GBH & CRB Drop the W !

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Legally the stations will still be required to use the full set of call letters for TOH ID. There is no requirement to use government-imposed call letters as a station's marketing brand. That's what's at issue here. As others have pointed out, lots of stations have adopted other brands that aren't strictly the call letters.

This is nothing new. What I find different is the company is saying they are "digital-first." I'm surprised there haven't been any comments about that.

https://www.pbs.org/digital-studios/

I don't think that's shocking at this point though for local media outlets to emphasize digital first given that PBS affiliates like KQED and others have been doing shows for PBS Digital Studios for some time though.

 

[joebtsflk1]

With a "digital-first" philosophy, how will some of the more pledge-week-happy PBS outlets be able to assault viewers with specials like "Drain Wealth, Get Brain Health!" ?

 

[channel99]

It's not really clear what the new identities will do for them. They are still based on the call letters, just without the "W". Those call letters are based on "old-fashioned" stuff that many stations now prefer to hide...

"GBH" for Great Blue Hill, where the FM transmitter is currently located, and the Ch 2 analog transmitter was originally.

"CRB" for Charles River Broadcasting, the business name created in 1950 for the original AM (!) station. FM was added a few years later.

 

[spt87]

It's just bored managers making up something to do. The old branding - new branding. Who cares. Dropping the W is such a minor tweak the public will hardly notice anything.

If WGBH started playing alternative rock that would be a big change - the same old droning of NPR like a SNL spoof will continue though.

 

[CTListener]

If WGBH started playing alternative rock that would be a big change

Sure would. The audience would be cut in half and the donations would dry up. Too-cool-for-the-room college hipsters and slackers playing online games in mom's basement don't even have wallets to open for donations.

 

[spt87]

Haha, true enough.

Maybe my point was lost but WGBH or GBH people know what it is - online/FM/TV, whatever. The call letters have a strong identity in the market with or without the W. A real branding change would be call it NPR Boston but it wouldn't matter. People who like that programming already know where to find it.

 

[TheBigA]

People who like that programming already know where to find it.

Yep...WBUR

 

[CTListener]

Haha, true enough.

Maybe my point was lost but WGBH or GBH people know what it is - online/FM/TV, whatever. The call letters have a strong identity in the market with or without the W. A real branding change would be call it NPR Boston but it wouldn't matter. People who like that programming already know where to find it.

Meanwhile, out in western Massachusetts, WFCR Amherst is increasing its use of "NEPM" instead of its call letters. That stands for New England Public Media, a joint venture of WFCR and Springfield's PBS TV station, WGBY. Until they joined forces, WFCR used NEPR (New England Public Radio) in addition to its call letters. "NEPM" doesn't sound quite right to these ears; radio networks ought to end in R or N, dammit.

 

[nowradioguy]

Haha, true enough.

Maybe my point was lost but WGBH or GBH people know what it is - online/FM/TV, whatever. The call letters have a strong identity in the market with or without the W. A real branding change would be call it NPR Boston but it wouldn't matter. People who like that programming already know where to find it.

Yeah, sure.

Anyone remember "CBS4NewEngland"? Went over really big. NOT!!! Someone at Channel 4 bucked the CBS directive and changed branding back to WBZ-TV.

And most of us are good with that.

 

[CTListener]

Yeah, sure
Anyone remember "CBS4NewEngland"? Went over really big. NOT!!! Someone at Channel 4 bucked the CBS directive and changed branding back to WBZ-TV.

And most of us are good with that.

Do you know that's what happened or is that just pure speculation on how the events went down? Was the rebranding really hurting WBZ-TV so badly that the top brass there disobeyed a company directive? Were advertisers actually canceling their accounts because three letters weren't being mentioned anymore?

 

[Delete My Account]

Sure would. The audience would be cut in half and the donations would dry up. Too-cool-for-the-room college hipsters and slackers playing online games in mom's basement don't even have wallets to open for donations.

A stereotype not based in reality. As proven by KCMP "The Current" in Minneapolis, which hit a 5 back in June and is currently at 4.4. I've been amazed by the non hipster, older demographics who love that station. But keep grinding that axe.

 

[raccoonradio]

>>had a talent who always said "Dub-ya

classic country station KTFW in Dallas-Ft Worth area has liked to say K-T-F-Dubya

Eddie Andleman:"you're next on dabba-you
HDH..." years ago

 

[Wimmmex]

Was the rebranding really hurting WBZ-TV so badly that the top brass there disobeyed a company directive? Were advertisers actually canceling their accounts because three letters weren't being mentioned anymore?

From what I understand, after the "CBS4" edict, there were ongoing discussions back and forth with corporate, with the local management making the case on the value of, and why they should retain the WBZ branding. Eventually corporate folks acceded.

 

[Kemosabe]

From what I understand, after the "CBS4" edict, there were ongoing discussions back and forth with corporate, with the local management making the case on the value of, and why they should retain the WBZ branding. Eventually corporate folks acceded.

Apparently the corporate folk also recognized the value of the heritage calls in the branding of the erstwhile Westinghouse stations, videlicet, KPIX 5, WJZ 13 (both of the foregoing retain their numeric Group W font), and KDKA 2.

 

[nowradioguy]

Do you know that's what happened or is that just pure speculation on how the events went down? Was the rebranding really hurting WBZ-TV so badly that the top brass there disobeyed a company directive? Were advertisers actually canceling their accounts because three letters weren't being mentioned anymore?

O you of little faith!

Story in the BGlobe just before the CBS4NewEngland branding was dropped was that the new incoming GM for Channel 4 said to the cab driver who picked him up at Logan Airport, "Take me to CBS4NewEngland, please." And the cab driver responded, "Say, whatever happened to WBZ-TV anyway? Those call letters are legendary!"

In same article, the story goes, at awards banquets held during the CBS4NewEngland days, personnel from competing TV stations were alleged to have said to the Channel 4 people sitting at a nearby table, "Hey, if you don't want those call letters, we'll take 'em!"

 

[CTListener]

Story in the BGlobe just before the CBS4NewEngland branding was dropped was that the new incoming GM for Channel 4 said to the cab driver who picked him up at Logan Airport, "Take me to CBS4NewEngland, please." And the cab driver responded, "Say, whatever happened to WBZ-TV anyway? Those call letters are legendary!"

That "conversation" doesn't pass the sniff test. Was a Globe reporter in that cab? What are the chances that a "new incoming GM" (as opposed to an old incoming GM?) would use a brand rather than a well-known set of call letters when telling a cab driver to take him to "WBZ" or to "1170 Soldiers Field Road"? What are the chances of a cabbie coming up with anything other "Huh?" in response to his passenger's request or ever uttering a geeky statement like "Those call letters are legendary!"? Or that a VIP like a station's new general manager would be hailing a cab instead of being picked up at Logan by someone from the station or getting into the rental car that corporate had arranged to be there for him? If you can find this story, I'd love to give it a closer look. Your description reads like fan fiction.

 

[KEXPSD]

Or they used to be OTA but now aren't but kept the calls anyway. Either way, that's always irked me (I see more fake calls in TV than radio, but either way, it kind of annoys me).

 

[davideduardo]

Or they used to be OTA but now aren't but kept the calls anyway. Either way, that's always irked me (I see more fake calls in TV than radio, but either way, it kind of annoys me).

CBS, NBC and ABC are "Fake Calls". So is, for that matter, "CVS" Pharmacy or "A&W" Rootbeer.

A station or a stream can name itself by any initials it wants to. If the station is FCC licensed, it must also use the legal call letters from the license once an hour, linked to the community it is licensed to.

Otherwise, a station can call itself by whatever letters or initials it wants.

 

[Marcos_C]

When I saw the topic of this thread, the first station that came to mind was WKTU, a rhythmic hot AC station in New York City. It goes by the brand 103.5 KTU.

 

[nowradioguy]

That "conversation" doesn't pass the sniff test. Was a Globe reporter in that cab? What are the chances that a "new incoming GM" (as opposed to an old incoming GM?) would use a brand rather than a well-known set of call letters when telling a cab driver to take him to "WBZ" or to "1170 Soldiers Field Road"? What are the chances of a cabbie coming up with anything other "Huh?" in response to his passenger's request or ever uttering a geeky statement like "Those call letters are legendary!"? Or that a VIP like a station's new general manager would be hailing a cab instead of being picked up at Logan by someone from the station or getting into the rental car that corporate had arranged to be there for him? If you can find this story, I'd love to give it a closer look. Your description reads like fan fiction.

So you think I made this up?

FYI, the article was entitled "Changing The Station", by Globe Staff Writer Robert Gavin, and it appeared in The Boston Globe on January 4, 2007. If you're a BGlobe subscriber, as am I, you can do a search of their Archives and voila`! Otherwise, there's a charge for the article.

While I have a pdf copy of the article, I am not able to attach it here.