Playing favorites with local programs and personalities
Most of the fun with the New England Sports Survey — conducted annually by Channel Media & Market Research from 2012-22, with the edition released this past week bridging 2023-24 for some reason — comes with the discovery of a perplexing answer.
For instance, among the 16,411 Boston fans surveyed this year via e-mail, 12 percent cited Luke Kornet as the Celtics player who was not meeting expectations, second only to deep reserve Svi Mykhailiuk (13 percent). Kornet absolutely is one of the Celtics who has most exceeded expectations. Perplexing! Maybe those results are just an indication that there’s nothing much to complain about with the Celtics, owners of the NBA’s best record.
Anyway, this being a media column and all, let’s take a quick spin through five notable results regarding favorite programs and personalities. I’ll note the top three finishers this year, the top three last year for comparison’s sake, and a thought or two on each category.
• Favorite local sports radio personality: Michael Felger (25 percent), Scott Zolak (17), Marc Bertrand (12), Tony Massarotti (12), Jim Murray (12).
2022: Felger (24 percent), Zolak (18), Bertrand (15).
The Sports Hub’s midday and afternoondrive programming dominates this category, which jibes with their massive longstanding ratings success.
• Favorite play-by-play announcer/color analyst TV: Mike Gorman (22 percent), Lou Merloni (20), Brian Scalabrine (16).
2022: Gorman (24 percent), Dennis Eckersley (22), Scalabrine (14).
Got it right. There’s no other choice but Gorman in his farewell season. Drew Carter will do well in this in coming years. Zolak took first in the radio version of this question with 29 percent.
R• Favorite local pre- and postgame sports show: “Patriots Fifth Quarter” (21 percent), “Extra Innings Live” (20), “Patriots All Access” (11), “Red Sox Gameday” (11).
2022: “Patriots Fifth Quarter” (22 percent), “Extra Innings Live” (19), “Patriots All Access” (15).
NBC Sports Boston’s “Celtics Postgame Live” finished tied for seventh with 5 percent. That show should rate higher. The chemistry and tone are ideal, particularly when Eddie House is in studio.
• Favorite local sports radio show: “Felger and Mazz” (29 percent), “Zolak and Bertrand” (22), “Toucher and Hardy” (11).
2022: “Felger and Mazz” (27 percent), “Zolak and Bertrand” (21), “Toucher and Rich” (16).
More Sports Hub dominance. Voters did acknowledge WEEI’s “Gresh and Fauria” show (6 percent) and the evening “Rich Keefe Show” (5 percent), both of which are good-natured and deserving programs.
• Favorite local sports TV personality: Felger (22 percent), Tom Caron (18), Zolak (18).
2022: Felger (26 percent), Caron (19), Zolak (13).
Zolak gained some ground here, but I wouldn’t suggest this is Felger Fatigue, even though he’s ubiquitous.
Kindness matters
I didn’t know Chris Mortensen beyond a couple of interviews over the years, and an e-mail back-and-forth after I took at jab at him for his infamous and incorrect tweet about Deflategate in January 2015. But I understand why those who knew ESPN’s longtime NFL insider, who died last Sunday at 72, marvel at his kindness.
When frustrated and burned out while trying to find affordable assisted living for my father last year, I threw a Hail Mary and tweeted asking if anyone had insight on navigating the search.
Mortensen, who it turned out had been through the process recently with a family member, immediately reached out.
We talked once on the phone, and he had practical insight (including on how to track down certain missing paperwork) and muchneeded words of encouragement. He said he would pray for my dad, and checked in every so often to see how we were doing, until we finally found the right place last August.
If he did that for my dad, whom he had never met and whose son had said unkind things about him, I imagine he must have done similar kind deeds for so many others. I understand why Patriots fans had anger for him. They had every right. But Chris Mortensen was a good man.
Tappen back at NHL Network
Kathryn Tappen returned to the NHL Network as a studio host this past week, nine years after she last worked for the network and just in time for the league’s trading deadline. (Her first show was Wednesday.) Tappen, who spent five years at NESN before leaving for her first stint at the NHL Network in July 2011, will continue in the fall in her role as sideline reporter for NBC Sports’ “Big Ten Saturday Night” college football broadcasts. She has been at NBC Sports in a variety of high-profile roles since 2015, and there’s some synergy with her new gig. NBC Universal owns approximately 16 percent of the NHL Network, with the league owning the rest
. . . If you follow the Celtics via social media at all, chances are you saw the brief but exceptionally well-produced clip of highlights from the Green’s 52-point win over the Warriors last Sunday. After all, a tweet of the video at 9 a.m. Tuesday has, as of this writing, 76,000 likes and 14.5 million views. The wholly original clip features an overhead view of Celtics shots and memorable plays from the game, with the appearance of one highlight melding into the other. The clip was put together by Gage Duchon, a 20-year-old digital production intern from Northeastern who is working for the Celtics through the season. Extraordinary work as usual from the Celtics’ digital content and social media folks.