Howie says there were more layoffs at Entercom today

[rike101]

I think Junior might be gone. No death pool. Too shorthanded. They are also using a different studio.

 

[rike101]

Just heard Junior, so he's still there.

 

[raccoonradio]

Yeah Howie who refers to his current contract at Entercom as a prison sentence (expires in fall of 2012) always talks of non working equipment and lean staffers available as "Entercom happens". He said that while his show went up in the ratings they punished him by giving him a "phone booth" of a studio, complete with old Tom Brady posters and foam "We're #1" fingers ("It took me awhile to pick up all the chicken bones off the floor," said Sandy). Meanwhile he says the sis-boom-bah cheerleaders at the sports station went down in the ratings but THEY get a bigger studio.

He's so happy there...

Sometimes they do a death pool when "Horshack" is there. Or they get one of Howie's daughters or even one of his regular listeners, like Patrice from Arlington.

 

[raccoonradio]

Who is there left to layoff? maybe a producer or something; on air weekdays there's just Finneran and Feinberg
and Howie and their producers--no local news staff for a couple yrs...other people in non-on-air departments though?
He did say the fax machine got laid off but that's not the first time it's happened and now he's in a smaller studio which used to belong to the rah-rah sports station...

 

[raccoonradio]

Brian Maloney was wondering if Entercom is getting ready to dump WRKO, what with the move to put WEEI in the more desirable, Pike-facing studios. Not sure how much money RKO makes for Entercom but they are down to only two local shows daily and are doing layoffs...shifted Sox to EEI...Maloney noted Entercom dumped their talk stations in Seattle

Maybe it won't happen, true, but if we start hearing about it...

>>But it also takes away their sole reason for owning WRKO: to have a place for play-by-play coverage without interfering with WEEI’s talk lineup. As WEEI’s ratings tanked and WRKO’s weren’t particularly boosted, that approach failed miserably.

http://www.savewrko.com

 

[raccoonradio]

Kinda far fetched but...
Greater doesn't have an AM in Boston yet. But: (I know, I know this is "science fiction" but you never know)
Entercom sells RKO to Greater (and somehow inherits the Felon & Fried Clam Man contracts too)

scenario A: simulcast of talk on 680 and 96.9
scenario B: talk on 680, music on 96.9
scenario C: syndie talk on 680, local on 96.9.
680: Imus, Ingraham, Rush, (Hannity?), Savage, Doyle or C. Sliwa
96.9: Finn & Fein, Graham, E&B, Howie, Jay, McFlea
(WTKK competing against itself, though; it would be kind of like WEEI moving local sports talk to FM and then
grabbing ESPN to air on 850)

Ah, just weird little scenarios though (and since WTKK's own talk format is suffering you wonder if it ever could happen) But.... A smiling Howie walks into the Morrissey Blvd. Greater building...

Then again maybe if Entercom did sell WRKO to someone else it could be religion or ethnic, too...

Still the move of WRKO to the lousier (acc. to Howie) studios makes you wonder.

 

[DanStrassberg]

Kinda far fetched but... Greater doesn't have an AM in Boston yet. But: (I know, I know this is "science fiction" but you never know). Entercom sells RKO to Greater

You're kidding, right? How many years is it since Greater gave up its Boston AM (it owned 1150 for a while). The only AM I am aware of that Greater owns is WPEN, and while they have upgraded it technically and still have a CP (expires next year) to further increase the day power, they lease it to ESPN and apparently make all of the money they can make with it (such as it is) from brokered time on weekends. I think Greater would sell WPEN if they could break even on it, considering the $$$ they have put in. I doubt that the company is interested in owning more AMs.

 

[Don Juan]

Kinda far fetched but... Greater doesn't have an AM in Boston yet. But: (I know, I know this is "science fiction" but you never know). Entercom sells RKO to Greater

1.) I think Greater Media has their limit of stations in Boston (5 FM's)

2.) Greater Media has been (for the last 25 years or so), an "FM company". (As opposed to Westinghouse, which was said to be an "AM Company".)

3.) AM stations are in big trouble. WRKO is in big trouble. No one is going to shell out any kind of money for an AM anymore. No one has the money. If they do, no one is going to sink it into a dying property on a dying band.

4.) The only reason I can see Gr Media buying WRKO would be to shut it down...and that would be a much too expensive proposition simply to eliminate it.


Does anyone see a future with AM radio? We're already down to basically 3 relevent AM stations in Boston now. WEEI, WBZ, and just hanging on is WRKO.

 

[raccoonradio]

Well they do have their limit of 5 FMs in town but they could still get some AMs, though as you say they're more of an FM-type of company. If anyone were to buy WRKO it would be at a bargain price the way AM is. (Religion? Ethnic?)

 

[BRNout]

Does anyone see a future with AM radio? We're already down to basically 3 relevent AM stations in Boston now. WEEI, WBZ, and just hanging on is WRKO.

Fascinating question. My short answer is "yes - for certain signals, for a while." Extrapolate out 25 years and, yes, things look a lot more dire.

Basically, the smaller AMs around the market are in pretty bad shape long term. There's plenty of blame to go around for that too. The FCC for overcrowding the band, the emergence of new technologies that render AM obsolete, our good friends at Ibiquity for jamming what's left of the band with hash, too many AM owners chasing a fast buck with poor programming choices that no one listens to (infomercials, dollar a holler, etc.).

Thanks to all of this, the smaller signals are doomed.

However, the more powerful 50 kw signals are not. A signal like WBZ still has great value and still brings in solid revenue. If you look at top billing stations in the US, there are still plenty of AMs on that list of top 100 stations. But pretty much all are 50 kw signals with solid market coverage day and night.

Bringing this back to Boston, WBZ is in good shape for a long time to come thanks to programming. WEEI has been strong thanks to programming. And, WRKO is waning thanks to programming and piss poor programming/staffing decisions by Entercom. It's not waning because it's an AM signal and it's not waning for carrying Rush Limbaugh and Howie Carr. Those are the station's strong points. The rest of the schedule is a mess and the imaging has gone in the crapper over the past 5 years. It's nothing that a good ol' house cleaning of management couldn't fix - and the station, if on FM, would still be in the crapper.

But you're right in that there are very few viable AM signals in the market: WBZ, WRKO and (marginally) WEEI are about it. However, things need not be that dire for the entire AM band....not yet. If the FCC would get a clue and stop ignoring the physical principle of skywave (and license stations as such), and if they would start cutting down on the number of AM signals in each market; well, that would help. The cessation of IBOC on AM would help too. Perhaps opening up the band between TV channels 5 and 6 to relocate local AM signals would help by clearing up the band. Dump the graveyarders and hangers-on to formerly clear frequencies onto low FM. Simple 100 watt signals that serve their areas.

If the AM band had a lot fewer signals, favoring the strong former clears, that would extend the life of the band significantly.

 

[raccoonradio]

That makes sense. If so (expanding start of FM band) start making radios with the new frequencies (though admittedly many current ones won't pick them up).

By the way I keep hearing promos for HD and had heard of that $50 Insignia portable at Best Buy. Maybe some higher
priced models (non-portable) would do a good job, but on the Best Buy site there were plenty of people complaining about poor reception and lack of good alternative listening on HD. But I do like the idea of, say, putting a news-talk
signal on an FM's HD as WBZ has done (I believe newsradio 1030 is on WBZ-FM HD3). If we started getting low cost but high quality HD radios, we could solve the interference on AM problem by tuning to the HD signal. If the HD
signal indeed can reach suburban areas and into office buildings.

If.

 

[BRNout]

I have the BB portable and it's reception is comparable with the tabletop models. Which is to say: not that great. Thing is, the radio itself picks up standard analog signals almost as well as a Sony Walkman. And, at times can actually be more selective than a Walkman.

But, the HD technology is where there's trouble. Simply stated, unless you're 10 miles or less from the transmitter, you just can't hold onto reliable digital reception. You walk around and it drops out. I've literally been in locations where I can SEE the tower (yes, visually) and have lost the HD-2 signal while walking around. It's just that finicky.

Even screwing up analog by boosting the power won't change some of the fundamental problems that are endemic to this technology. As you drive, sometimes you may drive past a spot where you have a split-second of static on FM. A single post of a "picket fence" on FM. Normally, you don't even notice it while driving on 495 or 128 or the Pike - it is imperceptible. But, the same spot on an HD radio results in a 3 to 5 second drop out. Any little thing will do this.

So, it's not the $50 price tag of the Insignia radio which is cause for complaint. It's actually not a bad little radio - for what it is. It definitely outperforms the Insignia HD AM/FM/CD system that I bought in 2006 (a total POS). But it's severely limited by HD itself. And, if WBZ 1030 is on HD3, you'll note that it doesn't sound any better than the AM because the bandwidth is very limited when you have 3 HD channels. So it will sound like a late 1990s webstream with lots of digital byproducts that cause the audio to sound like the anchor is speaking to you from an altitude of five feet below sea level.

HD is no cure for anything.

 

[DanStrassberg]

1.) I think Greater Media has their limit of stations in Boston (5 FM's)

I believe that the limit in markets of this size is eight stations (for most companies), of which no more than five can be on either band. In other words, AFAIK, GM is NOT at its limit in this market--not that that would motivate them to buy an AM.

 

[Don Juan]

But, the HD technology is where there's trouble. Simply stated, unless you're 10 miles or less from the transmitter, you just can't hold onto reliable digital reception. .

I am 35 miles outside of Boston, and have no trouble with most of the Boston HD-2 channels with a simply piece of wire attached as the antenna.

BTW...a power increase is on the way and that will give the HD signals virtually the same coverage of the analog signals.

The technology is just going to get better and better...like FM has over the years.

HD is no cure for anything.

It offers listeners additional choices. Choice is a good thing.

1.) I think Greater Media has their limit of stations in Boston (5 FM's)

I believe that the limit in markets of this size is eight stations (for most companies), of which no more than five can be on either band. In other words, AFAIK, GM is NOT at its limit in this market--not that that would motivate them to buy an AM.

I thought it was five stations...a number derived from the justice/commerce departments (?).

I thought this is why Gr Media had to dump 99.5 when they picked up 102.5.

 

[DanStrassberg]

I thought it was five stations...a number derived from the justice/commerce departments (?).
I thought this is why Gr Media had to dump 99.5 when they picked up 102.5.

The reason GM had to sell 99.5 when they bought 102.5 is that, had they not sold one FM, they would have been over the limit of five stations in the market ON ONE BAND. They could still add three AMs, if they were interested in adding AMs, which I do not believe they are.

 

[Don Juan]

I thought it was five stations...a number derived from the justice/commerce departments (?).
I thought this is why Gr Media had to dump 99.5 when they picked up 102.5.

The reason GM had to sell 99.5 when they bought 102.5 is that, had they not sold one FM, they would have been over the limit of five stations in the market ON ONE BAND. They could still add three AMs, if they were interested...

Hmmmm... I didn't think it was a simple number (5 on FM, 5 on AM, etc.)...but a question of how much of the billing and audience you control. I was told this is something the justice department weighs in on.....

Can anyone corroborate this? Can Gr. Media buy more AM's if they wanted to...?

 

[JoshuaC]

If the recent ruling on Translators is any indication, it seems pretty clear that the FCC is starting to see the AM Broadcasting Band as a lost cause. There's precedent, of course: Canada is scrapping AM, and Britain already has I think. The FCC is allowing AM Stations to broadcast on FM Translators at times with the AM Broadcast is not even on the air! You can bet that come an upcoming FM Translator filing window they are going to lift that restriction forcing this type of broadcast to existing translators only. Combine that with the FCC bouncing around ideas of lifting 3rd-Adjacent protections and making it easier to get in on LPFM and things are looking dire indeed for AM Broadcast.

Trouble with AM is that it is a dead technology. There's not much more that can be done to improve it (AM IBOC has hardly been worth the hassle). It's expensive and complicated to run, at best unreliable at night in urban areas (unless you're on a Clear Channel) and there is precious little you can do on it that you can't do just as well or better on an FM... even a LPFM or (assuming the tech can ever take off) and HD sub-channel.

Now... AM has the advantage that it's relatively easy to implement in the event of an emergency and better at serving extremely large areas than FM, but it's hard to imagine that rescuing the band as a place for business.

Another trouble: Even car radio manufacturers barely bother with it anymore! That HD Radio you buy probably has piss-poor AM reception by design: it wants to focus on good FM reception and they don't see a point in wasting money on good AM reception.

 

[johnster]

That makes sense. If so (expanding start of FM band) start making radios with the new frequencies (though admittedly many current ones won't pick them up).

By the way I keep hearing promos for HD and had heard of that $50 Insignia portable at Best Buy. Maybe some higher
priced models (non-portable) would do a good job, but on the Best Buy site there were plenty of people complaining about poor reception and lack of good alternative listening on HD. But I do like the idea of, say, putting a news-talk
signal on an FM's HD as WBZ has done (I believe newsradio 1030 is on WBZ-FM HD3). If we started getting low cost but high quality HD radios, we could solve the interference on AM problem by tuning to the HD signal. If the HD
signal indeed can reach suburban areas and into office buildings.

I have the Insignia and it's FM only.

 

[raccoonradio]

If people wish to hear AM as part of that FM/HD radio they can get WBZ but I believe not WEEI and not WRKO. And as we've said maybe FM band could be rolled back a few MHz and the AM stations can be put there--with no static or elec. interference. It would be more than a few yrs off--at least in terms of getting enough radios to receive all freqs--but who knows.

 

[mgpt6]

I am 30 miles south of Boston and can get half of the Boston FM with HD and 4 Providence FM in HD with the Sony XDR-!0 iP Table radio. Do not get any HD from WERS, WBOS, Mike-FM, WCRB, while getting good analog with those 4 except CRB. AM -HD does not work. Can only get WBZ 1030 AM , and then it will not hold HD lock.
My action Plan for AM would be to allow either Full Digital AM , or analog only AM with C-QAM stereo, no AM Hybrid Digital. FCC require all AM tuners to decode C-QAM AM Stereo. Have all analog AM stations proof out 50-7500 Hz frequency response.
Action plan for FM further lab tests for HD FM power increase. Make sure that Digital sidebands do not interfere with host FM analog signal.See if power increase10db is possible or less is possible. Lab test to see if HD can replace analog SCA to allow more bits for current HD streams or allow HD4. without interference to host analog.
Long range on FM to expand FM Band into CH 5 and Ch6 TV. FCC not to allow lower power TV on Ch 5 and 6 and move the few full power TV stations on 5 and 6 moved to another channel
BTW, Freeform BCN on WZLX HD3 is a good reason to buy a HD FM Radio. Hope Sam can get them on a HD2 , so Freeform BCN can be in stereo.