Howie Carr Always Has an Opinion - Now It's About His Own 'Indentured Servitude'

Howie Carr Always Has an Opinion - Now It's About His Own 'Indentured Servitude'

Declaratory Judgment Filed in Court Today

BOSTON, July 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning talk show host Howie Carr is never at loss for an opinion. In this case, he has a strong opinion about his contract with Entercom Boston, LLC, owner of WRKO radio where Carr's top-rated show is heard every weekday from 3:00-7:00 p.m. Carr and his lawyer claim that a provision in Carr's contract preventing him from working elsewhere in the marketplace is not enforceable under Massachusetts law.

"Entercom is willing to negotiate my contract -- as long as the bottom line means keeping me as a virtual indentured servant," said Carr. "My lawyer suggested I not talk about this. What does he think, that I might say something controversial?"

Carr's multi-year contract with the station expires in September. Entercom had the option to extend Carr's employment agreement for one additional year, through September 19, 2008. However, they had to exercise that renewal option by merely providing Carr with written notice on or before March 19, 2007. Two days before the renewal option was due to expire, on March 17, 2007, Entercom asked Carr to sign a one week extension of the option. Carr not only signed that, but granted Entercom two additional extensions. Despite being given three opportunities, Entercom did not meet its renewal obligation.

By the time serious negotiations with Entercom began, Carr had already explored other options. Indeed he has received an offer from Greater Boston Radio Inc. to host the morning show on WTKK 96.9 FM Talk and expects to be able to begin there on October 1, 2007.

"I've wanted to be on FM for a long time and being on in the mornings is the greatest challenge in radio," said Carr. "I plan to bring fast paced, 'felon-free' entertainment to morning drive. This was just a better opportunity all around for me at this time."

"The clauses in Howie's contract which attempt to prevent him from working elsewhere in the marketplace -- virtually indefinitely -- are clearly a violation of Massachusetts law," said Bret A. Cohen of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., Carr's attorney. "There is a statute regarding covenants not to compete for employees in the broadcasting industry that says such covenants are 'void and unenforceable'. Therefore, we have filed a declaratory judgment in Suffolk Superior court today, seeking to allow Howie to essentially become a free agent and accept the Greater Boston Radio Inc. offer."

Carr hosts an afternoon radio show on Boston's WRKO, which is a four-hour national program that discusses headlines and politics. His show is syndicated on seven other radio stations in six states. Carr also writes an award-winning column for the Boston Herald. He has won various honors including the National Magazine Award, for essays and criticism and has been nominated for an Emmy Award. He is also the author of a book, 'The Brothers Bulger,' which spent 11 weeks on the New York Times non-fiction best seller list in 2006-07. He was a Boston City Hall Reporter for the Herald, and later worked as the paper's State House Bureau Chief. He worked as a political reporter for Channel 7, and as a reporter/columnist for Channels 2 and 56, all in Boston.

Carr added, "I look forward to my current listeners, and many new ones, joining me at a different place on the dial where we can discuss indentured servitude and other topical issues of the day!"

Source: ML Strategies, LLC

CONTACT: Nancy J. Sterling, APR of ML Strategies, LLC, +1-617-348-1811,
njsterling@mlstrategies.com

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