New top 40 coming to Boston ?

[kms575]

I STILL SAY Boston NEEDS an Urban AC station.

Oh, dear God. Here we go again. BTW, I don't necessarily disagree, but this dead horse has been beaten so many times.

 

[MR. JAROME_CALVIN]

that was just an example about Lionel Richie. It was only an example I can come up with. Lionel Richie has another current single with Akon. Lionel Richie sounding ok these days, he's still in the game

 

[MassMusicMan]

that was just an example about Lionel Richie. It was only an example I can come up with. Lionel Richie has another current single with Akon. Lionel Richie sounding ok these days, he's still in the game

He is, but it's the adult contemporary game, NOT the Top 40 game.

Why shouldn't WBCN flip? Rock is dead. Accept it and move on to attracting the audience that listens to Kiss and Jam'n.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

I think WCRB 99.5 would be a good choice, because I really do think that WCRB it going down the tubes. Is it doing well at all?

WCRB has been holding fairly steady in the ratings for a number of years even following the transmitter move to Andover, in fact it has ticked up a bit again in the past couple of books. It beat major stations WZLX, WBMX, WBCN, WAAF, WMKK, WBOS, WXRV and many smaller stations in the latest 21+ book, coming in just below the top ten in the market.

It's not "going down the tubes" any more than any of the other major Boston stations that are also currently voicetracking or automated during off-prime time shifts. It's also the only commercial classical station in the market, and it obviously maintains a devoted following. With all the many various rock and AC stations to consider, why would you want to flip a station with a unique format in the market?

 

[Jay F]

Here are a few reasons why I don't think it will be MIX.

There are several clusters nationally that contain both a CHR and a Hot AC.

If the new station is young sounding and rhythmic leaning, which I would expect, it would not overlap too much with MIX.

There is nothing wrong with having two stations in a cluster that appeal to different segments of advertiser desired females 18-49.

If MIX would flip. CC could tweak WXKS slightly more adult and pick up displaced MIX listeners.

 

[rapking]

If MIX would flip. CC could tweak WXKS slightly more adult and pick up displaced MIX listeners.

And CC could tweak Jamn alot more urban and add NEW MUSIC to there daily LAME playlist .

 

[kentuckymedia]

If CBS moved 98.5 into a CHR direction, they would probably be the pigeon CHR playing more Hot AC titles than Kiss and being a "Adult CHR" format specializing in 25-34 narrow range.

 

[PancakesRule]

Everyone is guessing Mix, how about WBCN?

It'd be a travesty for BCN to be the one that flips. They're the best rock station in the area, in my opinion, with the best talent. Toucher and Rich are the best rock show I've ever heard, whether you put them in AM or PM drive. Adam 12 is solid as a mid-day guy, and Hardy is right back at home in PM drive and doing great. Haven't gotten a chance to listen to Dan O'Brien yet, but either way, if your first 3 day parts are that solid, you're doing something right.

The only time I don't feel BCN is on the weekends -- they have some awful weekend talent. Some good ones too, but I'm not feeling all of them.

 

[JustinT]

There are several clusters nationally that contain both a CHR and a Hot AC.

Including CBS' own KMXB and KLUC in Las Vegas.

It'd be a travesty for BCN to be the one that flips. They're the best rock station in the area, in my opinion, with the best talent. Toucher and Rich are the best rock show I've ever heard, whether you put them in AM or PM drive. Adam 12 is solid as a mid-day guy, and Hardy is right back at home in PM drive and doing great. Haven't gotten a chance to listen to Dan O'Brien yet, but either way, if your first 3 day parts are that solid, you're doing something right.

If WBCN were indeed to flip to CHR, I wouldn't be surprised to see some other moves as well. There's no way that the Patriots would fit on a CHR, so I'd assume that they'd easily head over to WZLX. Additionally, one has to take the heritage of 104.1 into consideration - would it be worthwhile to move the WBCN calls to 100.7? Or does that type of thing mean little in today's radio environment?

 

[Eli Polonsky]

If WBCN were indeed to flip to CHR, I wouldn't be surprised to see some other moves as well. There's no way that the Patriots would fit on a CHR, so I'd assume that they'd easily head over to WZLX. Additionally, one has to take the heritage of 104.1 into consideration - would it be worthwhile to move the WBCN calls to 100.7? Or does that type of thing mean little in today's radio environment?

It now means little. Most of WBCN's heritage listeners stopped listening years ago, perhaps decades ago. WBCN is more known by its current listeners for the (mostly) more contemporary rock that they've been playing for the past dozen years or so, and that identification wouldn't fit Classic Rock if the calls were to move to 100.7.

As well, most WBCN heritage listeners who had defected to WZLX in the '80s and '90s turned the dial after Charles Laquidara left. He was the last link to the heyday of WBCN and Boston AOR radio who was still consistently on the air. That audience, now mainly in their late 40s, 50s and 60s, has pretty much given up on terrestrial commercial radio, and are listening to their iPods and CD/vinyl collections, and perhaps to internet and satellite radio, and maybe some non-comm radio.

The aging of the heritage AOR audience means that sponsors are no longer interested in them, so the stations are not going to try to court them back (WROR made a brief attempt about eight years ago, with disastrous ratings results). Classic Rock stations like WZLX are programming mainly to a younger demo of rockers who grew up in the '80s/'90s and discovered Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Beatles, Stones, Doors, Hendrix, etc... when they were already Classic Rock, not the heritage audience who heard them first on WBCN back when they were new.

 

[Jay F]

If CBS moved 98.5 into a CHR direction, they would probably be the pigeon CHR playing more Hot AC titles than Kiss and being a "Adult CHR" format specializing in 25-34 narrow range.

If they were to do this it wouldn't make much of an impact. They might be able to attract some KISS listeners, but WXKS already is somewhat of an adult CHR, they are strong in women 25-34. The downside is some of MIXs upper end would move to WMJX. I see it as a wash that wouldn't change the landscape of the market. OTOH if they went fullblown CHR they would shake up the market as CC would no longer have a monopoly on the youth market.

If CBS wants a CHR war with CC (as some trades have reported) they would be better off flipping a station other than WBMX. If MIX is gone, WXKS will gain a 30 or 35 year old woman from MIX for every 17 or 18 year old they would lose to the new station, not a bad trade.

Since it looks like CBS is starting a war against CC CHRs in several markets, I would like to see (as trades have speculated) CC in turn flip stations to compete against strong CBS outlets in various formats. Maybe some good old fashion radio wars will give a well needed boost to the industry. It will make everyone try harder and could improve the product.

 

[wcozBoston]

How about WBOS create their own CHR format before CBS Radio does?

 

[JustinT]

How about WBOS create their own CHR format before CBS Radio does?

Greater Media has no idea how to create a radio station that's not AC, rock, or talk for the at-work set. All of the middle-management at 92.9 have backgrounds in rock as well. If GM were willing to go out of their comfort zone, WBOS could have become a successful Urban AC or R/CHR in years past, but alas, no dice.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Greater Media has no idea how to create a radio station that's not AC, rock, or talk for the at-work set.

Their country station here isn't doing too badly for itself...

 

[bostonradioguy2009]

well i think a chr war would be good for the area or at least something new anything new i would take a fm sports talk other then eei maybe espn or how bout a powerhouse jamming oldies station we have all these borring stations up here peace

 

[AcmeBuggywhipInc]

Maybe some good old fashion radio wars will give a well needed boost to the industry.

Just so long as we can do it on the cheap!

 

[MR. JAROME_CALVIN]

Like some of you said earlier, if BCN was to flip to CHR, they can put the Pats games on WZLX. This would be a smart move, because 104.1 signal is well heard all throughout Boston and this part of Massachusetts.
No matter what walkman I use (new and old) I can not get these stations in Boston (Coom ave, South End, Medford, Charlestown, Downtown Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury, South Boston) I can not get 93.7, 98.5, 101.7 and 103.3)
The CBS stations I can get anywhere in this part of Massachusetts including in Boston are 104.1, and 100.7
So it would be a smart move for CBS to put it on either 100.7 and or 104.1

 

[rapking]

What if 93.7 flip to Chr/Pop just before Mix 98.5 is rumor to switch to Chr/Pop ? It happen before, Mix was rumor to go jockless ( Whatever all the time ) but 93.7 ( Star to Mike-FM ) flip before Mix .

 

[Retro]

Now what would be the incentive to flip WMKK to CHR, or even it filling the void as Hot AC if WBMX goes CHR as well? They already have a successful product with low overhead. The only reason that they would possible go Hot AC is to go after the female demographic which they presently do not represent in the Boston market.

 

[Watt]

If Mix wanted to go CHR they would have to add lots more hip-hop (Billboard's #1-4 on the current Hot 100 are Flo Rida, T.I. featuring Justin Timberlake, Eminem with Dr. Dre & 50 Cent, and Kanye West, all of which are played on Kiss, none of which are played on Mix.) But going up against Kiss (which is as close to a CHR that Boston has) and Jam'n (which gets the younger listeners and plays the rest of the hip-hop that Kiss doesn't) would be a losing battle.

Mix should do something; the jocks are good, but the music has gotten worse since Jerry McKenna exited...way too much of that bland butt-rock (Nickelback, Daughtry, 3 Doors Down, etc.) Who does this stuff appeal to? I can't imagine that manyt women 25-44 like this crap.

A good old-fashioned radio war would be great, but I doubt it's going to happen given the current climate of radio.