Boston-based WEEI-FM "Dennis & Callahan" co-host Kirk Minihane will "not be suspended" in the wake of additional critical on-air comments made yesterday about Fox Sports' Erin Andrews, according to Gary Dzen of the BOSTON GLOBE. Minihane’s "most recent comments on Andrews came during a segment in which he at first seemed contrite, explaining to co-hosts John Dennis and Gerry Callahan why he was mistaken in criticizing her so crudely last week." He said, "I used a word to reference Erin Andrews that I shouldn’t have used to reference Erin Andrews." But Minihane then "explained why he finds Andrews underwhelming at her job." He said, "I will say this. I think she stinks at her job. I don’t think she’s very smart, I don’t think she comes across as very smart. I think Fox only hired her because she’s good-looking. I think if she weighed 15 pounds more she’d be a waitress at Perkins. That’s what I believe." WEEI "didn’t see anything wrong with what Minihane said Wednesday, posting the full audio of the comments under the headline, 'The triumphant return of Kirk Minihane.'" Entercom Boston VP & Market Manager Phil Zachary, whose firm owns WEEI, in an e-mail wrote Minihane "has learned some 'hard lessons'" as a result of the ordeal (BOSTON.com, 7/23).
STICKING TO HIS GUNS: In Boston, Jessica Heslam interviewed Minihane, who said, "Does anybody think that if Erin Andrews looked like [CNN's] Candy Crowley that she’d have that job at Fox? Nobody thinks that." Heslam notes Fox Sports "slammed Minihane in a statement." The statement read, "Now it’s clear that the apologies he’s made are completely disingenuous. Erin Andrews is a consummate professional and has excelled at her on-air work in sports since she broke into the business 14 years ago. ... Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but unfortunately here we have a boorish, misguided, misinformed radio host trying to raise his profile at the expense of someone simply doing her job." Heslam writes once the "dominant Hub sports station, WEEI has been trounced" by WBZ-FM in a "ratings war since the competition debuted five years ago." Minihane said that his bosses "didn’t force him to apologize and he insisted it wasn’t a ratings ruse." He added, "We have never once, not once, sat around and said, ‘Hey this is a good idea for a ratings ploy or boy, this would be a good ratings stunt'" (BOSTON HERALD, 7/24).
TIME FOR HIM TO GO: ESPN's Keith Olbermann named Minihane his "world's worst" person in sports for his comments yesterday and called him a "derelict of some kind." He appears on a "televised car wreck ... evidently in order to make hosts John Dennis and Gerry Callahan seem less psychotic." Olbermann: "WEEI radio and NESN television have to fire this guy who can't go 10 seconds after apologizing for making a sexist insult before making another sexist insult against the same woman. They have to fire him. He’ll be lucky if he finds work at the Perkins" (“Olbermann,” ESPN2, 7/23).
