One way or another, the Boston Red Sox radio broadcast will sound different in 2019.
WEEI, the flagship radio station of the reigning World Series champions, parted with play-by-play man Tim Neverett earlier this week. Shortly after the news was announced, rumors circulated that WEEI might be toying with the idea of dramatically overhauling the way in which games were broadcast.
The Boston Globe reported Tuesday that WEEI considered a change in which the game broadcast would sound more like a talk show and not the traditional baseball broadcast.
The Globe’s sports media reporter, Chad Finn, reported Thursday morning that WEEI planned to go the talk show route and even posted the job opening on the Sportscasters Talent Agency of America website. An email with the listing went out, stating “WEEI wants to drop the conventional radio broadcast to make the call of the game sound more like a talk show.”
WEEI program director Joe Zarbano disputed that report shortly after Finn’s tweet, and the two went back and forth over Twitter. Zarbano eventually tweeted that he contacted STAA, indicating the agency would correct the listing and admitted fault.
WEEI also offered more information in a weekly media column from WEEI.com’s Alex Reimer. He, too, insisted the format isn’t changing.
“It’s never been our intention to turn the broadcast into a talk show,” Zarbano told his company’s website.
The Red Sox, through a spokesperson, also confirmed to WEEI.com that the team “doesn’t plan any format changes to (our) radio broadcast.”
So, apparently, that settles that — for now. WEEI is looking for candidates to pursue the “dream job opportunity (to) sit alongside Red Sox Hall of Famer Joe Castiglione in the broadcast booth.”
We’ll just have to wait and see about what that ultimately sounds like.
