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WBUR Buys 92.7 WMVY

I enjoy BUR and NPR but this is a tremendous loss. MVY was a unique well programmed station. We don't need another Cape outlet to broadcast Morning Edition. I always figured that MVY was a tough ad sale given the crowded Cape market and it's somewhat niche format. I heard they had been asking for donations on the air.
One would have hoped that some of the wealthy MV residents would have purchased the station. At least it is not going ethnic or religious which is a small consolation these days.

I know a few people from outside MA who regularly streamed MVY becasue their AA format was so good.
 
vmorrison said:
One would have hoped that some of the wealthy MV residents would have purchased the station. At least it is not going ethnic or religious which is a small consolation these days.
Click to expand...

According to http://www.friendsofmvyradio.org/homepage2.php, only the signal has been sold, not the infrastructure, there are hopes it can continue as a non-commercial station. The friends are appealing for $600,000 to continue....
 
Though I know that it's little consolation to those who enjoyed WMVY on the regular radio, but WMVY is planning to continue streaming their programming commercial-free at mvyradio.com.

The truth, as admitted by WMVY on their own website, was that WMVY as a commercial station had been financially insolvent for a long time, and the parent company Aritaur had been covering their losses. That situation could not continue, and Aritaur sold the station to WBUR.

mvyradio online will be run by the non-profit listener-supported Friends of Mvyradio, and they are also looking into applying for a non-commercial license to stay on the radio airwaves in the area, though it will be at lower power than the commercial WMVY was.
 
Realistically it was a Martha's Vineyard station anyway. Maybe the non-profit group can apply for a LPFM that would cover the Rock. Considering the money there (and the access to technology) they may be able to make a go of it as a stream only. Quite a few people there have iPods, iPads, smartphones etc. There's no reason they couldn't keep it going, but 600K seems like a lot of money just to support a non-profit, commercial free webstream...
 
I listen to MVY when I'm on the Cape... always wondered how they stayed afloat during those long, desolate winter months when the population shrinks. Without a full-Cape signal they were always hamstrung.

Does WBUR get the translator in Newport as well?
 
A great musical lose. Could get 92.7 sometimes in the car until BOS fired up IBOC.Would there be space for a lower power non-comm.?
 
What's interesting is that WBUR is already on a couple of smaller FMs on the Cape, plus there's the presence of the WGBH-owned WCAI group of NPR stations. Perhaps WBUR is banking on making sure weekend travelers to the Cape and Islands have their WBUR to listen to? The Cape is way too NPR-ed, just like Boston has too many sports stations.

I'm surprised that WBUR hasn't tried to get its hands on a station in the Worcester area. 90.9 gets staticky around exit 11 on the Mass Pike--before the other Boston area class Bs start fading out, probably due to their directional antenna.

Jacko
 
mgpt6 said:
A great musical lose. Could get 92.7 sometimes in the car until BOS fired up IBOC.Would there be space for a lower power non-comm.?
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There is the not yet on the air 88.7 WMEX, owned by Dennis Jackson. His other stations have been leased out to non comm groups in other areas (like 103.3 WQQQ), so I wonder if the mvyradio people may be able to reach a deal with him.
 
It is too bad that Ed Perry and family, owners of WATD didn't pick it up.
 
faderraider said:
It is too bad that Ed Perry and family, owners of WATD didn't pick it up.
Click to expand...

Ed Perry is a smart business man I don't think he'd want such a seasonal signal. I'm surprised BU does.
 
I am not surprised that WMVY-92.7 would be going non-commercial. I had expected that the current ownership was going to drop commercial advertising and adopt a listener-supported model as an independent public radio station running the same kind of programming that WMVY now airs.

What I am surprised is that WBUR is buying it.

Yes, 'BUR probably does need to acquire a strong signal on the western part of Cape Cod. But there were other ways to do this and perhaps other stations they could have acquired (re: Falmouth's WCIB-101.9 if Quantum wanted to sell it).

I suspect that the "Friends Of MVY Radio" probably has already started talks with Dennis Jackson about acquiring WMEX-88.1, and turning it to a new, noncommercial version of WMVY.

Personally, I hope that happens. Maybe a wealthy person who visits the Vineyard in the Summer (or leaves year-round in the 92.7 signal area) will make a donation to allow the Friends buy the 88.1 signal.

Otherwise, it will be a sad day for the Vineyard.

I believe the sale of WMVY will mean that there will now be more noncommercial stations on Cape Cod and the Islands (combining the Cape, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket) than commercial stations.
 
WNTIRadio said:
I listen to MVY when I'm on the Cape... always wondered how they stayed afloat during those long, desolate winter months when the population shrinks. Without a full-Cape signal they were always hamstrung.

Does WBUR get the translator in Newport as well?
Click to expand...

I also wonder who will get WMVY's translater. ???
 
wickedwritah said:
faderraider said:
It is too bad that Ed Perry and family, owners of WATD didn't pick it up.
Click to expand...

Didn't he used to own a station on the Cape, WATB?
Click to expand...

He did indeed, that was 103.9 for a couple of years in the 90's.

As for translator 96.5 W243AI Newport, that's owned by Boston-area engineer David Maxson. it's his call if he wants to sell it or make a deal with someone else.
 
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