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WBZ Network News Shuffle/Adjustment Has Begun?

The formats listed on the ratings pages mean nothing. Do you really think 1430 WKOX was a News” station too before they went to a Spanish language format, and the “News” moved to 1200 WXKS?

Then show me where WBUR and WGBH are classified as "talk" stations. Pick a documented source.

They're called news stations because they report the news. They don't have a host who talks non-stop. They have a staff of award winning journalists who report the news. NPR doesn't have a "talk" department. They have a news department.
 
Then show me where WBUR and WGBH are classified as "talk" stations. Pick a documented source.

They're called news stations because they report the news. They don't have a host who talks non-stop. They have a staff of award winning journalists who report the news. NPR doesn't have a "talk" department. They have a news department.

Shows such as "On Point" feature the host taking calls from listeners. On "Here and Now," guests appear by phone. Yes, the topics being talked about usually have to do with the news -- although musicians, actors, authors and the like also get interviewed, as do sports and media personalities -- but strictly speaking, the news, much of the time, only happens at the top of the hour, just as it does on most commercial talk stations.
 
Wow, very nicely articulated! And the reasoning is on a very strong footing as well.

Can someone tell me why Entercom chose to not keep WBZ-AM and WRKO? They only had two AMs (WEEI and WRKO) in their stable, and by taking WBZ-AM, they could've kept just ALL the former CBS news/talk stations on the Entercom ranch.

In my world:

Entercom would've kept: WRKO, WEEI-AM; WEEI-FM, WAAF;
Entercom would've dumped: WKAF;
Entercom would've added: WBZ-AM, WZLX, WODS, WBMX.

So they'd have three AMs: WRKO, WEEI-AM, WBZ-AM;
five FMs: WEEI-FM, WZLX, WODS, WBMX, WAAF.

WBZ-FM would've still gone to Beasley, who would've dumped WBOS - on iHeart!

The main reason why Entercom had to divest WBZ-AM and WRKO was to solve the revenue cap issue with the DOJ in order to complete its merger with CBS Radio.

Entercom swapped WBZ-FM with Beasley for WMJX to avoid tax consequences, and Beasley probably didn't have anything else to swap to Entercom anyways. Likewise, if iHeart wanted WBOS, they would've had something to swap to Beasley, such as the Richmond and Chattanooga clusters Entercom acquired from their swap with iHeart.
 
You've just described 4 hours of a 24 hour day. Dan Rea's show runs four hours too.

Are you going to argue this to death too? Can't you leave a little bit of room for people who see things a bit differently?

There is a lot of overlap in news and talk formats...and the spoken word formats are melded in many peoples minds.

Doesn't matter what label you put on it.
 
Are you going to argue this to death too? Can't you leave a little bit of room for people who see things a bit differently?

Did you read Norm's post? I'm responding to Norm's post. He thinks WBZ is a news station. I guess he doesn't listen at night.
 
Did you read Norm's post? I'm responding to Norm's post. He thinks WBZ is a news station. I guess he doesn't listen at night.

In many peoples mind...it IS a new station. Just allow that a few people see things different from you....and you don't have to answer every post.

24,861 posts...and many of them belong on a board dedicated to semantics and logomachy.
 
For an earlier comment - I don't think the division was losing money for CBS

You're welcome to think that, but CBS itself said the radio division was losing money. That's partly why they sold it.

You said they had a "slow decline in revenue," but it was a consistent slow decline, and it was, in the words of the CBS Chairman, "Dragging down the rest of the company."
 
And you've proven mine. I was having a fair and reasoned discussion here until you showed up.

Is it news...is it talk?

A discussion or argument about semantics...... that we foresee going on into infinity....with you always getting in the last word.

That's not a reasonable discussion...or fair. Good luck!
 
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Wow, very nicely articulated! And the reasoning is on a very strong footing as well.

Can someone tell me why Entercom chose to not keep WBZ-AM and WRKO? They only had two AMs (WEEI and WRKO) in their stable, and by taking WBZ-AM, they could've kept just ALL the former CBS news/talk stations on the Entercom ranch.

In my world:

I was wondering why Entercom didn't keep the entire CBS Radio cluster and dump their own cluster. The CBS Boston cluster was #1 in revenue in the market - now iHeart is. Water under the bridge now.
 
You're welcome to think that, but CBS itself said the radio division was losing money. That's partly why they sold it.

You said they had a "slow decline in revenue," but it was a consistent slow decline, and it was, in the words of the CBS Chairman, "Dragging down the rest of the company."

Well, I'll admit I didn't really follow their earnings calls in details, but from Q2 2017 as reported in RBR:

"CBS Radio revenue in Q2 dipped 2.2% to $306 million, from $313 million one year ago. Adjusted net earnings came in at $30 million; net earnings in Q2 2016 were $50 million"

The losses in the CBS radio division in Q4 2017 were due to various accounting maneuvers where CBS was writing down the value of CBS radio assets due to discontinuing the operation and to align the value of CBS radio assets with stock values which were to be used during separation of the division (basically they were selling it for less than the value they had carried it on their books). They took a write off over $900 million just before the spinoff as part of this. So, from a operating basis radio was making money - $50 million in Q2 2016 - x4 that's $200 million a year. That loss was one time charges from the spinoff.

Don't forget, in late 2016 CBS Radio issued a 1.46 Billion debt offering with the cash being handed back to CBS corporate - so they pulled a cool $500 million out of the radio group even after subtracting the write offs they did in Q4 2017. If you ignore those write offs - again account nonsense - they got 1.46 billion cash.
 
Well, I'll admit I didn't really follow their earnings calls in details, but from Q2 2017 as reported in RBR:

"CBS Radio revenue in Q2 dipped 2.2% to $306 million, from $313 million one year ago. Adjusted net earnings came in at $30 million; net earnings in Q2 2016 were $50 million"

The losses in the CBS radio division in Q4 2017 were due to various accounting maneuvers where CBS was writing down the value of CBS radio assets due to discontinuing the operation and to align the value of CBS radio assets with stock values which were to be used during separation of the division (basically they were selling it for less than the value they had carried it on their books). They took a write off over $900 million just before the spinoff as part of this. So, from a operating basis radio was making money - $50 million in Q2 2016 - x4 that's $200 million a year. That loss was one time charges from the spinoff.

Don't forget, in late 2016 CBS Radio issued a 1.46 Billion debt offering with the cash being handed back to CBS corporate - so they pulled a cool $500 million out of the radio group even after subtracting the write offs they did in Q4 2017. If you ignore those write offs - again account nonsense - they got 1.46 billion cash.

And the stockholders of CBS STILL own the newly merged company called "Entercom." Joe Fields gave up his voting stock and control of Entercom. Moonves, in theory, could put David and Joe out on the street if he decides to. Why in the world would Fields do a deal where he loses control of the company?
 
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