One year after Rich Shertenlieb left 98.5 The Sports Hub, Fred Toucher is happy to see his former co-host’s radio show get canceled.
Following a public falling out last year, Toucher and Rich ended after nearly two decades together, the bulk of which was spent in morning drive on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub. During their 17-year run, Toucher and Shertenlieb morphed into a ratings monster, helping 98.5 overtake WEEI as the preeminent sports radio station in Boston.
But last October, Toucher signed a contract extension with The Sports Hub and Shertenlieb left the station two weeks later. Shertenlieb resurfaced after six months with a morning show on 100.7 WZLX. This week, however, Shertenlieb announced he was part of iHeartMedia’s latest round of layoffs, bringing his new show to an end after less than six months.
Thank you. Love ya. pic.twitter.com/eBof5x5XjY
— Rich Shertenlieb (@heyrichhey) November 4, 2024
Tuesday morning, Toucher addressed Shertenlieb’s show coming to an end six months after it launched, and one year after he left The Sports Hub. During his revamped morning show on The Sports Hub with co-host Rob “Hardy” Poole, Toucher picked Shertenlieb’s social media post apart and expressed satisfaction in seeing him lose his job.
Fred Toucher ripping Rich Shertenlieb today after Rich got fired. 👀🔥
🎥: @bostonradio
“I’ll tell you when I would not have said anything today. If I read the statement he put out and it seemed like he had learned any humility…Like don’t backstab your friends. Don’t be a… pic.twitter.com/aq4rOzQvCj
— Savage (@SavageSports_) November 5, 2024
“I’m very happy that it’s over,” Toucher said. “I’m not surprised and I’m very happy because I feel like he’s a backstabber and does not tell the truth and is not loved by his fellow employees, certainly here.”
Toucher claimed, “To my understanding, he tried to maneuver to get me out of a job.” That presumably would have occurred before Toucher signed his extension with The Sports Hub last year. Prior to the contract announcement which preceded Shertenlieb’s departure, Toucher took a leave of absence for health reasons that sparked speculation about the show’s future.
“I’ll tell you when I would not have said anything today. Is if I would have read the statement he put out and it seemed like he had learned any humility,” Toucher said of Shertenlieb. “Like don’t backstab your friends. Don’t be a snake, talk to people to their face, don’t lie about how you go into a situation. But there was no transparency and it’s still the same garbage. It’s everyone else’s fault. Lies, lies, lies.”
“I just don’t know when that guy’s going to realize, ‘Dude, stop with the facade.’ Stop it,” Toucher continued. “No one’s ever going to believe you or like you unless you’re a little bit truthful and show a little humility. And you thought it would have happened now.”
Toucher claimed he has more ammunition to use against Shertenlieb, telling his large audience, “I’m saving a lot of stuff in my pocket for a rainy day, in case he gets cute. Then I’ll really tell you what happened.”
Shertenlieb hits the free agent market in Boston radio having a massive success story in the Toucher and Rich show on his resume. But his latest radio venture on WZLX will undoubtedly be deemed a failure. In the summer ratings book, Shertenlieb’s new show finished 14th with a 1.8 share. Toucher and Hardy finished first with a 16.6 share. The ratings implied no listeners were following Shertenlieb from The Sports Hub to WZLX.
Where Shertenlieb goes from here remains to be seen. But Toucher and The Sports Hub clearly don’t seem interested in a reunion. “It’s just nonsense and I can’t imagine he ever gets another job in the market,” Toucher said. “So I’ll never talk about him again.”
