and Fauria? I hope Giardi doesn’t get the mid-day spot at WEEI, not because he’s bad at the job but he is far and away better on-air. That aside, I don’t think the trio of Giardi, Merloni, and Fauria would mesh particularly well for the same reason I don’t think that Dickerson would mesh well. I don’t see Giardi getting too worked up over one particular topic unlike most radio personalities.
Gary Tanguay
The final man on our list seems to be the front-runner for the mid-day job and that is Comcast’s own Gary Tanguay. Tanguay has been with Comcast/FSN for nearly two decades covering the Celtics from 2008-2013 as well as hosting Arbella’s Early Edition. During 2015, Tanguay became more of a staple at WEEI when John Dennis took a leave of absence during April and May, he has since been another consistent fill-in choice for WEEI. What is giving him the edge over the other candidates is his outlandish opinions that more often than not go against the opinions of Boston sports fans. It creates great debates between callers, and hosts which makes great radio especially in a market that cares so passionately about their local teams.
Likelihood the Gary joins mid-days with Merloni and Fauria? More probable than not. I think WEEI management looks at Tanguay and the buzz he would create as a potential ratings grabber. Just thinking about the arguments that we could get between Tanguay and Merloni about what the Red Sox, or between Tanguay and Fauria about the Patriots already makes me want this move to happen. Every great radio show needs someone to stir the pot, to get people to call in and most importantly get people to listen. There is no doubt that Tanguay would do that.