Which Is The Better Public Radio Station, WBUR or WGBH?

[4CX1000A]

While I do recognize the nationwide trend for the format to either go non-commercial or disappear, the market for classical music must have been large enough to prompt the WGBH organization to buy an entire station, WCRB, for many millions of dollars, to make a home for it.

WCRB was clearing a million dollars a year in profit as a commercial station when WGBH bought it, or so I'm told.

 

[TRF]

The latest information I've seen is that, while there is some synergy from having a single company own and house both stations, WCRB is sustaining itself at least adequately through listener contributions.

Due in part, surely, to the fact that WGBH is not competing for the same audience (or a significant part thereof, Top 100/warhorses notwithstanding).

I mention all this because it indicates that there was/is a sustainable model which WGBH could have used to stay with a music format.

But that model (noncommercial WCRB with no commercial competitor) does not apply to the situation you're positing regarding WGBH (retain music format and compete, nominally, with a successful commercial WCRB).

 

[TRF]

In fact, the little town of Worcester, MA has a noncommercial 24/7 jazz/standards station, and it's doing well. Check out WICN, 90.5 FM (or its corresponding web stream). And if Worcester can sustain a full-time jazz/standards station, why couldn't the Boston metro area, as chock-full of self-professed sophisticated, urbane residents, as it is, do the same?

Perhaps most of the Boston-area listeners who care already listen to WICN, or similar streams?

 

[iyiyi]

One station is Coca Cola. The other station is Pepsi Cola. Both stations are flat. ZZZzzzz...

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[aaronread]

WGBH has the better signal. In fact, it's the strongest FM signal in Boston, grandfathered at 100,000 watts at apx. 650 feet, while WBUR has a standard Class B signal, 12,000 watts at about 1000 feet, similar to most Boston area commercial FM stations.

WGBH is, on paper, the best signal in town. In reality it's not...the relatively low height of Blue Hill means that GBH has trouble getting good reception in downtown and, to some degree, in parts of Cambridge shadowed by downtown. Remember that GBH was trying to move to the Newton/Needham tower cluster a few years back? What stopped them was, IIRC, that they wanted to keep their equivalent Super B power levels (98kW, but de-rated for the extra height) and the FCC said they'd have to drop ERP to be an equivalent Class B (50kW) like everyone else.

Worcester is the second-largest city over Providence by fewer than 3000 people, and that's just the official city borders. The Providence "metro" is MUCH larger than the Worcester "metro."

WICN is not audible much east of Framingham due to first-adjacent WZBC and co-channel WSMA. For years I've suggested that WICN should try and partner with WBMT and put the jazz on when the kids aren't there. It wouldn't get into Boston, but it could; WBMT could move to the old WBOQ tower in Gloucester and move to 88.5 with about 3000 watts or so. It'd be a decent rimshot into Boston then and still serve a lot of the north shore nicely. Put that together and you'd have a decent full-time jazz presence in Boston in the first time in years.

Diane Rehm has spasmodic dysphonia, that's why her voice seems so strained. I believe she gets one of the "standard" treatments of botox injections to relax the vocal cords every few months: you'll hear her get gradually worse, then she disappears for a few weeks with a cadre of guest hosts (many of whom are excellent, I might add) and then she comes back sounding much better, and that gradually fades off, etc etc etc. IIRC her contract was up next year but it's already been renewed for another five years by NPR. Diane might be hard to listen to but she does get good political guests, and she's usually not afraid to cut someone off at the knees, either. Certainly the show is VERY popular in a lot of regions. Not so much Boston, but a lot of the rest of the country.

As for which is better, WBUR or WGBH, I'm obviously biased against WGBH but I think WBUR will always have the edge because WGBH has both TV and radio, and TV always takes priority there. WGBH is the source of about 1/3rd of all PBS TV programming, so it's clear which side of the house the bread is buttered on. WBUR also has a nearly 20 year head start on establishing themselves as the *local*, *NPR* and *news* station in town.

As for newsroom sizes, I think WBUR's is bigger but it's a bit misleading as WGBH has The World and their news staff is (or at least was) pretty huge. Maybe call it a draw?? OTOH, WBUR just inked a deal with NPR for Here & Now and that's a collaboration so it's bringing more NPR resources into WBUR's newsroom.

 

[FredLeonard]

Out in the real world, signal is a subjective issue.

If someone lives where both stations can be received well, they have equal signals.

If someone lives where one has reception issues than that one has a "bad" or "weak" signal and the person probably doesn't listen much.

The two don't carry exactly the same programs. But both carry the same type of programs. So unless somebody has a strong attachment to a host on one station or a show that only one of them carries, the two are pretty much equal.

Remember the Pepsi Challenge. When people are handed an unlabeled cup of soda, they can't tell which is which. So, yes, this is like Coke and Pepsi.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

WICN is not audible much east of Framingham due to first-adjacent WZBC and co-channel WSMA.

I'm finding that since they moved their transmitter to Asnebumskit a couple of years ago that they're coming in fairly well (on a decent selective radio) east just about to Route 128 before the WZBC splash and WSMA gets them.

I get either one (though not well) here in Somerville depending on which way I face my antenna.

 

[kc1ih]

In fact, the little town of Worcester, MA has a noncommercial 24/7 jazz/standards station, and it's doing well. Check out WICN, 90.5 FM (or its corresponding web stream). And if Worcester can sustain a full-time jazz/standards station, why couldn't the Boston metro area, as chock-full of self-professed sophisticated, urbane residents, as it is, do the same?

Perhaps most of the Boston-area listeners who care already listen to WICN, or similar streams?

The WICN signal goes way past Worcester, it is quite strong in the western suburbs of Boston (a.k.a. MetroWest), I know I've heard it quite well in Newton.

 

[aaronread]

Eh. I've sampled it extensively before and after the move. On a GOOD radio you can hear it as far as some parts of western Newton. But you can't expect it. Framingham is more realistically the limit for your average joe clock radio.

Also, the primary reason for listening that far east would be to reach Boston commuters on the MassPike and Rt.9, and the signal cannot be heard into the city, so conceptually it falls flat. Granted, if there's jazz fans in MetroWest who donate some decent $$$, then by all means.

 

[mgpt6]

Good car radios can get WICN or WSMA 90.5 depending where inside 128 you are. Any one know how far WICN's HD signal goes east?

 

[wickedwritah]

The demo that listens to jazz is an affluent one, one that likely can stream WICN's programming on their Droids/BlackBerrys/iPhones if they so choose.