Split decision is largely favorable

By Susan Bickelhaupt, Globe Staff  |  May 11, 2007

Although the ratings are not out yet, the switch of most Red Sox games from WEEI-AM to WRKO-AM has been virtually seamless, according to Jason Wolfe, Entercom Boston vice president of AM programming and operations.

There have been no call letter slipups from the announcers, no complaints from WRKO talkmaster Howie Carr (whose show is cut short by the Sox), and hardly any e-mails asking, "Where are my Red Sox?"

"We're having no trouble," said Wolfe. "It's actually been exceptional in the early going. I've gotten very few e-mails about anything to deal with where the games are. We got a handful of e-mails about the change in announcers, but that was to be expected."

Jerry Trupiano was replaced this season by Dave O'Brien and Glenn Geffner, who work on a rotating basis with Joe Castiglione.

"And both of the new guys have been very well received so far," said Wolfe, "so I am very comfortable where we are and I think everything is going as we had planned it."

The change in stations, Wolfe said, was part of Entercom's negotiations with the team (the company owns both stations). The games had been on WEEI since the 1995 season.

"[Entercom] liked the fact we would use both of our stations to promote the games," said Wolfe. "And it gives WEEI a chance to create a mini-brand on Wednesday night." WEEI is airing every Wednesday game as well as a few afternoon games.

The pre- and postgame shows air on whatever station carries the game, often cutting into Carr's 3-7 p.m. show and Michael Savage's syndicated show, which airs 10 p.m.-midnight.

"Both stations have a core audience, but we feel the Red Sox games appeal to everybody," said Wolfe. "And there's no question the Red Sox fans will sample the rest of the station."

Wolfe said that in the March ratings, when WRKO aired about 15 spring training games, mostly in the afternoon, Carr's 25-54 age group grew to a 6 share compared with a 5 share in February.

"It's an interesting situation, but the transition has been smooth," said Wolfe. "I think the Red Sox have such a following that it was relatively easy to alert people to the changes . . ."

Comcast Cable Communications, the nation's largest cable television operator, can distribute the NFL Network as niche programming instead of as part of a bigger digital package with many more viewers, a judge in New York has ruled, potentially costing the league millions of dollars a month in revenue.

The NFL, which owns the network, sued in October 2006 after Comcast notified the league it decided to put the network on a sports tier with about 750,000 viewers, moving it from a digital tier with more than 7 million.

The NFL opposed the switch because under an agreement between the companies, Comcast had to pay the league 55 cents per subscriber each month. With the loss of viewers, the NFL would earn significantly less money.

Comcast said it intends to move the NFL Network to a sports tier for the 2007 season.

Julie Foudy, former captain of the US women's soccer team, has her first major piece for ESPN on "Outside the Lines" Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Foudy reports on "Pregnant Pause," looking at issues facing pregnant college athletes. Included in the report are seven Clemson athletes who had abortions because they feared losing their scholarships, and the members of the Memphis track team, who were required to sign a document saying that if they became pregnant, they could lose their scholarship. Foudy was hired by ESPN in 2005 to be a soccer analyst, and last December her contract was extended through 2009. Her role has expanded to include more pieces for in-studio programs . . . NESN is inviting viewers to participate in shows through text messaging, starting tonight. The Sox pregame show will invite fans to text in questions for the studio analyst, and the postgame show will invite fans to decide the Performance of the Day winner. NESN's "SportsDesk" began using text messaging by asking fans to vote for Person of the Week last night, and will reveal the winner during tonight's show . . . NESN will broadcast the first of eight minor league games tomorrow at 6 p.m. when the Pawtucket Red Sox host the Toledo Mud Hens. Geffner and former Red Sox pitcher Ken Ryan will be in the booth . . . Globe columnist Bud Collins has been signed for his 35th year of NBC's tennis coverage, primarily Wimbledon and the French Open. Collins was the first American print sportswriter to do TV at a national level . . . Sportskool, a free On Demand network aimed at delivering athletic instruction from world-class athletes, will be at Stonehill College in Easton Monday to shoot segments with Doug Flutie and Gerard Phelan. The segments, which begin airing in August, include interviews and an instructional on football techniques . . . Bernard Goldberg will interview former Patriot linebacker Ted Johnson on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" Monday at 10 p.m. One segment is called "Head On," which examines the connection between multiple concussions and permanent brain injuries. In addition to Johnson, Goldberg interviews Harvard-educated medical consultant Chris Nowinski, who played football for the Crimson before entering professional wrestling.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report; Susan Bickelhaupt can be reached at bickelhaupt@globe.com.