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Outraged Steve LeVeille fans want him back on WBZ

UPDATE: WBZ comes to its senses, re-hires LeVeille.

A little birdie from Brighton passes along some of the e-mail WBZ's gotten since canning Steve LeVeille (along with Lovell Dyett, Tom Cuddy and Pat Desmarais). Posted verbatim, although I took out last names, phone numbers and the like:

WITH MUCH SADNESS I WILL MISS NOT ONLY STEVE L BUT MY LONELY NIGHTS
WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE WBZ PEOPLE WHEN I WAS GOING THROUGH MY CANCER
TREATMENTS YOU ---WBZ ARE THE LOSERS
HELEN


I just heard on Morgan White's program early this morning, that Steve Leveille and other beloved on-air personalities have been given the heave-ho--just like that. Unceremoniously, it would seem, and in a really no-class way. If I'm wrong, I apologize, but in my experience, "if it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck. . .etc.", it's a duck!

To a real radio fan, Steve Leveille is an oasis in the desert of overnight programming. His program is almost like finding a life raft when you're awake during the night, awash in a syndicated sea of aliens and weirdo speculators and screaming politicos who have no connection to life in Boston, or New England, for that matter. Not local; not relevant; annoying; boring; repetetive; disconnected. That's the bottom line.

On his "BROADCAST", Mr. Leveille projected warmth; a wonderful welcoming sense of humor, and a neighborhood of regular listeners who became like old friends. Even if he was annoyed, he managed to be a real gentleman--non-confrontational and accessible. That's not to mention his wonderful personal contributions, e.g., his recipe for Tortiere, which I will make this week, as I tip my hat with appreciation and thanks to a gentleman who has been a pleasure to listen to over the years.

CR, (Maine native, with strong Boston connections. Now living in exile in Hebron, CT)

PS--Steve--if you receive the Cc of this e-mail, Thank you for your wonderful company in the night, and God bless you and whatever new endeavors you undertake.


Poof! Gone without a word?! If in fact Steve Leveille is no longer on the air and the WBZ listeners have not been given the courtesy of being informed, I will find another station to listen to. If cuts were truly necessary, as I am sure they were, eliminating a program without another option doesn't make business sense to me. What are you replacing him with - INFOMERCIALS??????

Nancy


With release of Steve LeVaille, I will be looking for another station to listen to. What a shame!!!

Regretfully,
A long time listener.


Last night I heard on your station that Steve Leveille was not returning. You actually just gave him walking papers over the Christmas vacation? I know there are problems in the present economy, but for you to show so little class is hard for me to take. I had such respect for WBZ. Your employees deserve better. Come on!

I woke up to the tail end of the Steve LaVelle show and heard that he was not returning as are a couple of others who hosted shows. He was your greatest loss. I listened at various times from midnight to 5a.m. and will look as I think others will for another station for my listening entertainment.
Very upset.

Beth


To Whom it may concern,

I am a long time wbz listener and I am writing you today to let my feelings be herd about your recent layoff and cancellation of the Steve Leveille show .I will not listen or buy anything from advertiser of wbz and plan to write them too. Boston radio has tradition and Steve has follow in the footstep of Larry Glick, Bob holley , and Jerry Williams and so on .His overnight show was like a family.For those of us who work the grave yard shift he was entertaining and informative . I know a lot of other listeners feel the same way . When Steve gets another show maybe a rival station, Wbz will lose more than just me .There are save the Leveille show web site starting and if you don't reconsider putting Steve back on , some other station will .I will not listen to any Wbz programs including Bruins games till this matter is resolved .

Joe
East Boston


What a shame to see him gone and the way it was done...

I don't think I will be listening to this channel again.

sad listener from Stoughton, MA


I'm shocked at WBZ firing Steve Leveille. To eliminate a local treasure who was so interesting telling about Boston interests and putting on a boring person who broadcasts from "tim-buck-two" is a disgrace. I live in North Carolina and every Sunday at midnight I looked forward to listening to Steve Leveille. I thought WBZ was a great radio station, was I ever wrong. SHAME ON YOU.

Mebane, North Carolina

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Comments

I think what ticked most people off more than anything was the fact that
1) they never formally announced it to listeners or let Steve do it himself (I don't think they even have announced anything yet), and
2) they did it while he was on a scheduled vacation. I happened to be listening the night when the rumors started swirling, and listeners were livid at both of these facts.

I've gotta say that I'm not as obsessed with Steve as many of the above listeners, but I do agree that he was a valuable local voice. And if he apparently meant as much to listeners as the e-mails indicate, BZ would've been wise to at least make some sort of formal announcement.

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(mail that I just sent to WBZ's e-mail address)

I am a former WBZ (LeVeille, Brudnoy, Raleigh, Sullivan, Rea) listener.

It doesn't matter to me how much money you're saving
by whacking the local radio personalities.

I have no interest in the radio equivalent of McDonald's.
You're wasting a 50,000 watt signal. What's the point
of a signal that reaches places that are already getting
this syndicated junk on their local stations?

Let's hope that Bernie & Phyl's, Bill Shay's, Lee Volvo and the
other WBZ sponsors put their money elsewhere. You can
go full time with "Purity Products" and colon spackle ads for
all that I care.

Bye.

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I was shocked at the unprofessional way wbz let Steve Leveille go. They are sinking to new levels . It was once a proud station but they have shot themselves in the foot over and over again. They blame it on the internet but it is there own misguided managment which is causing it to bleed red. The general manager is the one who should be fired. Who wants to listen to someone thousands of miles away late at night. I have removed the Wbz preset buttons from all radios and will never listen to wbz again. Does anyone know of any late night talk shows on the internet which is based in boston? Dan B

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WBZ,

You've been a staple in my life for 35 years and like other station icons in Boston (WHDH, WRKO, WEEI, etc.) you had great influence in inspiring me to pursue a broadcast career.

I've worked in television and radio for more than 20 years, including many years with Steve Leveille at another outfit. We worked side by side and I served as his director and producer on various programs.

To unceremoniously let him go is simply unprofessional and disrespectful.

However, more than that, WBZ's apparent failure or unwillingness to recognize Steve's quality, professionalism, and value to the station and its listeners is astounding. What a loss for the station and for New England.

Unfortunately, in what appears to be an effort to save money will only result in the loss of many, many loyal listeners to WBZ--myself included--patronage to WBZ sponsors, but most of all, the silencing of a great personality.

I'm shocked and frustrated that WBZ couldn't find a way to keep Steve, recognizing the importance of what he does, his unique style, and the value he adds to the New England radio landscape.

In this day and age of syndication and 'one size fits all' radio, BZ was a standout--adhering to a sense of tradition as well as the recognition that local talent engenders a loyal listenership....not only to BZ but to its sponsors as well.

Dave

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What a huge mistake WBZ has just made. As a former Bostonian, I still was listening to Steve from my home in St Louis. No one was better than Steve especially on the night shift. And on a personal note, having worked with Steve many MANY year ago, he's not only talented but a great guy. WBZs loss will surely be another stations gain!

VW

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New broadcasters are needed with new ideas and skill with new technologies. Call in talk radio has been moderated by empty headed types.

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What were you thinking??? I came home after spending the holidays in NH (where I could not get BZ) and looked forward to settling in with Steve LeVeille. Instead, there was this insipid,, young talk show host covering several subjects without the depth needed and wanted by Boston listeners. His retort when someone brought up that Steve will be missed, was something like well, I hope you’ll change your mind and join us. “It’s about growing the family!!!” Might have done that if Steve had been given the job.

Shame on you, BZ. We, your night time listeners, deserve better. We’ve supported you all these years and what do we get in return…..a gutless station that doesn’t even acknowledge what they’ve done. Maybe you realize it’s a mistake already? Steve comes back, I’ll come back. There are plenty of stations that give the news, traffice, and weather. They’ll get my business.

Folks besides complaining to the station, try the sponsors. They don’t want to waste money!!!

Good luck, Steve. May you find a local position so that we can listen to you. Please update us on radiosteve.com. God bless.

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Whether others have noticed or not RadioSteve.com is no longer accessible. I found this out on 1/2/09. Interestingly Steve made a comment about this to Rob his producer in his last hour on 12/30/08. He said there was direct link from his picture on teh WBS site to his site. He wondered if it had been pirated. Sure looks like that is what happened to further silence him.

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I don't know why, but I had noticed that RadioSteve.com was gone months before the 'BZ axe fell.

His website is still up, but the URL is http://www.geocities.com/~radiosteve/.

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I was shocked this morning to learn about BZ getting rid of Steve LeVeille. I sent the station an e-mail telling them that not only would I never listen to the station again, but I would also contact the stations sponsors and tell them that I would never buy or use their products as long as they sponsor BZ.What a classless organization. I hope enough people complain and we get him back!

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to get rid of Steve Leveille! I loved listening to his quirky, funny and informative show even though it's
on when I'm supposed to be sleeping. The Broadcast featured such a variety of topics ranging from serious to funny to bizarre to down-home. I knew it
was too good to last. The only reason I listen to WBZ is for Steve, Jordan, and Morgan White, not to mention the regular callers like Generosa,
Claudio, Glenn, etc.... . I wish they would put Steve on in the evening instead of Dan Rea.

Please reconsider - BRING BACK STEVE!!!!!

If not, I'll be cancelling my subscription to Carbonite, and I won't be
eating at the Mount Vernon restaurant anymore...nor will I be buying anymore
of that colon cleansing stuff you advertise, so I guess I'll be full of
spackle and paste just like the program directors at WBZ

I might just listen to Jordan and Morgan on weekends.... but
without Steve during the week I'll probably find something more interesting to listen to on the internet, and forget all about WBZ on the radio - since we don't have any good talk radio shows on in RI either, just more of the same syndicated crap that WBZ is now subscribing to.

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WBZ is owned by CBS. CBS is owned primarily by Sumner Redstone, who lives just a few miles from WBZ, at 98 Baldpate Hill Road in Newton 02459.

So if Steve Leveille's fans (and Lovell Dyett's, for that matter) want to stage a loud and public media event and deliver lots of petitions to someone local who might react to them .....

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I've already changed my radio settings. I've written several times to WBZ and CBS Radio, as well as some of WBZ's overnight sponsors, who just might want to know how we all feel. I contacted Farrell Volvo (farrellvolvo.com), the Law Offices of Spano & Dawicki (caringlaw.com), Kantrovitz & Associates (masswc.com), and Jordan's Furniture (jordansfurniture.com)-- there's contact info at each of those websites. If WBZ and CBS only care about the money, maybe going directly to the sponsors will get their attention. What other local businesses sponsor the overnight show?

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We've launched a petition to bring back Steve Leveille. Please sign! http://www.bringbacksteve.com

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Please visit the following website to join a barrage of emails to WBZ and their advertisers letting them know how we feel about Steve's departure.

www.bringbacksteve.com

Thanks!

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As a long time listener to WBZ overnight--since the days of Larry Glick--
I am very disappointed with the recent change from the Steve LeVeille
broadcast to some generic talk show from Missouri. I always thought of
WBZ as the class of radio stations. This is very disappointing. It throws
away decades of listener loyalty. I hope sponsors take notice. Maybe
the suits who made this bad decision will wise up if they take an
economic hit.

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I completely agree with all the above. I checked out the new guy. It's torturous, hyper, phonily upbeat, noisy, monotonous yelling. No thank you!

We need the quality and style that only local flavor can bring. How can the advertisers not bail now?

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WBZ radio has a listener survey up at:
http://www.srvy.net/x/1.p?14686794916729479922

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Jessica Heslam at the Herald posts some comments from Leveille.

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Dear Steve,

I will miss you as if I had lost a friend. I am sorry that your absence was so abrupt--it was very disturbing and sudden. Thank you for all the nice moments and best of luck in your next position wherever it might be.

Regards, Vicky

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normally i would feel badly but, I tried to participate in his program only to be treated badly.
if he had the guts to tell me why he disliked me i would have respected him but, he chose to play his game of always not acknowledging me by name and I do not feel i was anything negative to the show.
only not one of his "cronies"..
I listen now from Kremenchug, Ukraine and liked the hours he was on the radio which here is from 7am to noon.
I will have no trouble listening to another host at all.
Good bye Steve and i'm sure many will miss you but, I'm not one of them.............
Art..... Rockport, Maine and Kremenchug, Ukraine

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I won't be listening to canned radio.
I miss Steve a lot, but now I'm sleeping! I guess that's the only upside.

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Mr. Ted Jordan,
As a frequent listener to your radio station day and night. I am very disappointed in the recent lay off of Mr. Steve Laveille. Syndicated talk shows will not replace local and live talk show hosts. Mr Rae's rebroadcasts will not replace live and local talk show hosts. Mr Laveille had a large following. I listened to him on my way home from work each night and he will be missed. I will start listening to my CD player now instead of 'BZ. I will use my cell phone for traffic updates instead of "traffic on the threes". I will use other technology for my weather updates.

Disappointed listener

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I am very disappointed to learn that Steve Leveille's Overnight Radio Show was pulled from WBZ Airwaves for a syndicated meaningless show Called Overnight America.

CBS Radio must be really hard up or something these days they did the same thing in Hartford CT yanking the Popular Colin McEnroe who was on from 3-6 PM who worked for WTIC AM for 16 years.

I think Steve should consider moving to Connecticut and doing a similar type of talk show that he did at WBZ.

It was a good mix of politics,news, trivia and other items.

WBZ did a disjustice to Steve and all the others. They(the suits) will say we had to do it for money and economic reasons. Us(the dungarees) the listeners say BULLS***.

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It is so depressing late night radio now. I am boycotting WBZ radio and TV until they bring Steve back.

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Mr. Jordan, Steve and WBZ,

THANK YOU!!!
Thank you for bringing back Steve!
I have returned to 'BZ
So happy to hear "Good Evening and Good Morning" on my ride home from work. Welcome back Steve!

Thanks again,
'no longer a "Disappointed listener"'

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Good News!

(From WBZ) Steve LeVeille and Lovell Dyett to return to WBZ

http://wbz.com/Steve-LeVeille-and-Lovell-Dyett-to-...

(From The Boston Herald) WBZ brings back Steve LeVeille, Lovell Dyett

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20...

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from the Herald article:

Dyett - whose longtime Saturday night slot was filled with paid programming - will now host a pre-recorded half-hour program airing Sundays at 4:30 a.m.

Why can't he have his Saturday night (or Sunday night) slot back? Who's going to listen to him at 4:30 am on a Sunday?

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My 401K is down, the weather is lousy, but....LeVeille will be back on the air! As someone who, since the age of 15, has "gone to bed" with folks like Larry Glick ("The Orangatun Story") I am thrilled that BZ is going back to a local host. I can already get Overnight America on 10+ stations and Coast to Coast on 15+ stations...I didn't need another generic talk show to gently put me to sleep at night. Lookin' forward to hearing JennaRosa shortly before 5:00.

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