• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Will WJIB Ever .....

C

Casablanca

Guest
What a relief it is to be able to turn to WJIB and get away from the Frauds, Felons and Freaks on talk radio.

But it would be great if JIB could announce the songs and the artists just heard in a set.

I know that Bob was doing this for a short time during the day but I don't hear even that anymore.

I thought this was in the future of WJIB. Is it still ?
 
WJIB is the best. Isn't it interesting how we who are called the "WRKO, WBCN bashers" acknowledge good radio programming when it exists - that we agree Bob Bittner does a fantastic job.

Bring back independent radio.

That WBOS is now taking talent from THE RIVER, a superior - and independent - station is quite telling.
 
Bob does do a great job indeed. I don't terribly care for the music he plays, but damned if I don't know a well-run operation when I see it. ;D

To answer Casablanca, it's been about three or four years since I've even talked to Bob, much less gone over to WJIB's studios. But back at that time, I know Bob got a nice computer automation program a few years ago, but I don't think he had wired it to be accessible remotely (i.e. over the internet). So he'd have to physically come in to Cambridge to record all the voicetracking you're talking about. If that's still the case, and Bob's still living up by WJTO in Maine...that could explain the lack of voicetracking. Although he better hurry if he wants to get some VT recorded; the weather's supposed to go all uber-winter for a month starting next week! :-\

And Joe, give credit where it's due...WJIB is great because of Bob...not really because it's independent. I remember when ABC/Disney-owned Z-Rock was my favorite station in the world; they had great DJ's and a smart PD. And the old Citadel WWRX 103.7 down in Providence had a pretty good Classic Rock format, too. On the other hand, an awful lot of shows on college radio outlets are "independent" (perhaps to a fault) but they're also utter crap. Some are really good, too. It's all about who's controlling the programming you hear at that time; if they're good, it sounds good. Bob is damn good, so all of WJIB sounds damn good...because it's all him.
 
>and Bob's still living up by WJTO in Maine...
>
I tuned in one weekend last summer and I heard Bitner back announcing. Can't say for sure if he was actually live, but could be the case. If so, wouldn't it be better if he just set up JIB as a repeater transmitter?
 
That's exactly what's going to happen, likely this summer.... WJIB will be a slave to WJTO. And I will be on the air live every weekday, taking requests every day with 800-number, doing all those things radio was meant to be. Still living in Mass near Newburyport most of the time for now, but will be moving to Maine (next to WJTO) this summer. - And thanx for the compliments. :)
 
Bob Keep up the great work. Hope you can show up at som "Media Gang Luncheon". Next one is in May at Lomabrdo's in Braintree. Contact Len Zola. Would be great to thank you in person.
 
JIBGUY said:
That's exactly what's going to happen, likely this summer.... WJIB will be a slave to WJTO.
Click to expand...

Is WJTO also in AM stereo? If not, I hope that the feed to WJIB will still be sent in stereo. It really sounds amazing (for AM) with a properly equipped wideband AM stereo receiver.
 
Bob
Bought a new SUV in November and have had zero time to reinstall the XM satellite equipment removed from the old one, thanks Bob Bittner for providing something
I can relax to and really enjoy. The new SUV is a Ford with a Mach audio system
that surprised the hell out of me when popping into stereo on WJIB even at night, I thought that AM stereo radios were no longer being manufactured.
I know at one time you worked at WXKS "Music of Your Life" which was after I left Kiss 108 and MOYL 1430, I have loved this music all my life and once Kiss 108 was up and running I saw the perfect opportunity to introduce Al Hamm to Richie Balsbaugh and Arnie Ginsburg. I was spending some weekends on Long Island and heard WHLI and thought this is it and the time is now.....It was sure a class act for quite a while.
Chris Hall
WFNX
 
Oh! What a great liner for WJIB: "no frauds, felons, phonies or freaks... here on Memories 740" - Anyone want to add more f-words to that?
 
The bill is in the mail for my marketing services.... ;)
Got another great idea. Everytime you mention the call letters WJIB why not ring a ship's bell three times..... ;)

JIBGUY said:
Oh! What a great liner for WJIB: "no frauds, felons, phonies or freaks... here on Memories 740" - Anyone want to add more f-words to that?
Click to expand...
 
Bob B. might not want to do it, given what he's said in the past on LTAR (and how much he enjoys
programming "good music") but that 740 freq would be an adequate home for Jones/AAR libtalk. Not far from
Harvard Square and with a signal that, at least days, could cover a good chunk of the Boston area.

I'm sure Donna, his frequent co-host on LTAR, has mentioned this to him. (Even if they ran a show or two
and then went back to the music)

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WJIB&service=AM&status=L&hours=D
 
raccoonradio said:
that 740 freq would be an adequate home for Jones/AAR libtalk. Not far from
Harvard Square and with a signal that, at least days, could cover a good chunk of the Boston area.
Click to expand...
 
Yes many markets have more than enough talk signals but in Boston the Left feels it's under-represented
now that AAR/prog talk is gone (...here). If the likes of WRKO, WTKK, and WBZ don't want to air these shows their
only choice is to try a smaller station...
If there were another station that could pick up prog talk and WJIB could keep running its music, great
but the options aren't quite there for a station to do that.

Had WKOX/WXKS put on local content daily, did more promotion, and gotten a better signal they wouldn't
have been in this mess. (And some feel the quality of the shows they did air didn't cater to a large audience, of different political views.) It was a big rush to put on a national network to counter the conservatalkers and
in some markets it flew; in many others, it failed, though. It doesn't necessarily mean that prog. talk
won't succeed; just the way they went about it didn't work out. (And you have to wonder if CC hadn't
decided to put AAR/prog talk on its struggling signals, would it have aired in Boston at all? Maybe a show
or two could have been picked up by WRKO or WTKK, true, but if not for CC...)

And by the way, even though I'm mostly conservative, give me a left-leaning talk show that's done right and I'll listen. I was listening to an aircheck from a couple years ago from Chicago's Jay Marvin (subject:
the outgoing governor commuting death penalty sentences), who said right on air he's a bleeding heart
liberal, and he and his co-host were interesting, engaging, etc. (Though I'm not sure if he was kidding about the bleeding heart part. Wikipedia: "Though self described as a leftist, Marvin has been a strong supporter of second amendment rights, a supporter of limited use of the death penalty and has been vocal in his support of law enforcement." It went on to say that Marvin supported the President's war on terror but more recently has been critical of it, etc. It said he has filled in for Schultz & Jerry Springer.

Currently on a prog-talker in Denver: http://www.760thezone.com/pages/jaymarvin.html
 
Personally, I'd rather not see WJIB cannibalized for Progressive Talk programming.

I'd like to see Progressive Talk end up somewhere in the Boston area, but not on WJIB. Let's not compromise one of the few truly independent music stations around.
 
the genius of Bob Bittner is that when all the other stations have unlistenable commercials or material that is
posing as music, Bob has something adequate or something great that he will spring on you.

Adequate always wins over obnoxious commercials.
 
raccoonradio said:
True but as I say not many choices, and certainly not many so close to Boston/Cambridge.
Click to expand...

The 5 kW non-directional DAY signal for 1430 is actually fine for Boston, Cambridge, and within most of Route 128, even somewhat beyond in some directions. It would be adequate for daytime if CC would consider returning it to Prog. Talk after the 1200 power increase (which would cover all the ground of 1430 and more, so no more need for that simulcast).

The problem would be finding an adequate night signal for it. 1430 at night doesn't even serve the west side of Cambridge clearly, or the west/south side of Boston at all. 740 at night with only five watts and background noise from Toronto more than a few miles from the transmitter most nights would not really be a good nighttime solution either.
 
Hey Bob - great news on the WJTO/WJIB repeater setup. Care to share the details of how it'll be done for us engineering junkies? ;D

Also, I saw something on Wikipedia about how a developer was recently trying to buy the self-storage building around the "WTAO" (meaning WJIB) tower and replace it (and the tower, presumably) with condos or something. There was a link to a TownOnline/Cambridge website but the link didn't work. Does anyone know the details or have the article handy?

(P.S. For the record, while I'm sad to see Air America go away...I too would not like to see AA return to Boston radio on WJIB's signal; I think it's just fine the way it is...and the Arbitrons seem to think so, too - wasn't AA doing worse than WJIB in the ratings? Both 12+ and other demos?)
 
webcastboy said:
(P.S. For the record, while I'm sad to see Air America go away...I too would not like to see AA return to Boston radio on WJIB's signal; I think it's just fine the way it is...and the Arbitrons seem to think so, too - wasn't AA doing worse than WJIB in the ratings? Both 12+ and other demos?)
Click to expand...

Yes, WJIB regularly gets a bit over a 1 share in the 12+ during non-winter months when it can stay on day power into the evening. The Prog. Talk stations never cracked a 1 share at all, even between the two combined. Also, if you isolate certain "senior citizen" age demos, WJIB goes into the top ten! Sorry to say, I doubt there was any rated demo in which WKOX/WXKS did that.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom