As WEEI’s midday and afternoon ratings continue to be poor, the Boston radio station has announced a major restructuring.
The midday show with Andy Gresh and Christian Fauria, “Gresh and Fauria,” is no longer available – and the afternoon show with Adam Jones, Meghan Ottolini (formerly of Herald) and Christian Arcand, “Jones and Mego,” is being discontinued.
Jones and weekday host Rich Keefe are reuniting for a new midday show called “Jones and Keefe.” The pair previously had a show on 98.5 The Sports Hub that has dominated the local radio market for several years now.
In the meantime, the network is promoting Andy Hart to co-host the afternoon show alongside Arcand, which will be called “The WEEI Afternoon Show.”
Ottolini will remain with the station as a full-time writer and will serve as Hart’s successor and as a fill-in anchor.
“These exciting updates bring together a dynamic mix of talent with New England roots who will continue to deliver premium content to Boston’s biggest sports fans,” said Mike Thomas, senior VP and market manager of Audacy Boston, in a statement.
“The remarkable on-air style and harmony of Adam Jones and Rich Keefe will add momentum to our midday show, while the experience of Andy Hart and Christian Arcand will help build momentum in the afternoon,” Thomas added. “We look forward to this next chapter of WEEI weekdays, where we will continue to make WEEI the go-to source for all things Boston sports.”
The morning show “The Greg Hill Show,” which enjoys good ratings, is not affected by the restructuring.
These moves are due not only to the brutal ratings of the midday and afternoon shows, but also to the bankruptcy of Audacy, which was recovering after a multi-billion dollar drop in radio advertising spending. George Soros’ investment firm became Audacy’s largest shareholder.
Then in the spring, Audacy announced “difficult but necessary” cuts, including the firing of a WEEI Patriots reporter on the eve of the NFL Draft.