Shertenlieb Wakes Up On WZLX
• iHeartMedia Classic Rock WZLX/Boston just announced that market veteran Rich Shertenlieb — best known for his long run as half of Toucher & Rich on Beasley Sports-Talk WBZ-FM (98.5 The Sports Hub) — would be the station’s new morning host. He will succeed Pete McKenzie and Heather Ford, who exited last Friday after nearly 20 years.
Shertenlieb made the announcement of soon-to-launch Rich Shertenlieb Show himself at 2pm local time, and promised to reveal the names of his co-hosts over the next few days. Stay tuned!
• Some history: Last October we reported the untimely passing of Pete McKenzie’s longtime on-air partner, Kevin Karlson, who died in his sleep at the age of 59. Karlson and McKenzie had a working relationship that dated back to 1985 and previous stops in Charleston, SC, Rochester, NY, Richmond, Toledo, and Tulsa. They also did mornings on the former WEGQ (Eagle 93.7)/Boston back in the day. Karlson and McKenzie met Heather Ford while they were doing mornings at Townsquare Classic Rock WPDH/Hudson Valley, NY and added her to the team before making the move to WZLX in 2005. Producer Kenny Young joined the crew in 2019.
• Some more history: Shertenlieb and longtime partner Fred Toucher were foundational members of the launch of The Sports Hub in August 2009. Before that, the guys worked together at the late, legendary WBCN/Boston and the original 99X/Atlanta. However, mounting tensions between the two finally resulted in Shertenlieb exiting the show in late October 2023. In December, Sports Hub midday talent Rob “Hardy” Poole was announced as Toucher’s new co-host, and the new Toucher & Hardy show formally launched on Jan. 4.
