Goodbye WMEX

[BRNout]

I suspect the evangelicals have their sights on NH is because of the state's role in the presidential process. I'm sure the all fancy themselves having an impact. NH also got many more NCE-FM apps than ME or VT, mostly from out-of-state religious networks.

Not quite sure I get your point. N.H. isn't exactly the Bible belt. WMEX's coverage area is increasingly home to refugees from eastern Mass., and the more conservative northern & western part of the state is not exactly heavy on evangelicals either. I'm not sure that idealogues of the right (or left for that matter) have any effect on the outcome of elections.

The thing of it is that EMF doesn't care. They don't care if no one listens. They have the money (given by those with sub-100 IQs) to acquire these stations and are only interested in widening the reach of their "empire." If two people listen, that's two more than they need to make 106.5 work in NH.

When it comes to serving the listening area, EMF couldn't give a crap. They are only interested in their own agenda. That's why this sale is so tragic for radio in NH. It's like throwing a station away.

 

[Schuyler]

They don't care if no one listens. They .....are only interested in widening the reach of their "empire." ..... It's like throwing a station away.

You are SO right. It's also a criminal waste of electricity. EMF (the E stands for Educational), Moody Bible, Calvary and the rest are grossly over-represented on the airwaves. Seemingly well-meaning; wouldn't hurt a fly -- but what meglomania and self-delusion. Go help the poor, why don't ya?

But they're not anywhere nearly as bad as the operators of commercially licensed stations, usually on AM, who lease time to the same kind of tele-demagogues who get embroiled in some sort of financial and/or sex scandal every few years. (1320 Derry, anyone?) The rationale there is that those marginal stations would have to go dark otherwise. So what? Clear the deadwood out of the overcrowded AM band and reassign some frequencies to communities that need and will support local radio, assuming there are any such places at this late date.

 

[promotherobot]

Not quite sure I get your point. N.H. isn't exactly the Bible belt. WMEX's coverage area is increasingly home to refugees from eastern Mass., and the more conservative northern & western part of the state is not exactly heavy on evangelicals either. I'm not sure that idealogues of the right (or left for that matter) have any effect on the outcome of elections.

Whether NH is the Bible Belt or not, or whether a music-only Christian format will sway an election, doesn't seem to matter. I think (my opinion) is that groups like EMF believe they have an effect, even a subtle one. Besides their mission is to bring "the word" to heathens and infidels wherever they may be.

PTR

 

[BRNout]

That doesn't mean that the "infidels" have to like or agree with a local station being taken away and replaced with something that NOBODY will listen to. Again, I'd rather see the station go dark than to have it turned into an overpowered translator that drones on to the beat of tambourines and snake handlers that are located thousands of miles away.

The day that EMF starts to put local news, weather and sports on this station (as Dennis Jackson did) is the day that I'll shut up about it. Judging from the way that their other stations are wasting away, I'd better not hold my breath for that day to come....

 

[Osama]

Another thing that really sucks is that some of these owners deliberately sell established stations to religiou$
broadcasters to eliminate future competition in the market. They profit from the sale and prevent future competition. These stations don't compete for local or national advertising dollars. Essentially these stations might just as well be dark. They certainly become total non-factors in the market. That doesn't appear to be the motivation in this particular case though...In any case...most religiou$ broadcasters seem to hold onto
their stations for the long term if not indefinitely....