WBZ 1030

[DavidZ]

I heard a sound bite of a topic being discussed in the national topics section of RD last week on WBZ Newsradio 1030.

https://www.radiodiscussions.com/threads/sen-edward-markey-says-a-big-no-to-no-am-fm-radio-tuners-in-cars.757069/

Senator Markey used WBZ as a local reason to make sure AM/FM radios are in all cars moving forward with special emphasis on WBZ.

He mentioned how WBZ is the go to station for news & information for New Englanders in the event of an emergency.

I know WBZ 1030 is on HD but I wonder if iHeart has no plans to place the station on a full market FM station unlike other news stations nationally that have already migrated to FM.

 

[TheBigA]

I know WBZ 1030 is on HD but I wonder if iHeart has no plans to place the station on a full market FM station unlike other news stations nationally that have already migrated to FM.

This topic has been brought up before. The other news stations that have FM simulcasts are owned by Audacy. WBZ is a rare all news station owned by iHeart. For the most part, iHeart hasn't done the simulcast thing with its heritage AMs. Take a look at WLW or WOR, and they're still AM-Only. (although WLW has an FM translator) Blowing up an FM for a simulcast would kill off a revenue stream, and iHeart isn't in a position to do that.

 

[ScottBurns]

I agree with the BigA here. If you look at iHeart’s Boston properties, not much, other than perhaps the Bull, is underperforming. My bet is that the Bull is profitable, and simulcasting WBZ on 101.7 would eliminate the Bull’s profit stream (never mind cost Bobby Bones a market).

 

[AceBiscuits]

I agree with the BigA here. If you look at iHeart’s Boston properties, not much, other than perhaps the Bull, is underperforming. My bet is that the Bull is profitable, and simulcasting WBZ on 101.7 would eliminate the Bull’s profit stream (never mind cost Bobby Bones a market).

Especially in the sense that iHeart not only values the revenue stream, but they also value the market clear for Bobby Bones, making it more appealing for advertisers.

 

[TheBigA]

Especially in the sense that iHeart not only values the revenue stream, but they also value the market clear for Bobby Bones, making it more appealing for advertisers.

Correct, they've done a number of national promotions with Gillette Stadium and other area venues. Boston is a huge market for country music. I'm not convinced there's any extra money in the short term by moving WBZ to the FM, and it would lead to a branding problem with Beasley.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Correct, they've done a number of national promotions with Gillette Stadium and other area venues. Boston is a huge market for country music. I'm not convinced there's any extra money in the short term by moving WBZ to the FM, and it would lead to a branding problem with Beasley.

Especially in the sense that iHeart not only values the revenue stream, but they also value the market clear for Bobby Bones, making it more appealing for advertisers.

I think theres the potential for picking up younger listeners who dont even know what AM is or wont listen because its AM

And there might be possible additiuonal revenue FOR WBZ with an fm simulcast, BUT..... at the cost of some at least decently performing FMs that probably make more then whatever adding WBZ to FM would do.

 

[TheBigA]

I think theres the potential for picking up younger listeners who dont even know what AM is or wont listen because its AM

And there might be possible additiuonal revenue FOR WBZ with an FM simulcast, BUT..... at the cost of some at least decently performing FMs that probably make more then whatever adding WBZ to FM would do.

My view on this is that iHeart is building its online platform. If the goal is to reach young listeners, the place to get them is online. No need to waste time and money on FM when the younger demos are already online. The main focus should be to convert the news content to digital so that it can be directly monetized there.

 

[Wimmmex]

I think theres the potential for picking up younger listeners who dont even know what AM is or wont listen because its AM

The FM Simulcast would certainly add some desperately needed 25-54 numbers to WBZ's quiver....and that's the demo where the money is. But guessing how much it would help WBZis the question and would it be enough to jetison a current FM. You might recall that WEEI was slow to move to FM because they didn't want to eliminate whatever revenue 93.7 was.

Re: Asset value. 850AM had X value, Star 93.7 had Y value. Both were good assets. Now AM850 is basically worthless and they only have the value of 93.7....which might be less than X+Y was.

Question: Currently 1030AM has an asset value as a viable station. What would become of that asset is they simulcast to FM and basically become an FM station?

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

The FM Simulcast would certainly add some desperately needed 25-54 numbers to WBZ's quiver....and that's the demo where the money is. But guessing how much it would help WBZis the question and would it be enough to jetison a current FM. You might recall that WEEI was slow to move to FM because they didn't want to eliminate whatever revenue 93.7 was.

Re: Asset value. 850AM had X value, Star 93.7 had Y value. Both were good assets. Now AM850 is basically worthless and they only have the value of 93.7....which might be less than X+Y was.

Question: Currently 1030AM has an asset value as a viable station. What would become of that asset is they simulcast to FM and basically become an FM station?

My view on this is that iHeart is building its online platform. If the goal is to reach young listeners, the place to get them is online. No need to waste time and money on FM when the younger demos are already online. The main focus should be to convert the news content to digital so that it can be directly monetized there.

Yup... thats basically what i said.. there's positives to mvoe WBZ to FM, but not nearly enough to make it worth it right now.. unless they know something we dont.

 

[nowradioguy]

I heard a sound bite of a topic being discussed in the national topics section of RD last week on WBZ Newsradio 1030.

https://www.radiodiscussions.com/th...g-no-to-no-am-FM-radio-tuners-in-cars.757069/

Senator Markey used WBZ as a local reason to make sure AM/FM radios are in all cars moving forward with special emphasis on WBZ.

He mentioned how WBZ is the go to station for news & information for New Englanders in the event of an emergency.

I know WBZ 1030 is on HD but I wonder if iHeart has no plans to place the station on a full market FM station unlike other news stations nationally that have already migrated to FM.

WBZ-AM no longer broadcasts in HD on the AM band; that was a CBS thing. But you are correct in that they're on WXKS-FM HD2.

I agree with those who hold that there is nothing to be gained by putting WBZ on FM. At the very least, they should have to wrest the WBZ-FM call sign from Beasley, though not necessarily, in that many news/talk stations use different call signs when they simulcast on FM.

WBZ (iHeart, actually) is building out its digital platform. That much-coveted demo someone referred to here does not give a whistle about either WBZ or FM in general. They've moved onward to either satellite or podcasting.

 

[CTListener]

WBZ-AM no longer broadcasts in HD on the AM band; that was a CBS thing. But you are correct in that they're on WXKS-FM HD2.

I agree with those who hold that there is nothing to be gained by putting WBZ on FM. At the very least, they should have to wrest the WBZ-FM call sign from Beasley, though not necessarily, in that many news/talk stations use different call signs when they simulcast on FM.

WBZ (iHeart, actually) is building out its digital platform. That much-coveted demo someone referred to here does not give a whistle about either WBZ or FM in general. They've moved onward to either satellite or podcasting.

Plenty of 25-54s listening to WBZ-FM for sports talk and play-by-play. The problem is that news and serious talk on radio are of interest mainly to 55+.

 

[Wimmmex]

there's positives to mvoe WBZ to FM, but not nearly enough to make it worth it right now...

You and I don't know the numbers (X & Y), so we don't know that. (Except that it hasn't happenned yet.)

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

Maybe I-Heart might give Beasley some consideration to change the call letters of 98.5 to WSPH (which would stand for "Sports Hub", and according to FCC Data.org, are currently available), so I-Heart could get the WBZ-FM call letters ahead of a future FM simulcast of WBZ-1030.

 

[CTListener]

Maybe I-Heart might give Beasley some consideration to change the call letters of 98.5 to WSPH (which would stand for "Sports Hub", and according to FCC Data.org, are currently available), so I-Heart could get the WBZ-FM call letters ahead of a future FM simulcast of WBZ-1030.

Why would Beasley want to spend anything at all on a change of call if it's only going to be whispered at the top of the hour? No one cares about the call letters of Sports Hub because they've never been part of the station's imaging or advertising. And iHeart could easily relegate "WBZ" to whisper status and use "NewsRadio 94.5" (or whatever frequency the format is supposed to be moving to) exclusively outside of the TOH legal ID and not lose any "identity" at all. The only people who'd complain would be in the geezer demo that management doesn't want dominating its FM audience numbers.

 

[Least]

Correct, they've done a number of national promotions with Gillette Stadium and other area venues. Boston is a huge market for country music. I'm not convinced there's any extra money in the short term by moving WBZ to the FM, and it would lead to a branding problem with Beasley.

Doesn't both iHeart and Beasley eventually have to abandon the WBZ calls, as part of the merger between CBS and Audacy? CBS owns the WBZ calls, as still applied to WBZ-TV.

Maybe I-Heart might give Beasley some consideration to change the call letters of 98.5 to WSPH (which would stand for "Sports Hub", and according to FCC Data.org, are currently available), so I-Heart could get the WBZ-FM call letters ahead of a future FM simulcast of WBZ-1030.

Completely out of left field with this one, but if they're going to move around call letters, I'd argue that WBOS would be the perfect calls for the Sports Hub, seeing that three of the four major sports teams in Boston use BOS as their abbreviation. Then apply what one will to 92.9, and I'm just saying that Beasley owns the WBCN calls. They could slap those there, and only reference them at the TOH. But again, as I replied Big A, I think it's all moot with this discussion, because I think both WBZ-AM and WBZ-FM has to change their calls at some point, anyway.

 

[CTListener]

Completely out of left field with this one, but if they're going to move around call letters, I'd argue that WBOS would be the perfect calls for the Sports Hub, seeing that three of the four major sports teams in Boston use BOS as their abbreviation.

Right, because WBOS has been such a famous, iconic, beloved set of call letters to Bostonians since .... ummmmm .... never.

 

[Least]

Right, because WBOS has been such a famous, iconic, beloved set of call letters to Bostonians since .... ummmmm .... never.

Again, when watching a Red Sox, Celtics, or Bruins game (two of which are teams on The Sports Hub), the abbreviation for the team is BOS. That's all. Has nothing to do with the subjective perception of the calls. It has to with WBOS making sense for a radio station with a format that focuses on Boston sports.

 

[TheBigA]

Doesn't both iHeart and Beasley eventually have to abandon the WBZ calls, as part of the merger between CBS and Audacy? CBS owns the WBZ calls, as still applied to WBZ-TV.

The agreement says the license for WBZ is "perpetually." That doesn't allow for iHeart to use WBZ-FM.

until 20 years after the Effective Date with respect to the license to use the WCBS and KCBS Licensed Property for all uses including as and to the extent used as Trademarks and in the Radio Station Call Letters, Radio Station Branding and Domain Names; and perpetually with respect to the license to use the KDKA, WBBM, KYW, WBZ, WCCO, WJZ and WWJ

But once again, there is no proposal for an FM simulcast of WBZ-AM. If there was, they'd handle it the way they do with WBBM and KCBS.

 

[Least]

That's where I was off. I thought it was a fixed time for all former-CBS Radio stations that share calls with a CBS O&O TV station, not just for WCBS and KCBS.

 

[spt87]

I think only the call letters with CBS embedded are subject to a 20 year license from CBS corp. The others did not have that limit even if used on a CBS TV station.

I have thought that CBS/iHeart/Audacy/Beasley should have changed the sports hub call letters when the deal went down to avoid the dual radio use with different owners but I suppose none of them saw it as a major issue.