oldface said:
Why is WBCN floundering? Because they don't play any WBCN music.
What do you consider to be WBCN music?
That's a great question. I don't think the people at WBCN even know what WBCN music is. Historically, they have been progressive. This active/album/alternative hybrid is failing. Maybe that Free Form 104 format will sound more along the same lines of what worked in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, I can't tell because its only available in the Boston market.
As for this Dan O'Brien character, he doesn't know his history. Deep cuts off the first Rage Against the Machine Album were never historically a part of WBCN's playlist. If you look at the WBCN top 104 artists, 1/3 of them are those broken, then promoted, by WAAF. Yeah the market research says the songs test well, but did the market research tell which brand was associated with that song? GnR, Tool, Metallica, Tool, Korn, Stained, and any other 80's Hair stuff and most of the '90s nu-metal they play, all these are associated with the WAAF brand and the WZOU brand, which became the WAAF brand. WBCN spends half its time building brand equity for another station, because Dan O'Brien doesn't know his history. No wonder WAAF is so successful.