Rich Shertenlieb is expected to return to Boston sports radio as part of a revamped afternoon show at WEEI, according to three sources who spoke to Mike Mutnansky at MutStack.
The move comes days after Barrett Media reported that WEEI had parted ways with Andy Hart and Nick “Fitzy” Stevens, both of whom had been part of the station’s afternoon drive lineup since August 2024. The station’s website quietly scrubbed all mention of the show, and when Wednesday’s afternoon program aired, only Johnson appeared — with evening host Christian Arcand filling in as host. The departures follow a broader round of Audacy layoffs that hit multiple markets earlier this month. Per Mutnansky, they freed up enough money to make a Shertenlieb deal viable where it hadn’t been before. When Shertenlieb left 98.5, a source told Mutnansky the gap between what he was offered and what he wanted wasn’t close.
[Mike] Thomas talked to Rich when he left 98.5, but the money was not close. WEEI freed up a bunch of money this week, and maybe the desperation of being on the bench and watching Fred Toucher clear bonus after bonus was enough motivation to take a bonus-laden deal with WEEI himself.
Apparently, it is now.
Shertenlieb’s return to Boston radio would be his third act in roughly two and a half years. He spent nearly two decades as co-host of Toucher and Rich on 98.5 The Sports Hub, where the show became the top-rated program in Boston radio and helped 98.5 overtake WEEI as the market’s dominant sports station. That partnership ended acrimoniously in November 2023, when Beasley Media announced a contract extension with Fred Toucher only, and Shertenlieb departed two weeks later.
Shertenlieb resurfaced six months later with a morning show on classic rock station 100.7 WZLX, owned by iHeartMedia, bringing along former Sports Hub personalities Michael Hurley and Ted Johnson as co-hosts. The show debuted in May 2024 and finished 14th in the summer ratings book with a 1.8 share, compared to Toucher and Hardy’s 16.6. iHeartMedia laid Shertenlieb off as part of a company-wide round of cuts that November, ending the show after less than six months.
WEEI is expected to announce the new program on Monday morning during The Greg Hill Show.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.