As speculation continues to swirl over who will fill the Hardy chair on 98.5’s Zolak and Bertrand, Tony Massarotti gave his thoughts on who would fit well in the role.
98.5 The Sports Hub still has an opening on its midday show after Rob “Hardy” Poole moved to the mornings.
During Wednesday’s “Off-Air Show,” Mike Felger asked Massarotti who should get the midday chair.
Felger has said he wants someone “sporty” because he listens to the midday show while he preps for Felger and Mazz.
“I think the existing structure is basically built around Zo,” Massarotti said in his response to Felger. “It kind of works around Zo, and Zo can be scattered.”
“Another guy that props up Zo,” Felger responded. “I’m joking. I’m kidding. I say because I love.”
Massarotti added that the “sport part of it is important because Zo’s kind of scattered, for lack of a better term.”
“So Cerrone (Battle) would be good in there,” Mazz said. “(Michael) Holley would be good in there. Phil Perry would be good in there.”
Whoever gets the role should be able to host when Marc Bertrand is not there, he added.
“But Zo’s good in the A chair,” Felger said.
“That’s true actually because he has to focus,” Mazz said.
“I think it sort of slaps him into line a little bit,” Felger added.
Some other names that have been floated for the midday show’s third chair are Matt McCarthy, Kendra Middleton, and Tim McKone.
“The on-air full-time position at the Sports Hub remains posted and we are actively searching for the right fit for the mid-day show,” a 98.5 spokesperson said this week.
Also on the “Off-Air Show,” Felger commented on radio host Mark Dondero joining 98.5.
Dondero, who has been on WEEI for the last seven years, will be heading to 98.5 as a part-time, on-air host — mainly on weekends.
Felger several months ago was asked if there was a young host in the business who he thought was a rising star. Felger at the time answered with Dondero.
“I think he’s excellent,” Felger said on Wednesday. “So I’m looking forward to Mark Dondero on the station. You know, I think we’re getting a good bench, between him and Cerrone Battle. You ever listen to Cerrone Battle after Celtics games? Oh my god. Excellent.”
Felger recalled Dondero’s time as a Patriots beat reporter when he was with a Providence TV station.
“He would go down there to Patriots press conferences, and ask the most obnoxious questions to Belichick,” Felger said. “This was back when they were winning, so all the people down there were really serious. Like, ‘Who’s this guy asking this?’ He got kind of shamed by the other media down there. But it was like just one obnoxious, leading question after the next. It was this guy.”