What if a station flips formats and no one notices?

[DavidZ]

Well one occurred in Worcester this week. WNEB-AM 1230 flipped formats from Christian Music and Talk to Conservative Talk. They are calling themselves “1230 AM The Patriot”. Their new website is not active yet, simply stating that it is coming soon. http://www.1230amthepatriot.com/

Scott McLennan’s entertainment column in today’s Worcester Telegram & Gazette (http://www.telegram.com/article/20080320/COLUMN14/803200464/1011/FEATURES) is reporting that their lineup will include Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity (who they have already been airing for awhile), Dennis Prager, and Mike Gallagher.

 

[argytunes]

There can only be one reason why a new format change is not promoted.

Management wants to get any kinks out---before a listener or two realizes that the music he or she used to wake up to (or go to sleep with) has DISAPPEARED!

That same theory goes for talk-formatted radio stations that suddenly turn into (drum roll please): infomercial outlets!

argytunes

 

[SonicOverload]

Well one occurred in Worcester this week. WNEB-AM 1230 flipped formats from Christian Music and Talk to Conservative Talk.

there's a difference? ;D

 

[BRNout]

I thought this thread was going to be about WBOS! ;D

 

[raccoonradio]

Bob Bittner owned them years ago...I did indeed know they'd be running Hannity. Praeger and Gallagher
had been on WTTT (now Spanish language religion) in Boston and WTKK exiled O'Reilly to a couple weekend
hours when they went local with McPhee at night. (It may have sounded like 96.9 was adding more
local talk but don't forget that they took on Imus in am drive, so it just made up for losing local talk in that
slot.)

 

[DanStrassberg]

Bob Bittner owned them years ago...I did indeed know they'd be running Hannity. Praeger and Gallagher
had been on WTTT (now Spanish language religion) in Boston and WTKK exiled O'Reilly to a couple weekend
hours when they went local with McPhee at night. (It may have sounded like 96.9 was adding more
local talk but don't forget that they took on Imus in am drive, so it just made up for losing local talk in that
slot.)

Even though WNEB is not audible inside of Route 128, much less in Boston itself, Worcester is, AFAIK, part of Arbitron's Boston radio market. Therefore, shouldn't we expect the Web sites for these programs and the networks that distribute them to claim coverage of Boston and to call WNEB the Boston affiliate?

 

[JIBGUY]

Even though WNEB is not audible inside of Route 128, much less in Boston itself, Worcester is, AFAIK, part of Arbitron's Boston radio market. Therefore, shouldn't we expect the Web sites for these programs and the networks that distribute them to claim coverage of Boston and to call WNEB the Boston affiliate?

Sure! Why not? Back in 1994 or so, the USA Network in their printed Media Kit claimed their Boston affiliate as WGAW-1340 Gardner !

 

[DavidZ]

Even though WNEB is not audible inside of Route 128, much less in Boston itself, Worcester is, AFAIK, part of Arbitron's Boston radio market. Therefore, shouldn't we expect the Web sites for these programs and the networks that distribute them to claim coverage of Boston and to call WNEB the Boston affiliate?

Sure! Why not? Back in 1994 or so, the USA Network in their printed Media Kit claimed their Boston affiliate as WGAW-1340 Gardner !

I just went on the Bill O'Reilly affiliate page and it does list his show airing on WNEB in Worcester weekdays from 6 to 8 p.m. However, WGAW is listed on the affiliate page as Boston/Gardner.

 

[BRNout]

Even though WNEB is not audible inside of Route 128, much less in Boston itself, Worcester is, AFAIK, part of Arbitron's Boston radio market. Therefore, shouldn't we expect the Web sites for these programs and the networks that distribute them to claim coverage of Boston and to call WNEB the Boston affiliate?

Sure! Why not? Back in 1994 or so, the USA Network in their printed Media Kit claimed their Boston affiliate as WGAW-1340 Gardner !

Yeah, when I worked at Business Radio Network they did the same sorts of things. Sign a little AM that was theoretically audible in the nearby big market, then count it as being there. Of course when they'd finally sign a station inside the big market, the little rimshot was listed as an afterthought on the line below the in-market signal.

Never had that problem in Boston though, thanks to 1510!

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Even though WNEB is not audible inside of Route 128, much less in Boston itself, Worcester is, AFAIK, part of Arbitron's Boston radio market. Therefore, shouldn't we expect the Web sites for these programs and the networks that distribute them to claim coverage of Boston and to call WNEB the Boston affiliate?

Co-channel WESX Salem completely cuts out WNEB within Route 128. How could they claim to be the Boston affiliate? What if someone from one of the sponsoring companies visited Boston, put their radio on 1230 expecting to hear WNEB as claimed, and heard WESX instead?

 

[raccoonradio]

Westwood One had WTPL 107.7 Hillsborough/Concord NH listed as Boston affiliate for
Dennis Miller. Signal doesn't push this far south (though once I picked it up in Haverhill)

 

[BRNout]

Westwood One had WTPL 107.7 Hillsborough/Concord NH listed as Boston affiliate for
Dennis Miller. Signal doesn't push this far south (though once I picked it up in Haverhill)

Actually, you did well to pick that up in Haverhill! You must have been on a hill to the south of the city, overlooking the Merrimack facing northward.

I have trouble picking that up in Nashua too. Realistically, I need to use my Eton E5 or a similar long-range radio to listen to that station. And, I need to be in the right room too. It's not even dependable in the car until you get to Bedford or Manchester. Even then, it's pretty weak. To refer to WTPL as a Boston affiliate is totally absurd! It's a Concord/Laconia market station (not even Manchester) and doesn't come in all that well in either place. Wow, that's the stretch of all stretches!

 

[12 In a Row]

Westwood One had WTPL 107.7 Hillsborough/Concord NH listed as Boston affiliate for
Dennis Miller. Signal doesn't push this far south (though once I picked it up in Haverhill)

Actually, you did well to pick that up in Haverhill! You must have been on a hill to the south of the city, overlooking the Merrimack facing northward.

I have trouble picking that up in Nashua too. Realistically, I need to use my Eton E5 or a similar long-range radio to listen to that station. And, I need to be in the right room too. It's not even dependable in the car until you get to Bedford or Manchester. Even then, it's pretty weak. To refer to WTPL as a Boston affiliate is totally absurd! It's a Concord/Laconia market station (not even Manchester) and doesn't come in all that well in either place. Wow, that's the stretch of all stretches!

Even in Lawrence, Mass. a friend of mine with a Eton E5 AND a metal plate in his head can't pick up WTPL.
Every now and than, he WILL hear voices coming from his plate.

 

[BRNout]

Even in Lawrence, Mass. a friend of mine with a Eton E5 AND a metal plate in his head can't pick up WTPL.
Every now and than, he WILL hear voices coming from his plate.

Your friend's external antenna is better than mine! Why it even works when the radio is off! Great equipment!

LOL!! ;D

 

[12 In a Row]

Even in Lawrence, Mass. a friend of mine with a Eton E5 AND a metal plate in his head can't pick up WTPL.
Every now and than, he WILL hear voices coming from his plate.

Your friend's external antenna is better than mine! Why it even works when the radio is off! Great equipment!

LOL!! ;D

He sure is fun at a party but a real pain at airport security. ;D

 

[Retro]

Gee, I thought that maybe this thread was going to be about WBOS instead.

 

[Channel Surf]

Even though WNEB is not audible inside of Route 128, much less in Boston itself, Worcester is, AFAIK, part of Arbitron's Boston radio market. Therefore, shouldn't we expect the Web sites for these programs and the networks that distribute them to claim coverage of Boston and to call WNEB the Boston affiliate?

Co-channel WESX Salem completely cuts out WNEB within Route 128. How could they claim to be the Boston affiliate? What if someone from one of the sponsoring companies visited Boston, put their radio on 1230 expecting to hear WNEB as claimed, and heard WESX instead?

I was always kind of amazed that WNEB and WESX were co-channel when they were barely 50 miles apart. The old WNBP
and WSRO at 1470 was another one that seemed like a real squeeze in....

 

[JIBGUY]

I was always kind of amazed that WNEB and WESX were co-channel when they were barely 50 miles apart. The old WNBP
and WSRO at 1470 was another one that seemed like a real squeeze in....

I think the exact distance was 59 miles from tower to tower (WNEB & WESX), which was far enough apart. To support that, when I lived in Needham and owned WNEB, I couldn't even hear it on ANY radio. WESX wasn't much better. Ground conductivity in the Worcester area was so poor, that those two stations could easily co-exist without killing each other off. - By the way, WNEB is REALLY licensed for 941 watts, not 1,000.

 

[raccoonradio]

>>Actually, you did well to pick that up in Haverhill!

I wound up picking it up twice...both on Rt 97. Once was actually in Groveland (School St) while the
other time was right near the WXRV tower (was showing a friend around the area and this was just after he
took a pic of the WXRV tower). Both prob. on pretty high ground.

 

[BRNout]

Gee, I thought that maybe this thread was going to be about WBOS instead.

Yes, I initially thought that too (see above)!!! ;D