Anybody happen to know what became of WAMG 890 this morining

[Kevin Goodwin]

With the demise of ESPN radio on WAMG 890 this morning does anybody happen to know what they flipped to

 

[beantownradio25]

Last I heard, they were running a continuous loop saying that they had gone off the air and that they thank all or their listeners and sponsors

 

[raccoonradio]

890 turned off their transmitter at 5 pm; 1400 sometime before that

 

[secondchoice]

This is an example of bad legal advice or worse (extra bad management). They should have: filed Chapter 11 (there should be a way to keep the license), pay only necessary bills for a several months and raise cash, used as much satellite programming as possible, and found a buyer or LMA. It is easier to sell an on going operation. Their web site is worth something. If their signal is not strong enough to be completive in Boston, move the station to a “second tier” city in New England.

 

[raccoonradio]

I don't know about the now gone 890ESPN.com site--maybe the content, etc. was subsidized by ESPN as part of
a carriage deal. Now ESPNBoston.com is a big operation run by the network (and prominently advertised on ESPN
TV the past few days!) and somehow will be linked to whatever station carries them; WEEI, WKOX, or whatever.
Yes WEEI does have their own fancy site, etc. but if ESPN wants to be on EEI badly enough (perhaps in the
suggested ESPN to 850, WEEI to an FM) something can hopefully be worked out (Entercom prob isn't crazy about the presence of a site given what they did to create the new WEEI.com...). Incidentally I wonder if WEEI
might have something in which ESPN would be on 850 full time while they continue to run Fox Sports on what would
be the FM outlet (if created), nights and weekends.

Fox Sports Radio btw is distributed and/or prod. by WKOX owner Clear Channel...though if ESPN goes to 850 especially I would suspect both Spanish formats (Rumba and Mia) would continue on 1200 and 1430 respectively.
I doubt one would be flipped to Fox Sports.

What if Entercom moved WEEI to FM and tried to sell off 850? As much as they'd hate to sell to a competitor
would CBS, Clear Channel, or Greater be interested? (maybe not, but...)

If Waller-Sutton wanted to make 890/1400 brokered time could they lease it to progtalkers like Jeff Santos
(how much better are the signals than 1510? by day 890 isn't bad!)...religious...Spanish...urban....

>>used as much satellite programming as possible

I don't know how much it would cost but a conservative talk format (not sure what ratings/billings it would get)
might do OK (then again, under 890 or 1150 it didn't exactly...) If they could convince Westwood to let them
run Dennis Miller daily (Miller just re-upped with W1; for now a best of airs on WRKO wknds); Glenn Beck daily (again,
a best of airs on WRKO Sat nights; Premiere syndies him); Hannity (Citadel-ABC, not on in Boston), etc

Yes, I'm dreaming I guess but you could conceivably have:
6-9 am (unknown--maybe air the countrified Rick and Bubba show I heard while down south?)
http://www.rickandbubba.com/
Heard a bit of while on the Natchez Trace Parkway, y'all

9-noon Beck (popular on both TV and radio; hated by liberals...so he must be doing his job!)
12-3 slightly tape delayed Dennis Miller
3-6 Sean Hannity
6-9 Levin, currently a best of Saturdays on WTKK
and maybe do some of the Talk Radio Network shows--Rusty Humphries, Mancow...

But again maybe it wouldn't be worth it...
Anyway...we're still waiting to find out their fate.

 

[Dighton Rockhead]

This is an example of bad legal advice or worse (extra bad management). They should have: filed Chapter 11 (there should be a way to keep the license), pay only necessary bills for a several months and raise cash, used as much satellite programming as possible, and found a buyer or LMA. It is easier to sell an on going operation. Their web site is worth something. If their signal is not strong enough to be completive in Boston, move the station to a “second tier” city in New England.

Wouldn't this whole "station in distress" situation make for a perfect opportunity for Alex Langer (or someone like him)...to sweep in and grab 890 on the cheap?

While the programming on Langer's stations may not have the widest appeal, he's certainly found a way to make them pay their way. Just look at the success of the Brazillian Portuguese format on 650, or the Business format at 1060.

As for moving the station elsewhere in New England...the question would be: WHERE? Having first adjacent WCBS 880 would pose quite a challenge to doing that. Could Southern New Hampshire use another AM station?......New Bedford?......Cape Cod?......

Anyway...letting the station go dark?....what an idiotic move!

 

[raccoonradio]

I should add to what I posted above that even if Entercom and ESPN link up, do not expect WEEI.com to fall to the wayside and become part of ESPNBoston.com. What I meant is that if 850 goes to ESPN, ESPNBoston.com would
be their site but Entercom would keep up the WEEI.com site (w/ the FM signal) but I'm sure Entercom is not pleased that revenue that could be theirs with WEEI.com is going to ESPN, whether or not the two are linked.

An article recently said that ESPN is committed to doing great content websites and making money with them
and maybe radio is an afterthought. Yeah, they'd like to be on the radio in Boston but ESPNBoston.com can make
them some moolah. (Not sure if Entercom would get any percentage of that should they affiliate with ESPN--
perhaps with some local radio hosts appearing on ESPNBoston but take note that the Boston arrangement wouldn't be mostly ESPN with some local hosts, it would be ONE station running just about all local talk and some ESPN
and an AM with the ESPN content full time. TWO stations not one.)

http://www.hear2.com/2009/09/espn-oneups-radio.html

 

[JustinT]

If their signal is not strong enough to be completive in Boston, move the station to a “second tier” city in New England.

As for moving the station elsewhere in New England...the question would be: WHERE? Having first adjacent WCBS 880 would pose quite a challenge to doing that. Could Southern New Hampshire use another AM station?......New Bedford?

Although 890's signal isn't strong enough to compete in Boston, think about this: it has one of the best signals in MetroWest where most of the Boston AMs sound terrible. It would be a perfect cheap purchase for Entercom (simulcast WRKO or whatever ends up on 850), Disney (simulcast WMKI into the suburbs), or the owner of really any Boston AM other than WBZ.

One man's trash is another man's treasure...

 

[raccoonradio]

Provided they could get it cheaply, yes. I was wondering the same thing. Take note though that here in Beverly 890 was coming in fairly well by day. In many areas by day it least it prob wasn't bad. If you heard the sound file I did of
890's farewell message--that came out well on my stereo. It even came in well on a cheap $10 mini boombox.

 

[secondchoice]

"Second tier" I was thinking north towards Maine, I know this sound insane. But being a big fish in a small pond would be better than dark in Boston.

 

[FPB]

Since everyone else has offered their wish list I'd like to add mine - music. Having only one AM music station in this city is rediculous, as far as I'm concerned. I know enough to expect to see a dozen replies telling why music "will never return", it's "absolutely impossible" bla bla bla. Well, sports hasn't exactly been a rousing success; neither has conservative talk. And music DOES exist on AM in other cities.

Not that I expect to see it happen. Just a wish, is all.

 

[DanStrassberg]

"Second tier" I was thinking north towards Maine, I know this sound insane. But being a big fish in a small pond would be better than dark in Boston.

WAMG, as a full-time station, CANNOT be moved from its existing site. Period! The technical issues are SO daunting that anyone who understands them will quickly give up even thinking about it. As has already been pointed out, you have WCBS to the southwest and 900 in Nashua to the north. There is also another 900 in southern ME. WAMG was able to increase its night power a year or two ago ONLY becaise of the tall towers and the geography. The tall towers keep the high-angle skywave low so that WAMG's 0.25 mV/m 10% skywave does not impinge on WCBS's 0.5 mV/m groundwave coverage over land, but interference does occur over open water south of Long Island. This is complex and arcane stuff that is understood by only a few people. I hapen to know the consulting engineer who designed WAMG's upgrade to 6 kW-N. He explained the complexities and subtleties to me. Anyhow, the bottom line is that WAMG can't move anywhere!

 

[JIBGUY]

Although 890's signal isn't strong enough to compete in Boston, think about this: it has one of the best signals in MetroWest where most of the Boston AMs sound terrible. It would be a perfect cheap purchase for Entercom (simulcast WRKO or whatever ends up on 850), Disney (simulcast WMKI into the suburbs), or the owner of really any Boston AM other than WBZ.

The FCC has rules against two stations of the same service (AM) simulcasting in the same market. Either station's 5 mv/m contour may not overlap with the other more than something like 25%. Not sure of that exact percentage, but it's something like that. 890's 5mv/m field-strength contour would certainly cover more than 25% of 680's or 850's.

 

[dyeingeye]

This is an example of bad legal advice or worse (extra bad management). They should have: filed Chapter 11 (there should be a way to keep the license), pay only necessary bills for a several months and raise cash, used as much satellite programming as possible, and found a buyer or LMA. It is easier to sell an on going operation. Their web site is worth something. If their signal is not strong enough to be completive in Boston, move the station to a “second tier” city in New England.

What value did the station have as an ongoing business entity? Unless they had an viable ongoing business plan, bankruptcy protection would have lasted only about four months. Plus, the filing probably would have ended the one unique asset they had, the affiliation with ESPN. Chapter 11 only works if you have a business that has has positive cash flow before you have to pay the creditors. I think 890 had a problem making salary.

 

[MassMusicMan]

I know enough to expect to see a dozen replies telling why music "will never return", it's "absolutely impossible" bla bla bla.

Because music does not sound good on AM radio. It doesn't get much simpler.

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Buying a station (regardless of purchase price) and running it are two very different things. When you
"buy" a station, normally all you get is a license, a piece of paper. That does not usually include
tower rental, staff, office/studio space, etc. There are alot of costs in running a station, much less
running it at a profit. Perhaps a station like this one could work as an "urban" formatted one - good city
coverage. Running rap/hip-hop does is not the "highest and best use" of an FM frequency. It does not
need the fidelity of an FM signal. Maybe the Three Stooges, who are always claiming how much the Boston area "needs" this format, will actually step up to the plate, and put THEIR money where their mouths are, and buy it, and try to make a go of it. Then we will all see how long it takes for fiscal reality to step in... Good luck...

 

[DanStrassberg]

Perhaps a station like this one could work as an "urban" formatted one - good city coverage.

I'm well aware that the solution to WAMG's problems is not simple, but if any Boston-area AM were to flip to urban, it would logically be 1260, which has a killer signal in the inner city. 890 does not have such a great signal in the inner city, especially at night. But it does have a killer signal in MetroWest--in largely affluent suburban areas. The RIGHT approach would be to flip 1260 to urban and bring 890 back as Radio Disney. If the stations were co-owned, this would be close to a no-brainer, but they are not co-owned, notwithstanding 890's former close association with ESPN.

 

[FPB]

I know enough to expect to see a dozen replies telling why music "will never return", it's "absolutely impossible" bla bla bla.

Because music does not sound good on AM radio. It doesn't get much simpler.

I love people's opinions presented as facts. It's in the ear of the beholder.

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Maybe 1260 would be the optimal choice for an urban format -
but if it is not for sale, that is a moot point. Radio Disney,
I would think, needs to reach the suburban areas, more than the city
proper. An urban format would be a niche one - the purchase price
of the station(s) involved would have to be fairly low in order to pull it off.
1260, if it were for sale, would probably be cost prohibitive.

By way of an example - look what happened to TV's Cosby Show, when
it went into syndication. No high level math involved here: if you pay
X % more for the rights to run a program, and revenues are less than that
amount, economically, it is a loser... Same holds true here...

 

[MassMusicMan]

I love people's opinions presented as facts. It's in the ear of the beholder.

That's fair...but do you really think that the majority of Bostonians would listen to music on an AM radio station when they could listen to it on an FM radio station?