Rock 92.9 To Bloomberg

[davideduardo]

People in Boston want classic rock so badly that the WZLX Facebook got flooded with comments about much Rich sucks and they should play music in the morning with Pete and Heather. And they can't be wrong.

How many Facebook posts about that were there? A hundred or so?

It takes several hundred thousand cume to make a station format work in Boston. Not a handful of Facebook poster.

 

[Identnut]

How many Facebook posts about that were there? A hundred or so?

It takes several hundred thousand cume to make a station format work in Boston. Not a handful of Facebook poster.

A few of the particularly less asinine ones will cite ZLX's dip in the ratings. But 1) the ratings have been dipping since Karlson's passing and 2) ratings dips after a changeover are to be expected.

Rich may not be getting more ratings on paper, but he's likely billing better because he's a big name and advertisers like Sports Talk, because it's an easy focus for men's products.

 

[TheBigA]

Rich may not be getting more ratings on paper, but he's likely billing better because he's a big name and advertisers like Sports Talk, because it's an easy focus for men's products.

Meanwhile, in Dallas, iHeart has added college football play-by-play to their classic rock station. How long before that happens in Boston?

 

[Identnut]

Meanwhile, in Dallas, iHeart has added college football play-by-play to their classic rock station. How long before that happens in Boston?

The thing is that sports and rocks have similar male demos.

You can see a similar phenomenon in Puerto Rico's salsa station WZNT - which is political news talk in the morning. But both salsa and news-talk share older male demos, so it fits. One music station that plays its equivalent of country music (vallenato) in Colombia, Radio Uno, is also news talk in the morning.

 

[JustinT]

Regarding the continuation of Rock 92.9 —per the press release, sounds like it will still be called Rock 92.9 but won’t be on the main 92.9 signal? Seems like that could be a bit confusing.

 

[davideduardo]

So you're saying Boston rock fans know how to find their music on line? But folks in Denver, Portland, LA, San Diego, etc. don't? Why do those cities have three, four or five rock stations? They haven't learned about streaming yet?

LA has two Alternative stations and one classic rock one. None are particularly high rated. Because LA got "all the good frequencies" on FM early on while nearby markets like the mostly rural Inland Empire, Oxnard and Ventura and the like got few. So LA has more stations, along with a huge number of Class A's "on the dial" that are extremely competive.

This is the same theory about a variety of things radio does. "We don't need that because it's available on line." True, everything radio does is available on line. Music, news, weather, traffic, sports, talk.

The advantage OTA radio and its parallel streams have are "free" and "they play stuff I like". The older most folks get, the less time they have to build custom playlists.

Or is it easier to just hit one button on your radio when you get in the car. As opposed turning on your phone, finding the right app, turning that on, then deciding on the station you want, then making sure your car radio is able to stream it from your phone.

In my car, going on 2 years old, all I have to do is say "play this" or "play that" and it finds the app and the particular service I want. If you have Apple Play, it is even simpler.

I can do all those things even though I shouldn't do them if I'm driving. So my first choice is, can I find what I want on my radio? If nothing appeals to me, then I can do those other things if I'm stopped at a red light or pull over to do them.

I don't have to touch anything except the talk button on the steering wheel. The system does it for me of connects me with my cell phone's service that can also do that.

 

[davideduardo]

The thing is that sports and rocks have similar male demos.

You can see a similar phenomenon in Puerto Rico's salsa station WZNT - which is political news talk in the morning. But both salsa and news-talk share older male demos, so it fits. One music station that plays its equivalent of country music (vallenato) in Colombia, Radio Uno, is also news talk in the morning.

I would not make "salsa" the equivalent of "rock". It, sociologically, the equivalent of "soul" or "r&b" as it is ethnically based in its origins.

And the Zeta morning show is more sociopolitical and unique to the status as a disguised colony of the United States.

Illustration:

A world-wide dissertation competition is called to write about genetics.

England's submission: "The increased understanding of genetics over the last 200 years in history".
France entered: "Genetics and is foundation in gender based relationships".
Germany wrote: "Genetics and the improvement of lifespans".

Puerto Rico submitted: "Genetics and its irrelevance to the Commonwealth status of Puerto Rico".

 

[Identnut]

I would not make "salsa" the equivalent of "rock". It, sociologically, the equivalent of "soul" or "r&b" as it is ethnically based in its origins.

I never meant to say that classic rock and salsa were equivalent in any way other than that they both target older demos, as expected from formats based on songs from the '60s, 70's, and 80's.

 

[mysticnitekatt]

Yes seeing rock goes to the hd2..and 1330 AM and the FM translator 106.1

Well, at least 1330AM has more power at night than WJIB!

 

[davideduardo]

I never meant to say that classic rock and salsa were equivalent in any way other than that they both target older demos, as expected from formats based on songs from the '60s, 70's, and 80's.

But salsa played today is mostly very late 70's onwards. Sort of starting with the Willie Colón album with "Gleason's Gym" on the cover (an inside joke between Jerry Masucci and I). Except for a few exceptional Gran Combo and Ismael Rivera songs, the really old stuff does not get much play on Zeta; salsa really did not begin until the "boogaloo" fad ended in the later 60's.

 

[raccoonradio]

So the switch is on tomorrow at noon--after a final Adam 12 show WBOS' rock format moves to 106.1 and 1330 [and 92.9 HD2]...and Bloomberg Biz news takes over 92.9. I just tried 106.1 here in Beverly and WCOD was booming in from the Cape (Adele playing) with Bloomberg trying to cut in...1330 AM coming in fairly strong though.
The business of radio is business.

Not totally accurate given various factors but here's an approximate signal range for W291CZ 106.1

Radio-Locator.com

Radio Station Search Engine

radio-locator.com

 

[pjc1961]

Longley-Rice map for W291CZ via RabbitEars.info:

https://www.rabbitears.info/fmq.php?request=items&call=W291CZ&arch=

https://www.rabbitears.info/contour.php?appid=25076ff374e3da720174ea99970f018c&site=1&map=Y

 

[Uncle Kaimbridge]

Up here on the North Shore, you can get overlap between the two 106.1 Bloomberg xltrs, causing a slight echo, as they are not exactly in sync!

 

[raccoonradio]

Thanks pjc for map!
I remember around 2017 when WJIB's FM translator went on and someone produced a map showing the translators coverage as well as what the Big City pirate was putting out (overwhelmed the illegal signal) and looked similar.
Here in Beverly 560 has a mix of WGAN and WHYN and they're a bit out of sync--when both are running Howie Carr

So the former WBOS Rock 92.9 retains Dave and Chuck but otherwise jockless music..on 1330, 106.1 and 92.9 HD2. Do they call it Rock106.1 or something or just run old liners etc...thinking no call letters are changing. The FMt is W267CZ
They said the rock 92.9 app continues

 

[Marcos_C]

At noon, I heard the switch on 1330 via an SDR in Ashland. The Bloomberg Radio trasmission was cut off abruptly and switched to the classic rock format. Classic rock music on 1330 began with "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen.

 

[raccoonradio]

http://raccoonradio.freehostia.com/EndWBOSRock.mp3

Recorded off air 92.9 w ID at 4:15

 

[Marcos_C]

At noon, I heard the switch on 1330 via an SDR in Ashland. The Bloomberg Radio trasmission was cut off abruptly and switched to the classic rock format. Classic rock music on 1330 began with "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen.

http://raccoonradio.freehostia.com/EndWBOSRock.mp3

Recorded off air 92.9 w ID at 4:15

Putting the pieces together. 1330 in red, 92.9 in blue.

Bloomberg Radio: "You can listen to Bloomberg in Boston, 92.9 FM starting right now."

 

[Tomgsinger]

In Andover, 106.1 is still Bloomberg. Interesting considering that when I messaged Rock 92.9 a few weeks ago asking if the 106.1 and 92.1 signals north of Boston would also become classic rock, they said yes.

 

[Jacko]

This switch definitely wasn't as noteworthy of a format change for rock in Boston as WBCN, WFNX, or WAAF, but still another loss for Boston. WBOS, in its 35 years as some sort of rock format, has almost always underperformed, especially after 2008 when they adjusted from AAA to alternative as "Radio 92.9." Adam 12 alluded to the fact that maybe he wasn't given much control of the music, save for a few new songs he added. He mentioned that they did not play David Bowie, and if he had more time, we would have fixed that before playing "Blue Jean" this morning. What could have been...

 

[raccoonradio]

They may want to keep the Biz news on the Haverhill/Andover and Topsfield signals in case 92.9 is a bit shaky...18 kW ERP for 92.9?
Also if both are simulcast of WNBP, Bloomberg _owns_ that. They are leasing BOS.

Radio-Locator:"
WNBP-AM also broadcasts its primary channel from these 2 transmitters

W221EE	92.1 FM	Topsfield, MA	(250 watts)
W291CC	106.1 FM	Haverhill, MA	(225 watts)