FACTS FOR FINNERAN (extra entry)

"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." (Matthew 12:36)

Most Boston area talk radio listeners know there is a full blown "family feud" going on between WRKO morning host (and former Massachusetts Speaker of the House) Tom Finneran and afternoon radio host (and Boston Herald columnist) Howie Carr.  Finneran (a convicted felon) cracked jokes last week on-air with Governor Deval Patrick about having Howie Carr "whacked" and throwing his body in the trunk of the Governor's Cadillac.  A few days later, Carr wrote a formal letter to the judge who gave Finneran a suspended sentence, recommending Finneran do some jail time.

 On "Finneran's Forum" this morning, statements were been made by callers and Tom Finneran that Howie Carr "stole" Jerry Williams' program, essentially kicked Jerry when he was down, etc.

This bothered me and I e-mailed these facts word for word to Tom Finneran:

" Howie Carr's first full-time job at WRKO was as Gene Burns' replacement doing the timeslot that Todd Feinberg now has.  Previously, Howie had been a frequent substitute host for Gene Burns and Jerry Williams.

After just a few months, WRKO fired Howie Carr and brought in Tom Leykis, who turned out to be a disaster.

In the meantime, Howie had gotten a 3-7 PM show on competitor WHDH.  Howie's show, which drew a big Baby-Boomer crowd was killing Jerry's show on WRKO in the ratings.  When  F.C.C. ownership rules changed, the owners of WRKO bought WHDH.  Within a few months, the new owners killed WHDH (which became WEEI Sports Radio).  They then put Howie on WRKO from 3-7 and gave Jerry Williams the late morning timeslot.

Howie actually had a nice tribute show to Jerry Williams at the time of his passing.  I was one of the callers who had an interesting story about Jerry Williams to share.

My father was a career state employee, retiring as an RMV official in 1982.  Dad died in 2000 but I've  got MA plate # 280 on my car as a legacy to his career.  (You can't have plate #280 and neither can Howie!)  Over the years, Dad brought home many stories of hacks and phonies at all levels of state government and administration.  When I later heard Jerry Williams and Howie Carr tell similar stories it was all too familiar."

In fact, Tom Finneran essentially STOLE Scott Allen Miller's morning drive radio show!