Globe: A connection is lost with sale of WILD-FM

[raccoonradio]

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/li...23/a_connection_is_lost_with_sale_of_wild_fm/

"Dorchester business owner Greg Francis has grown tired of trying to explain to out-of-town friends why black music is so scarce on the local airwaves. But this week's sale of the Hub's only black-owned FM radio station, 97.7 WILD, will only make matters worse....On the Internet and on street corners, fans mourned the loss of a station that came on air in 1949. Most missed, said some, will be WILD's ``Quiet Storm," a nighttime show featuring the love songs of black crooners, and Saturday morning's ``Time Tunnel," which regularly featured songs that comprised the soundtrack of childhood for black adults....The radio market in Boston and its surrounding areas is only 6.4 percent black, according to BIA Financial Network, a Virginia company tracking the radio industry. Still, many black Bostonians said the sale will destroy a cultural connection with fellow urbanites from coast to coast.

(AS FOR THE AM SIDE...)

...But ``Coach" Willie Maye, WILD sports anchor and morning co-host since 1984, predicted that many would not stay on at WILD-AM because ``they already said they're trying to sell it."

 

[Neggy]

and where do they think they are going to go?

Maybe if they come up with a decent business plan, they can lease time on WAZN

Isn't someone leasing time on WJDA and doing rap at night?

I don't want to hear the community isn't being served, Radio One, a minority owned company took the money
( 20 mill +/-) and ran.

There is one enterprising young man, who even when faced with WILD and Jam'n 94.5 as competition, went ahead, leased time, and took the risk.

 

[JustinT]

(AS FOR THE AM SIDE...)

...But ``Coach" Willie Maye, WILD sports anchor and morning co-host since 1984, predicted that many would not stay on at WILD-AM because ``they already said they're trying to sell it."

Is the gospel format more attractive to potential buyers? It would seem to make much more sense to move Tom Joyner as planned, and then just keep the national Syndication One lineup for the time being to clear Boston in national ads. Nevertheless, it's clear that they're putting relatively no effort into the station; just heard a "NewsTalk 1090" liner followed by a gospel song.

 

[Brooklyndon]

For better of worse, Boston's Black community lost its only real station lets not forget that. I've already gone ahead and said that 97.7 should have tried to sound whiter anyway, but WILD was the station Black Bostonians, all 11 of them (sorry a little J-Train humor I live like 6 blocks from Marcy projects now). And the peoples lost something.

However, I think the real question is how long will it be before another rap station appears in Entercoms cluster. They have the sox, they have rock (with coverage from Plymouth to Hadley now), 93.7 will never touch 'ZLX with it legacy heavy jocks. I'd be less than surpised to see 93.7 to bring hip hop to the Merrimac Valley.

 

[ciao99]

and where do they think they are going to go?

Maybe if they come up with a decent business plan, they can lease time on WAZN

Isn't someone leasing time on WJDA and doing rap at night?

I don't want to hear the community isn't being served, Radio One, a minority owned company took the money
( 20 mill +/-) and ran.

There is one enterprising young man, who even when faced with WILD and Jam'n 94.5 as competition, went ahead, leased time, and took the risk.

Neggy, WILD's listeners weren't the hip hop crowd. I'm surprised that you'd think they were.

 

[ciao99]

For better of worse, Boston's Black community lost its only real station lets not forget that. I've already gone ahead and said that 97.7 should have tried to sound whiter anyway, but WILD was the station Black Bostonians, all 11 of them (sorry a little J-Train humor I live like 6 blocks from Marcy projects now). And the peoples lost something.

However, I think the real question is how long will it be before another rap station appears in Entercoms cluster. They have the sox, they have rock (with coverage from Plymouth to Hadley now), 93.7 will never touch 'ZLX with it legacy heavy jocks. I'd be less than surpised to see 93.7 to bring hip hop to the Merrimac Valley.

I've read your posts Brooklyndon and it seems you are basicly advocating a rap station that attracts suburbanites. We already have that. It's called Jammin 94.5. Urban radio is not just hip hop. And it seems that the black community constantly is pulled to gangsterize their culture for the entertainment of white teens.

 

[Brooklyndon]

I've read your posts Brooklyndon and it seems you are basicly advocating a rap station that attracts suburbanites. We already have that. It's called Jammin 94.5. Urban radio is not just hip hop. And it seems that the black community constantly is pulled to gangsterize their culture for the entertainment of white teens.
[/quote]

How are Jamn's ratings by the way? How is its morning show doing? I advocate another station that plays music like Hot 97.7 and WILD without exclusively focusing on the Boogie Down 'Bury and Mattapan. Or should urban radio be for peoples only?

 

[HHH]

As usual when it comes to Boston radio history, the Globe is wrong again.

WILD-FM did NOT "come on in 1949".

WILD-AM 1090 came on in 1946 as WBMS, a classical music station. When they were sold in 1957, they changed calls to WILD and aimed at the black youth community (although as recently as the mid-1960s, I remember, still ran an Italian language show (!) daily at midday---I guess the kids were in school, so it didn't really matter).

So, WILD-AM is the heritage station.

The FM was only recently purchased and is technically a "Brockton" license that they inched toward town.

As far as another station aimed at the black community goes, the natural would be a purchase of WRCA or WUNR. Both have very good inner city signals, and are probably within reach (cost wise) of a cartel of independent investors. Maybe WWZN would sell, although the price and overhead might be too much.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

How are Jamn's ratings by the way? How is its morning show doing?

WJMN's ratings are excellent in their demo, teens and early 20's.

 

[ciao99]

I've read your posts Brooklyndon and it seems you are basicly advocating a rap station that attracts suburbanites. We already have that. It's called Jammin 94.5. Urban radio is not just hip hop. And it seems that the black community constantly is pulled to gangsterize their culture for the entertainment of white teens.

How are Jamn's ratings by the way? How is its morning show doing? I advocate another station that plays music like Hot 97.7 and WILD without exclusively focusing on the Boogie Down 'Bury and Mattapan. Or should urban radio be for peoples only?

[/quote]

I think you are hitting the distinction between Urban and CHR-Rhythmic. Urban stations focus on the black community, and even if they air hip hop, the commitment to the black community is evident by the gospel and black news programming that is also fit into the schedule. CHR-Rhythmic stations are basicly the same thing but with no black news, gospel, and they manage to throw in some Christine Aguilera and Eminem in the mix. What I find impressive is how in New York, Kiss-FM and WBLS focus on the black community but attract a considerable non black audience at the same time. The on - air product of Kiss FM and WBLS is of such a high quality that folks don't care who the end product is aimed at.

 

[pause]

Whats the possibility of Inner City Broadcasting investing in a station here? It seems like they would be a company that would better understand the needs of the community, and also continue to run the business successfully. I think Radio-One is more apt to program their stations to the listeners in the south (check KKBT LA, their ratings are garbage). Inner City has had their issues, but I've always respected them for sticking with WBLS through the good times and the bad.