• 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

News article: What's ahead for WNDS?

C

CrankyYankee

(From "Broadcasting & Cable")

After five years and two markets, Diane Sutter is close to bringing her vision for a new breed of community broadcasting to the airwaves.
Later this summer, Sutter, founder and president of Shooting Star Broadcasting, plans to re-launch independent station WNDS Boston, acquired last fall, as a hyper-local station with a heavy dose of local programming and viewer participation.
“We're going to make this a station that is of, by and for the viewer,” says Sutter.

(Read this article at the following link:)

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA624545


<P ID="signature">______________
"Be seeing you..."</P>
 
It's an interesting idea. What the advantage of new call letters will bring, though, is still a mystery to me.

> (From "Broadcasting & Cable")
>
> After five years and two markets, Diane Sutter is close to
> bringing her vision for a new breed of community
> broadcasting to the airwaves.
> Later this summer, Sutter, founder and president of Shooting
> Star Broadcasting, plans to re-launch independent station
> WNDS Boston, acquired last fall, as a hyper-local station
> with a heavy dose of local programming and viewer
> participation.
> “We're going to make this a station that is of, by and for
> the viewer,” says Sutter.
 
The story is only available to those with a B&C subscription, as of Wednesday morning. Personally, I think this is a bluff and a prelude to a sale. Shooting Star doesn't seem to have the money to maintain what they have now. Before they change the on-air product, they need to address technical problems. No matter what the program is, if a station's picture or sound is bad (and WNDS has been at times) viewers will turn it off.

> (From "Broadcasting & Cable")
>
> After five years and two markets, Diane Sutter is close to
> bringing her vision for a new breed of community
> broadcasting to the airwaves.
> Later this summer, Sutter, founder and president of Shooting
> Star Broadcasting, plans to re-launch independent station
> WNDS Boston, acquired last fall, as a hyper-local station
> with a heavy dose of local programming and viewer
> participation.
> “We're going to make this a station that is of, by and for
> the viewer,” says Sutter.
>
> (Read this article at the following link:)
>
http://www.broadcasti> ngcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA624545
>
 
Sometimes they think new calls will change the image of a station. For example an AM Station in suburban Hartford, CT changed their calls after 34 years because for years the station was plagued with problems. It worked for a while until the station was sold and now the station is plagued with the same problems it was before.<P ID="signature">______________
~Jay Clark~
</P>
 
(While trying to inform folks about what's up with WNDS, I did not realize the url that was included with my original post would only work for subscribers of the magazine. Not wanting to incur the wrath of the copyright gods, here is just a bit more of the article which should give non-subscribers to "Broadcasting & Cable" enough information to get an idea of what's in the works for WNDS. Please, everyone, get a copy of the July 11 issue of "Broadcasting & Cable" and read it cover-to-cover!)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

While she isn't ready to give too many details yet, Sutter says viewers will contribute content to WNDS on-air and online. The audience will also suggest show ideas and weigh in on the station's schedule.

Sutter's new ideas for television are inspired by old-school radio, which, she says, forges deep connections in its markets by drumming up community events and getting involved in local happenings. Sutter envisions WNDS' pursuing similar efforts: “We'll be doing radio with pictures.”

The station, with a 50-person staff, includes a functioning newsroom that produces two daily newscasts at 7 and 10 p.m. The station runs some top-shelf syndicated fare...but Sutter says this is not a station that is going to build itself on syndicated fare.

What it will become is a good question viewers will help answer. The station—which is getting new, still-to-be-determined call letters—will query viewers about its current schedule and go from there. <P ID="signature">______________
"Be seeing you..."</P>
 
What's ahead for WNDS?

To borrow a catch-phrase from the political arena:
It's the PROGRAMMING, stupid!

The public at large doesn't care about call letters. Most probably don't even know what the call letters ARE for a given station - they only know a TV station by its channel number. The programming is what makes them tune in... I hope they keep Al the weather guy - he's a hoot! A true character in this age of freeze-dried, blow-dried news types.

They definitely need to upgrade their physical plant, however...
 
Re: What's ahead for WNDS?

If WNDS-50 owner Shooting Star were serious about making WNDS a real player in Boston, they'd buy WMFP-62 (whose transmitter is atop 1 Beacon Street in Boston and on all the metropolitan area's cable systems, in contrast to WNDS, which isn't on some cable systems well to the south of the city), convert it to a full "indie", make it the "primary station", build a new streetfront facility somewhere in Boston for WMFP, use WNDS as a satellite of WMFP, and get the rights to use the "City TV" brand from Canada's CHUM Limited.

"City TV Boston.......Everywhere! Channels 62 and 50".
 
Re: What's ahead for WNDS?

> If WNDS-50 owner Shooting Star were serious about making
> WNDS a real player in Boston, they'd buy WMFP-62 (whose
> transmitter is atop 1 Beacon Street in Boston and on all the
> metropolitan area's cable systems, in contrast to WNDS,
> which isn't on some cable systems well to the south of the
> city), convert it to a full "indie", make it the "primary
> station", build a new streetfront facility somewhere in
> Boston for WMFP, use WNDS as a satellite of WMFP, and get
> the rights to use the "City TV" brand from Canada's CHUM
> Limited.
>
> "City TV Boston.......Everywhere! Channels 62 and 50".>

Hey Joe, that was my idea!

At least give the credit where it's due.
<P ID="signature">______________
"Know your role and shut your mouth!!" -- The Rock</P>
 
Re: What's ahead for WNDS?

Busted!



> > If WNDS-50 owner Shooting Star were serious about making
> > WNDS a real player in Boston, they'd buy WMFP-62 (whose
> > transmitter is atop 1 Beacon Street in Boston and on all
> the
> > metropolitan area's cable systems, in contrast to WNDS,
> > which isn't on some cable systems well to the south of the
>
> > city), convert it to a full "indie", make it the "primary
> > station", build a new streetfront facility somewhere in
> > Boston for WMFP, use WNDS as a satellite of WMFP, and get
> > the rights to use the "City TV" brand from Canada's CHUM
> > Limited.
> >
> > "City TV Boston.......Everywhere! Channels 62 and 50".>
>
> Hey Joe, that was my idea!
>
> At least give the credit where it's due.
>
 
Re: Busted!

> Busted!

I had forgotten about Rollo-Smokes' idea posted back last December.

But I'm happy to know that he also thinks that franchising CHUM Limited's "City TV" idea is a good one.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom