Anything We Can Do for Classical Music Radio in Boston?

[Deleted User]

(mods I am claiming "fair use" for the quote below for discussion purposes)

From the Boston Globe story 12/18/09



In a recent phone interview, John Voci, general manager of WGBH, discussed the decision to end the Friday afternoon BSO broadcasts. Taken alongside the Saturday night broadcast, Voci said these would have been “duplicative performances’’ - the same program of music potentially broadcast twice in two days - and explained that WCRB would instead be channeling its resources to broadcasting distinct programs at Tanglewood (all three per summer weekend) and the Boston Pops during its season (including broadcasts tomorrow and Dec. 24).

WGBH is presenting this as an expansion of its commitment to the BSO

OK Romy what would you rather have, a potential duplicate broadcast of the BSO. or the Tanglewood and Pops broadcasts? WGBH's position is rather clear, they can't do both, and rather than duplicate one, they are trying to put as many different performances out there as they can. I bet the Tanglewood production costs must be brutal.

 

[Deleted User]

The Issues:

• Friday afternoon broadcasts of the Boston Symphony Orchestra are cancelled.
• In Boston’s Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and areas south of Boston, listeners are unable to receive a clear signal from “all-classical” WCRB.

I have responded to the first 2 items on your issues list mostly.

I have given you, by way of the Globe article, WGBH's reasoning for dropping the Friday broadcasts, and it seems to me they are unwilling or unable to support both the Friday and Saturday broadcasts AND carry the Pops and Tanglewood broadcasts. Their explanation seems logical to me. Even if they bow to pressure from the likes of Christopher Lydon, one of the giants in the broadcasting community, in all likelihood it would still end up on WCRB, which brings us back to the technical argument, WCRB isn't going to get to every place in Boston, and now a new point... WGBH is trying to compete with WBUR, which does very well in PM drive according to the PPM, The last thing they want to do is have an inconsistent format that will have the listeners they are trying to siphon away from WBUR, and in some peoples opinion WBZ-AM, run back to WBUR.

As an example of what happens when you try being a two format station, look at WRKO, the Red Sox, and WEEI-AM. After a failed marriage the Empress and friends decided Sports belonged on the Sports station, and talk belonged on the talk station, and the listeners and stockholders would be better off.

 

[mgpt6]

Listeners could write WHRB or much less lickely WZBC to carry the Friday Afternoon Broadcasts of the BSO. If BSO could absorb the costs to carry them.Maybe WHRB might expand its classical programming during the day.
HHH, Aaron is totally correct on ZBC.

 

[4CX1000A]

Listeners could write WHRB or much less lickely WZBC to carry the Friday Afternoon Broadcasts of the BSO. If BSO could absorb the costs to carry them.Maybe WHRB might expand its classical programming during the day.

WHRB, unlike most college stations, is licensed to a student organization (The Harvard Radio Broadcasting Company, Inc.). Any proposal to take airtime away from students encounters opposition; the Metropolitan Opera only got on because the station needed the money that came with it (WHRB is commercial, unlike every other Boston-area college station, and gets no money from Harvard University). The Boston Symphony broadcasts would be a hard sell unless they were produced and presented by students (and the BSO would be unlikely to accept that condition).

Moreover, the costs of producing the broadcasts on the old WCRB was considerable -- probably upwards of $40,000 a year -- and WHRB hasn't the budget for that. Unless an outside sponsor comes along, it's probably not doable.

Finally, why should the BSO be dissatisfied with WGBH? They're getting exactly the same schedule on 99.5 that they had before the sale. It's true they lose Friday afternoons, but those were never on WCRB because the Saturday concerts are exactly the same; Saturday evening is a better time slot; and carrying them both would have cost twice as much.

Oh, and the "HD" in "HD Radio" does *not* stand for "high definition"; it's a brand name. It doesn't stand for anything, and should properly be followed by an ® since it's a registered trade mark.

 

[Romy The Cat]

It's true they lose Friday afternoons, but those were never on WCRB because the Saturday concerts are exactly the same; Saturday evening is a better time slot; and carrying them both would have cost twice as much.

4CX1000A,

You might not be a classical music listener or not familiar with the subject of WGBH broadcasts but the argument that Friday and Saturday BSO performances "are the same" is absolutely ridicules. There was no single identical BSO Friday and Saturday performanceI ever heard (I live in Boston since 1996). The Friday matinee and Saturday Evening consorts are played for absolutely different type of audiences, with different performing intentions ay with absolutely different level of performances. Not to mention that Friday matinee broadcasts had 3 times more listeners! I think for Mr. Voci to make suck a statement on records it was a declaration of own ignorance about the content of own programming, not to mention that we have two truly duplicated NTP talk/new stations that look like does not bother Mr. Voci. As I wrote before: if you have two sons then from some disturbed perspective they might be considered duplicates, so no one proposes to put one of them to death….

The Cat

 

[DanStrassberg]

If, as somebody stated, the Friday afternoon BSO broadcasts drew three times the audience of the Saturday evening BSO broadcasts, why would WGBH Educational Foundation or the BSO decide to discontinue the more popular of the two programs? There has to be a reason--and presumably a financial reason. Are there commitments to distribute the Saturday program that can't be broken? Does it cost more to produce the Friday program? Or is the assertion that the Friday programs drew a larger audience incorrect?

Public radio stations have just as good an understanding of the value of high ratings as commercial stations have. Whoever made this decision would not have made it without a reason. What is the reason?

 

[Romy The Cat]

Public radio stations have just as good an understanding of the value of high ratings as commercial stations have. Whoever made this decision would not have made it without a reason. What is the reason?

Dan, the questions you ask are perfectly legitimate, this is exactly why the Intelligencer held the meeting – to get the answers. You might read the comments to former Intelligencer articles to get my perspective.

http://classical-scene.com/2009/12/10/wgbh-to-discontinue-bso-friday-afternoon-broadcasts/

The Cat

 

[TheBigA]

However, there is no rep from the BSO at next week's meeting. I suggest they have a lot more to say about this than GBH.

 

[Don Juan]

Oh, and the "HD" in "HD Radio" does *not* stand for "high definition"; it's a brand name.

Yes it does stand for high definition. That's why the company picked the name.

Just like Wendy's was named for Dave's daughter...and thats also a trademark.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

• In Boston’s Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and areas south of Boston, listeners are unable to receive a clear signal from “all-classical” WCRB.

Actually, the upper north face of Beacon Hill gets a dynamite signal from WCRB and other northern rimshots like WXRV, and many southern NH/ME FM stations. I knew someone who lived there, and heard the phoenomenon myself. Also, southern NH TV (Chs. 9, 11, 21, 50, 60, etc...) comes in like local up there.

If you're on a different side of the hill, or near the bottom, forget it.

 

[DanStrassberg]

Yes it does stand for high definition. That's why the company picked the name.

Here is my understanding: HD Radio is indeed a registered trademark of iBiquity BUT iBiquity denies that the letters HD in its trademark stand for high definition (or anything else). Some people claim that HD stands for hybrid digital, which would make a lot of sense, but according to iBiquity, which, as I said, owns the HD Radio trademark, the HD in HD Radio does not stand for hybrid digital either. Whoever registers a trademark gets to tell us what, if anything, the trademark stands for. The owner of the HD Radio trademark tells us that the letters HD in its trademark don't stand for anything. You can think whatever you like, but if you think that those letters in that trademark stand for anything at all, you're just wrong.

 

[Deleted User]

IIRC the only thing Ibiquity ever says is that it is a digital format, and they ask that licensees of their software ID it as HD Radio, and nothing else.

http://www.ibiquity.com/i/october_2006.pdf

 

[Don Juan]

The owner of the HD Radio trademark tells us that the letters HD in its trademark don't stand for anything.

Where do they tell us this?

(BTW....I've heard a few of the Boston HD2 channels refer to themselves as "High-Definition Radio".

 

[mcamp]

The facts:
Boston still does have an all classical radio station on 99.5.
As previously stated, losing the afternoon BSO broadcast is one of many changes on the dial.
Where is an all jazz station....the best we had was a smooth jazz station....in a city that can boast Berklee Colllege of Music, and the New England conservatory.
It is "public radio", and operates with funding that comes out of tax dollars....if you don't like the way things are going, write to your congressman https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml and/or call the station and tell them you donation $$$$ are going somewhere else.

 

[Deleted User]

Note to editors: “HD Radio™” and the HD Radio logo are proprietary trademarks of iBiquity Digital Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The “HD” in HD Radio™ is part of iBiquity Digital’s brand name for its advanced digital AM/FM system. It does not mean hybrid digital or high-definition digital; both of these are incorrect.


http://www.ibiquity.com/press_room

I remember a while back that Ibiquity specifically said licensees had to refer to the software by the trademarked name HD Radio, I forget exactly where I saw it though

 

[carmen]

Where is an all jazz station...

8pm-5am WGBH
5am-1pm WHRB
1pm-8pm WICN

 

[Romy The Cat]

Boston Musical Intelligencer will be presenting a panel discussion at Old South Church, Copley Square, Tuesday, January 5, 6:00 to 7:30 pm. The panel intends to address the overwhelming response of dismay at the diminution of classical music programming in the greater Boston area.

Moderator: William M. Bulger, former Massachusetts Senate President and President, University of Massachusetts, board member of the Boston Public Library and Boston Symphony Orchestra

Panelists: Richard Dyer, former classical music critic, The Boston Globe; Christopher Lydon, Radio Talk Host; Dave MacNeill, for many decades announcer, then general manager at the old WCRB; and John Voci, general manager, WGBH

Respondents: reviewers for The Boston Musical Intelligencer: Mark DeVoto, John W. Ehrlich, Brian Jones, Peter Van Zandt Lane, Tom Schnauber.

http://classical-scene.com/2009/12/24/anything-we-can-do-for-classical-music-radio-in-boston/

The Issues:

• Friday afternoon broadcasts of the Boston Symphony Orchestra are cancelled.
• In Boston’s Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and areas south of Boston, listeners are unable to receive a clear signal from “all-classical” WCRB.
• Much of the music on WCRB is programed by a Minneapolis syndicate.
• Area listeners have lost fifty hours a week of quality classical music.
• Do we really need more talk radio and duplicative NPR programming?
•Are WGBH contributors pleased with the changes?
•Are WCRB listeners pleased?
•Will the administration at WGBH reconsider?

OK, the professionals, I have a question to ask.

Would you help me to estimate what might be the cost of GBH BSO Friday broadcasts? I am not taking about BSO’s fee (which is not there) or the announcer fees but just pure GBH technical support expanses. Mind you that the framework for the broadcast is set and used for Saturday broadcasts. The stage sound mixing is handled by BSO. The GBH just picks up the pre-cook for them digitalized feed and send signal out to own transmitter location. So, if any of you held/ hold managerial position in broadcasts industry then how much in your estimate the addition expense would be if you budget not BSO live 25 broadcasts per year but 50 broadcasts from the same location?

Rgs, Romy the Cat

 

[TheBigA]

You keep assuming the BSO has no role in this decision. In reading the quotes from John Voci, it appears to me that a deal has been made with the BSO regarding the regular symphony broadcasts, Tanglewood, and the Pops. As I've been saying, the BSO is the rights holder here. It's possible that THEY have laid out certain choices that GBH had to make in order to get the rights to the additional material. Part of that may have been to choose between either Friday or Saturday. It seems strange to me that no rep from the BSO will be at this panel, nor that anyone from the BSO is being quoted in the news reportage. They are a stakeholder here, and should be involved.

In reading Voci's quote, the preference was for original performances, rather than repeat performances. It's possible that the BSO wants to retain those for themselves. If they're giving them away, as you seem to believe they are, giving away two performances of the same program prevents them as the rights holder from making money themselves on one of those performances, either via their web site, or through some other platform. I'm just offering that as a possibility.

To your question of putting a price on airtime, that's difficult to do, because outsiders don't have access to all the costs involved in running a station. Certainly when I was at a station, we were able to put per/day and per/hour costs on our broadcast time. But it varies from station to station.

 

[Don Juan]

The “HD” in HD Radio™ is part of iBiquity Digital’s brand name for its advanced digital AM/FM system. It does not mean hybrid digital or high-definition digital; both of these

So, does anyone really think they just pulled it out of the sky?

Or picked HD to go along with the publics perception of HDTV.

I mean they picked the letters for something!

 

[Deleted User]

but by claiming it isn't for anything, they don't have to defend themselves against accusations that it isn't what they claim it to be and consumers got ripped off, or from class action lawsuits, etc.

All the little size zero hot bodied women bouncing all over the TV are trying to get you to think that the product they are hawking will make you thin, but there is a little disclaimer in transparent font that says that it is not a weight loss product.