Boston sports fans are getting a rare treat: a peek behind the curtain with some of the region’s most iconic sports journalists. A new YouTube channel, Front Row to Boston Sports, launched recently, offering fresh stories and familiar tales from those who lived them.
The channel features legendary former sports anchors Mike Lynch (Channel 5) and Bob Lobel (Channel 4), alongside Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy and former Globe columnist Bob Ryan. They’re sharing funny, heartfelt, and illuminating stories from their careers, both on-air and behind the scenes.
The project was conceived by Peter Brown, a former news director at Channel 4, where he worked for 22 years before transitioning to public affairs and communications. “You come from a news background, you’re always thinking about what’s the best way to tell a story,” Brown said. “What better story is there to tell than those about Boston sports? Everyone who is from here or has lived here is in some degree a fan. I thought a look back at some great moments and some behind-the-scenes details that only the most plugged-in reporters would know would be a fun thing to do.”
Brown enlisted Alan Miller, a former sports producer at Channel 4 who collaborated with Brown during the station’s peak in the 1980s and 90s. Miller, who later worked at the Globe and Channel 7 before retiring in May 2024, is a well-respected figure in Boston sports media, known for his extensive network and trustworthiness.
Miller immediately saw the potential and reached out to his friends, Bob Lobel, Mike Lynch, Dan Shaughnessy, and Bob Ryan, all of whom quickly agreed to participate. “We basically said, just tell us your best stories,” Miller explained. “We wanted the stories that maybe you couldn’t tell on TV or in the newspaper, but the ones you might have told your buddies at the bar. The ones about what people are really like and what gets said behind the scenes. The ones about relationships. These were the four perfect guys to tell those.”
As of December 20, 2025, the channel features eight clips, ranging from just over three minutes (Ryan discussing his top five all-time Celtics) to 13 minutes (Shaughnessy sharing stories about Terry Francona). Lobel shares an emotional recollection of Ted Williams, while Lynch offers insights into Bill Belichick’s candid moments during their “Bellistrator” segments.
Brown and Miller plan to release a few new clips each week, having amassed a catalog of 30 clips over the past year.
Miller also noted a concern that drove the project: the potential loss of institutional knowledge about Boston sports due to changes in the media landscape. “When I was at Channel 7, John Havlicek died, and I think there were about three people in the newsroom who knew how John Havlicek was,” he said. “It’s not their fault, a lot of them are 20-something kids and half of them are from out of town. But there can be a real lack of knowledge about the past. And Boston sports, as you know, has an amazing past. You’d like the legacy and the memories to stay alive.”
Patriots Ratings Surge
Unsurprisingly, television ratings for Patriots games have increased this season alongside the team’s improved performance. But the numbers are particularly striking, mirroring levels not seen since the end of Tom Brady’s tenure in New England six years ago.
Last Sunday’s 35-31 loss to the Bills, broadcast on CBS at 1 p.m., achieved a 31.4 household rating and a 78 share in Boston. This household rating—the percentage of households in a defined area tuned into a program—is the highest for any Patriots game on any network since the regular season finale against the Dolphins in 2021, which was also the Patriots’ last playoff season.
The 78 share—the percentage of households with televisions in use—recalls the viewership numbers during the Patriots’ dynasty years. In 2018, their most recent Super Bowl-winning season, the Patriots averaged a 35.3 household rating and a 66 share.
Nine of the Patriots’ 14 games this season have aired on CBS, averaging a 25.7 household rating and a 73 share, a 35 percent increase compared to the same point last year (19.0/59). Overall, last Sunday’s 1 p.m. slot—which also included the Chargers-Chiefs game—drew an average of 18.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched regional window on any network in 37 years.
