WBZ-FM taps Rob 'Hardy' Poole as morning co-host

Boston's WBZ-FM has chosen Rob "Hardy" Poole "to be Fred Toucher's co-host on the station's morning show," replacing Rich Shertenlieb. Toucher made the announcement on air today, stating that Hardy "was the one person he most wanted to be his co-host" after learning that Shertenlieb "might not sign a new contract." Shertenlieb left the show in early November. Hardy will start on the morning show on Jan. 4. He's been the third voice on the midday show, "Zolak & Bertrand," and he's "worked at the station since it launched in 2009" (CBSNEWS.com, 12/19).

WBZ-FM 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" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/18).