Hart and Stevens had been with WEEI since 2019, and joined the afternoon program in one in all its many current iterations in August 2024, with Johnson coming aboard in January 2025.
The present had been routed within the Nielsen Audio scores towards rival sports activities station 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Felger and Mazz” program. In the autumn, “Felger and Mazz” completed in its common No. 1 spot with a 16.7 share, whereas “WEEI Afternoons” — that was the identify of Hart, Stevens, and Johnson’s present — tied for 14th with a 2.0.
It didn’t get significantly better within the winter scores, which have been introduced this week. “Felger and Mazz” had a first-place 15.3 share within the interval from Jan. 8-April 1, whereas “WEEI Afternoons” was 14th with a 2.7.
Radio station lineup adjustments typically instantly observe ratings-book revelations. According to sources with information of the scenario, the shakeup had been within the works for some time.
Last week, a clip went viral of Stevens vehemently disagreeing with Johnson concerning the scenario involving Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini, then of The Athletic. Hart and Stevens had been crucial of Vrabel, prompting social-media hypothesis that the Patriots had some function in getting the 2 faraway from the present. According to 1 supply concerned within the course of, the hypothesis “is some Grade A [expletive].”
While “Felger and Mazz” has dominated afternoon drive for the higher a part of twenty years, WEEI has cycled via hosts in that daypart. In July 2018, Glenn Ordway — the longtime host of “The Big Show” throughout a earlier extremely profitable stint at WEEI — moved from middays to afternoon drive, together with Lou Merloni and Christian Fauria. When Ordway retired in August 2021, Merloni and Fauria hosted in tandem, with Meghan Ottolini coming aboard in April 2022.
Fauria moved to middays and Merloni’s contract was not renewed in December 2022. A month later, Adam Jones joined Ottolini in afternoons, with Christian Arcand the third voice. That lasted till August 2024, when Jones moved to middays, Ottolini went to a writing and fill-in function, and Hart was paired with Arcand on the afternoon present. That model was revamped in January 2025, when Johnson got here aboard, Stevens’s function expanded, and Arcand moved to nights.
Chad Finn may be reached at chad.finn@globe.com.
