Former PD Rock 92.9 WBOS and classic hits 105.7 WROR Ken West joins WERS as newly created Brand Manager position
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
WERS
- Thread starter shutupandlisten
- Start date
Could this foreshadow a less adventurous, more mainstream approach to the station's music?
MassMusicMan
Banned
I'm so happy! Best boss ever.
WERS has been bland AAA core for the better part of a decade, imho.
At one time, WERS-88.9's entire on-air staff consisted of Emerson College students.
Are any Emerson students still on-air at WERS? Or has it become a fully professional "Public Radio" station, with it's AAA format? (If WERS has become/will become a fully professional public radio station with a certain amount of budget and professional staff, it would be eligible for funding from.the Corporation For Public Broadcasting)
Are any Emerson students still on-air at WERS? Or has it become a fully professional "Public Radio" station, with it's AAA format? (If WERS has become/will become a fully professional public radio station with a certain amount of budget and professional staff, it would be eligible for funding from.the Corporation For Public Broadcasting)
I agree. What a waste of electricity
When I spoke with the previous GM he told me the DJs were all students. I don't think there's any interest in CPB qualification.
For some reason, what he told you is not true, unless it was a LONG time ago. Their weekday morning DJ George Knight is an adult professional who has been on many major Boston area stations during the past 30 years.
Their weekday afternoon DJ Phillip Jones was an Emerson student, but graduated in 2018. I don't know about the rest.
What WERS *could* be if whoever has been suffocating that station's potential would just get out of the way. 90.3 KEXP - with 6kw - is #1 25-54 in Seattle (Nov-Dec 2022), and they're up against a 100kw Commercial "Alternative" competitor. Also up against and beating 100kw heritage rock KISW and a CHR.
https://www.billboard.com/pro/public-radio-kexp-kutx-growing-audiences-new-music/.
The only headwind facing WERS is rimshot AAA WXRV, only gets half the ratings. Unlike Seattle, Boston doesn't have any commercial alternative or current rock radio stations left at all. WBOS/WZLX music is all 25-50 years old. Nothing current. A huge format hole WERS could fill with zero competition. Instead they play it super safe and imitate 92.5 the River.
Consider that since 101.7 was purchased by iHeart and got a massive power increase, that frequency has never achieved the ratings WFNX had when it was sold. WERS is the only college station in Boston with the signal and infrastructure in place to do what KEXP does in Seattle.
https://www.billboard.com/pro/public-radio-kexp-kutx-growing-audiences-new-music/.
The only headwind facing WERS is rimshot AAA WXRV, only gets half the ratings. Unlike Seattle, Boston doesn't have any commercial alternative or current rock radio stations left at all. WBOS/WZLX music is all 25-50 years old. Nothing current. A huge format hole WERS could fill with zero competition. Instead they play it super safe and imitate 92.5 the River.
Consider that since 101.7 was purchased by iHeart and got a massive power increase, that frequency has never achieved the ratings WFNX had when it was sold. WERS is the only college station in Boston with the signal and infrastructure in place to do what KEXP does in Seattle.
More on KEXP:
Who's Filling The New Music Void On FM? Could It Be...Public Radio?
While formats where little or none of the music offered includes currently popular songs dominate ratings among music-formatted stations in most major markets, non-commercial adult alternative stations in key markets
Regarding WERS, they lean a bit more toward the alternative/indie side than what WXRV does, and is quicker with adding new songs and local artists. WXRV's playlist leans more "mainstream," with airplay of Imagine Dragons and Adele. WERS's most played currents are being played about 20 times per week, with WXRV about 30-32 times per week. Yes, there is still a bit of overlap between the two stations, but WERS is a bit more adventurous with their programming. It would be interesting if WERS were to sound more like KEXP, but with the addition of Ken West as programmer, I imagine that they're going to stay the course.
It was once an incredible training ground for future radio professionals and offered diverse and unique programming and now... what really is it's purpose? Emerson should stop with the fundraisers and call just call EMF for a quick couple mil.
Certainly, EMF wants a Boston outlet for their "Air 1" Christian rock network.
But I think EMF would be more likely to buy a station from either Beasley, I-Heart, or Audacy if any of them wants to sell off one more Boston area signal, especially as most of the FM signals owned by these companies have a bigger signal area than does WERS-88.9.
It wouldn't entirely surprise me if EMF tries to acquire WXRV-92.5 to become the Boston outlet for "Air 1", given that WXRV is the only station in the market owned by it's current owners.
What is it with people who keep calling for stations to "hand in their license" or just sell to a competitor?
WERS is not for sale, and Emerson would never part with it.
Why would they? Because some Alternative aficionados don't like the music they choose to play?
It's on 107.3 WKVB HD2.
All stations are owned by their current owners, whether they're national or local owners.
WERS went less adventurous a long time ago.
Most stations that had specialty shows at night or on the weekend decided that stations in 2023 can't be playing 12 different kinds of music (Sun AM Jazz, Country Oldies, Lost 45's, etc.)
WERS did much the same, eliminating many specialty shows, and focusing on their core audience and programming, attempting to get a much more stable cume and more opportunities for the P1's to not tune in and hear something they don't like (Like "the playground"?) ;-)
Of course every independent station needs to stay alive, but at the end of the day this is a college station that happens to have a decent signal.
Are you sure Emerson would never part with it? What's it's purpose now? How many students actually get to be part and learn from it's operation... or does it actually make money?
They fundraise and also have an active alumni group who support it. But Emerson as a college is one of the few schools that actually focuses on the broad range of communications. More than half of their majors involve the media. So owning a radio station is core to its academic focus. There are other colleges in Boston more likely to sell their radio station.
- Status