AAR 1200/1430 could be gone

[raccoonradio]

The link on the main page is gone though..though I guess if you go to the Contact Us page you can find it.
If they want people to use the discussion board they'd have a link on their MAIN PAGE and they used to
but not now.

 

[FPB]

"A post on boston-radio-interest says that CC may be pulling the plug on Air America Boston on/after
Friday"

So, who is this "poster" in the first place? Did he/she supply any verifiable sources?

Why has everyone been going along with this thread accepting this post as fact?

 

[radiodouble]

The link on the main page is gone though..though I guess if you go to the Contact Us page you can find it.
If they want people to use the discussion board they'd have a link on their MAIN PAGE and they used to
but not now.

it took us forever to get rid of a crank who incited everyone with his useless predictions and upcoming format changes. you seem have taken his place on this board. you're reaching your termination point. maybe it's time for you to go and join him in his internet exile. and take wrko line-up with you.

 

[GenXRadio]

A post on boston-radio-interest says that CC may be pulling the plug on Air America Boston on/after
Friday whether or not a buyer is found for the network. Fans of the likes of Stephanie Miller, etc.,
may want to try to contact WRKO or WTKK to see if they can catch on there...or where else would it go?

What a big suprise?! They've been running on borrowed time since CC started this mess.
They've been a non-player here since day one. Crappy signals. Zero marketing. Awful line-up from AAR.

I'd seriously worry more about the future of your boy Howie on 'RKO, though. He's swimming with the sharks and that only means trouble.

Got news for ya, AAr has a great lineup and there are other shows that are not AAR shows that many AAr affiliates around the country have in their lineup.
If anything, it's on the "management" at the station and also the lack of marketing and the weak signal.
As for Rush, I guess he needs a new place to throw the man & administration whom he formerly idolized and now says "I've had to carry the water for those who don't deserve it", he can go to the weak signalled station.
AAR should be on a better station with management that knows what they're doing, employing a capable sales staff as well.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Someone who works for CC in another area posted on another board that the RUMOR he heard circulating within the company is that 1430/1200 will go Spanish on Monday (did not specify whether locally brokered, or a network such as Mega).

This is admittedly only a RUMOR at this point, so take it however you choose.

I think it would make sense, since there is no full-time Spanish station in Boston now, and brokered ethnic variety stations such as WUNR and WRCA have been occasionally showing up in the Arbs for their Spanish programs.

 

[Varulven]

no habla espanol, even having taken it in High School. Ok, so where do we go for our Rachel MAD-dow fix?

 

[JustinT]

You should go to this link, it's very interesting.

http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=55831.0

To be honest, it's not very interesting to those who would rather talk about radio than read endless personal attacks.

As for Spanish language radio in Boston, I recall at some point right before the demise of WAMG 890's tropical format, if you added all of the Spanish shares 12+ together, you got a number somewhere around a 2 or so. That's an audience that has virtually no outlet at the moment. The liberal talk of WKOXKS adds something different to the dial, but there is a huge potential right now for a programmed, non-brokered, Spanish language music radio station, perhaps something along the lines of CC's new WUBA/Philadelphia but with a bit more direction going for one particular Hispanic demographic than trying to please everyone and mixing reggaeton with ballads.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

The liberal talk of WKOXKS adds something different to the dial, but there is a huge potential right now for a programmed, non-brokered, Spanish language music radio station, perhaps something along the lines of CC's new WUBA/Philadelphia but with a bit more direction going for one particular Hispanic demographic than trying to please everyone and mixing reggaeton with ballads.

Until the 1200 signal upgrade and move to Newton happens (if, I assume, it's still going to happen), neither 1200 or 1430 will be able to serve Boston's urban neighborhoods as a Spanish station at night. The daytime coverage would be fine, 1430's non-directional 5 kW day signal covers all of the city of Boston fairly well, but the 1 kW directional night signal doesn't get south of the Back Bay or Copley Square.

1430 at night would still be able to serve the Spanish communities on the lower North Shore and the immediate metro-north suburbs, and 1200 gets metro-west beyond Route 128 at night, but there will still be a big nighttime coverage hole in the Boston neighborhoods where there is a significant Spanish audience, though the 1200 Newton upgrade should blast into those areas when/if it happens.

 

[raccoonradio]

>>So, who is this "poster" in the first place? Did he/she supply any verifiable sources?

Only Donna Halper, one of the most respected radio consultants in the business, and she says she got the info from someone she "knows and trusts" at CC. She follows it today with a post saying "It's a done deal. Should happen within the next three weeks."

Int. possibility was raised: CC could put Fox Sports on 1200/1430...WEEI, if that happened, could try to get ESPN back for nights and weekends (among other things they'd get baseball playoffs back)--saying to ESPN that
they'd be on a much stronger signal

 

[raccoonradio]

I have no problem with the "crank" you mentioned and if you have a problem with me, don't read my posts.
I'm just relaying some rumors that are floating around--some of which might come true, and offering my
own perspective (hey, here's what they could do...) Some of my posts might even involve humor, just for
the heck of it.

John DePetro will be hired by WFNX to do a gay/lesbian talk show, co-hosted by Grace Ross.
WRKO changes to classic country, as "The Wolfe".
WBCN launches HD channel with former DJs Charles Laquidara, Mark Parenteau, and Ken Shelton, etc.
WCRB drops classical to become Hot 99.5, with an R&B format.

 

[inorm99]

Hey Raccoon Radio,

You always seem to be right there spending your "busy day" posting the rumors that Air America is going away every time there is a set back.
Aren't you happy just listening all day to all the idiot talk on WBZ, WRKO, and WTKK?

get a life!

 

[johnwas5]

what's wrong with Racoon obsessing about Air America? It provides some balance to all the axes being ground over the conservative talk format...

 

[raccoonradio]

Norm! How's Carla, Woody, and Sam doing? I work nights for the post office and during the day, my free time,
I rot my brain here by talking with the wonderful people (and THIS time I'm not being sarcastic) on this board.
In my spare time I'm a blues DJ on WMWM (now in my 26th year there; my name is Bob Nelson if you didn't know)--I believe you're a blues DJ, too, most likely a damn good one
though I'm not sure how long you've been on. I have met Varulven in person and confessed to him "I'm just a Howie
Carr clone. I'm harmless!" I also run the WMWM website for free, uploading mp3 files of our shows.

In other parts of the country I might be considered a moderate but over here in People's Republic of
Kazahkstan--er, Mass., I get painted as a far right wacko Please, come see my new movie. It if not
success, I shall be execute

Anyway, far be it for this board to actually have someone with a different opinion. Note also that I have
discussed college radio, country stations, the good old days of radio, etc.

And if you hate me for that, I am damn proud of it sir! I won't tell you to get a life. That would be rude

Idiot talk on WBZ? How dare you insult my good friends Jordan Rich and Morgan White Jr.! Brudnoy is
rolling over in his grave at the very notion.

 

[Harry Davis]

the best thing that could happen to Air America is to get a clearer signal in this region that I visit every few weeks.

try a bit of travel by car to see how other areas sound.

 

[raccoonradio]

Norm Rosen wouldn't be this guy would he?

http://www.saturdaynightfishfry.net/

How the heck did you get that domain name, my friend. My fave Louis Jordan song! By the way since
regular WMWM Juke Joint host Jump Steady is in Cleveland for the funeral of Robert Jr. Lockwood
this weekend, I'm doing the show (Sun 12-3 pm WMWM) and will post it online later at this board.
Also be aware that I'm posting the WKLB/WCRB freq switch tomorrow--look for link here but it'll
most likely be at raccoonradio.com

I should get a life.

----------------------------
"Get a life!"--Norm Rosen

 

[raccoonradio]

oops that should say post it online later at the WMWM site!

 

[raccoonradio]

by the way suppose AAR/libtalk leaves 1200/14300 and the scenario of Premiere shows landing there
should happen, including Rush. WRKO would have a three hour hole in its lineup...and now word comes
(see news/talk board) that Ed Schultz, the leading liberal talker (kind of like being the best hitter on
the Kansas City Royals--sorry, couldn't resist!) is moving to noon... Hmm. Schultzie already has more listeners
than Smalley as it is.

 

[johnwas5]

didn't wxks am get better ratings playing music of your life? That would seem to put the argument about signal strength to rest. Would AA do better with a stronger boston signal? Sure. Would it be successful? Not likely. But if you're still desperate to deny reality, take a look at their numbers in Providence with a powerful signal that had been a top station in the market - the results were the same as Boston. And the story is repeated around the country.

 

[raccoonradio]

For the most part, yes, though in some places like Seattle or Portland OR, AAR/prog talk has done well.
WJIB got a ratings bump when WXKS (AM) ditched Music of Your Life....WHJJ went way down
when they went to AAR/PT and the PD came out and said "The Air America experiment has been a failure".
Now after Imus they have local talk with Helen Glover, Howie Barte (have been told he's on the left side),
and Arlene Violet...rumors have it Hannity is heading there since WPRO is apparently replacing him with Beck.
Ratings went up.

(For the record WHJJ doesn't do too well at night but it's fairly powerful during the day, which is when
most people would listen to talk radio anyway...)

Prog talk might be marginally successful, and the AAR "experiment" did bring some attention to it, but even so the highest rated prog-talkers like Schultz still have far fewer listeners than Limbaugh, Hannity, etc. Now that Schultz is moving to noon, who knows? Maybe he'll pick up some moderates who can't take Rush anymore and don't like O'Reilly.

Local talk, well done, is also key and many AAR stations had nothing but syndie lineups (look how long it
took 1200/1430 to get a local host on there--once a week!); no local voices to talk about the hot local issues. If CC can
be blamed for not promoting it well enough, they also showed they didn't bother hiring a local host who
could also bring up their visibility in town.

Had a station like WRKO tried to put on the Air America hosts, the ratings most likely would have gone down
but maybe well-produced shows, nationally and locally, could have produced different results. What's interesting is that conservative talk does well in Boston, traditionally a liberally-minded city. Why is that?
Could it be that it's an alternative to the likes of the Globe, local TV, and we live in a state where most
politicians are Dems? By providing an alternative voice, WRKO and WTKK have gotten half decent ratings
(more so than all-syndie AAR Boston--and yes, conservative all-syndie WTTT). Those numbers are
declining now but with some tweaking they may rise again.