Rich Shertenlieb leaves ‘Toucher and Rich’ program on The Sports Hub

Media

Co-host Fred Toucher announced at the top of Friday’s show at 6 a.m. that Shertenlieb was no longer part of the morning radio show.

“Toucher and Rich,” the highly-rated, humor-focused 98.5 The Sports Hub program that served as the morning bedrock for the radio station’s rapid rise to ratings success, is no more.

Co-host Fred Toucher announced at the top of Friday’s show at 6 a.m. that co-host Rich Shertenlieb was no longer part of the program and that Thursday had been his last day.

The end of the show is not a surprise – there had been tension between Toucher and Shertenlieb, longtime friends and radio partners who first worked together in Atlanta before coming to the Boston market at WBCN in 2006 – for months. But the abruptness is stunning.

Toucher signed a multiyear contract extension last month. In the past, Toucher and Shertenlieb had negotiated contracts together. But this time, they did it separately, and neither Shertenlieb’s name nor the name of the show were mentioned in the press release announcing Toucher’s new deal.

Tension plagued the show over the past several months, spilling onto the airwaves and social media. During a meeting with station and parent company Beasley Media management in May, Shertenlieb accused Toucher of creating a hostile work environment.

Toucher had dealt with voice and throat problems in the previous months, requiring serious treatment and a leave of absence. While he was absent, Toucher posted on social media that Shertenlieb and others show personnel hadn’t checked in to see how he was doing, which he later acknowledged was untrue upon returning to the show. Shertenlieb was not on the show when Toucher apologized, having taken a sick day.

The partnership, by any radio measure, was an incredible success. Toucher and Shertenlieb became The Sports Hub’s morning program upon its debut in August 2009. The Sports Hub soon overtook its established competition, WEEI.