By David Scott
Boston Sports Media Watch

As the “Dennis & Callahan” non-lockout, lockout reaches its second day, there are rumblings about ticked off advertisers who will be (or have been) inquiring about refunds or make-goods on their “D&C” ad buys.

“No one wants to be paying premium rates to be on with the bozos Jason Wolfe is bringing in from 6 to 10 a.m.,” said a long-time observer of the Boston media wars.

Nor should any advertiser have to - especially when the Wolfe-designated B-Teams are made up of unlistenable oafs with no talent to speak of.

On Monday, Craig Mustard and Larry Johnson filled in, while the expected Tuesday crew for the WEEI 850 AM morning drive show will feature the voice of the Providence Friars John Rooke teamed with the putrid radio personality of Johnson.

Sources close to the Dennis and Callahan confirmed to Shots that no discussions took place on Monday between Entercom and the morning duo and neither side attempted to make contact with the other. We’re not able to confrim whether we can expect another winning one-liner from the Entercom mouthpiece, George Regan of Regan Communications, who seems to be having a whole lot of fun while his client continues to look foolish for creating a distraction to a potential $3 million charitable endeavor.

The increasing sentiment within the New Balance Building is that D&C are gone for good and that possible replacement line-ups are already being discussed - at least amongst the worker bees.

• ”Pop-up John Dennis” (a creation of Rovion) is still, as late as Monday night at 10:40 p.m., appearing on the WEEI.com website to promote the Radio Telethon. However, it is believed that the radio portion’s line-up is being re-configured with Dale Arnold and Michael Holley filling what would be the D&C hours.

UPDATED, 4:05 a.m. Tuesday: A supposed news release on the radio telethon was alleged to have been circulated on Monday with no mention of Dennis and Callahan’s participation in the event. Somehow (dripping with sarcasm), Shots was not on that release’s email list (but we’re guessing it’s where the Globe’s Tuesday’s “Names” column derived its celebrity news about the event).

• The Big Show’s Monday Whiner Line (and Callahan/Arnold crossover battle intro) had a heavy-D&C flavor to it and the show featured one of the more surreal moments in radio history when Frothing Fred Smerlas asked aloud how someone like Craig Mustard can be on radio. The only better question would have been how Smerlas, Steve DeAwful DeOssie and Pete Meat Sheppard can continue to be on-air.

Up-for-renewal next year, Glenn Ordway seemed to be particularly enjoying the brouhaha over the morning crew’s front-of-the-Herald intrigue.

• So, the logical next question would be this: Isn’t this the same outfit that brought us the Mike Adams Locks Himself In the Studio Until He Gets His Contract stunt?

Well, yes. It is.

But this one, as we are learning, could affect advertisers (unlike the one-night gimmick pulled by the zany Adams). Not to mention it is taking attention away from the most serious of days at the station, the Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon, scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

This has all the makings of an ugly divorce which could be intensified all the more if D&C were ever to land at a direct competitor - most likely the regional all-sports talk station that Shots discussed late last week.

• We will admit that we totally underesteimated the appeal and intrigue that WEEI is able to generate with a story like this. For Shots, Monday marked the single highest non-Deadpsin-linked day of traffic in at least two years.

• Rooke, by the way, is already part of the ‘EEI family, as Kevin McNamara of the ProJo explained a couple of weeks back. The Friars pick-up is one of the few recent Wolfe moves that the Entercom poobahs should actually be happy with him about.

• No idea what this entry is trying to say OR what the quote meant OR if it ever was included in a version of the Herald story, but it is an off-shoot of this whole matter, so we link it for your convenience and perusal.

• Not sure what the Globe and its crack sports media staff has been able to dig up for Day Two of the D&C Lockout, but we are told to expect a follow-up in the Herald, potentially with Gerry Callahan comments included.

UPDATED, 4:05 a.m., Tuesday - The Tuesday Herald confirms what Shots is hearing about angry ‘EEI advertisers. The story goes as far as to name three major and one minor advertisers that are “monitoring” the situation, according to those sponsor’s media buying representative.

The Globe follows up Monday’s no-show on the ‘EEI situation with virtually no advancement of the story in this lame attempt by supposed sports media writer, Susan Bickelhaupt. [You may also, notice what the "hot searches" box at the boston.com home page has as the No. 4 search (at least when we last checked) - WEEI. Too bad the Globe is so late to the story that the link sends users to directly to the Herald!]

(Please save your “Leave Susan alone. . .” emails for another day. This is obviously a worthy story based on D&C’s popularity and the rival paper’s placement of the story on Monday’s Page One. If Bickelhaupt isn’t equipped to cover said story, then it is the Globe’s own damn fault for not passing it along to someone who could do the developing matter justice. It may very well be that it’s not Bickelhaupt’s fault she’s so far behind on the story, but that doesn’t let her paper off the hook by a long shot. None of this would have happened if spectacular Sasha Talcott were still kicking around Morrissey Boulevard!)

• We’ll keep tracking the story, so be sure to check back often either here or at Bruce’s front page.

David Scott writes from a seaside shanty on the shores of Hull, Mass. and can be reached at: shotsATbostonsportsmediaDOTcom

You can listen to Scott every Saturday morning from 9 to 11 a.m. as he co-hosts the Boston Sports Review Show on ESPN Radio 890 AM with ESPN’s All-Sports Reporter, Mike Salk.