I totally get MassMusicMan's point but my perspective is very different. When you are that low in 6 plus numbers, below even a station on the right hand side of the AM band, it is time for a change. They need to try other things, almost anything at this point. Also, they recently blew out their morning guy and their midday person is on leave which to me means they are ripe for a change.
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Boston Radio Ratings April 2020.
- Thread starter freqlost
- Start date
Agree. Entercom must be evaluating (or has evaluated) options, as current format is obviously not working, even if packaged with sister stations. The question has to be with timing. At what point in a pandemic/recovery is the right time to launch a new brand?
Again, fellow armchair radio consultants, what format would improve ratings AND support from advertisers AND complement the other stations in the Boston cluster?
You hear the joke "Country 93.7" quite often on various social media platforms when people are discussing 'eei getting trounced by 98.5. But honestly, they've been cutting salaries for years and in the overall scheme they still do alright in ratings. Just doesn't seem realistic that they'd switch formats. They could definitely make some host changes to more competitive though, imo.
It has been discussed many times on this board, but I would love to see an Alternative station, preferably one that leans more towards the rock side of Alternative. I would listen to a station similar to WBOS before it's format change, but I would want it to play more new music. Listening to the same 90's/early 2000's songs over and over gets old. I realize that Alternative has been tried and failed and has become a niche format, but couldn't it do better than a 1.0?
Thinking about my demo- I'm a 38 year old guy, what is there to listen to for music for me (and others like me) on the radio? I'm not a fan of country, so those stations are ruled out. WBOS plays too much "old rock" for me and I've never even turned on WZLX. For rhythmic music, I've aged out of Jamn 94.5 and Hot 96.8 is sounding tired playing the same old songs over and over. I'm not into Kiss/AMP/Mix/Magic and the stations geared towards females, so I'm mainly listening to Sirius in the car.
A rock leaning Alternative would seem to appeal to most of my friends of the same age also. I realize I should not fall into a trap of thinking that everyone likes the music that my friends do, but I'm still asking the question- what is a Male from say age 35-45 supposed to listen to if they want a break from sports talk or news talk?
Thinking about my demo- I'm a 38 year old guy, what is there to listen to for music for me (and others like me) on the radio? I'm not a fan of country, so those stations are ruled out. WBOS plays too much "old rock" for me and I've never even turned on WZLX. For rhythmic music, I've aged out of Jamn 94.5 and Hot 96.8 is sounding tired playing the same old songs over and over. I'm not into Kiss/AMP/Mix/Magic and the stations geared towards females, so I'm mainly listening to Sirius in the car.
A rock leaning Alternative would seem to appeal to most of my friends of the same age also. I realize I should not fall into a trap of thinking that everyone likes the music that my friends do, but I'm still asking the question- what is a Male from say age 35-45 supposed to listen to if they want a break from sports talk or news talk?
What do they listen to now? It seems to me the problem is there is no consensus new music. Everything just exists within its own silo. There is no core of new music to build a format around.
(IMO) A well programmed Alternative is their best option and can get them a 3+ share. To make it work, they will need a Programming team/DJs that truly understands the format. Too many Alternative stations around the country are under the watch of Program Directors who don't really understand the format.
WBOS (as Alt) was not programmed well and had no chance.
WBOS (as Alt) was not programmed well and had no chance.
Not really...they understand the format from the time when it was successful. What's needed is someone who understands the audience.
Semantics.
Understanding the format is inclusive of the music, presentation and target.
Good point! I think The River (WXRV) comes under that category....
What do you think about 92.5 The River? (or for that matter, WERS?)
And, similarly, most of the music of the last two decades has silos. The format is actually fragmented into a number of sub-groups that tolerate music from, perhaps, one other group but hate that from other(s), There is little consensus, making a mass appeal format difficult and limited to very few songs.
There's a way to do it, but it takes co-operation of the artists and labels, and neither seem very motivated to help.
And whatever their format plans are, the question remains how and when would be an appropriate time to introduce a new brand to the market? This pandemic appears to be with us for awhile.
That has been a problem with this format for over a decade. Artists who don't understand that art and business have to coincide for radio to be able to promote them, and labels who seem to have said, "we can't herd cats" with the artists and know that getting radio involved requires the artists to be on board.
I'm not sure actually. Nobody talks much about what they listen to on the radio, but some mention that they listen to the Sports Hub and WEEI. I've heard some of them mention that they listen to a lot of podcasts and stream music on their phone. I noticed a few people on social media that were sad to see WAAF go.
Regarding the River and WERS:
I like The River but have not listened much to WERS. I looked at the ERS playlist online and it looks good to me. However, I would prefer a station that plays more new music and plays harder alternative songs more often. Both stations seem like "soft rock alternative" to me.
I like The River but have not listened much to WERS. I looked at the ERS playlist online and it looks good to me. However, I would prefer a station that plays more new music and plays harder alternative songs more often. Both stations seem like "soft rock alternative" to me.
I brought up both of those stations during the demise of WBOS and WAAF. What about WERS? No question that the people there know the format. They LIVE the format, and it earns them a 1 share.
WERS shares very little music with today's commercial Alternative radio format. Their programming is more consistent with a very left of center AAA station.
Playlist this hour
Arcade Fire 'The Suburbs'
E.O.B. 'Shangri-la'
Warren Zevon 'Johnny Strikes Up The Band'
Blind Melon 'No Rain'
Caamp 'By and By'
Cat Power 'Woman'
Eric Hutchinson 'Cooler Than You'
Beck 'Tropicalia'
TV on the Radio 'Crying'
The Temper Trap 'Sweet Disposition'
Nicole Atkins 'Domino'
Ben Harper 'Burn To Shine'
Looks like a cool station but does not mirror commercial Alternative radio and a 1 share makes sense for this playlist.
Playlist this hour
Arcade Fire 'The Suburbs'
E.O.B. 'Shangri-la'
Warren Zevon 'Johnny Strikes Up The Band'
Blind Melon 'No Rain'
Caamp 'By and By'
Cat Power 'Woman'
Eric Hutchinson 'Cooler Than You'
Beck 'Tropicalia'
TV on the Radio 'Crying'
The Temper Trap 'Sweet Disposition'
Nicole Atkins 'Domino'
Ben Harper 'Burn To Shine'
Looks like a cool station but does not mirror commercial Alternative radio and a 1 share makes sense for this playlist.
But commercial alternative radio has failed in Boston. It failed at WBOS and at WAAF.
Sound like you have a very narrow niche format that you are seeking....No other station suits you, only a station thta meets your expectations. Wonder how much of an audience your preferred strata of Alternative would produce.
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