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GBH vs. BUR

M

media

Guest
After some initial buzz there has been silence...

Is WGBH's flip to NPR format having any impact on WBUR?
Still too early?

Thoughts? Opinions?
 
media said:
Is WGBH's flip to NPR format having any impact on WBUR? Still too early?
Click to expand...

WBUR will soon debut a daily version of its in-depth news/call-in feature, Radio Boston (currently heard Fridays at 1:00PM and repeated at the same time on Saturdays). The host will be Megna Chakrabardi, who I think is a good choice. This is apparently WBUR's answer to the Emily Rooney and Callie Crossley shows that WGBH airs M-F at 1:00PM and 2:00PM respectively. I'm guessing that, to make room for Radio Boston, Terry Gross's Fresh Air will disappear from WBUR, but WGBH carries it at 2:00PM M-F. WBUR has been airing Fresh Air at 1:00PM Monday through Thursday with a repeat at 9:00PM M-F. (OK, Friday's Fresh Air at 9:00PM on WBUR is not technically a repeat because, since Radio Boston debuted, WBUR has not been carrying the show on Friday afternoons.) WBUR's expansion of Radio Boston from once a week to five times a week is in addition to the serious re-juggling (and then re-re-juggling) of WBUR's weekend schedule that took place immediately after WGBH moved its classical music programming to 99.5 and flipped its mid-day and weekend programming to talk.

It seems likely that WBUR is spending more on a five-a-week Radio Boston than WGBH is spending on the Rooney and Crossley shows. But, IMO, Radio Boston will have to improve noticeably to yield the kind of ROI that WBUR is obviously hoping for. Until now, Radio Boston, which has been hosted by Jane Clayson, has not been a very compelling listen. Or to put it more bluntly, the show has been DULL. Just the substitution of the upbeat Chakrabardi for the rather gloomy (albeit, knowledgeable and well-informed) Clayson should improve the show's listenability, but as I see it, the question is whether that change alone will make a big enough difference.
 
I think WBUR was publicly (quietly, but publicly nonetheless) soliciting listener opinion about how to fit Radio Boston into their lineup. IIRC Fresh Air was not going to be dropped from the lineup; either RB was going to go from 1-2pm and FA was going to be moved to 2-3pm (and mirroring WGBH) or RB was going to replace the second hour of TOTN from 3-4pm.

WBUR also juggled their weekend lineup noticeably; briefly they were going to air Wait Wait Don't Tell Me four times between Saturday and Sunday but I think that got cut back to three.

FWIW, though, WBUR already put a heavy emphasis on top-notch news programming long before WGBH made this move. I think the move has reinforced a lot of core principles, and it's accelerated and solidified a lot of new and existing efforts to increase local news programming on WBUR. But it's not like WBUR was doing a slacker job before and suddenly they've had to "shape up or ship out"; there's a reason why the "awards wall" in WBUR is packed full of trophies from the last 15 years.
 
I'd image BUR is still the top station. I like them both. Love having the competition. It makes both stations better!
 
DanStrassberg said:
media said:
Is WGBH's flip to NPR format having any impact on WBUR? Still too early?
Click to expand...

WBUR will soon debut a daily version of its in-depth news/call-in feature, Radio Boston (currently heard Fridays at 1:00PM and repeated at the same time on Saturdays). The host will be Megna Chakrabardi, who I think is a good choice. This is apparently WBUR's answer to the Emily Rooney and Callie Crossley shows that WGBH airs M-F at 1:00PM and 2:00PM respectively. I'm guessing that, to make room for Radio Boston, Terry Gross's Fresh Air will disappear from WBUR, but WGBH carries it at 2:00PM M-F. WBUR has been airing Fresh Air at 1:00PM Monday through Thursday with a repeat at 9:00PM M-F. (OK, Friday's Fresh Air at 9:00PM on WBUR is not technically a repeat because, since Radio Boston debuted, WBUR has not been carrying the show on Friday afternoons.) WBUR's expansion of Radio Boston from once a week to five times a week is in addition to the serious re-juggling (and then re-re-juggling) of WBUR's weekend schedule that took place immediately after WGBH moved its classical music programming to 99.5 and flipped its mid-day and weekend programming to talk.
Click to expand...

Rooney and Crossley are at Noon and 1PM.

A whole lot of waste.
 
dyeingeye said:
Rooney and Crossley are at Noon and 1PM.

A whole lot of waste.
Click to expand...

Now that wasn't very nice, was it?

What do you want? More rabid political talk?

I for one am glad there is more local talk...especially in mid days, where it was scarce.
 
carmen said:
yeah what does 89.7 mean anyway. bueller? is there a manual for this stuff??
Click to expand...

I can't help with the five-digit numbers, although I suspect that they are frequencies in MHz. As for 89.7, you're joking, right? Or did you stumble onto this board by accident and can't find your way out. If so, try closing your Web browser :D
 
frequencies

FYI -

145.23, 146.64, 449.075 mhz -- output frequencies of ham VHF and UHF repeaters,
in the Boston metro area, with FM voice transmission

3.875 mhz ham frequency on the 75 meter HF band, mostly lower sideband, (some AM)
voice transmissions, point to point communications. If conditions are right, you could
potentially hear stations from anywhere in the world (especially after dark)


73, de WA1RFF
 
Re: frequencies

WLYNgm said:
FYI -

145.23, 146.64, 449.075 mhz -- output frequencies of ham VHF and UHF repeaters,
in the Boston metro area, with FM voice transmission

3.875 mhz ham frequency on the 75 meter HF band, mostly lower sideband, (some AM)
voice transmissions, point to point communications. If conditions are right, you could
potentially hear stations from anywhere in the world (especially after dark)


73, de WA1RFF
Click to expand...

So, Carmen wants us to listen to ham repeaters and shortwave for local talk?
 
Re: frequencies

Don Juan said:
So, Carmen wants us to listen to ham repeaters and shortwave for local talk?
Click to expand...

dont want you to do anything specific. yesterday the best marathon talk was on 477.0 and 477.5 that i could find

that woman on WBZ was just awful when the wheelchair finished, describing him taking a drink
 
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