WGBH lineup minus blues & folk shows

[dyeingeye]

I don't recall listening to it in the morning, but maybe. It had to be an odd time of the week for me to end up finding it. I really thought it was on the FM dial, though.

Back on topic. From the very outside, the cost savings reason seems the most plausible. Why is strict adherence to a station's tagline so important? Wasn't 89.7 "Boston's Classical and NPR News Destination" or something?

Too bad for listeners. Seems like a five full days of classical would allow for some other music.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Back on topic. From the very outside, the cost savings reason seems the most plausible. Why is strict adherence to a station's tagline so important? Wasn't 89.7 "Boston's Classical and NPR News Destination" or something?

Keeping 99.5 "all classical" like the liner says will not hold their audience 24/7, but will save them payroll costs, as I'm sure that at least some of the weekend classical programming will be automated, if not the entire weekends. If they moved the weekend folk and blues shows to 99.5, they would have to continue paying those hosts.

 

[Jacko]

Going back to the WBUR/WGBH thing with airing the same NPR shows, one of the benefits of having All Things Considered and Morning Edition on both is that when one station is airing fundraiser programming, typically the other is not. Also, WBUR often will change around the order of the national feed, since most of the feed is in 8-10 minute segments, to make room for any local coverage. WGBH tends to not have as much local coverage, tends to stay true to the national feed. I just wonder with WGBH airing more news/talk programming if it will hurt WRNI 1290/102.7 in Rhode Island. WRNI is making their best efforts to establish itself, but WGBH gets into Rhode Island almost as strong as a local station, and it's WGBH. More people in Rhode Island watch PBS on Channel 2 than on Channel 36.

Jacko

 

[aaronread]

Back on topic. From the very outside, the cost savings reason seems the most plausible. Why is strict adherence to a station's tagline so important? Wasn't 89.7 "Boston's Classical and NPR News Destination" or something?

It was "Boston's NPR Arts and Culture Station"...a direct take off of WBUR's long-standing tagline of "Boston's NPR News Station".

And the tagline follows the format philosophy, not the other way around. And there's ample evidence of having consistent formats. Mixed-format pubradio outlets do consistently worse in ratings and fundraising than their solid-format counterparts. It makes sense, if you're a fan of format X and you donate because of it, you're not going to be happy when you tune in and hear format Y.

That concept is most visible at the extreme when you've got mixed news/music stations. But it's still true for stations that run two different music formats...like classical/jazz.

You might wonder why stations ever do multiple formats? Usually it's because they got trapped in that setup years ago and now can't easily change for risk of offending multiple audiences. Hell, we have that problem with WEOS, even. We've got a lot of music programming on the weekends but the real killer is World Cafe. It's got a lot of fans...many of whom donate regularly...but the tune in/tune out at 11am when World Cafe comes on, and again at 1pm when Fresh Air comes on, is HUGE. None of the news/talk fans stick around for the music, and none of the WC fans stick around for news/talk.

As for fundraising weeks...I wonder if WBUR and WGBH will coordinate their weeks now. They do for some of the fundraisers already but I suspect it's not intentional. There's even such a thing as "coordinated fundraising weeks" across the entire NPR affiliate station system, precisely because stations don't want listeners "escaping" their fundraiser to another station. Given how well WBUR does in fundraising, WGBH could do worse to emulate them.

 

[TheBigA]

It's become so predictable for the big NPR station to drop music for news/talk. But, as others point out, how to create an identity when you have WBUR. I'm really surprised they didn't consider the REAL risky idea of a music format that appeals to the NPR news demo. Some kind of roots rock format, perhaps in the style of WBCN from the 70s. The Volvo set would cream for a station that brought them back to their college days. On their way to a wine & cheeze party in Cambridge. I'm not talking oldies or classic rock. I'm talking about a station that would play Creedence Clearwater Revival's Suzie Q, and also play Foggerty's latest CD. Lesser known Zepplin cuts and Plant's duo with Alison Krauss. Up On Crippled Creek, and Levon Helm's new music. I'm talking soft speaking DJs who sound like they just smoked a bowl of hash. I think there are some formats you can only do in Boston. But do they have that kind of courage up on the great blue hill? Probably not.

 

[DanStrassberg]

But do they have that kind of courage up on the great blue hill? Probably not.

You mean Guest St. That's where the offices. studios, and people are. I don't think there is anyone from WGBH with or without an opinion on Blue Hill except when the 89.7 transmitter is undergoing maintenance. OTOH, if you had said Guest St, casual readers would be likely to think that you had confused WGBH with one of Entercom's stations. But 89.7, Channel 2, Channel 44, and soon 99.5, as well as 680, 850, 1440 (Worcester), 93.7, 97.7, and 107.3 are all on Guest St in Brighton.

That aside, surely you jest! Given the blue-blood status and pedigree of the WGBH board and founding members, there is no way they would dream of having announcers who sounded stoned. Talk about a revolution! What is your next big idea? Grateful Dead concerts in the atrium of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum?

 

[TheBigA]

What is your next big idea? Grateful Dead concerts in the atrium of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum?

Funny you mention the Dead. During a recent fundraising campaign, PBS brought out a Grateful Dead documentary. They always haul out the rock music when they want people to donate money. Once they get it, they put on Bill Moyers and Frontline.

I just think there are enought former hippies in the Boston area, who've now cleaned up and live in expensive homes, to fund a non-commercial replacement for WBCN. As long as they're willing to contribute. That's another issue. Tote bags with Jerry Garcia?

 

[raccoonradio]

True...the rock or pop oriented fund raising specials on GBH2: Doo wop, Pete Seeger, Bee Gees,
Simon and Garfunkel, the Smothers Brothers documentary, etc...and the one about folk music where a group
like the Limeliters perform and the camera cuts to people in the crowd getting all teary-eyed when an old chestnut gets performed (the film A Mighty Wind was a great spoof of that kind of thing,and one or two of the songs in the film seemed inspired by the likes of the Kingston Trio)

Charles Laquidara doing hippie classics on GBH...? (Meanwhile, the folk and blues shows have one week
left before they disappear)

 

[Eli Polonsky]

I'm really surprised they didn't consider the REAL risky idea of a music format that appeals to the NPR news demo. Some kind of roots rock format...

Last year, Boston Public Radio station (and yes, NPR affiliate) WUMB switched from decades of being known as "Folk Radio" to a roots and folk leaning AAA format that they simply call "WUMB Music Mix". It's doing something like your idea, but without the harder rock (The Band, Levon, Fogerty, Plant/Krauss, but no Led Zep).

In a recent interview, their GM said something like "We want to be where WBUR's listeners tune to when they get tired of the news", and they've begun occasionally using the liner "Boston's NPR Music Station" (obviously taken off from WBUR's "Boston's NPR News Station"). WUMB does air two NPR syndicated music programs, "World Cafe" and "Mountain Stage".

However, despite a great airstaff and some good programming, there are both technical and internal factors that will continue to prevent WUMB from being any kind of significant player in greater Boston's Public Radio battle.

 

[Jacko]

The format that is being suggested, an NPR music format, is what is being offered on WXPN/Philly and WFUV/New York. Such a format would work here, but consider all the other folky/eclectic formatted stations in the area--WUMB, WERS, WMBR, and even WXRV. The college stations have blocked formatting, which sucks if you want to hear the eclectic rock format on WERS at 3pm on a Saturday, you can't because All A Cappella is on. If they were do put this format on 89.7 WGBH, it would be a good regional outlet, as there really is not any eclectic rock/folk formatted station in SE Mass or Rhode Island, unless you can get WMVY. They should also run as close to 24 hours a day as possible, with NPR news breaks at the top of the hour, I suppose.

Jacko

 

[CTListener]

I'm really surprised they didn't consider the REAL risky idea of a music format that appeals to the NPR news demo. Some kind of roots rock format...

Last year, Boston Public Radio station (and yes, NPR affiliate) WUMB switched from decades of being known as "Folk Radio" to a roots and folk leaning AAA format that they simply call "WUMB Music Mix". It's doing something like your idea, but without the harder rock (The Band, Levon, Fogerty, Plant/Krauss, but no Led Zep).

In a recent interview, their GM said something like "We want to be where WBUR's listeners tune to when they get tired of the news", and they've begun occasionally using the liner "Boston's NPR Music Station" (obviously taken off from WBUR's "Boston's NPR News Station"). WUMB does air two NPR syndicated music programs, "World Cafe" and "Mountain Stage".

However, despite a great airstaff and some good programming, there are both technical and internal factors that will continue to prevent WUMB from being any kind of significant player in greater Boston's Public Radio battle.

Besides the Salem/Beverly/Swampscott "black hole" in which WUMB and its Gloucester repeater, WNEF, are swamped on most radios by WMWM at 91.7, what are the technical factors you speak of?

By the way, I like the new sound of WUMB. It reminds me of the eclectic folk/folk-rock music mix of my favorite station of my college years, WCAS. I found WUMB's previous, more purist approach to folk music unneccesarily limiting.

 

[raccoonradio]

Fybush notes in his column today that the WGBH sched is in flux--those tidbits I saw earlier were now removed and when you do a search into Dec. and also Jan of '10 you will notice, for now, dashes between 9 am and 3 pm and also during parts of the weekend. Scott says there should be a more definite schedule next week

--Are they trying not to tip their hand, letting _competitor_ WBUR know their sched in advance (and WBUR
would then counter-program?)

--Are they simply waiting for the change on 12/1 to roll out the sched online?

--longshot but who knows: is it possible they may decide to keep the folk and/or blues show after all? Again,
a longshot. On the Facebook group for "fans of folk and blues on WGBH" I think someone had mentioned reading on GBH's Facebook, etc., that maybe if these dissatisfied fans had only given $50 each maybe WGBH would
reconsider...hmm

Anyway go to wgbh.org and click on the 89.7 radio schedule, then click "schedule" and "change date" and you'll see.
For example, Under the week of Dec 7 2009 it says (weekdays) BBC 5-6, Takeaway 6-7, Morning Edition 7-9, a bunch of dashes for 9a-3 pm, then The World at 3p, etc. Under Saturdays it says Says You airs at 8,
then dashes appear from 9 pm till 6 the next morning (a week or two later "Jazz Set" appears at the 9 pm
slot)

 

[aaronread]

Besides the Salem/Beverly/Swampscott "black hole" in which WUMB and its Gloucester repeater, WNEF, are swamped on most radios by WMWM at 91.7, what are the technical factors you speak of?

There's two issues: first is that WUMB's main signal from Quincy is a (comparatively) teeny 680 watts. It really only covers inside Rt.128 and not under any adverse conditions like building penetration. Compare that to WGBH's 98,000 watts or WBUR's 12,000 watts (both from MUCH higher locations) and that makes for a pretty uneven playing field.

Second is that WUMB's repeaters are mostly on co-channel or 1st-adjacent frequencies. Even though Grady Moates has pulled some nifty tricks to synchronize everything, there's inherently large zones over Metrowest and the South Shore between WUMB and WBPR/WFPB-FM where neither signal comes in terribly well, and when they do, they tend to interfere with each other. When/If WAVM ever starts relaying WUMB, that'll help in the Metrowest area, and the new Marshfield allocation will help on the South Shore, but it's still not ideal because both those stations are on 91.7FM...1st adjacent. Even discounting the self-interference problems, the fact that's 1st adjacent inherently means you just can't pump that much signal out of those facilities, and that means a lot of in-between areas with weak signal coverage.

BTW, WNEF is up in Newburyport (Amesbury, specifically), not Gloucester.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Besides the Salem/Beverly/Swampscott "black hole" in which WUMB and its Gloucester repeater, WNEF, are swamped on most radios by WMWM at 91.7, what are the technical factors you speak of?

Essentially echoing what Aaron says above, "Radio Geeks" like we who populate these boards are aware of even the very weakest stations in the market, and will make the effort to tune them in. Average radio listeners don't do that. Most of them are aware of only the "big" signals in the market that "jump out" at them on the dial. If their radio doesn't stop on a station on "scan", or if it doesn't come in on their poor quality receivers like clock radios, Walkmans and some portables, or if they hear any static, interference, or fading, they don't know that the station exists.

Most average Boston radio listeners think that the only student college station in the area is the big-signaled WERS. Even decent signals like WMBR and WZBC are under their radars of perception and they are not aware of them, as well as WUMB which is similar in strength. As Aaron said, WUMB would have difficulty penetrating office buildings, is also buried by Pru intermodulation downtown, and does not come in on lesser quality radios like the major signals do.

 

[carmen]

announcers who sounded stoned.

sometimes bob parlocha sounds like he's had a few drinks. and we all know about those jazz musicians...

Grateful Dead concerts in the atrium of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum?

WUMB has us covered Thursday 11pm, Monday 4am.

 

[carmen]

toured the GreatBlueHill weather observatory once

he mentioned theres an apartment that occasionally becomes available, at the top of the hill. bonus points if you can fix 1960s weather recording equipment and lightning breakers

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Grateful Dead concerts in the atrium of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum?

WUMB has us covered Thursday 11pm, Monday 4am.

That's the nationally syndicated official Grateful Dead Hour hosted by David Gans.

I ended up being a guest on it when I went to California for a couple of weeks back in 2000. ;D
The only time I've ever been on a national show.