How does WBCN save itself?

[Lucylu]

Isn't WZLX basically WBCN circa 1987 anyway?

"The right call letters" do not a good format make.

Wa... Wa.... What? Hmmmmm Carlson and McKenzie as The Big Mattress, Carter as Capt. Ken Shelton, Chuck Nolan as Mark 'Lick Me' Parentue. That would make what, Al Cole Duanne Glasscock... I don't think so. A limited amount of the music is the same, but how can you even hope to compare the talent?

 

[Brooklyndon]

Maybe the best approach would be to blow it up and start new. Risky? Yep, but who in 1979 would ever have thought that 94.5 would be a rhythmic station?

Exactly. And neither Hillman nor O&A can be the Freakin' Puerto Rican.

Infinity should pull the plug on O&A, hire Star formerly of Star and Buckwild to do mornings on their former rock outlets on the eastern seaboard, and then throw boatloads at Ramiro to do afternoons locally.

And obviosuly flip rap.

I find it funny that the big bad opie and anthony show is getting beat bad by the hillman morning show on waaf. of course o and a won't mention this because they like to tell everyone that they are bigger and better than howard stern. too bad they are getting killled in boston, their 'big' market. they won't mention this on the air, even though they are the "most honest show on the radio." donald trump was right, these two slobs are losers. look at the numbers:


Opie & Anthony vs. WAAF's Hill-Man

Boston Morning Drive Total Persons 12+ :

The Hill-Man Morning Show is Top 10 with a 3.4 share
Opie & Anthony are down to a 2.6 share

Boston Morn Drive Men 25-54:

WAAF is #2 beating O&A who are #4

Boston Morning Drive Men 18-49:

WAAF is # 3 beating O & A again

Boston Morning Drive Persons 18-34:

WAAF is #3 with a 9.6 share beating O & A again who are way behind with a 5.6 share

Boston Morning Drive ADULTS 25-54:

WAAF is ranked Top 5 in the market! (O&A are down at #9)

 

[Time Traveler]

Technically, WAAF is older than WBCN as far as Rock Stations go.

So, they do have "heritage" AND they have been more formatically consistent over the decades.

WBCN hurt themselves when the became reactive instead of proactive. It's a mistake almost every station makes when they feel outdated.

I thought WBCN started in 1968 and WAAF in 1969, at least as rock outlets. I'd also throw out that WAAF was for a long time considered more of a Worcester station, with a signal that became fairly hard to hear around Route 128.

Make no mistake, BCN dropped the ball. But they were THE rock station of Boston throughout the 80s and into the 90s. AAF was the also-ran for a long, long time.

WBCN started as a part-time Rock station in March 1968, still playing Classical during the day. They went full time Rock, in June 1968. I believe that WAAF flipped to Progressive Rock, in March 1970, from its previous elevator music format.
WAAF's power was than boosted significantly in early 1972, to 50KW ERP...

 

[NHRonin]

Isn't WZLX basically WBCN circa 1987 anyway?

"The right call letters" do not a good format make.

Hardly. Have you ever heard The Del Fuegos, Robin Lane & The Chartbusters or Jon Butcher Axis on ZLX? How about til tuesday, the New Models, the Stompers, the Fools or Face to Face? Hmmm, probably not.

What made WBCN, WBCN (other than the on-air talent) was their support of local Boston bands that began to emerge on the national level. It wouldn't work today because Boston is not the mecca of new wave/rock that it was in the early seventies through the eighties. Sure BCN might play some local bands now but the Boston scene just isn't what it was twenty years ago.

 

[nhradiochild]

I'd have to agree with NHRonin. Haven't heard of any new Boston bands since Fort Apache put out some alt rock indie type stuff. And that was mid-90s.