WEEI afternoon – WEEI is replacing co-hosts Andy Hart and Nick “Fitzy” Stevens, with Ted Johnson staying in a new afternoon role after winter ratings fell behind “Felger and Mazz.”
WEEI is making another major change to its afternoon-drive lineup, a move that signals how hard broadcasters are working to reclaim listenership in a competitive sports radio market.
The station informed co-hosts Andy Hart and Nick “Fitzy” Stevens on Wednesday morning that both are being let go. according to information tied to the internal shakeup.. Ted Johnson, a former Patriots linebacker, will remain with WEEI, though his specific role within the 2–6 p.m.. program is still to be defined.
The new afternoon-drive lineup is expected to be revealed Monday morning at 9 a.m.. during “The Greg Hill Show. ” setting up a clear next chapter for a time slot that has repeatedly been reconfigured over the past few years.. Hart and Stevens had been part of WEEI’s roster since 2019. and they were paired on the afternoon show in August 2024 as the program evolved again.. Johnson joined the afternoon team in January 2025, completing yet another iteration aimed at strengthening performance against rival programming.
On the ratings side, the pressure has been building.. WEEI’s afternoon show has spent recent report cycles trailing “Felger and Mazz” on 98.5 The Sports Hub. a long-running benchmark for the daypart.. In the fall, “Felger and Mazz” finished with a 16.7 share while “WEEI Afternoons” tied for 14th at a 2.0.. The winter numbers released this week showed the gap continuing: “Felger and Mazz” posted a first-place 15.3 share. while “WEEI Afternoons” landed at 14th with a 2.7.
Ratings-driven turnover is familiar in radio, especially in sports talk where audience loyalty can be as volatile as team performance.. When a program falls behind for multiple measurement periods. it can trigger the kind of leadership and casting changes that attempt to reset chemistry. tone. and audience expectations—often quickly. because ad dollars and advertiser confidence tend to follow audience momentum.
What makes this round of changes particularly notable is the backdrop of online chatter tied to on-air and Patriots-related discussions.. Last week. a clip went viral showing Stevens strongly disagreeing with Johnson about a Patriots situation involving coach Mike Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini of The Athletic.. In the ecosystem of sports media. clips can travel far beyond the studio. and speculation can bloom around what those debates mean—especially when the topic is connected to prominent figures and organizations.. One person close to the process described that speculation in harsh terms. underscoring how sensitive internal decisions can become when the public narrative gets messy.
For listeners, the impact is immediate.. Afternoon-drive isn’t just a time block—it’s a routine.. People tune in on the way to work. on lunch breaks. or while catching up on the day’s sports headlines.. When hosts are replaced. it’s not only a programming shift; it’s a disruption of the familiar voices and rhythms that listeners associate with their daily schedules.. Even if the station has compelling new talent lined up. the audience has to be re-won. one commute at a time.
There’s also a broader media trend at play: sports radio is no longer competing only with another station.. Podcasts. streaming video. and social media highlights have changed how fans consume sports analysis. and that makes it harder for any single format to hold attention without constant adjustment.. In that context. WEEI’s latest move can be read as an effort to repackage what listeners are getting—who’s doing the talking. how disputes are handled on air. and whether the show feels built for the modern sports conversation rather than the older rhythm of radio.
The shakeup fits a longer pattern.. WEEI has cycled through major lineups in afternoon drive repeatedly.. In July 2018. Glenn Ordway moved from middays to afternoon drive in a successful earlier stint. joining Lou Merloni and Christian Fauria.. When Ordway retired in August 2021, Merloni and Fauria took over as a duo, with Meghan Ottolini later joining in April 2022.. Fauria shifted to middays, and Merloni’s contract wasn’t renewed in December 2022.. A month later. Adam Jones paired with Ottolini and Christian Arcand as the third voice—until August 2024. when Jones moved to middays. Ottolini moved into writing and fill-in work. and Hart was paired with Arcand.. That configuration later changed again in January 2025 when Johnson joined, Stevens’s role expanded, and Arcand moved to nights.
Now. with Hart and Stevens removed and Johnson staying. the station appears ready to attempt another reset in hopes of narrowing the gap against “Felger and Mazz” or at least creating a more competitive share.. The key question for WEEI is whether the new setup can deliver something that feels more distinctive than a series of replacements: a show that earns trust through daily consistency. turns major sports moments into coherent storytelling. and builds a sense of identity strong enough to survive the next ratings report.
For Misryoum readers following the national story behind local broadcasts, this is less about one program losing—and more about the reality of modern sports media, where the audience is always comparing, always sampling, and rarely waiting for a station to find its footing.