Sox season over so now...

[raccoonradio]

...along with Patriots analysis expect sports talk radio to talk over the sweep/defeat.

_Some_ playoff games will air on WEEI, including I would hope ALCS, NLCS, World Series. But no Sox.
Will WEEI now consider (now that Sox season has ended) the switch to FM (before start of Celts?) There's no confusion now, with the Sox season clearly over...so perhaps if the announcement of a switch is to be made it'll be soon...?

 

[rapking]

If this mean the death of Mike FM, then I and all for WEEI on Boston FM . If WEEI move to FM in Boston, I guess that Entercom will take the call letters(WEEI-FM) from 103.7 RI and move it to WEEI Boston FM station.

 

[raccoonradio]

Mike FM actually gets ratings and is very low cost. They may move it to 97.7 or 107.3 and go FM elsewhere with WEEI.
Check the ratings...That being said I'm all for WEEI on 93.7 or at least Sox games so I can hear em at work with no trouble. Not that there will be any games between now and spring training...

 

[JustinT]

The way I see it, it seems as though an announcement should come soon. Yes, WEEI does have the Celtics rights, and the Celts are a much hotter ticket now compared to five years ago, it's WBZ-FM's time to shine with Patriots coverage. If WEEI wants to protect its spot before letting WBZ-FM get ahead as its programming develops, it should probably get moving.

Yet raccoonradio brings up a great point. Not only is Mike FM low cost, but under PPM the station has performed better than any previous format on the 93.7 frequency, as far as I know. If Entercom is considering moving WEEI to 93.7, such a move is really only worthwhile if they are confident that the billing of WEEI 93.7 and 850 ESPN can be greater than that of 93.7 Mike FM and 850 WEEI.

If Entercom does replace Mike FM with WEEI, Greater Media should consider replacing the sinking WTKK with an adult hits format. GM's figured out the format in Philadelphia, and it would certainly cost less and grab a larger share of the pie than what's currently on that frequency.

 

[JoshuaC]

Yeah... Entercom is in a tough spot with this one. The logical move would be to replace the under-performing Rock Station with FM Sports Talk a la what CBS did with killing scrapping WBCN. However, the WAAF coverage is not exactly amazing. The coverage you WANT is the coverage the Mike FM has, but that station is making money so it doesn't make much sense to kill it. Unlike what CBS did, moving Mike FM to 107.3/97.7 and then putting WEEI on 93.7 would probably hurt Mike FM, alienate WAAF listeners and not guarantee a lot of success to WEEI.

It will be very interesting to see how this all pans out.

 

[DanStrassberg]

The logical move would be to replace the under-performing Rock Station with FM Sports Talk a la what CBS did with killing scrapping WBCN. However, the WAAF coverage is not exactly amazing. The coverage you WANT is the coverage the Mike FM has, but that station is making money so it doesn't make much sense to kill it. Unlike what CBS did, moving Mike FM to 107.3/97.7 and then putting WEEI on 93.7 would probably hurt Mike FM, alienate WAAF listeners and not guarantee a lot of success to WEEI.

About a week ago, I posted a message similar to what follows. Can't find the post now. Only one person responded. The idea IS kind of off-the wall and so may not merit a response. but I think it's interesting that warrants discussion.

Does anyone else besides me wonder whether, notwithstanding that WGBH
has publicly announced that is is acquiring WCRB and has filed an
application for transfer of control of WCRB, that Entercom might still
be working behind the scenes to pull off some kind of deal to acquire
99.5? Here is a possible scenario (fasten your seat belts): WEEI moves
to 93.7; 99.5 downgrades to B1, moves to the WRKO site in Burlington,
and becomes WMKK; Entercom donates WKAF to WGBH; 97.7 becomes WCRB;
ESPN moves full-time to 850; 890/1400 returns to the air as ESPN
Deportes.

Remember, Entercom bought 97.7 for a ridiculous price--$30
million--back before station prices collapsed. If Entercom has not
written down the asset, and they donate WKAF to WGBH, they might be
able to get credit for a $30-million charitable contribution. The tax
effect of that contribution might enable Entercom to acquire 99.5 from
WGBH for very close to 'GBH's $14 million cost of acquiring
WCRB--without Entercom's having to dig into its very depleted cash
reserves. A crazy scenario? You bet! A likely scenario? Nope. A
possible scenario? I think so. (I'll be in the lobby after the show to
accept nominations for the Joseph Gallant Memorial Award.)

Technically it would leave WCRB on the Class A 97.7 signal, albeit
from a site closer to Boston than Wood Hill--a site that happens to be
owned by WCRB's new parent, thus reducing WCRB's operating costs. And
107.3 would be back to being on only the quasi-rimshot 107.3. Well,
Entercom can't have _everything_ can they?

Oh, and nothing says that 107.3, rather than 93.7, could not be the new WEEI. Also, isn't there a possibility of an on-channel booster on 107.3 someplace a lot closer to Boston than the current 107.3 site on Stiles Hill? The old Channel 7 and WEEI-FM site in Medford or Malden seems like a possibility. Wouldn't such a booster overcome a lot of the same 107.3 signal problems in Boston that the 97.7 simulcast was meant to address?

 

[raccoonradio]

No update yet on WEEI sched page but WRKO sched page has RKO carrying the Celts on Fri night leading me to believe that EEI is carrying ALCS gm 1 (Yanks-Angels). Though I'm sure they were figuring on carrying that game anyway,
only hoping the Sox would have been involved...

 

[JustinT]

Does anyone else besides me wonder whether, notwithstanding that WGBH
has publicly announced that is is acquiring WCRB and has filed an
application for transfer of control of WCRB, that Entercom might still
be working behind the scenes to pull off some kind of deal to acquire
99.5? Here is a possible scenario (fasten your seat belts): WEEI moves
to 93.7; 99.5 downgrades to B1, moves to the WRKO site in Burlington,
and becomes WMKK; Entercom donates WKAF to WGBH; 97.7 becomes WCRB;
ESPN moves full-time to 850; 890/1400 returns to the air as ESPN
Deportes.

I'm not sure about physically moving 99.5, but having Entercom swap its 97.7 for GBH's 99.5 would not be a bad move. WCRB would get back the Boston coverage it really needs to succeed while losing the unnecessary NH coverage, WAAF would have a legitimate reason to dump its repeater station, and WEEI could get on FM. You could probably just leave WMKK on 93.7 and put WEEI on 99.5; would seem like 99.5 and 103.7 would compliment each other quite well.

 

[JoshuaC]

Oh, and nothing says that 107.3, rather than 93.7, could not be the new WEEI. Also, isn't there a possibility of an on-channel booster on 107.3 someplace a lot closer to Boston than the current 107.3 site on Stiles Hill? The old Channel 7 and WEEI-FM site in Medford or Malden seems like a possibility. Wouldn't such a booster overcome a lot of the same 107.3 signal problems in Boston that the 97.7 simulcast was meant to address?

Probably... I've never cared much for simulcasts (worked for FNX for a while and simulcasting left a sour taste in my mouth), especially when the simulcasted frequency is essentially being used as a booster. Wonder why that wasn't the plan in the first place, though... maybe the 107.1 in Exeter, NH proves too much trouble?