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WKLB drops 20 yr country oldies Sunday show

Yes...I think I heard the Bull mention in one of their liners the names of some cities, and Framingham was among them, where you could now hear "hot new country" on 101.7, or can you? Listen at work--maybe. Where I work in N. Reading, 102.5 is clear (well, Waltham... and higher power) while 101.7 is weak. It may have some listeners but not as many as in the suburbs.

Here is the (again take with much more than a grain of salt) supposed range of 101.7
http://radio-locator.com/pats/WEDX_FM_LU.gif

Within the red section is the local signal. Beverly to Weymouth to just EAST of Framingham. The extent of the purple circle is Distant. Extent of the blue, fringe. The distant signal reaches to Lowell, Lawrence, Gloucester, Marlborough, Franklin, and Brockton. The signal is there but shaky. It's been said the main signal is pretty much the 128 belt in, and that red
circle seems to indicate that.

It had been a Lynn station and I think broadcast from Medford for awhile. Now from downtown Boston...and the signal is a bit shaky in Peabody and Danvers, right next to the actual COL. WEDX "Boston" but lic. to Lynn. WEEI-FM "Boston" but lic. to Lawrence. WKLB "Boston" but lic. to Waltham (as indeed you'll hear in the legal IDs). When WKLB was at 99.5 the top of hour ID and jingle went like this:

Spoken "WKLB -- Lowell-- Boston"
Jingle: "WKLB--Boston!"
But the spoken "Lowell" was faint and rushed. It almost sounded like "WKLB--oh-Boston"
 
raccoonradio said:
Yes...I think I heard the Bull mention in one of their liners the names of some cities, and Framingham was among them, where you could now hear "hot new country" on 101.7, or can you? Listen at work--maybe. Where I work in N. Reading, 102.5 is clear (well, Waltham... and higher power) while 101.7 is weak. It may have some listeners but not as many as in the suburbs.

Here is the (again take with much more than a grain of salt) supposed range of 101.7
http://radio-locator.com/pats/WEDX_FM_LU.gif

Within the red section is the local signal. Beverly to Weymouth to just EAST of Framingham. The extent of the purple circle is Distant. Extent of the blue, fringe. The distant signal reaches to Lowell, Lawrence, Gloucester, Marlborough, Franklin, and Brockton. The signal is there but shaky. It's been said the main signal is pretty much the 128 belt in, and that red
circle seems to indicate that.
Click to expand...


It's sad but CC seems to actually believe those coverage maps. And well they can; they are absentee landlords.
 
Heritage country stations most often crush the upstarts. I suspect this will be the case in Boston, with WKLB being challenges by 101.7, which has been the "format of the month" radio station with a challenged signal. Signal coverage isn't signal penetration. WKLB should win, especially in key demos and particularly because it takes a lot to pry P1 and P2 listeners away from the entrenched country FM. Nothing to see here, move along.
 
Element9 said:
WKLB should win, especially in key demos and particularly because it takes a lot to pry P1 and P2 listeners away from the entrenched country FM.
Click to expand...

However, the goal by CC isn't to win. It's to dethrone KLB as #1 to make another CC cluster-mate #1. Very common CC tactic.

However, CC will gain a Top 10 market clear for its country morning syndication. That's a big deal and gives them an advantage over Cumulus, which just added a country station in San Francisco.
 
Maybe, not sure who; there are various stations doing ethnic, sports, etc. Don’t know if CC would abandon “Mia” for country on 1430 (at one time it, and 107.9, were country as WHIL). There are various classic country stations on AM around the country. I used to get airchecks from the 1090 in Seattle (later went to progressive talk and now is sports). It was KYCW for some years and played country oldies from 2002-04 before turning to prog talk.One aircheck I was sent featured a DJ named “Buffalo Phil” Harper–he had suddenly passed away and a colleague was on air playing some sound clips of him.
In the Outraged Listener department, WKLB’s facebook is inundated with people angry that the country oldies was dropped and they say they won’t listen anymore. Someone said they contacted CC’s The Bull in an attempt to get a classic country show back (not with Michael Burns; he works for Greater). I said it was doubtful as their focus was hot new country–as is WKLB’s. And
elec. dance music fans are all over the Bull’s page with multiple posts in diff. threads about trying to get CC to bring back EDM to 101.7…that would be doubtful. That horse has left the barn.
 
I meant (but didn't explain it well), some AM station picking up a 4-HOUR WEEKEND country oldies program. Or there's college stations. What about WHRB?
 
JIBGUY said:
I meant (but didn't explain it well), some AM station picking up a 4-HOUR WEEKEND country oldies program. Or there's college stations. What about WHRB?
Click to expand...

WHRB already has an at least partially classic country show, doesn't it? I have a feeling 'HRB's country people would have a big problem with playing Eddie Rabbitt, Barbara Mandrell, Alabama, Dottie West, and other pop-country artists who were favorites of the WKLB Sunday morning show and its listeners -- not "cool" enough. As for AM ... where? Legends 700 WWBZ, perhaps? Some classic country is already on its playlist. Or how about ... WJIB?
 
TheBigA said:
However, the goal by CC isn't to win. It's to dethrone KLB as #1 to make another CC cluster-mate #1. Very common CC tactic.

However, CC will gain a Top 10 market clear for its country morning syndication. That's a big deal and gives them an advantage over Cumulus, which just added a country station in San Francisco.
Click to expand...
Understood and agree, especially regarding clearance. Time will tell on the flanking and gateway to #1 for the CC cluster mate. 101.7 has a long slog on a muddy road ahead. I expect WKLB to retain its position and share, maybe improve. Not their first time at the rodeo.
 
and CCM&E could easily derail the WKLB big summer concert by their influence with artists, venues, ticket sellers, etc.

CCM&E could also use their position as the 600 pound gorilla to work with venues, artists, promoters, etc on all other concerts and events too.

Plus now you have the CCM&E local and national sales forces going head to head with Greater Media's sales team.



As to the Sunday Morning show, Greater Media (sadly) has brought a lot of new management into Boston and as we all
know they threw Barry Scott off the boat without any thought or reservation, so it is no surprise they did the same
thing with another specialty program that would be considered "appointment listening" to most. Really folks a oldies type show on a Sunday morning... that is the straw hat broke the camels back?
I bet the ratings in that time slot drop like a rock. Does Greater Media really think they are going to gain in that time slot by playing that watered down country crap they pass off as country music?

I'm starting to think Greater Media is just CCM&E Junior
 
Watered down but it sells, I guess.
Tonight I was coming back from NH on I-93. I started to pick up both stations faintly around Windham and by Salem WKLB was really starting to come in strong. WEDX, stronger than one would expect but still weaker than 102.5. Interestingly, WEDX ran a feature about an iHeart Radio country artist and it ended with "you can buy it on iTunes".

Hmm. Despite the non-commercial promise of a summer, that sounded like an ad to me. WKLB still has long ad breaks, though.

Also, noticed the WKLB legal ID is reminiscent of what they had when they were licensed to Lowell at 99.5. Lowell was said so fast it sounded like "WKLB -oh- BOSTON". Now "WKLB Waltham-Boston" sounds more like "WKLB-tham-BOSTON"
 
my point is Sunday mornings should be rolled into the Midnight to 6 AM period it isn't rated.... is there a period of time that is less listened to between 6 and Midnight 7 days a week?

I am wondering if that was brokered time programming... anyone know?

does that block of programming on Sunday morning really ruin their image?

How many Beatles tunes are being spun on WZLX these days... not a lot as they are adding 90's acts, but WZLX still airs "Breakfast With The Beatles" and I bet it has a good following... I know I listen to it (and will someone pick up "Beatle Brunch" and run it in this market?)

But then again they dumped Sunday Morning Jazz on WMJX a while back.... something you think they would have used as a vehicle to promote their HD-2 smooth jazz station
 
MRBIboredop said:
my point is Sunday mornings should be rolled into the Midnight to 6 AM period it isn't rated.... is there a period of time that is less listened to between 6 and Midnight 7 days a week?

I am wondering if that was brokered time programming... anyone know?

does that block of programming on Sunday morning really ruin their image?

How many Beatles tunes are being spun on WZLX these days... not a lot as they are adding 90's acts, but WZLX still airs "Breakfast With The Beatles" and I bet it has a good following... I know I listen to it (and will someone pick up "Beatle Brunch" and run it in this market?)

But then again they dumped Sunday Morning Jazz on WMJX a while back.... something you think they would have used as a vehicle to promote their HD-2 smooth jazz station
Click to expand...

WDRC-FM Hartford dropped Beatle Brunch last year, even though the Beatles do pop up every so often as once-every-two-hours '60s hits. It also got rid of the year-end "A to Z" music library blowout and has trimmed its once-impressive playlist. Ratings have never been better, and I assume they're really improved in the "money demos" (that is, anything but 55-to-dead). I guess it's another example of what David Eduardo keeps telling us in various threads: Success is all about focus on your target demo and not playing "bad songs" that those listeners don't want to hear.
 
MRBIboredop said:
my point is Sunday mornings should be rolled into the Midnight to 6 AM period it isn't rated....
Click to expand...

That's a misnomer. The overnights are definitely rated and the information is available to stations who subscribe. Does anyone look at them? That's another story! ;-)
 
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