Boston Radio: New WEEI PD Expects To 'Hit The Ground Running'

Jeff Rickard is learning the lay of the land after the longtime national radio personality (ESPN, Sporting News Radio) was hired in early August as WEEI’s program director.

“I’m just figuring out where bathrooms are and where the stairs in the back of the building go to and that sort of stuff,” he said Friday afternoon. “I’ll be back next week and we’ll hit the ground full speed.”

Rickard will have plenty of tasks on his agenda, with longtime host Glenn Ordway retiring later in the month and WEEI struggling in the ratings against rival 98.5 The Sports Hub.

In a longer conversation with The Boston Globe, here's what Rickard had to say:'

Q. Do you have a general or specific philosophy about what works in sports radio or does it depend on the particular market?

A. “I think what you have to realize is that you can’t do the exact same thing in every city. Every city has got its own personality and its own kind of vibe and its own rhythm. In Boston, sports are a huge part of the way of life here. That connection makes this one of, if not the best sports cities in America. You have to understand that, and you have to talk to them about things they want to talk about. When you’re doing your job well in sports radio, you have your finger on the pulse of the fan, and hopefully you’re talking to them in a very entertaining and compelling way. It sounds simple, and it’s obviously much more complicated to make it work, but that is the goal, to do a really good job of giving them what they want.”

Q. It’s been proven that two sports stations can simultaneously have enormous success in this market. But WEEI’s ratings have fallen over the past couple of years while 98.5 The Sports Hub has continued winning ratings periods. How does WEEI get back to the level where it’s competing to win key demographics again?

A. “You identify the things that you do really well, you identify your weaknesses, you try to fix those weaknesses, and you just put a really compelling show on the air, whether that show is morning, middays, or afternoons. I think there’s a lot of talent here and we’ll try to get them to do the things that they do really well even better. Over time, all stations change and evolve. Some of them find their rock-solid lineup and they go with that. I’m excited to see what I can find out about the crew that’s here right now and see where we can go with them. But yeah, I can’t worry about what anybody else does. I can only worry about what this radio station is going to do.”

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