Courtesy the Boston Herald

(July 28, 2010) WEEI-AM sports radio honchos are defending their move to count some listeners who tune into their FM Providence station to the overall Boston ratings, saying they’re “not cheating at all” in their contentious battle with FM upstart “98.5 The Sports Hub.”

The two Hub sports talk rivals are at odds over whether Boston station WEEI-AM (850) should be allowed to include fans who listen to Providence-based WEEI-FM (103.7), whose strong signal covers the southern Bay State.

“It’s not cheating at all,” said Julie Kahn, vice president and market manager of station owner Entercom Boston. “We’ve got a whole separate business in Providence. The Providence signal spills over in many parts of the Boston market. We’re not trying to fool anyone.”

In a statement yesterday, Arbitron backed ’EEI’s decision, saying its “software does allow subscribers to combine estimates, including when the stations are not 100 percent simulcast. This is an important analytical tool we provide our customers, and one that we fully support.”

Kahn said WEEI began including WEEI-FM Boston listeners in its Hub ratings about four months ago when it realized the strong Providence signal began showing up in the sprawling Boston market.

While WEEI brass insist on including the Providence numbers, it’s apparently a different story when it comes to on-air personalities and their ratings bonuses.

Ex-WEEI personality Pete Sheppard, who was on Glenn Ordway’s “Big Show” for more than a decade, said he missed out on two hefty ratings bonuses - close to $10,000 - because program director Jason Wolfe said he couldn’t combine WEEI-FM’s Massachusetts listeners with WEEI-AM.

“He never would combine those ratings to give us our bonuses - never,” Sheppard, who was axed in January, said yesterday. “We pleaded with him twice - because it was a big chunk of money.”

Sheppard’s contract entitled him to a quarterly bonus - excluding the summer - when the Big Show was No. 1 among the coveted 25-to-54-year-old male demographic.

Kahn’s response: “Our key talents are well taken care off.”

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