A year ago: prog. talk went adios en la cuidad de Boston

[raccoonradio]

Someone in the thread pointed out there's actually 2 Boston Phoenix-owned stations(the other one's in southern NH or Portland
or something). But yes, it does play music and not political talk. I had said before if Mindich got his
hands on a small AM he could run libtalk, perhaps

The Herald does have some left- or moderate-leaning opinions (I've even seen opinion pieces
written for them by the likes of Sen Kerry or Sen. Kennedy) but it is true that the Globe has
some conservatives (Jeff Jacoby comes to mind and even the comic strips Mallard Fillmore
and Prickly City)

>>there is absolutely no reason to beleive that ownership of a radio station by a newspaper will in any way shape or form improve American media. My guess is that, for the most part, the newspapers will attempt to purchase FM frequencies and play.....MUSIC

Some on the left feel that the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (that means you, Mr. Murdoch!) will foist
Republican Radio on everyone with these ownership changes. (But...wouldn't Boston Globe radio
satisfy those on the left, if it were to start AND do talk? But you're right, maybe they'd be music
stations! A new source of revenue.

As it is, more than a few Globe and Herald columnists are already on the radio!

C.S. Monitor used to run Ch 68. Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WBPX
("The station was sold to the Christian Science Monitor during the summer of 1986... by 1992, the Monitor Channel was WQTV's only source of programming.")

The Bos. Phoenix more libertarian than liberal? Perhaps. We'll see if Ron Paul gets endorsed

 

[raccoonradio]

by the way on Sat night during Jordan Rich's show, a caller and guest Marilyn Armstrong were giving high
praise to Michael Moore and his movie "Sicko"; Rich said he hadn't seen the film but also said that
Moore was known to perhaps bend the truth a wee bit. For a few minutes you would swear you were
listening to Air America And on a VERY strong signal.

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Mr. Mindich is under no obligation to do any type of talk programming. If he wanted to program talk of ANY kind, don't you think he would have done so by now? He is free to format whatever he likes, on his own station(s). The idea that certain inviduals think that they can "guilt" somebody into formatting what they say they would like to hear, is totally absurd. I would think that, after a year of trying this tack,
WITH ABSOLUTELY NO RESULTS, it would finally dawn on them that it is never going to happen this way.

If you wish to advance your politcal agenda, you had better get this on the air sooner rather than later. The clock is ticking down towards the next election. Every day that you wait, you are shooting yourselves in the collective foot...

 

[radiorama1]

Mr. Mindich is under no obligation to do any type of talk programming. If he wanted to program talk of ANY kind, don't you think he would have done so by now? He is free to format whatever he likes, on his own station(s). The idea that certain inviduals think that they can "guilt" somebody into formatting what they say they would like to hear, is totally absurd. I would think that, after a year of trying this tack,
WITH ABSOLUTELY NO RESULTS, it would finally dawn on them that it is never going to happen this way.

If you wish to advance your politcal agenda, you had better get this on the air sooner rather than later. The clock is ticking down towards the next election. Every day that you wait, you are shooting yourselves in the collective foot...

*SIGH* Here we go AGAIN...

GIVE IT UP!!! No one here wants to buy time on your station...

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

I don't really care if they do or not. Their problem - not mine. They are not doing anybody any favors by pressuring them to run a specific format. My point is that nobody locally,with an operating station, wants to run this programming. I personally don't care about advancing any political agenda. The only programming that matters is that which actually get results. Beggars cannot be choosers...

Oh - for the record - our sales are just fine, thank you for being so concerned! ;D

 

[Laurence Glavin]

I don't really care if they do or not. Their problem - not mine. They are not doing anybody any favors by pressuring them to run a specific format. My point is that nobody locally,with an operating station, wants to run this programming. I personally don't care about advancing any political agenda. The only programming that matters is that which actually get results. Beggars cannot be choosers...

Oh - for the record - our sales are just fine, thank you for being so concerned! ;D

Results? Look at WWZN and WTTT. The former is inserting programming that essentially blows up their stated format; the latter so desperate after about five years of ZERO ratings, it doesn't adhere to the terms of its license and keeps its daytime pattern going at all hours except last weekend for some reason. Guaranteed either would garner a measurable audience with the kind of lib-talk on the WHMP stations in Western Mass...but they won't for reasons best known to their, um, "management".

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

I don't work for them - I don't know their rationale... but even they don't want to run this
type of programming! There must be some reason for that - other than some shadowy right-wing conspiracy, that is... Celebrating a year of no results strikes me as rather an odd thing to do...Whatever...

 

[raccoonradio]

There have only been a couple victories so far in the "save progressive talk" front: the Madison, WI station
that was persuaded to NOT change to sports, and a Columbus station that just picked it up. I was noting
the "anniversary" of nothing happening here in one of the most "blue state" areas around. My attitude is,
a) if libtalk is so great then surely station owners will leap to run it; b) as a capitalist and free market
embracer, if libtalk winds up here on the dial and thrives then so be it, but again nobody seems to be
in the mood to even pick up one of the Jones shows. I do like mostly conservative hosts but some libtalkers
weren't too bad (Colmes, Steph Miller) and who knows, maybe "someday they will find their Rush". I can
both find a bit of schadenfreude in seeing that libtalk is still off the air here, but also say, hey, if people
want the likes of Rhodes, Hartmann, Miller, Schultz, etc., then they should try to get these folks on air.
Give the people what they want. Do they want libtalkers like these on?

So far their efforts have been unsuccessful--in a state where Republican office holders are rare. Why, then,
has conservative talk done at least half decently here (Carr, Severin, Rea, et al)? It may stem from the
fact that not everybody here is a far left progressive after all. There are many who might call themselves
Democrat/liberal on some issues, but socially they're conservative (gay marriage, abortion, etc.) While
they haven't exactly helped the GOP at the ballot box, they still like their opinions validated on shows
hosted by social conservative hosts. (Then again, WTTT isn't exactly burning up the ratings!)

Conservative talk might be picking up those on the Right, middle, and maybe even some on the Left
while only those on the Left wanted to hear libtalk. (But who knows, if given a chance...I know some
have pitched the idea of Ed Schultz--"you would still like to hear it even if you're a conservative--
he talks sports sometimes", etc.)

There's the idea that conservative talk hosts simply are more entertaining to listen to. There are probably
a lot of people who disagree with the likes of a Rush but still listen. He might even make some people
really, really upset but they'll tune in. The old "I hate you but I listen every day" bit. Be entertaining!
(It's ironic that libtalk often turned to entertainers like Franken, thinking they'd be a success.)

Is it a matter of conservatives hire "radio people" while libtalkers don't? Not necessarily. It can help
to have a radio/TV background but it's not necessarily a must.

Is it "sponsors are blacklisting us!"? "Stations are run by arch-conservatives who only want their
opinions expressed!" "They are putting lib talk on weaker stations, on purpose!"

That last one reminds me of what The Old Man (Ralphie's father) says to Ralph's mom in A
CHRISTMAS STORY after she
accidentally knocks over the leg lamp, breaking it, and she informs him they're out of glue. "Youuuu
used up alllll the glue onnnnnnn purpose!!!!!" Ah, it's a conspiracy.

I do find it interesting that many on the left are alarmed that relaxing media ownership must be
some kind of Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. What if the Globe DID buy up a station and put talk on
it? (I know, it's been said here they'd probably prefer to buy a music station) What if they tried
to bring in local hosts (and national ones) to reflect a perspective of the left, or at least the
middle? Would they object to that?

Who knows!

Is it a matter of Air America/libtalkers went about it the wrong way? Talent wise; not owning stations
(relying on Clear Channel to clear them)...Poor marketing...Too strident politically? Who knows.

 

[raccoonradio]

>>Results? Look at WWZN and WTTT. The former is inserting programming that essentially blows up their stated format; the latter so desperate after about five years of ZERO ratings, it doesn't adhere to the terms of its license and keeps its daytime pattern going at all hours except last weekend for some reason. Guaranteed either would garner a measurable audience with the kind of lib-talk on the WHMP stations in Western Mass...but they won't for reasons best known to their, um, "management".

Er, either "God only knows" or "The Lord works in mysterious ways"!
Somehow they must make $$ on their straight-religious stations and can run WTTT as a loss leader.
Low cost (all syndie--you know, like 1200 and 1430 used to do with progtalk!) but can make a very,
very slight profit...while WEZE and WROL bring in more money.

 

[raccoonradio]

>>Mr. Mindich is under no obligation to do any type of talk programming. If he wanted to program talk of ANY kind, don't you think he would have done so by now?

I've suggested it before, just out of curiousity (hey, they might want to consider it) but you bring up a good
point. Or, as my fellow Lynn Classical alumnus Mr. Ordway might put it, "You're MAKING my POINT!"

 

[Laurence Glavin]

>>Results? Look at WWZN and WTTT. The former is inserting programming that essentially blows up their stated format; the latter so desperate after about five years of ZERO ratings, it doesn't adhere to the terms of its license and keeps its daytime pattern going at all hours except last weekend for some reason. Guaranteed either would garner a measurable audience with the kind of lib-talk on the WHMP stations in Western Mass...but they won't for reasons best known to their, um, "management".

Er, either "God only knows" or "The Lord works in mysterious ways"!
Somehow they must make $$ on their straight-religious stations and can run WTTT as a loss leader.
Low cost (all syndie--you know, like 1200 and 1430 used to do with progtalk!) but can make a very,
very slight profit...while WEZE and WROL bring in more money.

Let's see: WEZE-AM 590 with a better-than-average 5K fulltime signal gets a fraction of WJIB's ratings, the latter only 250 watts days...5 watts at night! WROL-AM 950 a ratings no-show at least in the published 12-and-over ratings. Salem really knows how to get the best out of its stations all right. Now they need to find $3-million bucks to pay for a power boost for a suburban NYC station that has no listeners now and probably won't after the fact (to allow the power boost they had to buy an AM near Baltimore).

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Results? Look at WWZN and WTTT. The former is inserting programming that essentially blows up their stated format;

The new owners of WWZN probably know that the stated format can't make money in this market. Different tweaks of their sports format have been tried on 1510 for years now, with at least a couple of different owners. The 12+ ratings have remained below the published 0.4 threshold the whole time. I think they know that the only way that the station might be able to make any money is by selling blocks of airtime and getting paid for it, regardless of the programming formats.

...the latter so desperate after about five years of ZERO ratings, it doesn't adhere to the terms of its license and keeps its daytime pattern going at all hours except last weekend for some reason.

Probably engineering or operator negligence rather than intentional. I doubt they've determined that they would get a significant ratings boost by beaming to the north of Route 128 at night, and their night pattern beaming southeast over Boston proper and the immediate suburbs is just as good as their day pattern in that direction.

Guaranteed either would garner a measurable audience with the kind of lib-talk on the WHMP stations in Western Mass...but they won't for reasons best known to their, um, "management".

I can see how it would seem like a risky chance for 1510 with the stations massive expenses and overhead, rather than to simply get fast cash in hand by selling airtime. And, Salem doesn't do "lib-talk", even if it might get (slightly) better numbers on 1150 than their current extreme right wing blather. While most broadcasting companies will air most any format that would make them money in a given market, Salem is one whose programming actually seems to be dictated by their ideology.

 

[JIBGUY]

Salem really knows how to get the best out of its stations all right. Now they need to find $3-million bucks to pay for a power boost for a suburban NYC station that has no listeners now and probably won't after the fact (to allow the power boost they had to buy an AM near Baltimore).

----------------------

So, THAT'S why that tiny little station whose signal avoids any populated area, in Aberdeen Maryland sold for over $3,000,000.00.

See (lack of) coverage map at:
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WAMD&service=AM&status=L&hours=D

 

[raccoonradio]

Ratings may not necessarily equal billing (some have said WBOS does well despite lackluster ratings)

 

[DanStrassberg]

Ratings may not necessarily equal billing (some have said WBOS does well despite lackluster ratings)

And as I've said repeatedly and as Mr Glavin has ignored at least as many times as I've said it, leasing time can be a very lucrative way to operate a radio station. The station does not need to show in the ratings to be highly profitable. Just keep the expenses down, be very tough on collecting receivables, and try to keep the schedule of leased-time programs as full as possible. It helps to have long-standing relationships with independent program producers who send you checks on schedule and whose checks don't bounce.

All this suggests that it isn't necessarily easy to get started and that not everyone can do it well enough to make money at it, but those with the right skills and enough working capital and patience to see them through the lean times at the beginning can make a very comfortable living at it. There are many examples in this market. WUNR has been doing leased time for about 50 years now. I have a feeling that when WUNR buys something, they pay cash and THEIR checks never bounce.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

So, THAT'S why that tiny little station whose signal avoids any populated area, in Aberdeen Maryland sold for over $3,000,000.00.

Salem bought WAMD, Aberdeen MD, in order to reduce it's day power from 500 to 300 watts, to allow their co-channel WWDJ Hackensack, NJ (serving NYC) to increase day power to 50 kW.

First Media bought WAMD in 2003 for only $150,000 from a longtime local owner! Now, that's turning a profit!

 

[DanStrassberg]

Salem bought WAMD, Aberdeen MD, in order to reduce it's day power from 500 to 300 watts, to allow their co-channel WWDJ Hackensack, NJ (serving NYC) to increase day power to 50 kW.

I believe that, at one point, the plan was to leave WAMD in the hands of the previous owner and simply reduce the day power (at Salem's expense plus something to cover the reduced stick value of the lower power facility). No change in the daytime facilities other than the power reduction was ultimately contemplated, although I think the original proposal involved constructing a new day site a bit farther from Hackensack. (WWDJ's transmitter is IN the station's CoL.) However, isn't the plan now to take WAMD dark? Or is WAMD the only station licensed to Aberdeen? In that case, the FCC won't allow Salem to move it to a new CoL because doing so would deprive Aberdeen of its sole broadcast service. As the owner of multiple stations, Salem might strain its relations with the FCC if it were to decide to take WAMD dark anyhow and thus leave Aberdeen without the sole broadcast service licensed to the community.

A curiousity is that the reduced daytime RMS inverse-distance field of 170.76 mV/m corresponds to a power reduction not of the claimed 40% of the previous 500W-D but of only ~28%. In other words, it appears that the field is equivalent not to 300W but to 363W at the old efficiency. Sounds as if Salem is removing a radiation-limiting resistor as part of the downgrade and in the process is saving enough power to keep a 60W incandescent bulb lit for an average of 12 hours a day. I'm sure Salem management is proud of how green their company is;>)

 

[Eli Polonsky]

However, isn't the plan now to take WAMD dark? Or is WAMD the only station licensed to Aberdeen? In that case, the FCC won't allow Salem to move it to a new CoL because doing so would deprive Aberdeen of its sole broadcast service. As the owner of multiple stations, Salem might strain its relations with the FCC if it were to decide to take WAMD dark anyhow and thus leave Aberdeen without the sole broadcast service licensed to the community.

There appears to be an active CP on file for WAMD to operate at (stated) 300 watts days. I guess the long-term plan still could be to take it off the air, but at this time, they're covered for a power reduction.

 

[robbbc]

So far their efforts have been unsuccessful--in a state where Republican office holders are rare. Why, then,
has conservative talk done at least half decently here (Carr, Severin, Rea, et al)? It may stem from the
fact that not everybody here is a far left progressive after all. There are many who might call themselves
Democrat/liberal on some issues, but socially they're conservative (gay marriage, abortion, etc.) While
they haven't exactly helped the GOP at the ballot box, they still like their opinions validated on shows
hosted by social conservative hosts. (Then again, WTTT isn't exactly burning up the ratings!)

The conservative stations are picking up at most 10% of the audience. In radio terms that is fantastic, in ballot box terms that is about the support level of Ron Paul. So 90% of Boston isn't listening to these stations. Pretending that there is this great big mix of listeners tuning into RKO and coming up with ridiculous justifications for it would only be practical if the conservative stations were bringing in 30+% of the audience. They aren't.