Rob ‘Hardy’ Poole headed to Sports Hub morning show alongside Fred Toucher
The Sports Hub will name Rob “Hardy” Poole as the new co-host on its morning show, joining Fred Toucher. The announcement is expected to come as soon as Tuesday morning, with the program debuting early in the new year.
Hardy, who has worked in Boston radio for more than 25 years, has been at 98.5 FM since it launched in August 2009, including as the third voice on the midday “Zolak and Bertrand Show.” Like Toucher and his former co-host Rich Shertenlieb, he moved to The Sports Hub from rock radio station WBCN, which was shut down that same August.
The spot on the highly-rated morning show opened up in November when Shertenlieb and the station abruptly parted ways. Toucher and Shertenlieb had worked together to great success since 2006 in the Boston market, but tensions had been percolating for months.
Earlier in November, Toucher signed a contract extension, but Shertenlieb did not, an ominous sign given they had negotiated their deals as a tandem in the past. Since departing, Shertenlieb has not revealed his next career move, though he does have a website in the works, heyrichhey.com
The Sports Hub has spent the last few weeks generating curiosity and content about who might replace Shertenlieb in the coveted morning-drive role. But Hardy, a gifted producer whose dry sense of humor seemed an obvious fit with Toucher, was the frontrunner all along.
On Instagram, Toucher teased a 9 a.m. announcement on Tuesday’s show, but did not specify the subject.
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