During the winter Nielsen Audio ratings period from January 4 to March 27, Boston’s sports radio rivalry between 98.5 The Sports Hub and WEEI became increasingly one-sided. Despite lagging behind in overall share, WEEI managed to secure second place in its main target demographic of men 25-54, while The Sports Hub dominated across all day parts.
Breaking down the ratings by day parts, The Sports Hub’s “Toucher and Hardy” claimed first place in morning drive (6-10 a.m.), with co-host Rob “Hardy” Poole officially debuting as Rich Shertenlieb’s replacement on Jan. 4. WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show” remained the only successful program at the station, finishing in second place with an 8.6 share. In midday (10 a.m.-2 p.m.), “Zolak and Bertrand” secured first place on The Sports Hub with a 15.4 share, leaving WEEI’s “Gresh and Fauria” far behind in eighth place with a 3.5 share.
The domination continued in afternoon drive (2-6 p.m.), as “Felger and Massarotti” maintained their position as the most listened-to program on either station with a 19.8 share. WEEI’s “Jones and Mega” struggled, tying for 13th place with a mere 2.3 share, while The Sports Hub once again outperformed them in evening block (6-11 p.m.). Notably, WEEI’s “The Rich Keefe Show” and nighttime programming tied for last place with just a 1
