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Changes at WEEI

I find it hysterical that people are blaming the move from 850 as being the downfall of WEEI. Nothing could be further from the truth. The downfall started long before 93.7, with the changes on the Big Show, and M&M in middays. The station was already in a tailspin when it moved to 93.7, and their initial ratings spike coincided with the Red Sox 2011 collapse, so the majority of their audience had made the switch right away. The continued declines since have to do with content....and the fact that The Sports Hub is simply a better product, targeting the next generation sports listener.

Normally a station is bolstered by it's heritage. In this case WEEI is being held back by it. It needs a a hot show it can re-build around. D&C and Ordway have clearly surpassed their sell-by date, but M&M is clearly not the future. Mornings would be the first place to start rebuilding. Ship D&C to 680 and bring in a younger show, even if it's not a sports show. It doesn't have to be a T&R clone, but it shouldn't get bogged down in pitching rotations and the benefits of the 3-4 defense either. If they can fix mornings, it sets the tone for the rest of the day, and the other dayparts tend to fall into place.

It's not the signal. It's not the Red Sox. It's the talk content...and it needs to drastically change, fast.
 
>> targeting the next generation sports listener.

As I've joked, 98.5 listeners are 30 yr olds still living in their mom's basement. EEI listeners
are 50 yr olds still living in their mom's basement. "Gee, maybe we at EEI should update our
music beds. This Percy Faith isn't quite cutting it."

>>Ship D&C to 680 and bring in a younger show, even if it's not a sports show.

They currently have Kuhner under some kind of contract but could put him in a diff slot
(7p? and no they make $$ off the 9-11am show) and one wonders if they may
want E&B...but D&C on RKO? Hmm. D&C, back on the Ancient Modulation dial.

FRANK FROM GLOUCESTER, a typical part of the very young demo WEEI goes after.
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/frank200.jpg

>>
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/sports/x645290292/Frank-From-Gloucester-calling-it-a-career
(2007 when Frank "retired" as an EEI caller. oops...)
>>"There will be some people disappointed that I'm not calling anymore," said Iacono, who is originally from Providence and has been living in Gloucester since 1966. "A lot of people considered me WEEI's No. 1 caller."
 
tvradiogeek said:
What do you consider a better ROI: Extra coin running ESPN on 850 for a 0.6 and a 2.7 on 93.7 -- Or 850//93.7 for numbers well into the 4s and stomping 98.5 back down where they belong?
Click to expand...

Since WBZ-FM is pulling almost twice that share in men 18-34, the ROI still isn't there.
 
Not sure how much $ EEI is being paid to run ESPN but they don't want to lose out on the play by play events maybe, etc. And not sure if that contract with ESPN precludes them from
running, say, Fox Sports overnight on 93.7 to offer a bit of variety.

For it to count in the ratings WEEI would have to totally simulcast on 850 and 93.7.
They can't run their local daytime shows on 850 and 93.7 then break apart to put
ESPN only on at night, and not have it reflected in the ratings. They estimated most people
heard their local shows on the FM anyway. This opens up some $ from ESPN to have it
run on 850.

And putting D&C on RKO being a return to AM--well, in Boston at least. Technically I think they're on the 1440 from Worcester, still. That's the only "WEEI Sports Network" station still on AM.
While 850 runs ESPN, the local WEEI shows run on a network that is--other than the 1440--
totally on the FM dial.

http://www.weei.com/weei/shows-schedules/network-stations
(FMs in Lawrence, Dennis, Easthampton, Westerly RI, Saco ME, Topsham ME, Meredith NH,
and Keene NH)

>>
http://www.arbitron.com/radio_stations/wcu_tlr.htm
Effective with the Winter 2006 survey, Arbitron started offering Total Line Reporting as an option for stations that simulcast all content 100 percent.
The quarterly Station Information Form includes a "Total Line Reporting" section where each station may indicate that it simulcasts 100 percent all content (including programming, commercials, play-by-play sports, and Public Service Announcements), with one or more stations for all 12 weeks of the quarterly survey period.
 
(So what if WEEI simulcasts 93.7 and 850 again? When there's a sports conflict WRKO will have to take the lesser option. For ratings credit 850 would have to run 100 per cent of 93.7's
programming, including play by play; thus RKO suddenly becomes the spillover outlet.)

(Hey maybe Ent. could make ESPN go full time on WRKO and we'll have ZERO all-talk
stations... not sure where Howie would fit in, though! Or hey, put ESPN on post-7 pm on
RKO and let the wonderful Ancient Modulation 850 simulcast WEEI's local stuff. That'll
help the ratings!)
 
fmradio1 said:
I find it hysterical that people are blaming the move from 850 as being the downfall of WEEI. Nothing could be further from the truth. The downfall started long before 93.7, with the changes on the Big Show, and M&M in middays. The station was already in a tailspin when it moved to 93.7, and their initial ratings spike coincided with the Red Sox 2011 collapse, so the majority of their audience had made the switch right away. The continued declines since have to do with content....and the fact that The Sports Hub is simply a better product, targeting the next generation sports listener.

It's not the signal. It's not the Red Sox. It's the talk content...and it needs to drastically change, fast.
Click to expand...
I agree about the quality of the content, but I don't see the difference in some cases. Felger was generally despised by the listeners when he was on "EEI. If he was on the Big Show, you knew what the "Whiner Line" was going to feature. His schtick was to be contrary and degrade everything to do with Boston. Has he changed(I must confess, I've never listened to him on 98.5)? Mazz was always just one of the sportswriters like Buck or McAdam..........nothing extraordinary. Mid-days is a disaster on both stations. I don't see why one is so far ahead of the other. I listen to neither. Comparing D&C to T&R is similar to comparing them to Opie & Anthony. One show is sports, the other is comedy. Whenever I see a post that says D&C are too political, I know that they haven't listened in a couple of years.

By the way, 1440 AM is broadcasting UMass games. I really wonder who they think is listening to that. At certain times of the day 1440 comes in better that 93.7 out here in the Worcester area. Yesterday after the Celtic game I wanted to hear more about Rondo's injury and I was treated to a UMass post game show that lasted about 20 minutes. It reminded me of when Ted Sarandis would go on and on about a B.C. game, that nobody cared about.
 
"8 games in one day here at county forum" (pounds on table) good times indeed!!
 
fmradio1 said:
I find it hysterical that people are blaming the move from 850 as being the downfall of WEEI. Nothing could be further from the truth. The downfall started long before 93.7, with the changes on the Big Show, and M&M in middays. The station was already in a tailspin when it moved to 93.7, and their initial ratings spike coincided with the Red Sox 2011 collapse, so the majority of their audience had made the switch right away. The continued declines since have to do with content....and the fact that The Sports Hub is simply a better product, targeting the next generation sports listener.

Normally a station is bolstered by it's heritage. In this case WEEI is being held back by it. It needs a a hot show it can re-build around. D&C and Ordway have clearly surpassed their sell-by date, but M&M is clearly not the future. Mornings would be the first place to start rebuilding. Ship D&C to 680 and bring in a younger show, even if it's not a sports show. It doesn't have to be a T&R clone, but it shouldn't get bogged down in pitching rotations and the benefits of the 3-4 defense either. If they can fix mornings, it sets the tone for the rest of the day, and the other dayparts tend to fall into place.

It's not the signal. It's not the Red Sox. It's the talk content...and it needs to drastically change, fast.
Click to expand...

Here are the #s pal! July12, WEEI//850 4.3 WBZ-FM 3.3. August12, WEEI//850 4.3 WBZ-FM 3.7. September12, WBZ-FM 4.5 WEEI//850 4.1. October12, WBZ-FM 4.6 WEEI-FM 2.8 WEEI-AM 1.0. You can look up the rest of the #s. Not the signal or the Sox, huh?

Pitching rotations and benefits of the 3-4 defense are germane to a SPORTS format. T&R are as relevant to sports on 98.5 as they were to Alternative music when they were on WBCN. They are the greatest guys in the world but they belong on a TALK station!

Are you attempting to tell us that the September12 #s were not DIRECTLY caused by the Sox? Which station delivers SPORTS talk content? If 850//93.7 are consistently well into the 4s and 98.5 needs the Sox to suck and Pats/Bruins to win big in order to take one or two Books a year... Where is all this hysterical hilarity coming from? Has bumping a game to WRKO hurt WEEI in the past? Only thing WEEI needs to do is stay the course and quit trying to rearrange the furniture!

-
 
Pal, you don't get it. The 6+ numbers don't tell the full story. WEEI is getting beaten fairly regularly in the 18-34 men and 25-44 men demos across all dayparts throughout most, if not all of the year. That's a troubling trend looking toward the future. The Red Sox games artificially blow up their overall ratings, just like the Pats do with the Sports Hub. Take both teams games out of the equation (as the C's & B's essentially cancel each other out) and 98.5 has a distinct advantage. WEEI does get an overall bump from their large 55+ audience, but that's not the demographic advertisers want. Putting WEEI on 850 won't help. All that will do is bring in a few more 55+ men that sales can't sell. As it is, the Red Sox rights are a money loser for Entercom, but without their ratings bump at night for six months out of the year, WEEI would really be in dire straits. The overall outlook at the sneaker building is bleak, no matter how much you WEEI fanboys try to spin it....



Here are the #s pal! July12, WEEI//850 4.3 WBZ-FM 3.3. August12, WEEI//850 4.3 WBZ-FM 3.7. September12, WBZ-FM 4.5 WEEI//850 4.1. October12, WBZ-FM 4.6 WEEI-FM 2.8 WEEI-AM 1.0. You can look up the rest of the #s. Not the signal or the Sox, huh?

Pitching rotations and benefits of the 3-4 defense are germane to a SPORTS format. T&R are as relevant to sports on 98.5 as they were to Alternative music when they were on WBCN. They are the greatest guys in the world but they belong on a TALK station!

Are you attempting to tell us that the September12 #s were not DIRECTLY caused by the Sox? Which station delivers SPORTS talk content? If 850//93.7 are consistently well into the 4s and 98.5 needs the Sox to suck and Pats/Bruins to win big in order to take one or two Books a year... Where is all this hysterical hilarity coming from? Has bumping a game to WRKO hurt WEEI in the past? Only thing WEEI needs to do is stay the course and quit trying to rearrange the furniture!
[/quote]
 
The $64,000 question is, how has Jason Wolfe survived? They owned the airways and after a couple of years they're fighting for their lives. Was Julie Kahn blamed for all of the bad moves? I can't think of anything they've done that has worked. D&C had much higher ratings when they talked about politics. And maybe I'm not used to him yet, but the new guy doing the flashes has a very irritating voice, and he yells everything.

The sports purists always considered Dale & Holley to be their best show. Muttnansky is just plain awful, and because of him they're behind an even worse show on 98.5. Merloni and almost anyone else would be way ahead from 10-2. Pete Sheppard was a popular guy, but rather than adjust his role, they just dropped him. Holley and Ordway don't make a good team, two know-it-alls. Actually the one thing that improved was getting rid of the D-listers on the Big Show. I certainly don't miss LJ, Burton, Sterns, Smerlas et al
 
Has WEEI ever tried to steal one of the shows from the Sports Hub? Anyone know the contract status of T&R or F&M? Radio stations do this all the time, to not only get a show everyone listens to, but take it away from your competitor.

I'm not sure the shows would sound the same on WEEI, but it is one sure way for WEEI to finally have a chance at beating the Sports Hub.
 
For those who complain that T&R aren't a "sports show" I explain it like it was explained to me when I took over as a Producer of a morning show at a sports station:
Morning drive is NOT for hardcore sports fans, you want to get the casual fans too, the female fans, so you mix in lots of pop culture and fun along with some solid sports but not overly so and that's what we strive for morning show wise.
This was what was told to me after I complained about too much "guy talk" and pop culture/top 40 type frivolity.
The one saving grace was that the host of the show was rock solid on both sides of the ideal show to the PD, he could do both and do so with the best of them and is one hell of an interviewer too.
D&C get too much into political talk and granted that may work a bit in Boston hut I have always thought that they go WAY overboard with the political talk.
That's not saying whether I agree or disagree with their point of view, that's not the point, the point is most sports fans don't want political talk in the morning if they did they would go to the talk station that caters to their point of view.
They DO want something like guy talk, fun, bits, all that stuff along with some solid sports guests and I think T&R do that just fine.
 
ArtSpooner said:
The $64,000 question is, how has Jason Wolfe survived? They owned the airways and after a couple of years they're fighting for their lives. Was Julie Kahn blamed for all of the bad moves? I can't think of anything they've done that has worked. D&C had much higher ratings when they talked about politics. And maybe I'm not used to him yet, but the new guy doing the flashes has a very irritating voice, and he yells everything.

The sports purists always considered Dale & Holley to be their best show. Muttnansky is just plain awful, and because of him they're behind an even worse show on 98.5. Merloni and almost anyone else would be way ahead from 10-2. Pete Sheppard was a popular guy, but rather than adjust his role, they just dropped him. Holley and Ordway don't make a good team, two know-it-alls. Actually the one thing that improved was getting rid of the D-listers on the Big Show. I certainly don't miss LJ, Burton, Sterns, Smerlas et al
Click to expand...


Julie to the best of my knowledge is still there.

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/julie-kahn/10/534/971

Glenn Ordway at the age of 62 does NOT want to become as irrelevant as Bob Lobel became after he was let go at WBZ-TV 5 years ago. Glenn also can see the irony of his bashing Eddie Andleman.

Ordway back in 1978 on WITS was exactly what WEEI needs today. He was 28 years old and bashing Don Zimmer nightly and a couple of years ago Zimmer told a Boston reporter that the only 2 people banned from his home were Ordway and Bill Lee.

Glenn BUILT WEEI from nothing going back to the late 80's.

When Entercom took control the absentee owners in Philly gave the keys to Jason ( who had been rescued by Rene Marchando after the Tom Star empire collapsed for a job at EEI )

Jason got rid of Andy Moes in favor of Imus and then years later when Imus screwed up created D&C. Otherwise what has Jason done???????

Jason also has no clue on how to deal with hockey fans.

Short term WEEI has to admit the Bruins are the best shot of a championship team in the market and try to bring hockey fans back.
 
I thought that Mustard was the morning man before Imus. And if you're talking about the "nappy head" remark that Imus made, I think he was long gone by then. I thought Imus "better dealed" them, to use his term, and went to WTKK. 'EEI then moved D&C to 6-10 and added an extra hour to the A-Team and The Big Show. I'm fuzzy on the date, but I want to say it was in 2000.

Also I though Julie Kahn left a while ago. I can't remember the name of her replacement, so maybe I'm wrong.

And, Gen-x, they really don't say very much about politics any more. Callahan will throw an occassional barb about "Lieawatha" or some remark once in a while, but they certainly go "WAY overboard" anymore, and haven't for a couple years . This morning they made fun of Mumbles Menino's speech last night, but, good lord, who wouldn't? They only spent a couple of minutes on it and they were ridiculing him rather than his political views.
 
To follow up my own post. Julie Kahn was promoted and replaced by Tim Murphy. He reports to her. I suspect that she must be Muttnansky's mentor and that's why he's still there. I see no other reason.
 
The nappy headed comment by Imus was in early 2007 and he was def. on 96.9. I remember Howie talking about it and nicknaming 96.9 "WTKKK". Months later he tried to jump there (I
can remember I think it was in July getting word that he supposedly had a deal to go to
WTKK; there was the legal wrangling and Howie was to start at WTKK on Oct 1 of that year and he was off RKO from roughly late Sept to late Nov.

Anyway that was all in 07. Howie would have gotten morning drive, the Imus slot; and I
believe Imus got back on air in Dec of 07 with WABC as his new flagship
 
btw Tom Taylor's newsletter talks about the fact that CC is putting the Indians on both its WTAM 1100 and WMMS 100.7 in Cle. starting this year and MLB's goal is to have major league teams
on FMs in the home market of each team, within 5 years.
I don't know if this would have happened but imagine if WEEI hadn't moved to FM. Come 2016
and contract renewal time, CBS' ability to put the Sox on an FM, 98.5, could have been a factor in CBS possibly grabbing the rights.

And what if Entercom "blinks" and can't match a CBS contract offer for the Sox in '16 (which would start in '17)? Don't know, but Ent. getting the Sox on an FM in Boston metro is a plus for them (....and I mean Boston though they have been on 104.9 out of Glosstah for awhile.,..)
 
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