I can sort of see that happening. Figuring that rock has to be 20+ years old in order to be "classic," we're getting to the point that songs from the early 2000s are playing, or should be playing, on 'ZLX. The erosion of rock among teens and twenty-somethings was picking up pace by then, and has accelerated since. It would seem to be a long way off until classic rock no longer appeals to the 34-55 non-Hispanic white listeners who've been the format's dominant demographic since its birth in the late '80s, but maybe iHeart will figure that the format has no long-term future and flip 100.7 to news/talk. Of course, there'll still the specter of decreasing interest in anything but music and sports on the radio among under-55s hanging over the move of WBZ, but as you say, FM is bound to bring more ears to WBZ, meaning more wallets and purses for advertisers to pry into.
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I hope WBZ survives beyond our generation, WCBS Newsradio 88 going ESPN
- Thread starter BostonRadioListener
- Start date
I suspect the next domino to fall in Boston is where the Red Sox wind up in 2025. I would not bet against John and Linda Henry to explore creating a radio news operation under the Boston Globe banner with the Sox being part of it. That could be a solution for WEEI-FM or WZLX.
Going Forward, Forget Everything You Knew About The Radio Business
If there’s one thing that the summer of 2024 will known for in the radio industry it is the end of the phrase “This is how we’ve always done it“. Fueled mostly by financial necessity, but also technological innovations, how ownership groups are operating everything from the top down has changed...
radioinsight.com
Considering the Henry's disastrous mismanagement of the Red Sox organization as a whole as of late (extending to NESN, where Don Orsillo was let go) I doubt that they would want to expand the brand like this until the team puts a winning product out on the field again. Gen Z is going to be the new arbiter of entertainment and they despise the Henry's on social media.I suspect the next domino to fall in Boston is where the Red Sox wind up in 2025. I would not bet against John and Linda Henry to explore creating a radio news operation under the Boston Globe banner with the Sox being part of it. That could be a solution for WEEI-FM or WZLX.
Going Forward, Forget Everything You Knew About The Radio Business
If there’s one thing that the summer of 2024 will known for in the radio industry it is the end of the phrase “This is how we’ve always done it“. Fueled mostly by financial necessity, but also technological innovations, how ownership groups are operating everything from the top down has changed...
2006--Talk of Greater Media (now Beasley) owner of WBOS selling part of it to Red Sox and moving games there. Ent. wound up renewing.
Sports Hub brought sports to FM in 09.
WEEI moved to FM in '11.
A post further down mentioned Greater had acquired WCRB..over the ownership cap?
I believe later Greater sold CRB to GBH..
Before that:
In Dec of 06 99.5 country swapped freqs with 102.5 classical.
Sports Hub brought sports to FM in 09.
WEEI moved to FM in '11.
A post further down mentioned Greater had acquired WCRB..over the ownership cap?
I believe later Greater sold CRB to GBH..
Before that:
In Dec of 06 99.5 country swapped freqs with 102.5 classical.
Have you forgot about Red Sox on WPLM? Or The Patriots in Stereo on WBCN?
Some of us remember several years, perhaps a decade, ago when WRKO had a morning show that was a joint product with The BGlobe (owned by John Henry); it was hosted by Kim Carrigan and Doug Goudie (aka VB). It MAY have had the moniker "The WRKO-Boston.com Morning Show with Kim & VB". I thought it was a fairly well-rounded show, but I was in the minority, obviously, since Entercom yanked it after about a year or two. Speculation was that between the BGlobe and Ms Carrigan, the content leaned a bit too far left for the 'RKO crowd.
My point is that I don't think Henry would want to venture into the murky waters of radio again.
I have zero insider info on this; the above represents what I believe I read, and what I think may or may not happen.
My point is that I don't think Henry would want to venture into the murky waters of radio again.
I have zero insider info on this; the above represents what I believe I read, and what I think may or may not happen.
BIA: All-News Made Up Third Of Top-Billing AMs In 2023; Music Ruled FM.
With the nearly six-decade run of all-news WCBS New York (880) coming to an end, it will bring a new format to one of radio’s top-billing AMs. Thanks in part
Boston's Top Revenue Radio Stations - 2023:
WBZ-FM Beasley $32,775,000
WEEI-FM Audacy $23,625,000
WXKS-FM iHeart $19,875,000
(There may be more FM stations between WXKS-FM + WBZ-AM)
WBZ-AM iHeart $15,625,000
Boston's Top Revenue Radio Stations - 2022:
WBZ-FM Beasley $34,250,000
WEEI-FM Audacy $24,900,000
WXKS-FM iHeart $20,800,000
(There may be more FM stations between WXKS-FM + WBZ-AM)
WBZ-AM iHeart $16,800,000
In 2021, WBZ-FM (Beasley) billed $33,400,000.
Plus this April 2023 post from @DavidEduardo on the Boston forum provides more info:
Last edited:
Yes, for play by play, true---but not a full time sports station. The teams had had various FM stations running games--for a time WWEL 107.9 had night Sox games and you had a simulcast of WDEV 550 and 96.1 in VT, etc.
Not full time sports though.
99.1 "Campbell Soup [Sports] Network"--
Eddie Andelman
For a time WEEI and the Globe had a rocky relationship where sportswriters were told not to appear on the station
Dennis and Callahan - Wikipedia
>>executive sports editor, Don Skwar banned its sportswriters from the Globe from appearing on the Dennis & Callahan morning show because of its perceived lowbrow humor.
For the past few years in the VT/NH Upper Valley, the Sox were on three stations -- alternative, oldies and classic country. This season, they're on the area's one sports station, but on three frequencies to work around the mountainous terrain.
Yes--meanwhile from visiting Burl VT years ago I found they needed three affiliates due to limited signals/night games: WJOY 1230 Burlington, WFAD 1490 Middlebury and WRSA 1450 St Albans. WDEV 550/96.1 had them in Waterbury/ Montpelier while WSYB 1380 had them in Rutland. I think the Sox moved to "Champ 101.3" at one point.
Weak AM signals, mountainous terrain
hampering FM.
I see places like Pittsburgh where the "Froggy" country FMs are on multiple frequencies.
I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that Audacy ended WCBS-AM, with revenues of $29.7 million, determining that it would be more financially advantageous to lease the frequency and just keep the Mets broadcasts. Are the lease terms for the 880 frequency that lucrative for Audacy?BIA: All-News Made Up Third Of Top-Billing AMs In 2023; Music Ruled FM.
With the nearly six-decade run of all-news WCBS New York (880) coming to an end, it will bring a new format to one of radio’s top-billing AMs. Thanks in partwww.insideradio.com
Boston's Top Revenue Radio Stations - 2023:
WBZ-FM Beasley $32,775,000
WEEI-FM Audacy $23,625,000
WXKS-FM iHeart $19,875,000
(There may be more FM stations between WXKS-FM + WBZ-AM)
WBZ-AM iHeart $15,625,000
Boston's Top Revenue Radio Stations - 2022:
WBZ-FM Beasley $34,250,000
WEEI-FM Audacy $24,900,000
WXKS-FM iHeart $20,800,000
(There may be more FM stations between WXKS-FM + WBZ-AM)
WBZ-AM iHeart $16,800,000
In 2021, WBZ-FM (Beasley) billed $33,400,000.
Plus this April 2023 post from @DavidEduardo on the Boston forum provides more info:
Probably, but as far as I have seen the terms of the lease are not currently disclosed. It is certainly millions per year.
But we can say with a reasonable degree of certainty that Audacy would not have shut down WCBS and leased it to Good Karma if the profit margins on that $30 million revenue were sky-high. But no one has hard figures.
Not to drift too far off topic, but Great Eastern owns both "Kixx 100.5" in Lebanon, NH, and "Froggy 100.9" in Montpelier, VT. Both run the same playlist but all breaks, ads, DJ comments and TOH IDs are customized with local content and references. It's not quite completely synced up, so if I tune to 100.5 during the second verse of a song, I can tune to 100.9 and hear the first verse!
Yes. In terms of computer injected audio, you can be listening to WRKO on tunein/iHeart when in Philly and ads for local businesses in that area pop up.
And on Facebook as you travel you get ads and articles tuned to the area where you are.
(It also scans you posts so it feeds you ads or articles based on: local area, car shopping, what to see and do, local news items etc. So if you travel you'll get stuff for that area)
And on Facebook as you travel you get ads and articles tuned to the area where you are.
(It also scans you posts so it feeds you ads or articles based on: local area, car shopping, what to see and do, local news items etc. So if you travel you'll get stuff for that area)
Leegart 13: Yes, it is more profitable to lease. It is always about the money. We're talking a business and the objective of a business is to make money, so no business would make a decision that didn't better what they had.
A friend had a country FM that served about 100,000 in the coverage area. He had the lead position in the format. He billed about $130,000-$140,000 a month. Profit was usually about $2,000-$3,000. So, if after removing all the programming he was paying to create, and then leasing the station, as long as he was getting about $20,000 month he was beating the profit amount from the $130,000-$140,000 a month option..
A friend had a country FM that served about 100,000 in the coverage area. He had the lead position in the format. He billed about $130,000-$140,000 a month. Profit was usually about $2,000-$3,000. So, if after removing all the programming he was paying to create, and then leasing the station, as long as he was getting about $20,000 month he was beating the profit amount from the $130,000-$140,000 a month option..
Part of the plan for Audacy probably involves trying to capture and redirect some/most/all of that revenue to WINS.....
"No business would make a decision that they didn't think would better what they had." Unfortunately, a lot of businesses have made decisions that didn't better what they had. I guess they expect Good Karma to do well enough with the ESPN format to be able to keep paying and make it worth their while.
A lot of that was already leaving when they added FM to WINS. The last few months of non-play-by-play-sports programming on WCBS were below a 1 share and declining.
I have mentioned this many times in regards to format changes and station sales: the master of marketing is Proctor & Gamble.
Proctor is studied in MBA programs and written about in text books. P&G introduces many new products or brand extensions every year, but not after extensive research, test marketing and surveys of consumers. Yet 50% of their new products don't last two years. They are withdrawn from the market or significantly altered and reintroduced.
Radio is no different. Not all format intros succeed, and those that do don't always reach the expected higher levels.