• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

More Sports Talk in Boston

R

RobertAnthony

Once one of the pioneers in Hot AC, WBMX, Mix 98.5 will be no more come August. CBS Radio according to All Access will flip the station to 98.5 The Sports Hub and, pending FCC blessings, bring back some old Boston FM calls...WBZ-FM (once on what is now Magic 106.7). The new 98.5 is expected to replace WBCN as the flagship of the New England Patriots. Could it mean a move to 1170 Soldiers Field Road?


Questions...


Why the flip when there is FAR ENOUGH SPORTS TALK in Boston with WEEI's superstation network and The Zone?

What of the format? Well that question can be answered...Mix 104.1 anyone? 'BCN will get the Hot AC while its original programming heads to HD-2 and the web.
 
Corporate thinking at its finest, meaning that its an unoriginal idea that smacks of monkey-see, monkey-do. CBS has had some success with the sports talk format in Detroit, so that just MUST mean that the same will be true in Boston and Washington. We'll see about that.

The one thing I'll give them is at least they have a foundation of sports play-by-play and rights to the Pats and Bruins (so they can say they're "the OFFICIAL station of the Patriots") that can provide some credibility to the uninitiated. Whether that's enough to best Entercom's WEEI is the big question. What's sad for the average Boston radio listener is that I could see Entercom trying to upstage this move by popping WEEI on an FM station like 93.7.

The second sad thing (to me) is the loss of a little more programming diversity in metro Boston. This is already one of the most format-poor large markets in the US. It is about to get a little poorer as a result of this move. The one thing I wonder is why they decided to juggle frequencies. I suppose 98.5 is a little stronger to the west than 104.1 (thanks to co-channel interference from WPHH), but within the market itself there's little difference.

As for Mix, it's BORING radio and I'd love to see them do something different with 104.1 than that.

Will WFNX prosper from this? Probably somewhat.

Personally, I think WAAF will gain at least as many listeners out of this as WFNX - even if WBCN's playlist skewed more alternative and current. That's because 'BCN still had quite a few listeners who flipped between 'AAF and 'BCN. Many will stay at 'AAF. Also, suburban listeners have some out of market/rimshot options like WGIR, WBRU and WHJY to listen to. Again, aside from WBRU, they're not alternative rockers - but WBCN's playlist has been a bit schizophrenic over the years so has attracted more active rock listeners than anything else. And, they haven't been drawing in great ratings - so a format change was probably due. I just wish that CBS had been more imaginative.
 
BRNout said:
As for Mix, it's BORING radio and I'd love to see them do something different with 104.1 than that.
Click to expand...

Huh? The music sometimes warrant a smack of the scan button (I don't need to hear 3 Doors Down anymore, but that's just me), but at least they bother to have people on the radio who talk about things, unlike the CC stations that have thrown in the towel.
 
Sports talk is said to be a big seller in a prominent demo. I wonder if WAMG 890/WLLH 1400 and WWZN 1510
will switch to something else now but who knows (as it is WWZN is doing brokered prog talk much of
the day anyway).
Putting the Pats and Bruins on a big FM signal (well, Pats already were) with a youthful approach to get that
guy-talk demo; it could work.

I don't know if they'd approach the WEEI ratings but when you consider the two teams' play by play (Bruins
made money for WBZ-AM I think) plus maybe some local sports talk, perhaps a bit of ESPN if they can
pull it away, etc.--it could only improve their ratings. Which means...the ratings were pretty crappy.
 
Yes, it's corporate thinking at its best ... but it's a smart strategic move. WEEI, while a powerhouse, had made itself a target and CBS is going to do its best to take advantage. 'EEI is the home of the Celtics and the Revolution, sure, and ONE Red Sox game a week. Those of us who live west of 128 can't get the Sox games on 680, forcing us to put a button on our car radios for WCRN Worcester.

And let's face it...the Gerry Callahan shtick is getting pretty old, as is Frank From Gloucester calling the Big Show through his one tooth.

The only thing I hope CBS does not do with WBZ-FM is to put Bob Lobel on the schedule...while he's knowledgeable about Boston sports, he's a horrible radio host!
 
Seriously? Wow! This should be interesting. Can't wait :D

The wikipedia page already mentions it, prettymuch word for word from here. It says this was announced yesterday on the wikipedia page? I didn't hear anything about this yesterday? Oh well lol.
 
If this new sports station poses a threat, which 890 and 1510 obviously didn't, 'EEI could improve their programming by screening the calls better. As far as I know the constitution does not guarantee your right to be a boring one-trick pony on the radio. Even casual listeners to 'EEI know what's coming next when Frank from Gloucester, Screechy from Quincy, Steve from Fall River, and a few others come on the line. They should just stop letting them on.

The Phoenix is reporting that Felger and Tanguay are going to be afternoon hosts. Is this true? I must admit I didn't miss Felger when he left the first time. Every statement he makes should be preceeded by the phrase, "Hey look at me!!" You just know that whatever the subject, he's going to take the unpopular position, not because he believes it, but because he wants to be noticed.
 
According to the Boston Globe, WBCN will continue as an internet only station after August 13th. Why don't they just put BCN on the HD-2 of the new 104.1, after the 13th?

It may not be a new urban station or a new CHR, but at least it's one less rocker in Boston, and a brand new station on 98.5. I'm sorry, but I always thought "Mix 98.5" was painful to listen to, so hopefully along with the frequency change comes new management.

It seems more and more stations are surviving on the internet only after their FM signal changes formats, lately.

Just another reason why internet radio is growing so quickly.
 
There's a good chance as time goes on that the Celtics, Revolution and the Red Sox will eventually score deals with 98.3 if WEEI does not move to FM in the next few weeks.
 
Oh, and I'd like to add that "Sports Hub" is an absolutely asinine name for a Boston radio station. Cliche tourist nicknames have no place in a radio station's branding, and I guarantee you that some ass in New York came up with that one.
 
Will said:
Oh, and I'd like to add that "Sports Hub" is an absolutely asinine name for a Boston radio station. Cliche tourist nicknames have no place in a radio station's branding, and I guarantee you that some ass in New York came up with that one.
Click to expand...

Agreed on the name. Why not WBZ Sportsradio?
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom