The S-l-o-w Move to 102.5

[dhoule]

I'm curious. Why is it that Greater Media is so slow in making the change to 102.5? Or perhaps, why is the FCC so slow in approving the KLB/CRB changeover? Seems like the AAF thing with Radio One and Entercom happened without us even knowing it was coming? Appreciate any insight on this.

 

[johnster]

Ownership or permission I don't think has taken place in the WAAF deal yet. You are listening to WAAF on WILD because its in Radio One's and Entercom's interest.

 

[skimartyb]

Everything is in place for the 102.5 / 99.5 swap. The FCC approval process takes about 3 1/2 months from filing (which was in early August) so you should be hearing something in about a month. The AAF thing happened quickly because Entercom and Radio One entered into an LMA - a local marketing agreement - essentially, AAF leases the station until the FCC stuff is final. Apparently Nassau, Greater Media and Charles River Broadcasting haven't yet taken that route and are waiting for things to finalize.

 

[raccoonradio]

That's exactly why it's taking so long. Wasn't it early this year, or late last year, when word came of the Charles River deal to sell WCRB to Greater Media? Eventually we heard that GM would spin WKLB to 102.5 and then they found a buyer for 99.5 (in a swap involving a Philadelphia station) but now they're waiting for FCC approval,
while Entercom's deal was an LMA. In fact didn't Entercom orig. get 93.7 under an LMA...?

So while many of us may have thought country would be at 102.5 by now, it turns out it'll be more like
Nov. or so. I'm guessing at some point, maybe a week or two before the changeover, WKLB will start announcing when the freq flip will take place (as will WCRB).

I do remember the 96.9/99.5 flip. Country moved from 96.9 to 99.5,
and the smooth jazz of the latter moved to the former. According to bostonradio.org Archives, it took place in
1997: "At noon on August 22, smooth jazz returned to the 96.9 position on the dial as Greater swapped the WKLB-FM calls and country format to the 99.5 facility. " .I also
vaguely remember hearing WEEI 590 talking about the more powerful signal they'd be getting , "we're moving
to AM 850" etc

 

[JustinT]

That's exactly why it's taking so long. Wasn't it early this year, or late last year, when word came of the Charles River deal to sell WCRB to Greater Media? Eventually we heard that GM would spin WKLB to 102.5 and then they found a buyer for 99.5 (in a swap involving a Philadelphia station) but now they're waiting for FCC approval,
while Entercom's deal was an LMA. In fact didn't Entercom orig. get 93.7 under an LMA...?

I believe it was October when Charles River announced that WCRB was for sale, and it was in early December that we learned that Greater was in "exclusive negotiations" to acquire the station: knowing that one of GM's existing stations would have to be spun off, it was expected by the board and almost all newspaper sources that the intellectual property of WKLB 99.5 would head to 102.5, and a "blank slate" 99.5 sold to another company. Then, the entire Red Sox rights issue came up, and talk changed to Greater Media selling a controlling share in the lackluster 92.9 to the Red Sox, enabling them to close on 102.5 while holding onto 99.5: possibly with AAA moving up the dial to 102.5. Once that fell through, speculation moved to Greater Media dumping WCRB to WERS' 88.9 frequency... and paying a hefty price for it. That fell through as well, although it became apparent that GM wanted to retain the intellectual property of WCRB somewhere on the Boston dial. At the same time, there's a shakeup in staff at the existing WCRB; the PD, long criticized for programming a poor variety of classical pieces, exits. Finally, after a few quiet months, the announcement comes that the physical property of WKLB and the intellectual property of WCRB will go to Nassau, a new entrant into the market, while the intellectual property of WKLB heads to WCRB's prime 102.5 stick; meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Nassau agrees to trade the construction permit of WTHK 97.5 (currently a Trenton station, but with permission to move to Roxborough (Philly's FM-128) and gain full Philadelphia market coverage) in exchange for WCRB and some cash. By the time that this entire transaction comes full circle, it'll probably be an entire year.

So while many of us may have thought country would be at 102.5 by now, it turns out it'll be more like
Nov. or so. I'm guessing at some point, maybe a week or two before the changeover, WKLB will start announcing when the freq flip will take place (as will WCRB).

As probably the only listener of WKLB on these boards, I haven't heard any hints or mentions at the upcoming signal upgrade: I would expect to hear some promos in the not too distant future. WCRB probably won't be airing promos as far in advance as WKLB, there's no way that listeners will be excited about their move.

 

[skimartyb]

I'd say that WCRB listeners will be excited that they will at least have their classical music station still around - given the alternative of no full-time classical station at all. The move to 99.5 will definitely exclude home listening in the southern and southwestern part of the metro, but what is lost to the south will be gained to the north and the bread and butter coverage - metro west - should be left relatively unchanged. Remember, 99.5 is a class B with a huge footprint JUST LIKE WCRB - it's just a bit further north. Plus with the possibility of internet streaming the coverage issues become a little less relevant.
As far as Mario Mazza is concerned(the now departed PD) he may have been criticized for his programming(albeit by elitist Globe columnist snobs) but he took the station from an also-ran to a top-10 contender in the market.

 

[raccoonradio]

>>As probably the only listener of WKLB on these board

No, I also listen. In addition tape traders send me country stations from out of town or I tape them
online (or sometimes I'll tape a country station when I travel). Where I work in N. Reading 99.5 comes
in extremely well--stick in Andover. 102.5 will be a bit fuzzy (esp. in a building where both AM and
FM suffer) but still audible.

They will probably hint/promo it when it gets closer to reality.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

I'd say that WCRB listeners will be excited that they will at least have their classical music station still around - given the alternative of no full-time classical station at all. The move to 99.5 will definitely exclude home listening in the southern and southwestern part of the metro, but what is lost to the south will be gained to the north and the bread and butter coverage - metro west - should be left relatively unchanged. Remember, 99.5 is a class B with a huge footprint JUST LIKE WCRB - it's just a bit further north.

WCRB listeners will be glad that it still exists, but you can bet there will be reception complaints from the west suburbs. Classical music, with it's quiet instrumental passages, does not cover up background noise, interference and static the way that Country music, with it's full production, does. Any background noise will be much more apparent on Classical music, and listeners to Classical want a clean, clear signal so that there is no annoying noise during the "quiet" parts of the pieces.

The WCRB 99.5 reception problems in the west suburbs will be most prevalent in the communities surrounding the FM-128 tower (Newton, Needham, Wellesley, Weston) due to intermodulation interference caused by the number of other Class B's transmitting from there, especially for listeners using lesser quality receivers such as clock radios, Walkmans and other portables, boom-boxes, and many of the new "compact" home stereos (essentially fancier boom-boxes with mostly low quality tuners).

WCRB 99.5 listeners in Brookline, the Back Bay, downtown Boston, Allston and parts of Cambridge will have similar complaints due to effects of intermodulation from the Pru.

 

[JustinT]

>>As probably the only listener of WKLB on these board

No, I also listen.

It's nice to hear that I'm not alone!

Here in Framingham, the 99.5 signal puts a fair signal over the area: I would say that it is comparable to the big Providence FMs (93.3, 94.1, 95.5, 101.5, 105.1) and the other two Merrimack Valley signals (92.5 and 93.7) as for signal quality. However, 102.5 and the other FM-128 signals blast into MetroWest, and the future WKLB will put an excellent signal around here.

Just from observation, it appears that the audience of country music is on the upswing around here, and the most recent ratings seem to confirm that suspicion.

The move to 99.5 will definitely exclude home listening in the southern and southwestern part of the metro, but what is lost to the south will be gained to the north

True about 99.5 gaining signal to the north, but is WCRB's new northern coverage even in the Boston metro? Considering that 102.5 is listenable up to the New Hampshire border and beyond, I'm pretty sure that you're out of the Boston market by that point... I believe 99.5 is clear up to at least the Maine border, although once you're in Maine you're covered by WCRB's future sister station 99.3 WBQQ. Classical fans in the Manchester area will probably get better coverage though... anyone know how 99.5's signal is around there?

 

[skimartyb]

Hillsborough county, which bumps up into, but doesn't include Manchester, is in the Boston Metro. I believe that will include Salem, Nashua areas and probably as far up as Londonderry and Bedford. Adjacent counties such as Cheshire (south west) Merrimack (south central) Rockingham and Stratford (Portsmouth Dover area) are in the TSA.

 

[radiojay1]

And the format change will take place...

probably in November at the earliest. I contacted WCRB to find out.

 

[sp113]

More rumors...



BostonRadio.Blogspot.com

 

[raccoonradio]

yup BostonRadio.blogspot.com hears "mumblings" (from who, Tom Menino? )about the first or second week of November

 

[Laurence Glavin]

Today's Clea Simon column in the Globe says that Charles River Breeding Laboratories, I mean Broadcasting (I always get them confused) and Greater Media will pass papers (sounds painful) on November 4th. I assume the calls and all that 18th Century dreck will reappear on 99.5 shortly thereafter.