At around 10 o’clock last night, Gerry Callahan sent out 10 consecutive tweets about leaving WEEI, thanking specific people, and what played a big role in his departure.

“1) Well, if I had known I was gonna be this popular, I would have gotten my ass fired a long time ago. Can’t complain though: 35 years in radio, newspapers and magazines and my first time getting the axe. I’m just glad they gave me the last seven weeks of the summer off.” 

“2) If anyone from Entercom management had called, I would have thanked them. Maybe tomorrow. I wish I could thank everyone individually who reached out, but I don’t think that’s possible. At last check, more than 3,500 of you have texted, tweeted, emailed or called.”

“3) I appreciate all of you, believe me, but I want to single out a few people tonight. As many of you know, Kirk Minihane and I are done at EEI primarily because of one angry, obsessed, liberal activist who never stopped harassing our advertisers. He had some help from the Globe.” (Upcoming articles will explain this story line.) 

“4) They won in the end, but many companies stood by us and never gave in. I appreciate them more than they’ll ever know. These are people with guts and integrity who deserve your business. If you work for one of these companies, consider yourself lucky. We should all be so lucky.”

“5) I have to start with a man I’ve never met but adore: Ely Kaplansky of Kaplansky Insurance was the first to tell the activist to f**k off. Many others were loyal and strong, including my good friends Dana and Bill from Milton’s, Steve and Mark from DiStefano Hair Restoration,”

“6) and the great Jon Walsh, owner of Liz Grady. And don’t forget Greg from Shea Concrete, the best damn precast company on the planet. There are others – and I will salute them in the days to come – but these people were literally harassed DAILY for the better part of two years.”

“7) They stood strong and I can never thank them enough. Kirk, Mut and I had the two best producers in radio, Chris Curtis and Ken Laird. We had some terrific colleagues, including OMF guys, and we had thousands of loyal listeners, callers, texters, and tweeters. Thanks all”

“8) It was a good run, but these are scary times in the media business. One relentless activist with the help of one alleged media outlet can do a lot of damage. You need a strong and supportive boss who will fight for you, or you need a news job. I need a job.”

“9) I’ll be fine. I watched as my father got the boot from Raytheon after 40 years. I know it absolutely killed him – he loved that company – but he never stopped smiling, never stopped counting his blessings. It was a job. There were more important things in life”

“10) He was a better man and a harder worker than I’ll ever be, and two weeks after he was laid off, he was out roofing houses. I don’t think I’ll do that, but I’ll do something. I’m not going away. I heard Shea Concrete is hiring. Damn good company too.” 

Photo from The Boston Herald

Story by Chad Jones

Follow Chad on Twitter @shutupchadjones

Former and current Boston personalities gave their thoughts on Gerry Callahan’s exit from WEEI.

Kirk Minihane, Callahan’s former WEEI co-host, was very opinionated on Callahan’s departure. His first tweet was, “This is all on Entercom. They let Bob Murchison call the shots. A Disgrace. Shameful. I’ve been unfair to Gerry the last few months for sure — misplaced anger. This is just bulls**t.” (Future articles to come about what all this means.)

John Dennis, Callahan’s first full time co-host on WEEI, tweeted, “When Gerry and I were good, we were very good. Loved sharing Boston’s amazing events w/ALL of you– Championships, parades, scandals, all of it tempered by 9-11 & the Marathon Bombings. We got thru it together. But the broadcasting biz lets very few of us walk away on our own terms.”

Mike “Mut” Mutnansky, Callahan’s most recent co-host, had a flurry of tweets regarding Callahan leaving. Mut first tweeted, “Found out the news about @GerryCallahan this AM. I loved working with Gerry. His fearlessness. (Gerry’s) allergic/ honest reaction to boring radio. His honesty. (Gerry’s) ability to get the most from his co-hosts and guests. His efforts for The Jimmy Fund. All of it.”

Alex Reimer, WEEI host and columnist tweeted, “@GerryCallahan is a legend and I love the guy. Don’t @ me.” 

Reimer also posted, “I have had several ICE COLD BEERS and feel sentimental. @GerryCallahan and @kirkmin hosted a No. 1 morning show and gave a weird 20-something with a screechy voice a seat at the table. They supported me and didn’t give a s**t about mean texts. They are the best. Today sucks.”

Lou Merloni, co-host of WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria”, tweeted, “What happened yesterday to @GerryCallahan sucks. He hasn’t lost a step and is still as entertaining as ever. Sometimes doing your job well isn’t enough. He certainly did. Outside influences shouldn’t be the reason why people lose their jobs, but that’s not realistic these days.” 

Dale Arnold, longtime WEEI personality and current co-host of “Dale and Keefe” posted on Twitter, “Found out yesterday afternoon about the departure of @GerryCallahan from @WEEI. Have been friends with Gerry for 20 years and have always valued his passion and enthusiasm for our business. I feel confident we haven’t heard the last from him. I certainly hope not.” 9

Also noteworthy is that a couple 98.5 The Sports Hub hosts shared their opinions on Callahan leaving their main competition.

Scott Zolak, co-host of 98.5’s “Zolak and Bertrand”, tweeted, “Saying this once. @GerryCallahan made me listen to sports radio for years when I played. Talked to many, his departure was handled as an embarrassment. He worked for the competitor but man did I respect him. He will be fine.” 

Jim Murray, co-host of 98.5’s “Felger and Mazz”, posted on Twitter, “Love em or hate him, the guy’s a New England institution and deserved better and was nice to me in my in my few interactions I’ve had with him. Unfortunately serves as an example of how cold the business can be. We’re all just cattle waiting to get it through the skull.”

Moreover, many other media members shared their thoughts, including Callahan’s most recent producers Ken Laird and Chris Curtis. Veteran Boston personalities John Tomase, and Steve Buckley tweeted as well. Lastly, Lisa Scherber of The Jimmy Fund also posted about Callahan on twitter.

In addition to social media posts, long time WEEI host Glen Ordway had this to say about Callahan leaving and what he has meant to the station. Alex Reimer, Jermaine Wiggins, and Rob Bradford also discussed Callahan’s talent, legacy, and departure.