WFNX being sold to Clear Channel

[HHH]

from today’s Herald. Bruce Mittman predicts (not official, just his opinion) Talk 101.7:

>>Radio industry experts say Clear Channel Communications will likely shift its news and talk station WXKS-AM to the FM dial once it finalizes a deal to buy alternative rock station WFNX-FM 101.7’s signal from Phoenix Media. “Their talk station is very expensive to run,” said former radio exec Bruce Mittman (about) WXKS-AM, whose lineup includes yakkers Jay Severin, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. “They cannot compete because it’s a limited signal. Putting it on FM would dramatically increase their coverage, which would help them with their ratings and with advertising.”

"Putting it on FM (101.7) would dramatically increase their (present WXKS-AM) coverage"

Huh?

WXKS coverage: http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WXKS&service=AM&status=C&hours=D

WFNX coverage: http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WFNX&service=FM&status=L&hours=U


What he may be trying to say is that it is generally better to be on FM these days.

But the question remains, is 101.7's signal good enough into the suburbs for a Rush and Company format? Or are they looking to swap the 94.5 format to 101.7? I know, I know....Jammin' is highly rated, but isn't a full class B doing talk too good for CC to resist?

 

[raccoonradio]

Yes as I've been saying the WFNX signal is "okay", using quotation fingers, as in "it reaches some parts of the market. It's OKAY, but..." You're the first to suggest a Talk 94.5 situation admittedly.

As for a WFNX rising out of the ashes maybe one of the big owners will do some kind of modern
rock, alternative, aren't-we-cool type of deal but they probably would make it "safe", take
few chances, etc. Wouldn't someone try to do something along the lines of the old BCN,
FNX, etc? Local bands dropping by, blues or jazz specialty shows, an independent spirit etc.
But they may feel such a station wouldn't make money and wouldn't take a chance.

--
Example of a hip alternative station, but it's an LPFM, up in Ben and Jerry land. Would this
be tried by a station owned by CC, Entercom, GM, CBS?

http://www.theradiator.org/drupal/

 

[WNTIRadio]

Here's the reason that 101.7 will help WXKS-AM: Building penetration in the city itself. With all the noise and garbage being spewed by electronic devices and buildings that don't pass AM signals well, this will fill in the "in city" hole. Especially in the morning and evening hours.

With its transmitter on One Financial, 101.7 gives CC a 70+dBu signal in the city and immediate surrounding areas.

1200, even at 50kW, has plenty of problems downtown.

 

[Jacko]

All this speculation, and watch there be no tower moves at all. WWBB can't move too close to Boston as 90.9 WBUR still needs to be protected. I'd rather see WWBB perhaps move to the WPRO-FM tower site in Johnston and give 101.7 a little more breathing room to the south/southwest. That way, WWBB doesn't lose anything as their signal gets crushed in the immediate Boston area anyway, and maybe they'll pick up a few eastern CT listeners in the process. Who knows, it just really bothers me that a media juggernaut can basically just lift up a station and move it closer to where they think they can get more listeners; such as the move of 97.9 from the Springfield market to Hartford.

As much as I hate Clear Channel, if they go to a Spanish-tropical music format, it wouldn't be that egregious. At least there's an opening for such a station. I'd hate for there to be another talk station on FM. I listened to 1200AM on my ride home this PM through Braintree/Milton/Boston/Cambridge, and they seem to come in fine.

Jacko

 

[fybush]

Who knows, it just really bothers me that a media juggernaut can basically just lift up a station and move it closer to where they think they can get more listeners; such as the move of 97.9 from the Springfield market to Hartford.

Here's what I like about the rules that allow for such moves: they're an equal opportunity for ANY licensee to make a move, as long as they're creative enough to figure out how to do it. Yes, CC moved 97.9 to Springfield...but it was a much smaller player, Alex Langer, who figured out how to move the old WRPT 1050 from Peterborough, New Hampshire to "Ashland" (really Framingham), where it's now WSRO 650 and providing a very useful service to the Portuguese community in Framingham and Natick. And it was another little guy, John Fuller, who figured out how to shuffle some of his FMs in southeast Connecticut to provide improved signals in the New London area.

(Even CC can do good things with its moves: it made a minor change to its 95.3 up in the Portsmouth NH-York ME market that allowed WHRB to go nondirectional from One Financial Center, giving the Hahvahd station significantly improved coverage of the Nahth Shah...oh dear, I've turned into Laurence from Methuen, haven't I?)

 

[carmen]

Re: Clearchannel Announces Format Change For WFNX

=
WFNX 101.7 will be changed to a 24 hour Polka

Bachata/Dembow/Reggaeton is pretty similar to Polka musically. who plays all the Bachata on 1680, is it licensed?

 

[The Spy]

The Spy:

What I was thinking of was having recent and former WFNXers return for a six-hour farewell broadcast right before the ownership/format change, where they all could share their memories and play some of the best music from WFNX's three decades on the air.

That may happen.

 

[JIBGUY]

There's something wrong here...... something is happening that will:

1) - increase an AM station's listenership by perhaps 50%; (providing that 101.7 simulcasts 1200), and

2) - have one person walking away with $11million.

And that's worth an entire format (with 100,000 weekly listeners)
disappearing?

------ But I must admit... Mr. Mindich's dilemma is real. He could have cut staff down to 5 or 6 people, and then get lambasted by everyone on this board, the press, and the most ardent listeners of WFNX who noticed. -OR he could have sold the station. - I imagine the next time an independent station cuts staff drastically, there won't be as much criticism, now that WFNX is to disappear.

 

[blackgold]

I'll tell ya what's gonna happen to it: Urban A.C. during the day and hip hop from 6 until 2 a.m, followed by gospel music all night and all day Sundays.
And from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., Tom Joyner will be back on the air.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!
It's The Tom Joyner Morning Show!"
Again!

 

[Ciao9999]

I'll tell ya what's gonna happen to it: Urban A.C. during the day and hip hop from 6 until 2 a.m, followed by gospel music all night and all day Sundays.
And from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., Tom Joyner will be back on the air.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!
It's The Tom Joyner Morning Show!"
Again!

Tom Joyner is a radio One property. More likely Boston will finally get the Michael Baesden show.

 

[whdh1920]

its funny speaking of wwbb they shut there hd signal off since the sale was announced almost like to let more people get the station outside Boston,and hear there final days or maybe a tweaking of the transmitter as mentioned earlier!!

 

[tomservo]

Who knows, it just really bothers me that a media juggernaut can basically just lift up a station and move it closer to where they think they can get more listeners; such as the move of 97.9 from the Springfield market to Hartford.

I find it pretty amazing, actually, some of the trouble the big boys go through to make a change "work". Down here in Alabama, there are two Birmingham stations that either moved into the city or boosted power. One required the reallocation or physical movement of six stations; the other took nine moves to make work. All to boost a couple of class As to C1/C2 status in a market that's neither as big nor as spread out as Boston!

And although it's irrelevant, one of those stations is WERC-FM, a Clear Channel talker that displaced… alternative rock.

 

[carmen]

I find it pretty amazing, actually, some of the trouble the big boys go through to make a change "work

i'd love to see some UDP or TDMA/4G multicast over cell-towers for iheartradio bypassing cell-plan data. not out of the question, given Kindle/Amazon's similar strategy towards wireless. we could deprecate FM band in 5 years

 

[DToTheJ]

@WHDH1920: WWBB just disabled their HD signal? The. Plot. Thickens.

... [WKLB] It's the second most listened to station in the Boston MARKET...

I'm hungry. :

 

[wickedwritah]

I find it pretty amazing, actually, some of the trouble the big boys go through to make a change "work

i'd love to see some UDP or TDMA/4G multicast over cell-towers for iheartradio bypassing cell-plan data. not out of the question, given Kindle/Amazon's similar strategy towards wireless. we could deprecate FM band in 5 years

That's part of what's interesting in all of this... someone in this thread said as many people listened to WFNX via stream as over the air -- yes, a special case there, given the signal's limitations and the targeting of a younger demo. I don't think it'll be all that long (i.e. by 2020), though, before we see a major-market talker/news station (probably one on AM only) draw more listeners streaming vs. terrestrial broadcast.

 

[whdh1920]

@dtothej yea its been off at least since Tues maybe even before that,i'm not sure since i can get wfnx only when that happens down here in se mass!!

 

[4CX1000A]

There's something wrong here...... something is happening that will:

1) - increase an AM station's listenership by perhaps 50%; (providing that 101.7 simulcasts 1200), and

2) - have one person walking away with $11million.

In cash?

When CC bid for 102.5 back in 2006, my understanding is they offered stock not cash.

Only three years ago, WGBH bought 99.5 for $14 million, and that is a full Class B, albeit one located in Andover.

 

[MR. JAROME_CALVIN]

They should just do something nice with 101.7. Nevermind Rock and Roll, and Talk.
They should put (Mia 1430 also on 101.7), or put NEW Country on there, or put ("Slow Jams Radio") on 24/7, with some weekend Countdown shows. That would be cool.
I was driving in Lynn, Ma oen time, I'm Half Irish/Spanish American, I was stopped at a Red Light, Jodeci was on, some 70+ year old man was next to me in another car. He was asking me what music is that, he liked it. He was Caucation.
On my way to RI with my Mom, Dad, Older Sister and Nephue, back then (2001) I had on 1340am which was Urban AC in Providence area. The whole car was quiet. My nephue was about ? 3 years old at the time.
Anyways, they should do something nice, something different. "Slow Jams Radio" would be great.

 

[4CX1000A]

What if the 1200 simulcast story is a smokescreen, and CC has identified an underserved audience in the city with money enough to represent a potential gold-mine and, moreover, the chance to test what may be a new long-term strategy to revitalize radio?

No, I'm not talking about African-Americans or any of the various Latin American communities, none of which have much to say to one another, and the largest of which (Brazilian) doesn't even speak the same language as the others.

I have in mind college students. There are a lot of them hereabouts, mostly inside the 128 beltway. What if CC thinks they've found a way to get these kids to come back to radio? it would have to be something quite revolutionary, not a warmed-over WBCN or WFNX, with a heavy local presence on campus, a big marketing
budget, and local personalities who at least sound live. If it works, it could be the model for a national rollout aimed at drawing the 18 - 24's back to radio all across the country.

But I am probably indulging in wishful thinking, and we'll be hearing Spanish-language voice tracks from L.A. or Miami. CC these days has all the creativity of IBM in the 1970's, and CC's owner Bain Capital isn't likely to care about the long term. I doubt they plan to be in radio five years from now.

 

[JIBGUY]

CC's owner Bain Capital isn't likely to care about the long term. I doubt they plan to be in radio five years from now.

True and true. - CC is probably being prepped to sell to a sizable cable company. And why not?--- think of conglomeratized radio as local cable installations (owned by a big cable company).... serving the same national TV programming to its customers. Serving the same national RADIO programming is not far-fetched.