Protest in Boston: Maybe they'll throw radios into the harbor

[fred flintstone]

Defenders of liberal talk fight to keep it on airwaves

A newly formed local group is planning to fight a decision by radio broadcaster Clear Channel to drop liberal talk from Boston’s airwaves.

“I think it’s absurd and defies reason to think that progressive talk wouldn’t work in the market,” said Robin Bergman, who is heading up a group called Save Boston Progressive Talk. Bergman’s group plans to petition Clear Channel to put the liberal talk format back on WKOX-AM (1200) and WXKS-AM (1430). [snip] Now Bergman - who owns an arts and crafts business called Robin’s Originals in West Concord - is leading a group of protesters to pressure Clear Channel into restoring the liberal talk format.

Robin (female) has started a blog with an online petition, according to the Herald. She probably figures hey, it worked in Madison.

Sorry, Robin: Big difference.
The Mic (92.1FM) in Madison had Arbitron numbers. It had an audience the station could sell.
Clear Channel's two low-power stations (one in Boston, one in Framingham) demonstrate that two bad AM signals do not make one decent signal. A fraction plus an asterisk does not equal numbers.

 

[PaulBWalkerJr]

Bitch bitch bitch..moan moan moan! Where was she suppoirting the station by advertising her business when it as Progressive talk? Nowhere, obviously.

It's just a few devoteed fans trying to get the format back, but that won't happen. They're obsessed, and they think because they and their friends love it so much.. they're owed.

They don't realize what they've got till they've lost..... They weren't there to support it when it was around, they didn't step up and help make a change.. but now that it's gone, they're bitching!

 

[fred flintstone]

Paul, you are making a lot of assumptions here and pole vaulting to conclusions.

Do you know for a fact that this woman did not advertise her business on these stations?
How do you know what their motivations are or what they are thinking?
Are you qualified to make a clinical diagnosis ("they're obsessed").
In any case, who are you to judge?

I don't think this has a chance either but I don't know anything about any of these people.
Do you?

 

[MikefromDelaware]

It could be that she may have wanted to advertise her business, but couldn't afford the rates, as it sounds like she might run some small bouque type business. Or she may have actually bought some mimimal amount of time, but couldn't do more for the same reasons, lack of money to spend for spots.

What I find interesting is, one of the most liberal leaning area's, Boston, which does have two strong signaled news/talk stations, WRKO and WBZ apparently are not broadcasting Air America so the two lesser powered CC stations were airing it. That must mean that WRKO and WBZ are either airing live and local talkers or satellite conservative talkers. The later, I find quite interesting given Boston's left leaning politics. That must mean that even in a "liberal" stronghold like Boston, money can be made with conservative talkers and that of course is the bottom line.

Interestly though Boston does have a strong NPR station, WBUR-FM that seems to produce many things for NPR so possibly the liberal audience has their dials locked into WBUR-FM and simply ignore the consevative talkers on AM.

 

[raccoonradio]

Clear Channel's WKOX and WXKS:

Signals--not as powerful as WRKO, WTKK, or WBZ, but still fairly receivable in the daytime at least
on the roads/car radios. In buildings it may not have been as good, though. Power increase for 1200
coming in August I believe.

Promotion--CC did some billboards and taxi tops, and there were features about AAR Boston in the Globe,
Herald, Ch 4 (promoting Miller appearance). No TV ads though. While some have said "I didn't even know
liberal talk was on the air" chances are if you were left of center and politically active/interested,
you knew about Air America and you knew where it could be found on the Boston dial. (Just go to the
website for AAR, or Daily Kos, etc.)

Local content--ZERO other than one WEEKLY show added near the end, and I think they may have had
some Jimmy Tingle bits during the weekday lineup, but no daily local show. "All politics is local"--Tip
O'Neill. Talk radio needs local content. Phil Redo of Greater Media Boston just changed the lineup
so WTKK is now local 9 am to 7 pm daily, and he said to the Globe that terrestrial talk stations NEED local content. National shows can be OK but a whole lineup?

With all syndie, WXKS and WKOX barely registered a blip in the ratings, and Salem's conservatalker
WTTT doesn't register at all.

Programs--maybe Miller, Schultz, or Hartmann could wind up elsewhere, but where? Who knows if
AAR Boston will find a fulltime station or not. Some could argue that conservative talkers are
just as strident, and the "propaganda push for votes" could be on either side--was AAR trying to
influence voters' decisions? Some feel that it's more important to entertain (and inform, somewhat)
than to 'try and win elections'.

Some feel that shows like that might fly (first 2 from Jones); AAR product like Franken and Rhodes
might not but who knows.

Well, for the libs out there: Boston has 10 Congressmen and 2 Senators, all Democrats; all of the statewide
officials (Gov., Secy of Commonwealth, Auditor, etc.) are Democrats. 90 per cent of the legislators are
Democrats..

...PROBLEM???

Maybe liberals felt shut out nationally but locally, well, let's just say the Mass GOP has been as
successful as Air America Boston was...

Competition--could it be that most liberals preferred WBUR/NPR...

Well done talk radio: entertainment over politics. LOCAL CONTENT...

As for the current Spanish format, if Clear Channel feels they can make money with it--and they did,
ironically enough, hire LOCAL DJ talent--then good news for them. At this point though I don't know
if CC could be convinced to do a 180 on the format change, except possibly to put AAR/Prog talk
back on 1430 when 1200's signal improves.

 

[raccoonradio]

>>WRKO and WBZ are either airing live and local talkers or satellite conservative talkers.

There is a third station, Greater Media's WTKK. (WRKO= Entercom; WBZ=CBS). Also a fourth,
all-syndie conservative talk from Salem Communications' WTTT.

WBZ doesn't run syndicated shows, only local. And I would think their talkers are kind of moderate,
not extreme left or right wing.
WRKO: mostly conservative. Their national shows are Savage, Doyle, Noory, Drudge

WTKK: mostly conservative. Their national shows are O'Reilly, Ingraham, Imus (also John & Jeff).
They are countering Rush with locals Eagan and Braude (local; Eagan is moderate I believe while Braude
is liberal but not far left)

 

[fred flintstone]

WBZ does the standard CBS all news format by day; local-live talk radio at night.

WBUR does very well with a public radio news-talk format including a local-live late morning talk show. It would rank 9th in the market.

Boston has also a strong AM and strong FM talker; both with a mix of syndicated and local shows (including Howie Carr and Jay Severin). Both stations are in the top 10.

Clear Channel's progressive talk duop, as pointed out, has no local programming - in a market noted for strong local-live talk radio. IMHO: That is the killer flaw.

 

[Radio_Realist]

Are you qualified to make a clinical diagnosis ("they're obsessed").

It isn't a "clinical disgnosis" to observe that someone is engaged in obsessive behaviour (and engaging in that kind of protest over a radio station is obsessive behaviour), and therefore is accurately referred to as "obsessed".

Are you a professional semanticist, and are therefore qualified to split linguistic hairs like that, or are you just being pedantic?

 

[fred flintstone]

It isn't a "clinical disgnosis" to observe that someone is engaged in obsessive behaviour (and engaging in that kind of protest over a radio station is obsessive behaviour), and therefore is accurately referred to as "obsessed".

One person's passion or commitment is another's obsession. No one is ever obsessed when you support their cause.

I would not even call someone "obsessed" just because of a peculiar interest in the distinction between "liberal" and "progressive," although I might call such an interest "pedantic."

Keep in mind such protests do - sometimes, not always but sometimes - succeed.

Are you a professional semanticist, and are therefore qualified to split linguistic hairs like that, or are you just being pedantic?

Yes.

 

[Radio_Realist]

Keep in mind such protests do - sometimes, not always but sometimes - succeed.

You need to keep in mind such protests are - sometimes, not always but sometimes - nothing but publicity stunts.

 

[AKLes]

Keep in mind such protests do - sometimes, not always but sometimes - succeed.

You need to keep in mind such protests are - sometimes, not always but sometimes - nothing but publicity stunts.

You're right!

I clearly remember a successful protest in 1957.

Of course The FCC operated under a different set of rules at the time....