webcastboy said:
Saw an article in Radio World about how WBOS is using their HD2 for "Radio You Boston", a station targeting 20-25 year olds by using 20-25 year old volunteers to run and program the station. I'm all for experimentation, and I think this might be a great opportunity for bright kids that're recent college grads...keep 'em in the business.
Not a bad idea in many ways, but I wonder what will happen with this when (or if) HD2 radio takes off and becomes more widespread as many more people (may) eventually acquire HD receivers. I'd think that eventually many HD2's may become more formatically competetive, solicit and air advertising, and hire paid staff as it becomes a more viable commercial medium. Greater Media may be "looking ahead" by establishing an enthusiastic young volunteer staff so that they can run WBOS HD2 on the cheap.
webcastboy said:
But I couldn't help it; as I was reading the article I was constantly thinking that WBOS has basically taken college radio and stuck it on their HD2 channel.
By itself this isn't a bad thing, but it's pretty far from "experimental" when you've got so much college radio already present in Boston. One hope the commercial/non-commercial divide is deep enough in listeners' minds that they won't just see "Radio You" as another college radio outlet in Boston.
It may be a smart road to explore for the future format-wise by WBOS. Fairly soon, today's college kids and young adults will be THE adult target demo, and AAA radio will have to evolve with the times to serve them. They won't be interested in the tired mix of softer mainstream alt-rock and classic rock that currently passes for AAA. The new all-day format that Emerson students recently came up with on WERS (perhaps with some faculty guidance) that they call "Music For The Independent Mind" is essentially an eclectic AAA format, and (if I'm correct) I think that one of the main architects of the WBOS HD2 "Radio You" is an Emerson grad and former WERS staffer who was working at WBOS.
As for college radio itself in the area, there's already a pretty deep "divide" among it's listeners. When you mention college radio to most mainstream (mainly commercial) radio listeners in the area, they say "Oh yes, college radio... WERS! I love it when I'm in the mood for something quirky!" They're not even aware of WMBR or WZBC, despite their more than adequate signals, and forget them catching lesser signals such as WMFO or WBRS. When they do happen to graze by those stations on the dial, they often hear a moment of something they consider
too "quirky", such as hardcore punk rock or dissonant avant-garde tones, or a community record collector doing a deep 1940's traditional jazz show from 78's. Though these stations and shows have highly devoted cult followings, they're not interested in reaching the masses, and their programming doesn't register with mainstream listeners who are much more likely to latch on to the eclectic but more "accessible" mix offered on WERS, which essentially trains aspiring radio people to eventually reach the masses.
WERS is the only student station in the area that garners somewhat significant Arbitron ratings, and it's the only one that may suffer formatic competition from WBOS HD2 "Radio You" when (or if) HD radio becomes significantly more widespread. (WHRB also gets some ratings, but mainly among an older audience for their mainstay daytime classical and jazz programming that they're known for). The smaller but devoted followings for the very specialized programming on stations like WMBR, WZBC, WBRS, WMFO, etc... will stay with them.
