Posted on 09/27/2005 7:24:53 AM PDT by raccoonradio
Jay Severin may never do another show on any Boston radio station. Or he may. At this point it might be just way too much of embarrassment and somewhat of a credibility issue for the embattled WTKK 96.9FM afternoon host to face the music after this latest episode of embellishing his educational/professional achievements.
It now turns out that Severin never received a Master's degree from Boston University(story ink courtesy of the Boston Herald). Although his 'Best and Brightest' may not be the readers of the low-brow Herald or missed the original Globe story, the news about the talkshow host's inaccuracies is getting out there and competing radio station hosts who are always way too happy to mention and make fun of Severin's resume inconsistencies on their shows. Interestingly enough, Infinity has edited Boston University Master's degree out of their September 16th press release announcing Severin's new national syndication deal. While it was mentioned here that Severin may show up for the start of Fall ratings book last Thursday(9/22), he remained off air.
Severin's incumbent Boston station WTKK 96.9FM is apparently keeping him off the air for another week(Sean Hannity's synidcated show(3-6) and midday hosts Jim Braude and Marjorie Eagan(6-7pm) are covering 3-7pm slot).
Some say WTKK management may be waiting out and hoping for the noise about Severin's non-accomplishments to die down a bit. Other sources claim that Severin is being kept off the air because WTKK wants a deal from Infinity to retain him once he goes into national syndication on January 1st. [Ed. Note : That theory actually makes sense -- WTKK wouldn't want to be a lame duck outlet for the next three months if Severin is heading to another outpost in the market(very likely WBZ) after 6 years at 96.9. They'd rather pay him and keep him off the air than allow him to walk away to a competitor the day after his 96.9 deal ends.]
In any case, radio is a game of numbers, not of public relations strategies -- the longer Severin remains off the air on WTKK, the more likely his audience would be looking around for something else on the radio in the afternoon drive -- Howie Carr on WRKO would be likely get some sizeable traction from the vanished Severin on 96.9FM. Both talk show hosts share a good percentage of their listeners.
>>low-brow Herald
Is this guy being sarcastic? I don't THINK Herald is low-brow!
Graphic and song lyrics by raccoonradio:
To the tune of the theme from "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego":
Well, he does his show each day from his basement in Long Island
He's missing so instead we're getting Hannity
"Best and brightest" wonderin' if they're ever gonna find him
Tell me, where in the world is--
JIMMY SEVERINO**?
**--Severin's real name
Well, we thought Barnicle would never work in Boston again after the Globe fired him.
and he worked TWICE, not just the WTKK show which he still does, but the Herald did, too (he later resigned though)
by the way for those in the Boston area wondering what happened to Peter Blute (ex-Republican Congressman from
WOOS-tahhh), co-host of the morning show, the same
Boston Radio Watch piece said he decided not to renew
his contract to "move on to other things"
Severin tried too hard to cultivate the persona of an independently-thinking intellectual, the next Brudnoy...which he is definitely not.
Poor Jimmy. He must feel like Charlie Brown when Lucy pulls the football away... so close yet so far away...
That's it? Blute's moving on to other things? Blute was bland but Scotto is going to go off the deep end now. Blute kind of anchored him...ick...
I guess it's time to look at XM or Sirrius radio...
well, did Blute "jump" or was he "pushed"? As someone noted on radio-info, announcing his retirement on a Monday morning at the start of a new ratings period...did he leave on his own or not? (or did WRKO want to make a change, and quick...)
Maybe he got sick of listening to Scotto's monologue, "I did this, I did that, I was right about blah blah blah"...
I personally do not care whether Severin doctored up his credentials, he was fun to listen to. In the world of entertainment there needs to be something other than vanilla and chocolate (Left/Right), and Severin bounced in directions that were as unpredictable as they were entertaining. If I were to look for hard news I would not be listening to a talk show host, rather I would be subscribing to numerous competetive outlets and absorbing it all that way. I want the lighter side of the news, and anyone has a right to a perspective. In Severin's case, as an American, he has a right to speak on the air as long as he remains entertaining enough to attract listeners.
His replacements are so darn boring that I am now listening to classical piano concertos on another station since there is nothing else worth listening to on the air anymore.
> I personally do not care whether Severin doctored up his credentials, he was fun to listen to.
No argument there...he just rubs me the wrong way...more attitude than his deviance from knee jerk conservatism.
The FR Mass. board was discussing him ad infinitum last time I tuned in well over 6 months ago.
> His replacements are so darn boring that I am now listening to classical piano concertos on another station since there is nothing else worth listening to on the air anymore.
There's always the BBC on WGBH, and after that, All Liberal Things Considered :) I won't even mention Howie Carr...lately he hates everything. Stick w/ WCRB :)
Howie Carr is about as intellegent as a Dixie cup, Vanity is a Cheerleader of the worst kind, if President Bush murdered 20 people and convicted, Vanity would say there's no proof, Jay has the intellegence that's needed to discuss the issues that are before all of us. With a choice between Carr and Vanity, I'd rather watch paint dry...
Have any one of you heard that total, ignorant loser Jay Diamond on WRKO Saturday nights? I think he likes to hear his own Marxist voice chatter how everything in America is wrong. I called him up, asked him a question, and he hung up on me and said I was unintellegent because I asked him to explain Teddy Kennedy's good points. They get rid of Peter Blute and this dope is still on the air? WRKO is losing it bigtime...
Scotto said this morning that there is a "surprise" coming to his show next Monday. I wonder if it's a new partner for him...Moe Lauzier would be great, but I bet Pat Whitley will be coming back days. Wouldn't it freak us all out if it was Jay Severin? If it's that damn irritating voice of Marjorie Clapprood, I think I'll throw up...
If not for his legal "issues" I would have automatically assumed 'RKO was bringing in Finneran. Who knows now. Maybe they'll drag up some has been pol. Blute may have been boring at times, but until listening to scotto's rants over the past week or so (last week he began slamming Curt Schilling?!) I never realized how much he anchored the show.
Ozone, we miss ya!
I'm now thinking that maybe Spencer Hughes or Todd Feingold may be coming in. Spence got canned from his weekly radio gig, but he is very funny and very contraversial. Todd is also. Like you, I hope it's not any of those has-beens. I like Scotto, but I think he'd be even better with a partner. Even radio can be daunting doing it alone.
> If it's that damn irritating voice of Marjorie Clapprood...
ACK!! Please! I'm eating lunch :)
Jay is often refreshing to listen to on political subjects but I can't get past his crappy attitude towards women. He goes on and on about being a gentleman-yeah, then why do I always have to shut him off when the kids are around? A true gentleman would not embarrass himself like that. That's why I have very little faith in him flying nationally unless he cleans himself up.
The scuttlebutt on the Boston radio-info.com board is that the morning show will go from talk to a mixture of news and
"interviews"
Good to see liberals are more welcome at this board than
conservatives are at DU! </sarcasm>
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