RANT:Why are the radio stations giving preference to B's instead of C's

[Donoghus]

Because the reality of the situation is that the C's are 4th in interest these days.  B's have the more fervent fan-base (hate to say it but its true) and they're a team that was labeled a contender before the season & have been floundering/underachieving most of the season.  There's also more internal drama going on there than with the Celtics. 

Makes for juicier sports talk radio. 

[JSD]

Because the reality of the situation is that the C's are 4th in interest these days.  B's have the more fervent fan-base (hate to say it but its true) and they're a team that was labeled a contender before the season & have been floundering/underachieving most of the season.  There's also more internal drama going on there than with the Celtics. 

Makes for juicier sports talk radio.

Yeah, nailed it. Plus all the major players from that championship team are still pretty much in tact. They're essentially the Celtics in 2011-2013, had the Bruins been a non-playoff team during that time-span then we would have seen the same thing with the Celtics being covered more.

[Neurotic Guy]

It's true that after ad nauseum red sox talk and the obvious intensity that circulates around the patriots, it is the Bruins who get "3rd Fiddle" rights in Boston radio these days.  #3 is a volatile position and largely dependent upon which team is stronger at the moment, but I do think the Bruins base is probably larger and more intense when both teams are non-contenders.   

The other factor is that many Boston radio hosts (though they often claim to be driven by callers' interests), are more Bruins/Hockey guys than Celtics/NBA guys.   Felger, Dale Arnold and a number of the younger hosts lean more to the ice than the court while all seem to be baseball/football guys.   Holley has basketball roots and goes there when he can.

Far cry from the days when "HockeyTalk" was ridiculed and barely tolerated on Boston radio (even during the Big, Bad Bruins era).  The good old days.

[TheTruthFot18]

Bruins and Celtics are always the red headed step child.

I remember the big 3 era and come February/March it's all Red Sox talk. Even better, after a horrible Red Sox season they STILL got more coverage than the Bruins and Celtics combined as they started their seasons in October.

Thank god for the Pat's this year. It saved me from all Red Sox talk for another month.

[TheTruthFot18]

The Bruins are more successful right now, so they'll get more coverage.

I'm surprised that either is getting any attention, with Spring Training about to start.

From what I hear they are game away from a full scale train wreck. I remember Boston radio coverage of the Celtics from 2009-2011/12 (still competing) and I never heard the negativity or bashing like I do this years Bruins.

[D.o.s.]

The worst is listening to felger and mazz


I cant stand felger


He literally says that he doesnt like basketball, and doesnt care for the C's


He's not a New England/Boston fan


 

Felger isn't from Boston, and didn't live in the area when the Celtics were good until 2008. I go out of my way to avoid listening to him, but he's not a fan, he's a talk radio guy, and he's well within his rights to avoid basketball.

I do hate their radio show, though.

Also: Boston is always going to be a baseball town first. The Red Sox are on a totally different level from every other pro team in the area (even the Patriots, who were largely ignored until the Brady era began)

[Donoghus]

The worst is listening to felger and mazz


I cant stand felger


He literally says that he doesnt like basketball, and doesnt care for the C's


He's not a New England/Boston fan


 

Felger isn't from Boston, and didn't live in the area when the Celtics were good until 2008. I go out of my way to avoid listening to him, but he's not a fan, he's a talk radio guy, and he's well within his rights to avoid basketball.

I do hate their radio show, though.

Also: Boston is always going to be a baseball town first. The Red Sox are on a totally different level from every other pro team in the area (even the Patriots, who were largely ignored until the Brady era began)  Parcells/Bledsoe era began

Fixed that for you.

[PhoSita]

Felger, who is the ringleader of Boston sports radio right now, is from Wisconsin and much prefers hockey to basketball.

The Bruins are also much more popular with the core audience of the radio shows (i.e. skews more toward lower class fans).

The sense I get, also, is that hockey fans tend to be very biased in a negative way toward basketball, whereas basketball fans are more likely to pay some attention to hockey. 

(I recently asked Kevin Paul Dupont why hockey fans as a general rule seem to dislike NBA basketball.  His answer: "Because it's horrible?")

Most importantly, the Bruins have been successful and thus relevant more recently than the Celtics.

Right now, the Celtics are just one step up from the Revolution in the Boston sports hierarchy.

[PhoSita]

[
Felger isn't from Boston, and didn't live in the area when the Celtics were good until 2008. I go out of my way to avoid listening to him, but he's not a fan, he's a talk radio guy, and he's well within his rights to avoid basketball.

I'm going to disagree a bit here.

Felger doesn't have to be a fan.  I think to do a sports radio show in a particular market and be so biased against an entire sport and basically avoid talking -- at least in a positive way -- about one of the major sports teams is a problem.

There's only one really worthwhile radio station in Boston and it stinks that the show that gets the primetime slot and really dominates the conversation in sports talk in the market just disregards one of the city's major sports team.  And this isn't the Raiders or the Kings we're talking about here -- the Celtics are a storied, fabulously successful franchise, even if they've only won ONE championship in the last few decades.

[kozlodoev]

The Bruins are more successful right now, so they'll get more coverage.

I'm surprised that either is getting any attention, with Spring Training about to start.

From what I hear they are game away from a full scale train wreck. I remember Boston radio coverage of the Celtics from 2009-2011/12 (still competing) and I never heard the negativity or bashing like I do this years Bruins.

They are mired in the middle of a pretty bad losing streak (6 out of last 7, I believe). And yet, they will still be in the playoffs if those started tomorrow. So draw your own conclusion.

A lot of the flak the Bruins are taking is because (1) a lot of key guys are underperforming; and (2) the management chose to get rid of some talent recently, and seemingly picked the wrong guys to trade.

All this being considered, the Bruins are a still a better and more competitive team than the Celtics.

[greece66]

My biggest issue this week is exactly this. The C's deadline less than 30 hours away and yet you hear nothing but B's talk on the radio??? Is anyone as fed up about this other than me?

The NHL trade deadline is March 2nd you have 13 freaking days to cover that...the NBA deadline is on Feb 19 - PLEASE talk some C's instead of B's.

Is anyone else with me?

I am with you my Celtic Brother. Fear Not. Make an account here: https://twitter.com/
It will change your life. Guaranteed.

[D.o.s.]

The worst is listening to felger and mazz


I cant stand felger


He literally says that he doesnt like basketball, and doesnt care for the C's


He's not a New England/Boston fan


 

Felger isn't from Boston, and didn't live in the area when the Celtics were good until 2008. I go out of my way to avoid listening to him, but he's not a fan, he's a talk radio guy, and he's well within his rights to avoid basketball.

I do hate their radio show, though.

Also: Boston is always going to be a baseball town first. The Red Sox are on a totally different level from every other pro team in the area (even the Patriots, who were largely ignored until the Brady era began)  Parcells/Bledsoe era began

Fixed that for you.

I'll accept that, but comparatively speaking no one in Boston cared about the Pats in 1999. Pretty similar to the '06-'07 Celtics in relationship to a season (although that was about as big of a bandwagon jump as you can imagine).

The sense I get, also, is that hockey fans tend to be very biased in a negative way toward basketball, whereas basketball fans are more likely to pay some attention to hockey.

It's because of all the black people. 

[kozlodoev]

The sense I get, also, is that hockey fans tend to be very biased in a negative way toward basketball, whereas basketball fans are more likely to pay some attention to hockey.

It's because of all the black people. 

Gave me a good chuckle. 

[Donoghus]

The worst is listening to felger and mazz


I cant stand felger


He literally says that he doesnt like basketball, and doesnt care for the C's


He's not a New England/Boston fan


 

Felger isn't from Boston, and didn't live in the area when the Celtics were good until 2008. I go out of my way to avoid listening to him, but he's not a fan, he's a talk radio guy, and he's well within his rights to avoid basketball.

I do hate their radio show, though.

Also: Boston is always going to be a baseball town first. The Red Sox are on a totally different level from every other pro team in the area (even the Patriots, who were largely ignored until the Brady era began)  Parcells/Bledsoe era began

Fixed that for you.

I'll accept that, but comparatively speaking no one in Boston cared about the Pats in 1999. Pretty similar to the '06-'07 Celtics in relationship to a season (although that was about as big of a bandwagon jump as you can imagine).

The sense I get, also, is that hockey fans tend to be very biased in a negative way toward basketball, whereas basketball fans are more likely to pay some attention to hockey.

It's because of all the black people. 

Eh, I wouldn't agree with that notion.  They were still #2 in the region at the time.  Even in the last legs of the Carroll era. 

2nd half of that '99 season was an absolute train-wreck, though.

[PhoSita]

It's because of all the black people. 

I know this is tongue in cheek, but to some extent I think this is an element at play.

There's a lot of coded language that gets used by hockey folks (e.g. Felger) talking in favor of hockey and deriding the NBA and its players.

Hockey players are "hard workers" with "good character" and "just play the right way" etc etc.
NBA players are "entitled," "primadonnas," "divas," "thugs" etc.

This despite the fact that a lot of players in the NHL actually act like thugs on the ice and serve no purpose for their teams other than to start fights with the opposing team. 

Not to mention that to speak generally of NBA players, many of whom have worked extremely hard to rise out of destitution to become professional athletes, as lazy or entitled, is ludicrous.