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The Minihane Kirk-fuffle

B

brassband

Frequent Participant
What the heck is going on at WEEI? If you follow @kirkmin on Twitter, in recent days he's alluded to station forces blocking his return to the morning show, and he's taken shots at Callahan and Mutnansky for not having his back. Here's this AM's tweet:

"Obviously I’m disappointed in Gerry and Mut. But they’ve made their choice. I’m OK with it. But if they were off the air I’d be screaming all day. Maybe that’s why I’m not on."

Elsewhere he's stoked rumors of a jump to Barstool.

He's not stupid, but he seems to be gnawing--if not biting--the hands that have fed him these past few years. Has his war on the Red Sox, his pressing the Guerrero issue with Brady and his general contrarian nature caught up with him?

He's a talented guy, but maybe the suits at Entercom have decided he's just not worth the aggravation.
 
brassband said:
What the heck is going on at WEEI? If you follow @kirkmin on Twitter, in recent days he's alluded to station forces blocking his return to the morning show, and he's taken shots at Callahan and Mutnansky for not having his back. .
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Kirk is a loose cannon...and now has to deal with new owners (Remember the CBS people are now running Entercom Boston). I am guessing that the company is putting certain requirements on him before he returns, and he doesn't like them. (I could see things like a statement of good (mental health) from his Dr. Ongoing counseling/treatment. A statement where he recognizes the hierarchy of programming, the role of the producer, program director. Maybe a claus in his contract that says he can be fired if he causes problems. These are all things I could imagine the company wanting from him before he returns to the air.)

But, you are right, he seems to be starting a war with those that are in control of his radio future.

If he is in fragile mental state, I would imagine all these things would give him "agita".
 
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OH, Brother!

How much does anyone want to bet that this is only one more episode of that long-running soap-opera "Entercom's Hope"?, and that the circular plot will inevitably have all the characters eventually make nice-nice...only for the circular plot to swing the other way again?

This entire production is worthy of Procter & Gamble.

The only thing missing are the commercials for Mrs. Folger's Coffee.;)
 
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@kirkmin Tweeted this a little bit ago: "Just finished podcast with @richarddeitsch. Pretty big announcement regarding my future. Worth a listen I think." What could it possibly mean??? Guesses?
 
Here's the story, from @GlobeChadFinn --

"WEEI is announcing that @kirkmin will have his own show on Entercom-owned http://Radio.com app. Morning show will be called Mut and Callahan."
 
https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/...vqtgk9r8IfHuuIkpqQ_hRLL7M_O8w2V8Ow6kW954FBRIU

"The answer to the question of when KIRK MINIHANE would return to the air at ENTERCOM Sports WEEI-F/BOSTON is that he will instead move to ENTERCOM's national RADIO.COM platform, where he will relaunch his column and podcast in JANUARY and will launch a new national daily radio show with a new co-host early in 2019. MINIHANE had been off the air from WEEI's "KIRK AND MINIHANE" morning show since suicidal thoughts led him to take time off to recover (NET NEWS 9/6), and in recent weeks, MINIHANE had complained on social media that he was ready to return but that the station was keeping him off the air...The announcement of MINIHANE's move from WEEI also notes that CALLAHAN and MUTNANSKY will continue with a "more sports-centric show consistent with the station’s brand and position as BOSTON’s sports leader." MINIHANE was critical of the show and MUTNANSKY while waiting for word on his possible return to WEEI."

A sports talk station talking sports, how dare they.
 
Seems like a very odd resolution of his issues. But who knows? He'll be removed (a bit) from WEEI's relationship with the Sox and Patriots, so maybe that eases some tensions.

He's no doubt talented, but he's got major "crash and burn" potential.
 
Kirk Minihane on twitter, when asked "did Gerry fight for you?"

>>He did. He just did it differently than I would have is all. But he’s not happy about it. I love him, will miss working with him. But it’s over. Last show tomorrow.
 
Well...I have to give Entercom credit for coming up with what I think is an "outside-the-box" solution that looks like it may work for everyone involved.

My thinking was that Entercom would probably exile Minihane to some other Entercom-owned station elsewhere in the country, but the idea of an internet-based solution never crossed my mind.
 
Probably this solution is just to burn off his ETM contract. I suspect he'll be kicked to the curb when his deal is up.
 
newsbot2 said:
Probably this solution is just to burn off his ETM contract. I suspect he'll be kicked to the curb when his deal is up.
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The cynical side of me is inclined to agree with you.

I can imagine that Entercom would want Minihane back as much as they would want an itching, burning, throbbing, bleeding hemorrhoid.;)
 
Well there's definitely--as the great Larry Glick used to say--a "story behind the story." Piecing things together, and as we've all probably suspected, Minihane pushed the edges of the envelope way beyond breaking. Could it be that a combination of the thin-skinned Red Sox brass and the Globe (but I repeat myself) together with a disgruntled "non-listener" maybe harangued sponsors until sales and management could no longer tolerate it?
 
brassband said:
Well there's definitely--as the great Larry Glick used to say--a "story behind the story." Piecing things together, and as we've all probably suspected, Minihane pushed the edges of the envelope way beyond breaking. Could it be that a combination of the thin-skinned Red Sox brass and the Globe (but I repeat myself) together with a disgruntled "non-listener" maybe harangued sponsors until sales and management could no longer tolerate it?
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Is it possible it could have been even more serious than that? I refer to the "nuclear bomb" threat of pulling the Red Sox rights off WEEI, and place the team elsewhere in the market?
 
Channel 83 said:
Is it possible it could have been even more serious than that? I refer to the "nuclear bomb" threat of pulling the Red Sox rights off WEEI, and place the team elsewhere in the market?
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Not sure how the contract reads, but I'm thinking it probably doesn't let them break the contract without some pretty serious reason. "We don't like your morning drive guy," probably wouldn't do it.
 
brassband said:
Not sure how the contract reads, but I'm thinking it probably doesn't let them break the contract without some pretty serious reason. "We don't like your morning drive guy," probably wouldn't do it.
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I imagine that if the Red Sox ever did try using the nuclear bomb option....that there would probably be clauses in the existing contract that would trigger a more than generous compensation to Entercom / WEEI for their loss.

I think if the Red Sox had their way, they would probably own their own sports radio station...and likely run it like NESN...a "happy-happy-joy-joy" propaganda mouthpiece for the team. I can just FEEL the dread and boredom of that prospect as I type this!
 
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