It wouldn't be adding talk, it would take what's on 1200. Unless you mean prog talk which
Santos has on 1510
Santos has on 1510
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Yes. Guessing you aren't going to find, ratio-wise, many Severin listeners inside 128.
If WFNX really had as many streaming listeners as over the air listeners, it would be a good idea for Clear Channel to buy the intellectual property of WFNX and put it on WXKS-HD2 (since 101.7 isn't in HD and WXKS-HD2 currently simulcasts 1200). Then they can promote that FNX is available on iHeartRadio and HD radio. Who knows, it might sell a few HD radios and it will definitely get more people to install the iHeartRadio app. Sure, Clear Channel has alternative stations in other markets, but those aren't FNX.
I wonder if Clear Channel can get a translator on 101.3. That way, they could keep FNX alive on there, and its signal would be comparable to Big City 101.3. It has a huge signal but it doesn't interfere with anyone.
I wonder if Clear Channel can get a translator on 101.3. That way, they could keep FNX alive on there, and its signal would be comparable to Big City 101.3. It has a huge signal but it doesn't interfere with anyone.
Nick said:
The Phoenix made a mistake, I've always thought, in surrendering the translator license it had on 101.3 when it moved WFNX from Medford/Malden to One Financial Center. The second-adjacent rules at the time would have allowed 101.3 to be moved from the Hancock to One Financial and continue operating, but WFNX appeared to believe it couldn't do that, so it returned the 101.3 license and shut that signal down. Unfortunately, it's not possible to get the license back now, at least not until a new translator window opens up.
I have no direct knowledge of it, but word around the campfire was that it was a stretch to physically get enough room on the OFC towers for the new WFNX signal; the landlords weren't going to allow another antenna up there because there wasn't any room for it. Not on the tower nor in the transmitter rooms below...although on that last point, I have to think you could squeeze in the roughly 3RU of equipment you'd need for a Crown FM30. (shrugs)
Probably more relevant is that tower rent for any signal on a Boston skyscraper ain't cheap. It was a stretch justifying that measly 7 watt signal in the first place. But when it provides a redundant service? What's the ROI??
atlantaboy said:
Birmingham has 6 (4 talk, 2 sports) if you count the mostly-speech NPR, 8 if you count two nearby rimshots and up to 11 on college football weekends when games are active. And that's not including religious speech programming! There's also at least one other talker on AM that is part-time separately programmed from one of the FMs.
F
frankfurter
Guest
Although FM news has been mostly unsuccessful as of late, WFNX's weaker signal might be a place to try it out and establish an FM News station. If the AM band is hurdling toward irrelevance, they might have an established product that could compete with WBZ (AM) when it finally makes the jump to FM in a few years.
Country is unlikely - WKLB is well-established, has a great signal and I just don't see the Boston market supporting a second contemporary country station, particularly when there's also out of market signals to the north, south and west that reach well into parts of the Boston survey area (ie WOKQ to the north).
WFNX's broadcast area and signal strength lend itself to a niche format - something that listeners will make an effort to hear, as FNX's fanbase has for many years. Why make an effort to hear Country 101.7 when WKLB comes in everywhere?
Rush Limbaugh and company aren't popular enough in this area to warrant essentially devaluing an AM property to put red state talk on in a broadcast area that stands to re-elect Obama with 70% of the vote. The angry townie Republican crowd is happy with Howie Carr and Dennis & Callahan, and the ratings reflect it.
If you go Urban or even AC-leaning Urban, you have a signal that reaches most of the major minority communities in eastern Mass (Brockton and New Bedford aside) and no competition, since WJMN is on the CHR side of the Rhythmic coin and WILD is gone. Not sure what's happening at 87.7 these days, but an Urban station on 101.7 could take the wind out of their pirate sails.
Another possibility - Mike FM was a popular station before it was blown up for WEEI 93.7 - Clear Channel could create "Frank 101.7" (and potentially keep the call letters?) and make good money without spending much. The risk is that you stand to shave off some of Kiss 108's older listeners. Maybe the answer is to make Kiss younger (if that's possible), Jam'n more urban and let the "we play everything" station have its way with Madonna and Prince and the like.
And then there's Spanish - while every other top 10 market has at least one Spanish FM, those markets all have more Spanish speaking people in their listening area. What percentage of people in the coverage area speak Spanish as a first language - 15% maybe? But what would the format be? If you could secure Red Sox en Espanol broadcasts and play a mix of "tropical" Puerto Rican and Dominican music the rest of the time, you might do well.
Country is unlikely - WKLB is well-established, has a great signal and I just don't see the Boston market supporting a second contemporary country station, particularly when there's also out of market signals to the north, south and west that reach well into parts of the Boston survey area (ie WOKQ to the north).
WFNX's broadcast area and signal strength lend itself to a niche format - something that listeners will make an effort to hear, as FNX's fanbase has for many years. Why make an effort to hear Country 101.7 when WKLB comes in everywhere?
Rush Limbaugh and company aren't popular enough in this area to warrant essentially devaluing an AM property to put red state talk on in a broadcast area that stands to re-elect Obama with 70% of the vote. The angry townie Republican crowd is happy with Howie Carr and Dennis & Callahan, and the ratings reflect it.
If you go Urban or even AC-leaning Urban, you have a signal that reaches most of the major minority communities in eastern Mass (Brockton and New Bedford aside) and no competition, since WJMN is on the CHR side of the Rhythmic coin and WILD is gone. Not sure what's happening at 87.7 these days, but an Urban station on 101.7 could take the wind out of their pirate sails.
Another possibility - Mike FM was a popular station before it was blown up for WEEI 93.7 - Clear Channel could create "Frank 101.7" (and potentially keep the call letters?) and make good money without spending much. The risk is that you stand to shave off some of Kiss 108's older listeners. Maybe the answer is to make Kiss younger (if that's possible), Jam'n more urban and let the "we play everything" station have its way with Madonna and Prince and the like.
And then there's Spanish - while every other top 10 market has at least one Spanish FM, those markets all have more Spanish speaking people in their listening area. What percentage of people in the coverage area speak Spanish as a first language - 15% maybe? But what would the format be? If you could secure Red Sox en Espanol broadcasts and play a mix of "tropical" Puerto Rican and Dominican music the rest of the time, you might do well.
frankfurter said:
Arbitron says 7.2% Hispanic for Boston.
F
frankfurter
Guest
Fenway1912 said:
For all of the Boston market, yes, but most of the areas WFNX is sketchy or inaudible in are outer suburbs with few Hispanics. Take the areas it comes in best - Lynn, Revere, Chelsea, Salem, Malden, Somerville, the various neighborhoods of Boston (Eastie, Dorchester, Brighton, etc), and I think you'll see a higher # than 7.2%
Still, without looking up all the exact figures, I'd bet that's quite a bit lower than many of the Top 10 markets - LA, SF, NY, Houston, Dallas...
Some interesting info on the Hispanic population in Boston:
-Since 2000, the Hispanic population in the Boston metro area has grown 48% (compared to 45% Asian growth and 16% non-hispanic black/african american, and a 6% decrease for non-hispanic whites.)
-Median Hispanic age in Boston is 28 years
-60% of that Hispanic growth occured in just 6 cities, led by Boston, Lynn, and Revere.
- 1/3 of all spanish-speaking households are linguistically isolated, meaning no family member over age 14 is fluent in English.
-As of 2007, Massachusetts had the largest hispanic population in New England, and was 15th nationally
-While 2/3 of the nation's Spanish speaking population is Mexican, it's a different case in Boston. 27% is Puerto Rican, 21% is Dominican. Add in the 4% of Cubans and that's over 50% of the Boston Hispanic population is from the Caribbean.
THE MONEY:
In 2007, Hispanics spent $1.2 billion in MA. They contributed $1.6 billion to the gross state product. There are 2,960 hispanic owned firms.
17% of that population work in managerial/professional roles, 26% in technical, sales, and administrative support.
-Since 2000, the Hispanic population in the Boston metro area has grown 48% (compared to 45% Asian growth and 16% non-hispanic black/african american, and a 6% decrease for non-hispanic whites.)
-Median Hispanic age in Boston is 28 years
-60% of that Hispanic growth occured in just 6 cities, led by Boston, Lynn, and Revere.
- 1/3 of all spanish-speaking households are linguistically isolated, meaning no family member over age 14 is fluent in English.
-As of 2007, Massachusetts had the largest hispanic population in New England, and was 15th nationally
-While 2/3 of the nation's Spanish speaking population is Mexican, it's a different case in Boston. 27% is Puerto Rican, 21% is Dominican. Add in the 4% of Cubans and that's over 50% of the Boston Hispanic population is from the Caribbean.
THE MONEY:
In 2007, Hispanics spent $1.2 billion in MA. They contributed $1.6 billion to the gross state product. There are 2,960 hispanic owned firms.
17% of that population work in managerial/professional roles, 26% in technical, sales, and administrative support.
frankfurter said:
Of the Top 10 - I am thinking Philadelphia is less than Boston and I don't think there is a major FM Hispanic signal there.
Thing is in the inner city Portuguese may well be as strong as Spanish. Brazilian community is very strong in Everett, Somerville and Allston.
Boston doesn't need another Country station that's just silly there's already one on a strong signal 102.5 what Boston really needs is a Mainstream Urban or Urban AC outlet since they are the largest city and metropolitan in the country without any Urban format station they switched Day part timer WILD 1090 to Chinese talk in June 2011 and they haven't had an Urban outlet on the FM radio in Boston for like six years now back when it was Urban AC WILD 97.7 that aired R&B music. Before that it was Mainstream Urban Hot 97.7 Boston's Hottest Hip Hop and R&B which went on the air around December 1999 then they switched Hot 97.7's format on October 23, 2005 to Urban AC WILD 97.7 which only lasted for almost a year then Entercom purchased WILD 97.7 from Radio One on August 21, 2006 probably because of bankruptcy. On that day WILD 97.7 became a simulcast of WAAF 107.3 out in Worcester which airs Active Rock today it's called WAAF 97.7/107.3.
Fybush's new NERW column (subscription based) mentions such things as how country wouldn't work (wouldn't penetrate suburban areas); conserv. talk also would have the same problem...urban
would be a possibility but could cannibalize some of Jam's audience; then there's Spanish-language as has been speculated but he also says some kind of alt. rock/modern rock might be worth it
Would guess CC would announce the new format only when FCC approval comes and maybe there would be a week or so for a last gasp of FNX before new format (emanating from Medford or
wherever) would start... a shut off from the Lynn studios, a power up from the new studios etc
http://www.fybush.com/nerw.html
would be a possibility but could cannibalize some of Jam's audience; then there's Spanish-language as has been speculated but he also says some kind of alt. rock/modern rock might be worth it
Would guess CC would announce the new format only when FCC approval comes and maybe there would be a week or so for a last gasp of FNX before new format (emanating from Medford or
wherever) would start... a shut off from the Lynn studios, a power up from the new studios etc
http://www.fybush.com/nerw.html
There is a petition on change.org to ask Clear Channel to NOT change...that is, to keep WFNX
the same format or something similar, alt. or modern rock, local band exposure, etc. So far
about 1,900 people have signed it (goal 2,500)
Of course if they did decide to keep it the same it would be with different calls, no more "Boston Phoenix Radio" identity or features, but perhaps their own take...something similar but not
the exact same identity as what FNX has now.
the same format or something similar, alt. or modern rock, local band exposure, etc. So far
about 1,900 people have signed it (goal 2,500)
Of course if they did decide to keep it the same it would be with different calls, no more "Boston Phoenix Radio" identity or features, but perhaps their own take...something similar but not
the exact same identity as what FNX has now.
Let's see... 2,500 people in market #10. That's not even a halfway decent AQH. Good luck with that. I'll bet CC already had a format and plans for the signal when they bought it. Most people don't spend $11 million without a plan to get a return on it. 2,500 P1's aren't going to change their mind. Neither will 25,000.
Bet on talk 1200 being a simulcast and branded as "Talk 101.7". Makes the most sense, gives it more visibility and doesn't really cost CC anything since they're not blowing up a signal they already own. And they're not going to touch Kiss or Jammin, that's for sure.
http://www.bostonsnewtalk.com was used for awhile under the prog talk days. Guess what: it
redirects to Talk 1200. They could conceivably just keep that....
redirects to Talk 1200. They could conceivably just keep that....
Listening for a bit this morning,
No DJ,
Dead air,
The same network spot crapping out midway thru being played seemingly every commercial break ("Fox Sunday..."
then silence),
More dead air,
And that annoying hum in the right channel that is seemingly getting worse...
My lord, talk about a station on LIFE SUPPORT...
They have taken this once great station and GUTTED IT from the inside out... very sad.
It's only a matter of time now. Time to pull the plug.
R.I.P. FNX.
No DJ,
Dead air,
The same network spot crapping out midway thru being played seemingly every commercial break ("Fox Sunday..."
then silence),
More dead air,
And that annoying hum in the right channel that is seemingly getting worse...
My lord, talk about a station on LIFE SUPPORT...
They have taken this once great station and GUTTED IT from the inside out... very sad.
It's only a matter of time now. Time to pull the plug.
R.I.P. FNX.
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