Jason Wolfe, WEEI's vice president of programming and operations, who oversaw the station during years of Boston radio dominance, was shown the door yesterday, the victim of spiraling ratings and competition from an upstart 98.5 TheSports Hub that stole much of the longtime sports-talker's audience.
"I'm disappointed," Wolfe, a 22-year WEEI veteran, told the Track. "But this does nothing to take away the success that we have had. I don't think it's a stretch to say that the run that we had was one of the great runs any station of any format in any market ever had and it was a privilege and great honor to be a part of that."
He was called into boss Jeff Brown's office last week and "it was decided that today would be my last day," Wolfe said.
"The company has to do what the company has to do in order to protect its interests and build going forward," Wolfe said. "I'm looking at this as a new day and a chance to move forward to bigger and better things."
Wolfe's ouster comes six months after station suits broomed his longtime afternoon drive host Glenn Ordway, also a victim of the station's ratings struggles.
Brown, general manager of Entercom's Boston stations which include WRKO and WAAF in addition to 'EEI, said he has "the utmost respect for (Wolfe) and everything he has done" but ultimately decided it was time for "new ideas, new collaborations and a fresh take."
He said he will name a successor to Wolfe "in the coming days" and that the new program director's mission will be to "maximize the performance of everyone on the team."
Questions immediately were raised about the future of the station's longtime morning drive duo, John Dennis and Gerry Callahan, who were championed by Wolfe but whose ratings have slipped since the emergence of CBS'-owned 98.5 The Sports Hub.
"That is everyone's first question," Brown said. "There's no fait accompli regarding Dennis and Callahan, no imminent shoe to drop on Dennis and Callahan."
In February, Kevin Winter — brought on to the struggling "Dennis and Callahan Morning Show" — "stepped down" just months after joining the station.
WEEI has struggled ever since The Sports Hub launched in 2009. Two years ago, the station shifted long-time mid-day host Dale Arnold from his slot. More recently, the signal was switched. recently switching its signal to 93.7 FM.
Brown said he believe's WEEI's "ecosystem" is powerful, with presence on both the AM and FM dial, Red Sox broadcast rights and a website that draws "1.5 million uniques every month."
However, he said, "at the end of the day we want to make it better and we are going to work to make it better."
As for Wolfe, he said he has not given the future "a ton of thought yet."
"I know there are lots of opportunities out there and I am looking forward to investigating all of them in the days and weeks to come," he said. "I'm not in any rush, frankly. I'm looking forward to hanging with my family and kids, who I hardly ever get to see. That's one nice perk as we close out the summer."
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