Fred Toettcher AKA Fred Toucher | |
---|---|
Born | |
Other names | Fred Toucher |
Education | Rollins College |
Occupation | sports radio host |
Fred (Toucher) Toettcher (born 1975) is a Marconi-winning [1] sports radio talk show host on WBZ-FM in Boston. Toettcher is the co-host of Toucher and Hardy with Rob "Hardy" Poole. He previously co-hosted The Toucher and Rich Show with Rich Shertenlieb from 2006 to 2023; their 17 year partnership ending in November 2023 when Shertenlieb decided to leave the program.
A native of Detroit, Toettcher graduated from Rollins College in 1997. After graduating, he landed a job at a small radio station in Cumming, Georgia. In 1999, he started hosting nights on 99X in Atlanta and eventually worked his way to the morning show. In 2006, after leaving his show in Atlanta [2] he and Rich Shertenlieb started The Toucher and Rich Show together on WBCN in Boston. In 2009, the show moved to 98.5 The Sports Hub. While initially thought to be moved to the station as a fill-in while the station tried to assemble a more sports-oriented program, The Toucher and Rich Show quickly rose to prominence and is considered to be one of the most popular radio shows in New England. [3] In the 2018 fall Nielsen Audio ratings for Boston, the show took first place in the morning drive category with a 10.5 share. [4]
Though not necessarily considered a shock jock, Toettcher has been involved in a few controversies. In May 2005, he prodded a caller to tell listeners the ending to a recently released Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.[ citation needed ] In April 2010, he referred to overtly Christian quarterback Tim Tebow's NFL Draft party as "resembling a lily-white Nazi gathering". [5] In October 2013, he hung up on Rick Pitino. [6] In 2019, Toucher hung up on Carolina reporter Chip Alexander, claiming that he "just can't listen to a guy with a southern accent talk hockey." [7]
Toettcher occasionally feuded with John Dennis of former rival morning show Dennis and Callahan, who often called him a hipster and referred to Toettcher as "Fred Douchebag." Toettcher usually responded by mocking Dennis's age and citing the fact that The Toucher and Rich Show consistently beat Dennis and Callahan in Boston radio market ratings, usually by a substantial margin. [8]
In May 2023, Toettcher admitted himself to a detoxification facility, saying "I was voluntarily locking myself up so I wouldn't drink anymore, so I knew I wouldn't drink. That's how I felt like, I was like, all right, I've lost control, I've lost control of alcohol, I've lost control, I'm not thinking like me, I need to make sure that I'm in a position where I do not have the opportunity to drink. Was it fun? It was the worst five days of my entire life." His departure from the show followed an earlier 2023 absence due to the temporary loss of his voice. [9]
Toettcher had previously left the show for an extended period of time in 2020 for alcohol addiction rehabilitation. [9]
Toettcher announced Shertenlieb's departure from The Toucher and Rich Show on November 10, 2023. Toettcher said that Shertenlieb did not inform him of his departure and that he learned of the change from the station's management while he was driving home after the previous day's show. In the November 10 show's opening segment, Toettcher discussed problems that had developed between him Shertenlieb: "Earlier this year, Rich said some stuff on and off the air about me I didn't like. So I texted him some things that I had been holding on to from the course of our relationship that he did not like." Toettcher then described a prolonged period of estrangement that followed. [10] During the announcement, Toettcher said that the show would continue under its current name until January 2024 when a new co-host would be named. [11]
WWWQ is a commercial radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia, carrying a top 40 (CHR) format known as "Q99.7". Owned by Cumulus Media, WWWQ serves the Atlanta metropolitan area as the regional affiliate for The Daly Download with Carson Daly and is the flagship station of The Bert Show and Elliott & Nina. WWWQ's studios are located in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs, while the station transmitter resides in Atlanta's Druid Hills neighborhood. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WWWQ broadcasts over three HD Radio channels with the second and third subchannels simulcast over low-power FM translators and is available online.
James Everett Bohannon was an American broadcaster who worked in television and radio and hosted the nationally syndicated late night radio talk show The Jim Bohannon Show originally broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting System and later the Westwood One Network from 1985 to 2022. For 31 years, he also hosted America in The Morning, a nationally syndicated radio news show, stepping down in December 2015.
WEEI is a commercial sports gambling AM radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of New England. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WEEI is the Boston affiliate for the Audacy-owned BetQL Network and Infinity Sports Network, serving as a gambling-focused brand extension of its main sports radio station in the market, WEEI-FM. The WEEI studios are located in Boston's Brighton neighborhood, while the station transmitter resides in the Boston suburb of Needham. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WEEI is available online via Audacy.
WEPN-FM (98.7 MHz) branded ESPN New York, is a sports radio station licensed to New York, New York. The station is owned by the Emmis Corporation and its operations are controlled by Good Karma Brands, under a local marketing agreement. The station's transmitter is located at the Empire State Building.
Ted Curtis Johnson is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He grew up in Carlsbad, California where he graduated from Carlsbad High School in 1991. He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft with the 57th overall pick.
WZLX is a classic rock radio station in Boston, Massachusetts. This station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. WZLX was one of America's first classic rock FM stations. Its studios are in Medford, and its transmitter is atop the Prudential Tower.
Michael PatrickFlynn is a former NFL center. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football at Maine.
WEEI-FM – branded SportsRadio 93.7 WEEI-FM – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Lawrence, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of surrounding New England. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WEEI-FM is the Boston affiliate for Infinity Sports Network, the NFL on Westwood One Sports, the flagship station for the Boston Red Sox Radio Network; and the radio home of Greg Hill, Lou Merloni, Christian Fauria and Jermaine Wiggins.
Scott David Zolak is an American broadcaster and former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. Over the course of his career, he played in 55 games, with 7 starts, for the Patriots and Miami Dolphins, completed 124 of 248 passes for 1,314 yards, threw eight touchdowns and seven interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 64.8.
Anthony Ezio Massarotti is an American author and a former sportswriter for the Boston Herald and The Boston Globe. He co-hosts a sports talk radio show, Felger & Mazz, on 98.5 The Sports Hub with former Boston Herald columnist Michael Felger. Massarotti has also served as a color commentator for the Boston Red Sox, during their 2022 season.
WWBX is a radio station with a hot adult contemporary format in Boston, Massachusetts. The format started at 98.5 FM on February 9, 1991, and moved to 104.1 FM, replacing WBCN on August 12, 2009, to allow for the launch of WBZ-FM at 98.5 the next day. Its studios are located in Brighton, and its transmitter is on the upper FM mast of the Prudential Tower.
The Big Show is a former sports talk radio program hosted by Glenn Ordway on Boston's WEEI-FM 93.7 FM. Started in August 1995, the show was hosted by Ordway and former Boston Globe columnist Michael Holley. The show ended on March 19, 2013.
Dennis and Callahan was an American morning radio show on WEEI-FM, a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts. On November 16, 2010, a live three-hour simulcast began airing on NESN at 6–10 AM Eastern time each weekday. The show combines talk of sports and politics, along with current or "water cooler" issues. The show premiered in 1997 with sportswriter Gerry Callahan and former WHDH Sports Director John Dennis, and it received strong ratings until WEEI received ratings competition in 2009 with the launch of CBS Radio's sports station, WBZ-FM (98.5); the ratings began to fall from the peak.
John Adron Dennis is a former American broadcaster best known as the co-host of WEEI-FM sports radio's former Dennis and Callahan morning show.
Toucher and Rich was a radio show hosted by Fred Toettcher, airing from 6 to 10 AM on WBZ-FM, in Boston, Massachusetts. Toettcher, along with co-host Rich Shertenlieb, debuted on alternative rock station WBCN on June 5, 2006. Beginning August 13, 2009, the show transitioned to sports talk station WBZ-FM.
Michael Alan Felger is a sports radio talk show host on WBZ-FM in Boston, co-hosting "Felger and Massarotti" with Tony Massarotti, a former columnist for the Boston Herald. He is also a television host for NBC Sports Boston, where he talks about sports as a co-host of the weeknight show "Boston Sports Tonight" with Michael Holley and the host of pregame and postgame coverage for Boston Bruins.
Gerald Callahan is a radio show host best known for hosting a longtime morning program for WEEI-FM, a sports radio station in the Boston market. He began his career as a sports reporter for The Sun in Lowell in 1983, then the Boston Herald in 1989. From 1994 to 1997, he also wrote for Sports Illustrated, including coverage for the magazine's daily edition for the 1996 Summer Olympics. He currently hosts the Gerry Callahan Show, a podcast discussing politics, sports and media. Craig Acone is the most recent producer. Dave Cullinane and Matthew Carano were the first two producers in order of service.
Dan Roche is a sports anchor and reporter for WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV in Boston for over 20 years.
WBZ-FM is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of surrounding New England. Owned by the Beasley Broadcast Group, WBZ-FM is the Boston affiliate for Fox Sports Radio; the flagship station for the New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, and New England Revolution radio networks; and the radio home of Fred Toettcher, Scott Zolak, Mike Felger, Tony Massarotti, and Bob Socci. The WBZ-FM studios are located in Waltham, while the station transmitter resides in the Boston suburb of Newton. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WBZ-FM broadcasts over two HD Radio channels, and is available online.
Felger & Massarotti is a Marconi Award-winning afternoon radio show hosted by Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti, airing from 2 to 6 pm in Boston, Massachusetts. The show first aired on August 13, 2009 with the launch of WBZ-FM's sports talk radio station, The Sports Hub on 98.5 FM. The show is known for “calling it like they see it”, which leads to the show’s perceived negative demeanor towards local sports teams, hot takes, and willingness to go after local teams and players.