Boston _ What format work here?

[joshzz]

I have been informed by a reputable source that it may be possible to buy a Boston AM station (with a lot of power) for about half a million. Tower and studio rent costs are quite high but hey, it's Boston - I think they're Number 9, Number 9 as far as Arbitron Markets go.

My question is, after reviewing what's on the AM & FM dials, what would work there? I didn't see any Christian Music Stations though I may have confused one as being a talker. They've got sports on FM, lots of news talk, etc.

In your opinion, what would be the best format suited for Boston considering what's already there?

THANKS ! josh

 

[aaronread]

Dude, there's a reason why 1510 keeps getting sold every few years. :

 

[HHH]

Seems to me, some kind of African-American service. That's the hole in the market right now, isn't it?

By this, I mean an African-American owned station. I know that Radio One owns WILD, but that company is swimming in debt, and besides, they don't seem to be paying much attention to WILD, which is a daytimer anyway.

I wish some black investors could get together. The coverage area is more than adequate for an urban service, and has the bonus of reaching urban pockets in other spots in New England.

When I look at all the Urban-oriented pirates in Boston, there must be something going on. A half-million to a 50,000 watt station? I know the rent in Waltham is ridiculous, but maybe if the station is run lean, they might do it. Would HD-AM capability help make this a viable music station?

Either that, or Champion buys it, switches the brokerage programming to 1510 with wider coverage than 1600, then spins 1600 to an African-American group.

Whatever happens, I hope that it is a format that will actually serve an audience, instead of yet another religious outfit (not to say that religious radio does not have an audience, but we already have WEZE, WROL, etc.

 

[raccoonradio]

Most people stick to FM for music (though AM can have the likes of a WJIB for "easy as the breeze",
WMKI for Disneyteens/Disneykids, etc.) but who knows. Could do well if run right or "lean" as you say

How many mp3 players with radios have AM on there (if they have radios at all I'd think most are FM only)
But again, for in-car listening, etc., AM could work

 

[CTListener]

Dude, there's a reason why 1510 keeps getting sold every few years. :

Yeah, 90 percent of its potential nighttime audience has gills, fins and scales.

 

[Don Juan]

Seems to me, some kind of African-American service. That's the hole in the market right now, isn't it?

I would agree. If someone gave me said AM station, I would make it serve the Black community. If it is 1510, it has an OK signal day and night in Boston proper. It would be a format that could pick up black owned businesses as advertisers. "Support locally owned black radio, support local black businesses". (Much as WILD served the community years ago.)

They could do local talk all day.....pick up a few good national shows. Maybe have a recip agreement with the Bay State Banner to have some of their writers/reporters come on the air from time to time.

I would sell some time on the weekends to Black ministers, and maybe do some Gospel Music shows or "time tunnel" oldies show on the weekend too on the weekend.

 

[beantownradio25]

As others have said, your best bet would be a format serving the African-American community, this is a three year long format gap in Boston right now.

 

[FPB]

Look very closely at what station owners in this market have been doing, then do the opposite.

 

[Don Juan]

Look very closely at what station owners in this market have been doing, then do the opposite.

What? No rant about the wonders of "Progressive Radio"?

I'm shocked! Shocked I say!

 

[magpie]

I bet Jeff Santos would like to buy it....

 

[DanStrassberg]

Somewhere between five and ten years ago, a satellite-delivered "solid gold soul" format called The Touch drew, relatively speaking, big numbers at 1150 AM, which has a decidedly inferior signal to 1510 in Boston proper. This was during a period when 1150 was in the hands of a trust waiting to resell it. Despite spending ZERO money on promotion, 1150 handily beat out WILD in the ratings, even though WILD had an established presence in the Inner City and 1150 did not. Could 1510 repeat that feat today? Dunno. The place is the same but it is, after all, a different time. My hunch is that such a format could draw respectable numbers on 1510 even now. Could it be a business success? That would be much more of a gamble.

 

[DanStrassberg]

I bet Jeff Santos would like to buy it....

Sure--as long has he could spend someone else's money! He'd need the purchase price plus working capital, and you've gotta know that he doesn't have it. I'd wager that his chances of raising it are in the neighborhood of one in a million.

 

[Retro]

Dude, there's a reason why 1510 keeps getting sold every few years. :

We could even have a thread on how many formats and call letters that 1510 has had. I think the Sports Zone has been their longest living format to date.

 

[JIBGUY]

Yeah, 90 percent of its potential nighttime audience has gills, fins and scales.

And even those gill/fin listeners have to fight off 1500-WashingtonDC and 1520-Buffalo, both of which clobber WWZN-1510 here in Mid-Coast Maine where 1510's signal SHOULD be coming back down to earth again, but apparently doesn't.

 

[DanStrassberg]

And even those gill/fin listeners have to fight off 1500-WashingtonDC and 1520-Buffalo, both of which clobber WWZN-1510 here in Mid-Coast Maine where 1510's signal SHOULD be coming back down to earth again, but apparently doesn't.

OTOH, at 33 degrees true, the compass bearing between WWZN and WJTO (Bob's QTH in Maine is WJTO), WWZN sends out less than 1/3 of its nighttime signal maximum (on an equivalent-power basis--the power toward WJTO is equivalent to ~50 kW ND; the power at the signal maximum is equivalent to >150 kW ND). The maximum is at 98 degrees true--right over downtown Boston. So although the signal where Bob is should be plenty strong, the guys with the gills and fins get a much stronger nighttime signal than Bob does;>) WWZN is supposed to have the best nighttime signal in Finland of any US AM. (Not sure about a connection, if any, between Finland and the fins that go with the gills. Hey, what do you expect at 1:26AM EST?)