By David Scott
Boston Sports Media Watch

The occupants at Suite 200 of the Schrafft Building are starting to see more signs of the demise of the S.S. Tang as the ESPN Radio Boston (890 AM) director of sales was dumped on Monday.

Staffers were told Neil Kelleher was let go and no specifics on a replacement were discussed, according to several 890 moles. He was “laid off and not fired,” said one 890 employee, in an unsolicited email to Shots: “(We’ve) turned the corner onto 1510′s street, we haven’t parked yet, but we are on their street,” said the insider, echoing Mercury Morris during the past NFL season.

“. . . (D)ays are numbered now,” said the staffer.

Last November, 890′s VP of Business Development Mike Winn left the station. Kelleher’s departure would appear to leave a void of leadership at the top of the sales staff.

It would also seem likely that with no replacements on the horizon and a reported April-expiring lease at the Scrafft Building, 890 could very well be on life-support and hoping for a miracle-deal to save the station by the end of the next quarter. Options that still exist for the Tang Gang are a complete pulling of the plug; a buyout by Big Daddy Disney; or the continuation and slow death with a skeletal staff and minimal resources. It is clear that if an outside buyer were going to be involved, they would have emerged by now.

The station’s Main Attraction, Mike Felger, is on a Belichickian deal with the station (meaning he doesn’t discuss it and everyone seems to be guessing as to when he’s up for renewal). The rest of the staff on-air staff (Kevin Winter and Mike Salk) is not believed to be under any kind of long term agreements with J Sports. Production and sales staff are not contracted employees – many are hourly-wage earners.

. . . Oh, and that deep belly laugh you hear is emanating from the Entercom offices at the New Balance Building. “Another one bites the dust,” goes the tune.

It may even sound eerily similar to a Wolfe’s howl.

. . . Sort of shame too, because Felger and Salk are coming off a pretty strong week at Spring Training that had lifted some Team Tang spirits, but the loss of the sales boss can never bode well for a company. Especially not in this radio business climate.