WEEI/WCRB/WAAF - I predict....

[LA_Guy]

Six months from now, it will be:

WCRB 107.5

WAAF 99.5 and 97.7.

WEEI 106.3

Think about it - 99.5 and 97.7 compliment each other PERFECTLY! Together they make a fine full market signal-far better then 107.5/97.7.

107.5 is a perfect place for classical-it has a good signal in the highbrow western suburbs-better then 99.5-and it also does well in Providence.

106.3 compliments 850 to the North quite well, especially at night.....

 

[Neggy]

107.3 WAAF

 

[LA_Guy]

OOPS!

I did mean 107.3...but you get the idea...

 

[argytunes]

LA guy...

You're starting a dangerous precedent on this board....it's called: LOGIC!

argytunes

 

[raccoonradio]

My selfish wish would be for sports talk/Sox to wind up on either 93.7 or 99.5 since those signals (sticks
in Peabody and Andover, respectively) come in well where I work. People may scoff at idea of sports
talk or play by play moving to FM, but it will happen--and of course some sports play by play is already
on FM (Pats on WBCN, Sox or Celts on affiliates like WBOQ).

 

[DG02816]

I admit, Dana has hit the nail square on the head. Classical on 107.3, headbangers on 97.7 and 99.5. WAAF has a solid signal in much of RI. Classical there would catch the audience both in RI and MA.

Dave Gardiner

WVCH 740/WNWR 1540

Philadelphia

 

[DanStrassberg]

I admit, Dana has hit the nail square on the head. Classical on 107.3, headbangers on 97.7 and 99.5. WAAF has a solid signal in much of RI. Classical there would catch the audience both in RI and MA.

Dave Gardiner

WVCH 740/WNWR 1540

Philadelphia

Yeah but, wouldn't it work LOTS better if 107.3 were still in Paxton? To my way of thinking, 97.7 became an absolute necessity when 107.3 moved to W Boyleston (or wherever). Although the new site is closer to Boston, the combination of the directional pattern, which has a deep minimum toward WFCC, and the multipath on 107.3, which in most places within 128 where I tried listening is so severe that the signal, which used to be quite listenable, no longer is. My take is that whoever at Entercom was behind this expensive transmitter move was so concerned about saving his or her hide that she or he prevailed upon Mr Field (that's his name, right?) to spend andother $30 million on 97.7 so that the mistake could be hidden in plain sight (or earshot).

If I'm right about the multipath problems, what such a move would also mean is that if classical were to move to 107.3, it wouldn't be listenable in downtown Boston offices--not because the signal is too weak, but because the audio is so badly distorted by the multipath that it is unlistenable. If 97.7 were to no longer simulcast 107.3, the only way to fix the problem would appear to be to move 107.3 back to Paxton--if that is even possible any longer.

Comments?

 

[Laurence Glavin]

Six months from now, it will be:

WCRB 107.5

WAAF 99.5 and 97.7.

WEEI 106.3

Think about it - 99.5 and 97.7 compliment each other PERFECTLY! Together they make a fine full market signal-far better then 107.5/97.7.

107.5 is a perfect place for classical-it has a good signal in the highbrow western suburbs-better then 99.5-and it also does well in Providence.

106.3 compliments 850 to the North quite well, especially at night.....

"Highbrow"? You think the fare WCRB broadcasts is HIGHBROW? You must think Wyler's artifical-grape-flavored powder mix is VINTAGE WINE.

 

[TSBench]

"Highbrow"? You think the fare WCRB broadcasts is HIGHBROW?

I think he was refering to the audience, not the music. WCRB is intentionally Classical for Dummies. In fact, WCRB's run as the highest rated classical station in the country commenced when they decided to program for the "I don't like classical music' crowd which thinks the Boston Pops is 'heavy.' Why play the entire William Tell when all most folks want to hear is the 'Charge of the Swiss Pikemen.'

There was a reason Hooked On Classics sold a gazillion copies, and it wasn't because Beethoven enthusiasts were clammering for a 30-second version of the 9th. WCRB went to where the people were. And, with the exception of the non-coms, it's still the only, if not the greatest, game in town

Regards,
TSB

 

[argytunes]

WCRB is an excellent station for making the classical music format user friendly! The on-air personalities are contemporary---even though some of the music is hundreds of years old!

In other words...REAL PEOPLE who talk to their listeners...instead of the traditional up your nose with a rubber hose on-air approach!

And this is the reason why more people are starting to realilze that there's nothing wrong with classical music when a male or female jock offers a contemporary spin to it!

argytunes

 

[pqgeorge]

Six months from now, it will be:

WCRB 107.5

WAAF 99.5 and 97.7.

WEEI 106.3

Think about it - 99.5 and 97.7 compliment each other PERFECTLY! Together they make a fine full market signal-far better then 107.5/97.7.

107.5 is a perfect place for classical-it has a good signal in the highbrow western suburbs-better then 99.5-and it also does well in Providence.

You mean, 107.3..... But yes, classical on 107.3 would make sense as it would be aiming towards a more affluent audience west of Boston.

But one thing they need to do is put 107.3 BACK to Paxton. The current signal from the Channel 27 site is quite inferior to Asnesbumskit. (It's pretty lousy.) Classical on 107.3 from Asnesbumskit would be more appropriate as it is a niche format and would cover 6 states rather nicely including most of Central New England including Boston, Worcester, Providence, Springfield, Hartford, Manchester (NH), the Berkshires and more. 107.3 could have never made it as a "Boston" station (it's too close to 106.7 and 107.9). Why they moved 107.3 from one of the best transmitter sites in New England is beyond me.

 

[rapking]

Six months from now, it will be:

WCRB 107.5

WAAF 99.5 and 97.7.

WEEI 106.3

Think about it - 99.5 and 97.7 compliment each other PERFECTLY! Together they make a fine full market signal-far better then 107.5/97.7.

107.5 is a perfect place for classical-it has a good signal in the highbrow western suburbs-better then 99.5-and it also does well in Providence.

You mean, 107.3..... But yes, classical on 107.3 would make sense as it would be aiming towards a more affluent audience west of Boston.

But one thing they need to do is put 107.3 BACK to Paxton. The current signal from the Channel 27 site is quite inferior to Asnesbumskit. (It's pretty lousy.) Classical on 107.3 from Asnesbumskit would be appropriate as it is a niche format and would cover 6 states rather nicely including most of Central New England including Boston, Worcester, Providence, Springfield, Hartford, Manchester (NH), the Berkshires and more. 107.3 could have never made it as a Boston station (too close to 106.7 and 107.9). Why they moved 107.3 from one of the best transmitter sites in New England is beyond me.

Entercom should had purchase 102.5 ( 102.5 WAAF ) . Put WEEI on 107.3 ( Paxton 107.3-850 sell Worcester 1440). Tell Radio One ( 97.7 ) to go to hell . Put classical on 93.7 ( MIKE AKA AWFUL RADIO MUST DIE ) .

 

[TravisWMLN]

won't changing all these station numbers just confuse the audience, and eventually turn to other stations they know? I mean I really can't see a major change in ratings by just jumping up and down the dial

 

[TSBench]

WCRB is an excellent station for making the classical music format user friendly!

Must be why I posted that WCRB was the highest rated classical station in the country. Nice catch! But, what made the music 'user friendly' wasn't the announcers, it was the selections that were played, sometimes just a single familiar movement instead of an entire symphony, and the elimination of some of the more obscure works.

The on-air personalities are contemporary---even though some of the music is hundreds of years old!

It would be pretty difficult to have it the other way around.

Of course, back in the mid-18th century, almost ALL the stations played classical music, except that they called it AC.

In other words...REAL PEOPLE who talk to their listeners...instead of the traditional up your nose with a rubber hose on-air approach!

I've never heard that 'traditional' approach. What exactly is it?

And this is the reason why more people are starting to realilze that there's nothing wrong with classical music when a male or female jock offers a contemporary spin to it!

Well, for around 1500 years, a lot of folks have thought there's nothing wrong with 'classical' music, without needing a jock to put a comtemporary slant to it. But, whatever spins your prop.

Regards,
TSB

 

[rapking]

won't changing all these station numbers just confuse the audience, and eventually turn to other stations they know? I mean I really can't see a major change in ratings by just jumping up and down the dial

Entercom dont want confuse the audience ( Celtic on 680, next year on 850, Red Sox on 850 last year , This Year Red Sox on 680 but on wednesday, Red Sox on 850 , Howie Staying or Leaving , D&C Staying or Leaving )

 

[Finn]

The on-air personalities are contemporary---even though some of the music is hundreds of years old!

It would be pretty difficult to have it the other way around.

Of course, back in the mid-18th century, almost ALL the stations played classical music, except that they called it AC.

;D ;D ;D

 

[MarcB]

What I was thinking was WEEI 99.5 FM/850 AM and WCRB 93.7 FM.

 

[JustinT]

What I was thinking was WEEI 99.5 FM/850 AM and WCRB 93.7 FM.

Seeing that 99.5 and 93.7 have almost exactly the same coverage, that would be a pointless move for WCRB... and putting a WEEI simulcast on 93.7 (as has been previously speculated) is something that Entercom could do any day without Nassau.

The real thing that Entercom (or Nassau) needs to consider in replacing a format like adult hits or classical is the potential gain in profits from a WEEI simulcast. Look at it this way: in it's last year on 102.5, WCRB was said to be billing $7 million per year: now that they are on 99.5, that is probably more like $5 or $6 million. I seem to recall that 93.7 Mike FM was billing around $13 million last year. Both stations have pretty low overhead, so with those numbers on the table, can WEEI really increase their billing by more than $6 million (in the case of WCRB) or $13 million (in the case of WMKK) by adding an FM relay with the exact same programming? If they can, then the company should certainly go for it. But while Entercom could likely relocate listeners to the FM dial (superior sound quality, no night coverage issues), it's hard to believe that there is over $10 million in untapped listenership/advertising on 93.7... but maybe I'm just oblivious to it.

 

[radiolives]

Anyone know how much 103.7 WEEI-FM in Rhode Island is billing? I bet they are doing fine with great ratings. I think Entercom wants to put WEEI on FM in the Boston, MA market and I say put it on 93.7 making it 93.7 WEEI-FM, Entercom would still leave WEEI on 850. 103.7 in Rhode Island would change its calls.

 

[shotgunanniexo]

For TS who clearly has more inside track than I do here, CRB so good for COMBINATION host and selection.

Two cents from someone who listens.