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WEEI on FM: Why did they wait so long?

L

LA_Guy

Why did they wait until they were getting creamed by the competition to do something about it? If they had made the move a year or so ago they could have squashed the Sports Hub like a bug-but now they are in a come from behind situation.

How dumb!

A very smart broadcaster I know, Dick Ferguson compares radio programming to a military exercise. Each thing is a 'hill' and the objective is to capture and hold on to the hill. One hill is the sports hill-and WEEI had that one, but decided to not DEFEND it-so The Sports Hub walked right in and took it from them. NOW rather then simply having to defend their hill, they have to CAPTURE the hill back from CBS-a much harder thing to do then simply defend the hill you have-especially since CBS WILL be defending it.

The irony is that Dick Ferguson at one time owned WAAF-and turned it into the monster it was back in the '80s.
 
They waited because they know that they'll now have a signal with no value (850). I think the amount of money made with WEEI on 850 and Mike on 93.7 is always going to be higher than WEEI on 93.7 and ESPN or something on 850.
 
And CBS put their sporstalker WIP 610 on94.1 down here in Philly; we might have the Phils on FM next year. Sweet.Wonder if the WEEI-FM call will go on 93.7? I'd think th WERI call could go back to 103.7.
 
The WEEI-FM calls are moving from 103.7 to 93.7. 103.7 will get the WVEI-FM calls currently on 105.5 in Easthampton/Springfield. 105.5 will switch to WWEI.
 
squashed the Sports Hub like a bug-but now
Click to expand...
I doubt it. Now it didn't help that they weren't on FM (particularly in the 20m GB radius).
EEI belived what their ratings were telling them: they were dominant. However The HUB was never going to be "squashed."

There's been a minority POV --voiced by some here--that EEI numbers were driven by other factors and the popularity was illusory. I think that's been proven out. They want to win the fall book so they flipped a property. We shall see?
 
fmradio1 said:
The WEEI-FM calls are moving from 103.7 to 93.7. 103.7 will get the WVEI-FM calls currently on 105.5 in Easthampton/Springfield. 105.5 will switch to WWEI.
Click to expand...

I hope you are wrong on 103.7's new call sign. 103.7 should become WERI as a memorial to its old call sign. ERI is very close to EEI and it even has the state (RI) in it. I guess that just makes too much sense :p I am sure others will agree with me.
 
Finally...after these things happened in big, medium, and small markets! AM is starting to circle the drain and you're right, AM signals like 850 (and 680, etc.) have little or no value. 1030 WBZ, maybe, but for how long!

WIP-FM: I think they ran a Phillies game last Sun. acc. to a messageboard post I read; maybe a one time thing for now but indeed next year you could see the Fightin' Phils on FM
 
The WERI call letters returning to the Providence market? Huh... next thing you know, the WYNY calls will return to New York... ::)
 
Here in Cleveland, where CBS just launched FM sports talker "92.3 The Fan", their AM sports talk competitor has the same signal problems WEEI has - a horribly directional night signal, protecting stations all over so bad that you have trouble hearing it in some inner Cleveland suburbs.

And guess what? Like WEEI, WKNR is also on 850.

Unlike WEEI, it is owned by a small group headed by the son of former Infinity/CBS big wig Mel Karmazin, and the general local scuttlebutt is that Craig doesn't have the bucks to buy an FM...and there are at least two big FMs with everything but a "for sale" sign up front.
 
One might also ask why they are waiting so long to get rid of Muttnansky. They should bring back Dale for the start of hockey season (and I don't even like hockey). He is generally acknowledged as the most knowledgable hockey guy on either sports station, even by the WEEI haters.

I think their decade long disdain for hockey really came back to bite them last year. Bruins' fans were always insulted by the lack of attention and the backlash was evident. Bringing back Dale would demonstrate that they regard hockey as a major sport and give Bruins' fans the respect that they feel entitled to.
 
Bunch of dummies. The Sports Hub/ WBCN /Mix 98.5 rumor was leaked months before it actually happened. Entercom should have jumped and moved EEI to FM , they had plenty of time to do it. "Mike's" ratings have never been good. It was a no brainer to everyone except the suits ( and dresses) in the New Balance Building. Damage is done now, good luck to them. At least the Sox and Celts will be on FM
 
Richard J. Cabral said:
fmradio1 said:
The WEEI-FM calls are moving from 103.7 to 93.7. 103.7 will get the WVEI-FM calls currently on 105.5 in Easthampton/Springfield. 105.5 will switch to WWEI.
Click to expand...

I hope you are wrong on 103.7's new call sign. 103.7 should become WERI as a memorial to its old call sign. ERI is very close to EEI and it even has the state (RI) in it. I guess that just makes too much sense :p I am sure others will agree with me.
Click to expand...

A quick search of the call letter database will show he's right. The requests were all placed yesterday. WWEI is currently reserved for Easthampton, and WVEI-FM is currently reserved to move to Providence.
 
Yes. I think some of the speculation was that 100.7 would be the sports talker, or at least "B's could be moved there". We knew BCN had ratings problems, beloved though it was for years,etc. As with Entercom's move, the Sports Hub was a matter of not so much if but when. (Same as with the long running rumor
of 1200 to conservative talk--via power increase)
 
Doubtful esp. as WBZ AM has a powerhouse signal. BUT Maybe someday. Maybe if the WZLX aud. fades away it could be talk on 100.7, etc.
 
YES!!!
;D DONE LESS ROCK AND ROLL STATION!!!! ;D
Also, as I said before, 93.7 signal (also 98.5) both can not be heard (on any walkman) inside some of Boston (Brookline, Copley Square-Allston, Roxbury, parts of Southend, parts of Dorchester, parts of Brighton, parts of Downtown (on any walkman, new and old). It might be different if you live there or work there? I don't know. But (any walkman, new and old) it can not be heard in those parts of town.
But all in all, I'm HAPPY!!!!
YES
Baseball and Basketball games on FM!! YES!!!!
 
You mean ONE less I'm sure (says "Done" :) )
I still think the signal may not be as bad as you say and it depends on radio and where you are.

Some people at my workplace may be disappointed as they liked listening to Mike on a boombox or
a walkman. Many of us will be happy--Red Sox! Celts, baseball playoffs (non-Sox; for example, if
the World Series were, heaven forbid, something like Texas v. Philly, we would hear it in crystal clear
FM!) I'm happy.
 
LAUROJRM said:
YES!!!
;D DONE LESS ROCK AND ROLL STATION!!!! ;D
Also, as I said before, 93.7 signal (also 98.5) both can not be heard (on any walkman) inside some of Boston (Brookline, Copley Square-Allston, Roxbury, parts of Southend, parts of Dorchester, parts of Brighton, parts of Downtown (on any walkman, new and old). It might be different if you live there or work there? I don't know. But (any walkman, new and old) it can not be heard in those parts of town.
But all in all, I'm HAPPY!!!!
YES
Baseball and Basketball games on FM!! YES!!!!
Click to expand...

Talk came for smooth jazz, and I said nothing,
Talk came for rock, and I said nothing,
Talk came for my favorite format, and there was no one left to say anything.
 
LA_Guy said:
Why did they wait until they were getting creamed by the competition to do something about it? If they had made the move a year or so ago they could have squashed the Sports Hub like a bug-but now they are in a come from behind situation.

How dumb!

A very smart broadcaster I know, Dick Ferguson compares radio programming to a military exercise. Each thing is a 'hill' and the objective is to capture and hold on to the hill. One hill is the sports hill-and WEEI had that one, but decided to not DEFEND it-so The Sports Hub walked right in and took it from them. NOW rather then simply having to defend their hill, they have to CAPTURE the hill back from CBS-a much harder thing to do then simply defend the hill you have-especially since CBS WILL be defending it.


Totally disagree. CBS cannot field a sports station any better than they could the stable of highly rated rockers that they ran into the ground. Yeah, I know about Detroit but we shall see how realistic those numbers are when the PPM devices get reshuffled.

They came in with two big balls: WBZ calls and powerful 98.5 FM signal, with some serious CBS backing. IIRC, in two years they took 1 (one) book! The Sox and the Celts helped immensely, and the Broonz gave the Hub a "hubba-hubba-June-is-bustin'-out-all-over" rating. That includes the 2 years the Hub has been Pat's flagship station. Their sports stations pretty much reside in the 1s and 2s (except WXYT). Large charge.

Compare the cume and ratings of 98.5 and 850. Can you discern which station's audience consists of virtually ALL P1s? Last two books clearly tell the story. The toe of the Hub is currently being measured for a tag by WEEI. 93.7 is the kicker that will blow the balls off the Hub and get rid of those pests in about one year's time. Watch.

CBS has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that you just can't have somebody's soccer mom programming sports and/or rockers.

Game over!


-
Click to expand...
 
yes, "one less" Rock and Roll station
What they should do
On the FM side, instead of ESPN Radio on overnights, put on "Yahoo Sports Radio" (It used to be Sporting News Radio) Because their station IDs, jingles are more powerfull and more alive sounding than ESPN radio. That's just my thought
But then again, like Raccoonradio said, listenning to the Playoffs, Celtics.... on FM, will be great
All in all, W E E I is going be on FM, that's great thus far
 
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