Boring Boston radio

[pjc1961]

I'd say you're correct, CTL. Except for news and news/talk where it just can't be helped but be part of the name/slogan of a station, for the most part it's just industry terminology. For example, WCBS-FM uses "New York's Greatest Hits" where it once used "New York's Greatest Oldies".

As you say, most if not all of the general public refers to that type of station as "the oldies station" - let's face it, no matter the era that is emphasized, all of the tunes are indeed "older" than what's usually heard elsewhere.

Likewise you'll probably never hear "your favorite adult contemporary songs are all right here on LiteFM" anytime soon.

Expanding on the topic a bit (at the risk of hijacking the thread):

granted, lines are blurred now more than ever with the general staying power of music released in the 1955+ era that has been played in many more different radio formatics that are available now vs. when that music was originally released - making it a little harder to formatically classify recordings that are 5 to 10+ years old.
What "lane or lanes" does a particular song fit in to? Sometimes it's quite subjective.

 

[uncamark]

I'd say you're correct, CTL. Except for news and news/talk where it just can't be helped but be part of the name/slogan of a station, for the most part it's just industry terminology. For example, WCBS-FM uses "New York's Greatest Hits" where it once used "New York's Greatest Oldies".

As you say, most if not all of the general public refers to that type of station as "the oldies station" - let's face it, no matter the era that is emphasized, all of the tunes are indeed "older" than what's usually heard elsewhere.

Likewise you'll probably never hear "your favorite adult contemporary songs are all right here on LiteFM" anytime soon.

I've been spending some time with tunein.com's new Discover feature that feeds what's playing on other streams in similar formats, so I've been jumpins around streams a lot. It seems as though the classic hits stations that are rockier than than your pop oldies stations but stay away from the AC/DC and Black Sabbath type of songs that a lot of classic rock stations play these days use the "Classic Hits" slogan. These are the stations that tend to image like a classic rock station, with no jingles, more attitudinal liners and and no talkovers of intros, all things associated with the poppier of the classic hits genre, who tend these days to use "Greatest Hits" as their positioner.

 

[Slamdunk1215]

Sports talk is OK but we need only ONE sports talk station, two max in the market. Getting rid of ODS for AMP made no sense because CBS could have molded BMX into a top 40, it practically is already, and what about the oldies fans? Radio in Boston bites now big time because FNX is the best station and it's being taken away from our radio dial. We don't want The Harbor no matter what format it is, We want WFNX!

 

[CTListener]

Sports talk is OK but we need only ONE sports talk station, two max in the market. Getting rid of ODS for AMP made no sense because CBS could have molded BMX into a top 40, it practically is already, and what about the oldies fans? Radio in Boston bites now big time because FNX is the best station and it's being taken away from our radio dial. We don't want The Harbor no matter what format it is, We want WFNX!

There aren't enough of you and advertisers don't think you have enough money to be worth trying to sell to. Fatal combination for commercial radio in this era of targeting and research.

 

[raccoonradio]

As much as people here say they don't like Amp, or think we only need one sports station, or think FNX
should continue, etc. the fact is that what makes money stays. We may not like it but as they said in the Godfather, "This is business. Nothing personal."

"We", those who want WFNX back, may not be in sufficient numbers to justify that happening,
sad but true. You're in the minority.Just think...now you know how it feels to be a Massachusetts
Republican or conservative (As for advertisers as much as the former ODS fans feel they are great in number, and maybe they are, they probably are outnumbered by the kiddos and besides
younger folks are in greater demand. A better demo. Coveted by advertisers. Which is why
in the fictional WKRP in Cincinnati, the station couldn't survive just on the account of Shady
Hills Rest Home. That's why they went rock...)

END OF FIRST EPISODE (apparently they hadn't gotten the new sponsors yet...)
VENUS FLYTRAP: So let's get down little brothers and sisters! Together we will growl,
and HOWL! (back to a more sedate voice) Right after this message from Shady Hills Rest Home.

AD: Many people have asked this age-old question: What happens when I can no longer
feed myself?

 

[raccoonradio]

LES NESSMAN: But there are already a lot of stations playing rock and roll.

ANDY TRAVIS: Well, why do you think that is, Les?

LES NESSMAN: Well, I think it's a plot of some sort.

ANDY (laughs): No, rock and roll is where the money is.

--WKRP

 

[Slamdunk1215]

Whatever the format is, it's going to be subpar. Of course, right wing radio will be the worst but unless it's WFNX being restored, it's going to bite big time. We want Clear Channel and the Harbor to leave the airwaves! We want WFNX to stay! Shame on Mindich, he's worse than Howard Schultz is seen by Seattle people. In fairness to Schultz, he was deceived by Clayton Bennett, but Stephen Mindich knew what he was doing. Why couldn't he sell to the Globe and have the Globe maintain the call letters, WFNX.

Boston radio will be really boring on July 23 when 101.7 switches to Talk and this will make it the fourth talk station there's already talk on 93.7, 96.9 and 98.5 in Boston and I would like more music to be on the radio like Urban Hip Hop or R&B, Alt. Rock, Country, or Spanish.

 

[raccoonradio]

I wouldn't mind right wing talk radio and only wish the 101.7 signal were better. It's going to "bite" for some people but you always have taxpayer funded (in part) NPR to fall back on.

It's business and soon The Occupy Station will give way to most likely mass appeal whatever-we-want radio. Maybe college radio will step up and play more alt. rock

 

[NHRadio]

Who the F is "we"? Your opinion is one thing, but I doubt you speak for a large shadow army of FNX fans. For the umpteenth time, FNX was losing money. That's why its gone. Please stop acting like you are somehow entitled to dictate format decisions to private companies.

Whatever the format is, it's going to be subpar. Of course, right wing radio will be the worst but unless it's WFNX being restored, it's going to bite big time. We want Clear Channel and the Harbor to leave the airwaves! We want WFNX to stay! Shame on Mindich, he's worse than Howard Schultz is seen by Seattle people. In fairness to Schultz, he was deceived by Clayton Bennett, but Stephen Mindich knew what he was doing. Why couldn't he sell to the Globe and have the Globe maintain the call letters, WFNX.

 

[WNTIRadio]

Seriously, if you had a property... any kind, let's say a rental property instead of a radio station, and it was bleeding money every month for a long time now. Someone comes along and offers you $14.5 million for it to take it off your hands and you do what:

A) Take the money, recover the losses you've sustained and then relax for awhile

B) Say "no", continue to run a format with falling ratings and even worse, shrinking revenue until you're completely broke and then have to sell it in a bankruptcy auction

I know what I would choose. The not-insane option of A. I would feel bad for my staffers, but at the same time in business you have to do what you have to do. It's never pleasant to fire someone, even when they royally screw something up. But if you've been in radio for any amount of time, you know you're going to get fired/laid off sooner or later. A wise NYC air talent once said to me, "this is the life we've chosen, if we want stability we would have all become tenured college professors".

"It's better to burn out than to fade away", said Uncle Neil once upon a time.

 

[DG02816]

I'm totally with NH and WNTI on this one. You won't be in business that long if you keep losing money. Sad as it may have been, Mindich did what he needed to do. Hopefully CC puts on something that will make money and be mass-appeal, too.
Niche formats, as artistically nice as they may be, don't stand much of a chance in today's economics. Only way they work would be the listener-supported model like Bob Bittner uses on WJIB 740, on a non-comm FM, or buying time on an AM.
Slamdunk, as cruel as this sounds, it's the reality of radio today. Grow up and get used to it.

 

[inorm99]

I'm with Slam Dunk on this one.
The board is full of know it alls who think they have all the answers.
Post whatever you want

Whatever the format is, it's going to be subpar. Of course, right wing radio will be the worst but unless it's WFNX being restored, it's going to bite big time. We want Clear Channel and the Harbor to leave the airwaves! We want WFNX to stay! Shame on Mindich, he's worse than Howard Schultz is seen by Seattle people. In fairness to Schultz, he was deceived by Clayton Bennett, but Stephen Mindich knew what he was doing. Why couldn't he sell to the Globe and have the Globe maintain the call letters, WFNX.

Boston radio will be really boring on July 23 when 101.7 switches to Talk and this will make it the fourth talk station there's already talk on 93.7, 96.9 and 98.5 in Boston and I would like more music to be on the radio like Urban Hip Hop or R&B, Alt. Rock, Country, or Spanish.

 

[uncamark]

I'm with Slam Dunk on this one.
The board is full of know it alls who think they have all the answers.
Post whatever you want

Let's not kid ourselves--WFNX was never anything more than a loss leader promotional tool for the Phoenix.  Just like Radio Disney is a loss leader for Disney.  As long as the paper was raking in money, they could afford to run the radio station with a niche format and a limited signal.  Now the paper is losing money hand over fist, as are most alt-weeklies since the Internet and cragislist took away their main attractions, and they have to get rid of one of the money-losers.  Mindich is a print guy first of all and I don't blame him for wanting to keep the paper going.

And who the hell besides Clear Channel did you want to buy the station?  Entercom?  CBS?  Greater Media?  Cumulus?  Randy Michaels?  The Dig?  Who in Boston besides the Phoenix could make that station profitable with the format and signal? NO ONE. And if it was one of the other Big Radio guys besides CC, they would NOT have kept the format as it was. They might not have gone to a faux Jack, but no matter who bought the station, WFNX was doomed.

And it's not llke there's no other place on the Boston dial for modern rock. Ever hear of WBOS? "Record Hospital" on WHRB? WMBR? WZBC? Even WERS? And of course, there's XMU and Lithium on Sirius XM and all of those Internet streams.

No radio station is forever. WFNX is done. Deal with it.

 

[JIBGUY]

There's NO reason ANY station inside Rt 128 can't be profitable (except for the horrendous lease that 1510 has).

 

[WNTIRadio]

I think equal blame should go to the sales staff of WFNX if it was truly that bad as far as profits go.

I'd like to see a breakdown on operating costs. I know I never will, but it would be interesting to see and add up all the expenses... Tower rent, salaries, royalties, equipment budget, office expenses etc. I'm sure there was a way to run it leaner and meaner, but...

In the end, $14.5 million is a lot of money. Likely more money than most of us will make in a lifetime. As much as I love radio, I would have sold it in a heartbeat when I saw that number in front of me. But, If I also had a free newspaper I would have shut that down first. I can't see how that is making any money for anyone, probably costs more to print than it makes.

He's a print guy, but he's betting on the wrong horse. If anyone says radio is dying now, then print is a rotting skeleton.

 

[TheBigA]

I'm sure there was a way to run it leaner and meaner, but...

Sure there is! Fire the expensive air talent, spread your costs over multiple platforms and revenue streams, and play music that appeals to a broader audience. Why do you think other stations do it? Even public non-commercial radio has discovered that it's better to own several stations in a market than just one. It was obvious a long time ago that the concept of a single station in a town was a dying business model. The costs were too high, the audiences were fragmenting too much, and thus the revenues were going to diminish. Don't blame the sales staff! Blame competition. That's what killed WFNX.

 

[inorm99]

After WBCN left the airwaves, what competition?
If you think that WBOS, and The River competed for FNX's core audience then you didn't listen to WFNX.As for expensive air talent, I heard from several people that worked there that they were grossly underpaid

I'm sure there was a way to run it leaner and meaner, but...

Sure there is! Fire the expensive air talent, spread your costs over multiple platforms and revenue streams, and play music that appeals to a broader audience. Why do you think other stations do it? Even public non-commercial radio has discovered that it's better to own several stations in a market than just one. It was obvious a long time ago that the concept of a single station in a town was a dying business model. The costs were too high, the audiences were fragmenting too much, and thus the revenues were going to diminish. Don't blame the sales staff! Blame competition. That's what killed WFNX.

 

[TheBigA]

After WBCN left the airwaves, what competition?

That's not exactly what I'm talking about. I'm looking at the bigger picture of Boston radio. How can a single station, with a 2 share, compete with clusters that get a 20? Sure, back in the old days, where there were a lot fewer stations, it was possible to own one station and get a 12 or 14 share. Not any more. Certainly not with alternative rock on a weak signal. Advertisers want to reach the largest audience for the lowest price. WFNX couldn't deliver a large audience for any price. So don't blame the salesmen for that. They were selling to a very limited market. Too many radio stations, competing with too many other ad-supported media, trying to reach an audience that is splintering, due mainly to musical taste. That's why I say blame competition.

 

[CTListener]

As for expensive air talent, I heard from several people that worked there that they were grossly underpaid

Any air talent is expensive when compared to a computer sitting in a closet.