The Best Little Radio Station in Mass.

[FPB]

WBCR-lp 97.7, Great Barrington. A radio station unaffiliated with any institution run by and for the citizens of the community. The result is creative, local programming of the sort that cannot be found from ANY STATION IN BOSTON - AT ALL. This is the kind of radio that results when the "professional" gatekeepers are REMOVED, and it's why I say that if it can't be done legally, then I WELCOME the pirates.

At least I can thank the gods for streaming audio.

www.berkshireradio.org.

 

[Laurence Glavin]

WBCR-lp 97.7, Great Barrington. A radio station unaffiliated with any institution run by and for the citizens of the community. The result is creative, local programming of the sort that cannot be found from ANY STATION IN BOSTON - AT ALL. This is the kind of radio that results when the "professional" gatekeepers are REMOVED, and it's why I say that if it can't be done legally, then I WELCOME the pirates.

At least I can thank the gods for streaming audio.

www.berkshireradio.org.

Um, never mind "the gods"; thank Al Gore, father of the internets.

 

[chrish]

WJIB gets my vote hands down

 

[ciao99]

WBCR-lp 97.7, Great Barrington. A radio station unaffiliated with any institution run by and for the citizens of the community. The result is creative, local programming of the sort that cannot be found from ANY STATION IN BOSTON - AT ALL. This is the kind of radio that results when the "professional" gatekeepers are REMOVED, and it's why I say that if it can't be done legally, then I WELCOME the pirates.

At least I can thank the gods for streaming audio.

www.berkshireradio.org.

Amen!

 

[Slip_Cue]

My list:

WATD - fantastic local news and local personalities. Also a great variety of music - most unique to the Boston market. Pop, oldies, classic rock, new rock and country on one station.

WPLM - just for their balsy signal. Their programming used to be great but now just sounds like Magic

WARE - awesome oldies

If high school stations count, WRPS for their great processing. One of the best sounding stations in the area.

WJIB - great music in AM Stereo. Nuff said.

 

[aaronread]

This is the kind of radio that results when the "professional" gatekeepers are REMOVED, and it's why I say that if it can't be done legally, then I WELCOME the pirates.

Oh please. I can't comment one way or the other about WBCR-LP...I've never listened...but if you say that the secret to good radio is getting rid of the "professional gatekeepers" then why aren't all the college stations dominating the ratings? I can speak directly for WZBC, WBRS and WMFO that nobody's telling those DJ's what to play (and God help you if you try!). AFAIK, WMBR and WUML are like that, too.

Now WBRS and WMFO you can get away with blaming tiny signals stuck on lousy frequencies, and maybe you can claim that the Merrimack Valley doesn't count (WUML). But WZBC and WMBR both have good, solid, hefty signals right over millions of people inside RT.128 (and then some). By your definition, they've got no excuse.

I'm not here to rip on these college stations (well, maybe a little...I banged my head against those walls an awful lot : ) I'm here instead to point out what makes a good radio station is a staff that knows their audience. And the best way to do that is to know your community...probably WBCR-LP does that well. I'd imagine they've recruited staff/volunteers that are longtime residents that know the history and population of the region. It's good stuff, but it's also bastardly difficult to maintain over the long run...it'll be no small gain for Great Barrington if WBCR-LP can do that. ;D

 

[mgpt6]

I bet that many of the staff at WBCR-LP go in with attitude that most of the town of Great Barrington are listening instead of just the jock wearing the headphones. If more of the jocks at ZBC went in with attitude that 1-2 million within 128 were listening...............

 

[Eli Polonsky]

The reason that WMBR, WZBC, WMFO and WBRS don't get ratings (the weak signals of the latter two notwithstanding) is because neither the managements nor the staff care about getting ratings. They see that as a concern of the "mainstream" commercial and professional public stations, not a concern for an extremely eclectic, esoteric college station that, due to low overhead compared to professional stations (no payroll), has no need to prove it's numbers of listenership to anyone to financially subsist.

The same is probably true for WUML as well, but I'm not as familiar with them.

WMBR essentially changes formats every two hours. Many of their programs have passionate "cult followings" that tune in (and donate) for them, but there's no way that such a patchwork program schedule can accrue ratings. The reason for such a jigsaw puzzle of a schedule is it's the only way that they can keep their longtime dedicated community volunteers on the air, and provide room in the schedule for new M.I.T. students.

A few decades ago, WMBR had longer shows, less airshifts, and a more cohesive block-formatted schedule, but that was during a period when the station was practically taken over by about 95% outside volunteers, much to M.I.T.'s chagrin because the Institute considers the station as an on-campus student activity and gives them about 1/5 of their annual income from the student activities budget (the rest comes from their annual on-air pledge week), as well as provides building space and basic utilities contingent on the station fulfilling campus student activity quotas. Since that's how the station is defined by the Institute, it's charitable that they even currently allow non-students on the staff at all, let alone (up to) 50%.

As for the station potentially serving millions of listeners in a major market, it's never been clear to me, as a staff member for over 25 years, how much concern or awareness, if any, that M.I.T. has about that fact. It seems that as far as programming is concerned, as long as the station doesn't do anything that elicits complaints (either from listeners or from the FCC), they just let it be whatever it's going to be.

Though there are certainly many potential problems with that approach, those of us who host shows there consider it a blessing. We're afraid that if the Institute did ever decide to step in, they might try to make the station into something that would make a lot more money by formatting it as yet another professional Public Radio station in the market (joining NPR/PRI, the CPB, getting grants, etc...) or another heavily faculty overseen and advised formatted college station like WERS. Either way, WMBR's current programming and airstaff would be gone if that ever happens.

WZBC has a somewhat more cohesive, contiguous weekday programming schedule than WMBR (alt. rock during the day, experimental/avant-garde at night), longer airshifts and a somewhat smaller amount of different shows on the schedule, but even somewhat more so than WMBR, prides itself on playing exclusively music that is as far outside of the mainstream as possible. Again, the station has a supportive "cult following" for their programming, but there's no way they could get ratings numbers with it, and they're not interested in doing so.

The last time I saw the ratings breakdowns including all non-comms a couple of years ago, WMBR and WZBC were both tied with a .1 share each 12+. A few certain time slots got as high as .2 or .3, but many didn't show at all, so they averaged out to .1 all around. WMFO and WBRS, which only can be heard in portions of the market, didn't show at all (below .1).

However, WMBR did raise nearly $80k in their one week-long annual pledge drive last year, which is not too bad for a station that changes format every two hours and gets a .1 average share overall.

 

[aaronread]

WZBC has a somewhat more cohesive, contiguous weekday programming schedule than WMBR (alt. rock during the day, experimental/avant-garde at night), longer airshifts and a somewhat smaller amount of different shows on the schedule, but even somewhat more so than WMBR, prides itself on playing exclusively music that is as far outside of the mainstream as possible. Again, the station has a supportive "cult following" for their programming, but there's no way they could get ratings numbers with it, and they're not interested in doing so.

I think WZBC would be insulted to be called "cohesive".

Seriously, though...on a related note, I've always wanted to know what WZBC's 18-34 ratings are for 12n-1pm when they air Democracy Now. I know that in the first fundraiser after WZBC started airing it, they got quite a few pledges that specifically mentioned how glad they (the listeners) were that WZBC was airing DN. And I can speak for myself here at WEOS that it's our highest-rated show (Morning Edition is a close second).

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Seriously, though...on a related note, I've always wanted to know what WZBC's 18-34 ratings are for 12n-1pm when they air Democracy Now.

I couldn't tell from the breakdown I saw, because that hour was not isolated alone. The ratings were broken down to four parts per day to reflect typical commercial radio airshifts - morning drive, mid-day, afternoon drive, and evenings. 12n-1pm was only one hour of a longer mid-day block of time.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

WATD - fantastic local news and local personalities. Also a great variety of music - most unique to the Boston market. Pop, oldies, classic rock, new rock and country on one station.

Not to mention a comprehensive in-depth blues show, "Wide World Of Blues", five nights a week! Where else are you going to get blues on (analog) commercial radio beyond just a Sunday specialty show? Although it is a brokered show on WATD, it's really great that it's there.

 

[FPB]

>but if you say that the secret to good radio is getting rid of the "professional >gatekeepers" then why aren't all the college stations dominating the ratings?
>
I thought that Arbitron ignores the non-coms (didn't they used to, anyway?).

>By your definition, they've got no excuse.
>
My definition for GOOD RADIO stands. My definition of good radio is not necessarily my definition of attracting large audiences - at least the way things stand now.

It may well be that successful radio in the future will not be based on the presumption of looking for the biggest audience.

>I'm here instead to point out what makes a good radio station is a staff that >knows their audience.
>
And you also seem to think that a good radio station has the numbers behind it. Anyway, I've worked at stations large and small, and not even small stations have staff who "know their audience". I've worked at stations where management and sales staff don't even know the street system, never mind "the audience". I've seen sales rooms in person where "a plan" is a matter of trying something out and seeing if it works. So, at the end of one quarter, if they're looking a bit prettier than they were the last quarter, does it mean they "know their audience"? Please. They don't know the difference between "their audience" and their SUV's (or lack of SUV's, as the case may be).

WFNX - Do they know their audience? How are their numbers? Who's making the decisions?
WBCN - Do they know their audience? How are their numbers? Who's making the decisions?
WRKO - Do they know their audience? How are their numbers? Who's making the decisions?
WBOS - Do they know their audience? How are their numbers? Who's making the decisions?

The list goes on and on.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

I thought that Arbitron ignores the non-coms (didn't they used to, anyway?).

I don't know if they used to, but they rate them all now. The difference is that they don't publish all the non-comm ratings to the general public, so to see all of them, you have to be a subscribing station.

There is a site where the public can see the 12+ ratings for Arbitron subscribing non-comms only, [url]http://www.rrconline.org[/url] and click "Arbitron Data". It doesn't list non-subscribing non-comms such as most student-run college stations, though they are also rated. (It also tends to lag behind the sites that publish the commercial station ratings by a number of weeks).

 

[12 In a Row]

I never understood the "college radio" mentality.
Radio is a profession, radio IS a business.
Why some let you "do whatever you want' boggles the mind.


Teach them how to properly read a ratings book.
A seminar on how to own and operate. Teach them without ratings/listeners you will have no money to pay the bills.
Thats why they call it show BIZ.

Isn't higher education here to educate and prepare for the real world?
Imagine the same mold for future doctors, dentists, just to name a few. YIKES!!!!!!!

How dare those "professional gatekeepers" tell me what to do!

 

[Eli Polonsky]

I never understood the "college radio" mentality.
Radio is a profession, radio IS a business.
Why some let you "do whatever you want' boggles the mind.

Teach them how to properly read a ratings book. A seminar on how to own and operate. Teach them without ratings/listeners you will have no money to pay the bills. Thats why they call it show BIZ.

Isn't higher education here to educate and prepare for the real world?
Imagine the same mold for future doctors, dentists, just to name a few. YIKES!!!!!!!

Some college stations do not have the intended purpose of preparing students to be professional broadcasters. Do you think students go to M.I.T. or Harvard to learn to get into radio?!?

Of course not! They're learning how to be scientists, doctors, and all kinds of high-tech and top-level corporate careers that we couldn't even imagine, far more lucrative than broadcasting.

So, the college stations at those institutions are defined as simply recreational activities and extra-curricular hobbies for their students. They're there to have fun on the radio while they're in college and play music that they like, not to learn about broadcasting as a career.

Also, in most cases, some community volunteers get to do radio on those stations as well, and serve area listeners with niche programs unavailable elsewhere.

Radio is not a profession or a business at those stations where no one is paid, and due to that fact, their overhead is low enough to allow them to get by with low ratings and the sufficient donations from a small audience that happens to enjoy different aspects of their programming, coupled with a little university student activities department funding.

Students who want to learn about professional radio as a career go to schools with a communications and broadcasting curriculum such as Emerson, where stations like WERS are run professionally by those departments specifically as training for students in broadcasting. They learn about ratings, how a station makes money, etc... there, not at M.I.T., Harvard, B.C., Tufts, or Brandeis.

On the non-comm ratings site I linked above, you'll see that WERS is listed. They are the only area college station that subscribes to Arbitron, along with the professional Public Radio stations. The others have no need to spend money on an Arbitron subscription.

 

[Research_Weenie]

I never understood the "college radio" mentality.
Radio is a profession, radio IS a business.
Why some let you "do whatever you want' boggles the mind.

It comes down to whether you consider radio to be an art or a business. If you want to be creative and artistic, and therefore likely to have more lasting appeal - you can experiment (and make mistakes) at a college station. In a broadcasting school environment, you'll have to conform to the rigid standards that have been radio's undoing.

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

College radio is the place to learn, to make all of the mistakes possible.
I used to to arrive quite early just to pick the music I wanted to play
during my show. Back in the day, WMUA 91.1 UMass, Amherst. W-Moo-A - the
station of the cow. "free form and informative radio". Yea, my favorite bands/songs
tended to creep in there... Every jock did his/her own thing - you never really
knew what might happen next! Some people just did it as a lark, some of us decided
then and there, that we wanted to pursue it as a career...

 

[Research_Weenie]

Back in the day, WMUA 91.1 UMass, Amherst. W-Moo-A - the
station of the cow. "free form and informative radio". Yea, my favorite bands/songs
tended to creep in there... Every jock did his/her own thing - you never really
knew what might happen next! Some people just did it as a lark, some of us decided
then and there, that we wanted to pursue it as a career...

A lot of us got jobs out of WMUA. Glen Gardner, John Clark come to mind. Any others? I remember saying something on there to the effect of "if you don't like what i'm playing, feel free to change the station.." (i was playing punk rock circa 1978). I used to put the tiny WSYL pirate station on the air on WMUA (using a portable radio) and talk about them. Any rule i could break without getting anyone in trouble, i broke it. I wasn't trying to get into professional radio at the time, little did I know that attitude was exactly what the bigger stations would be wanting.

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Sounds like you were at WMUA around the same time that I was there!
WSYL also! I used to, literally, run back and forth between the two stations.
Charlie Pellett - he is the voice on the New York City subways.
(step all the way into the train - the doors are closing!) and works
for Bloomberg Radio in NY. Albert Calvert. John Clark was a real good friend -
of mine - talk to him from time to time.(he is in Albany, NY)

Just so anyone out there thinking that I openly support pirates -
WSYL ran 100 milliwatts (1/10 of 1 watt). If "community radio"
people were to do this, there would not be a problem with it...

Send me a private message with your own Email/
phone number - we can catch up...
Ah, those were the days!

-- Jeff

 

[FPB]

>Teach them how to properly read a ratings book.
>A seminar on how to own and operate.
>
Check out the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. Then come back here and tell us what you've learned about what they teach.


>Radio is a profession, radio IS a business.
>
Right. In this country radio is a business.

In this country food is a business and it's filled with chemicals and it tastes like crap. In this country medicine is a business; we get pitched pills to satisfy the corporations and anyway we can't afford any meaningful healthcare. So pardon me if I don't genuflect at the alter of business.

The big box stores are a perfectly logical outcome of the business model - to the detriment of our communities. Consolidation of media is a perfectly logical outcome of the business model - Americans are the WORST INFORMED of any western country.

>Imagine the same mold for future doctors, dentists, just to name a few. >YIKES!!!!!!!
>
Can't agree more!!

>How dare those "professional gatekeepers" tell me what to do!
>
Kiss up all ya want; I'd never step in your way. Enjoy the ride.