WPOT Hot 97.5 Boston

[robotique]

yeah the ad was for Pine Manor...which is semi related to Newbury College in Brookline. Hot 97.5 is actually doing a remote broadcast at a college fair.


see thats the prob with the boston pirate radio situation. When a pirate radio station is actually doing community outreach and promoting education in the minority community, thats a clear sign that the urban minority community and demographic is neglected by commercial radio. Pirate radio in this instance is only a symptom of a much greater problem. These "criminals" operating an unlicensed station are using their voice to promote junior college to young black and hispanic urban females.

there is no radio station that is actually a voice of/for the black community in boston. Jamn 94.5 going away from Hip Hop and toward Hits is proof. None of these white owned stations would invest in the black and urban minority communities and offer a voice. They're all racist. Kiss 108 or Jamn 94.5 are not going to do a remote from a college fair aimed at black youth. However the old Hot 97.7 was always at RCC events and aired public service announcements that were relevent to the urban community. This is why all the pirates in boston (except for the clown on winter hill in somerville) are focused on the 'hood. They're giving a voice and offering a service and entertainment to a huge radio-neglected community.

the end






/white guy

 

[Eli Polonsky]

see thats the prob with the boston pirate radio situation. When a pirate radio station is actually doing community outreach and promoting education in the minority community, thats a clear sign that the urban minority community and demographic is neglected by commercial radio. Pirate radio in this instance is only a symptom of a much greater problem. These "criminals" operating an unlicensed station are using their voice to promote junior college to young black and hispanic urban females.

I wouldn't necessarily be so sure that WPOT's intention in airing ads for colleges is as altruistic and charitable as you're making it sound. According to the posters here, the announcements were in the form of commercials. That means WPOT is most likely being paid to air them.

Also, the colleges buying the advertising know nothing about FCC regulations, and are probably unaware that WPOT is an illegal operation. They probably think that WPOT is a legitimate small community station willing to run their advertising at lower rates than the legitimate major stations, and they probably have no idea that the remote broadcast from the college fair on their own campus will be an illegal broadcast in itself.

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Pirate stations are criminals. Always. Throw the book at them.
Confiscate their equipment, fine them, jail them, deport them (if applicable).
They are NEVER justified in breaking the law, and not playing by the rules.


the end

 

[trock]

see thats the prob with the boston pirate radio situation. When a pirate radio station is actually doing community outreach and promoting education in the minority community, thats a clear sign that the urban minority community and demographic is neglected by commercial radio. Pirate radio in this instance is only a symptom of a much greater problem. These "criminals" operating an unlicensed station are using their voice to promote junior college to young black and hispanic urban females.

I wouldn't necessarily be so sure that WPOT's intention in airing ads for colleges is as altruistic and charitable as you're making it sound. According to the posters here, the announcements were in the form of commercials. That means WPOT is most likely being paid to air them.

Also, the colleges buying the advertising know nothing about FCC regulations, and are probably unaware that WPOT is an illegal operation. They probably think that WPOT is a legitimate small community station willing to run their advertising at lower rates than the legitimate major stations, and they probably have no idea that the remote broadcast from the college fair on their own campus will be an illegal broadcast in itself.

You can also say that if our great and pure corporate radio stations gave a rats ass about the communities they serve in. Colleges wouldn't have to run to the "pirates" to get there word out. That's alright u guys continue to fight over the suburban white women 18-34 or 25-54 whatever. While trying to figure out why your bottom line just fell 29%.

 

[reelyreal]

I'm certainly not a racist, I'd like to get that out of the way.

That being said: if it were possible to not lose money (or maybe even make a profit!) from an urban station, don't you think someone would flip? Greater Media? CC? Entercom? CBS? anyone? Bueller? Don't you think if it weren't a money-losing operation that Radio One would have held on to WILD-FM?

I'm fairly certain the lack of an urban station has absolutely nothing to do with racism and everything to do with money. It's the same reason these large corporations do terrible cookie cutter radio and fire local staffs. It's all about the dolla dolla bill y'all.

 

[hiphopRadio]

urban radio didnt work in boston because of radio one. when radio one was on 97.7fm their signal wasn't good compare to power house jamn 94.5 which is now playing hitz. am not sayin pirate stations are good for the community or anything but if there is a urban community that want to get their voices heard throughout boston so flip one of those low rated rock stations to an urban or urban ac.

 

[trock]

I am not advocating piracy either. Wild lasted for decades on a am day timer for crying out loud. I don't see why a full powered urban station programed right for this market wouldn't work. That was radio one's biggest problem they had no idea how to do business in this market. Entercom new this over payed and gave them a cool 30 million for there problems.

 

[MR. JAROME_CALVIN]

urban radio didnt work in boston because of radio one. when radio one was on 97.7fm their signal wasn't good compare to power house jamn 94.5 which is now playing hitz. am not sayin pirate stations are good for the community or anything but if there is a urban community that want to get their voices heard throughout boston so flip one of those low rated rock stations to an urban or urban ac.

I agree with this person and Trock who wrote after this person. My idea exactly, flip one of the roock stations, 92.9 comes in crystal clear throughout the whole city of Boston (including on ANY walkman). My idea is (but no one ever listen to me and everyone here always get mad at me and says numbers and ratings...) my idea is let 92.9 be a AC station but play ALL NEW AC music (NEW Urban AC, NEW AC, NEW Country, some Dance music [example: "Love Take Over" example], and play some new Lovers Rock Reggee music) have a slow jams show at night "The Brian McKnight Radio Show" That's my idea, but no one ever listens to me and always get mad at me. Just make them ... (AC/Urban AC) make them unique

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

If a legitimate station thought there was money to be made,
and there were legitimate advertisers who wanted this audience,
THEY WOULD ALREADY BE DOING IT! Get over it, already... :

 

[robotique]

all i know is when Radio One sold 97.7 and it turned into WKAF, 3/4 of my department at work flipped out...like really got emotional and heated. The general feeling was that there was no station that "spoke to us". And "this is why Boston has the reputation of being a white city". Someone actually said "we should start our own station that plays what we actually want to hear". And i guess thats how pirates start.

 

[trock]

If a legitimate station thought there was money to be made,
and there were legitimate advertisers who wanted this audience,
THEY WOULD ALREADY BE DOING IT! Get over it, already... :

Sorry GM this is a serious issue that needs to be discussed. A lot of people not just black people listen to so called "urban" music. Advertisers aren't prejudiced if you can get enough ear holes they will come. I don't see why a solidly programed urban station cannot be successful in this market. Lauro if i were cbs i would turn mix into a more rhythmic ac type station like ktu in new york. 92.9 is billing pretty well and with the demise of BCN i don't think i would mess with that.

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

It has been discussed - you just don't like the answer you got.
Get an Ipod, and then you can listen to whatever you like...
Stations do not want it, advertisers do not want it. CASE CLOSED.
Get over it...

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

When YOU are ready to put up YOUR OWN cold, hard CASH (and LOTS of it!),
then you get to make programming decisions. Life is not fair - that is the reality.
The same individuals (hardly a mandate for anybody) saying the same things every
couple of weeks is no more valid than DEAD AIR. You may WANT something - that
does not mean, in any way, that the market NEEDS it. Big difference...
I want what I want, when I want it -- this is the way a child behaves.
Nobody OWES you ANYTHING in life. Get over it, deal with it.

 

[nd2023]

The pirates' existence is not fair to legal stations. They undercut all the licensed station's rates because they have no overhead, so the small businesses advertise on the pirates and they don't know that it's an illegal station.

In the NYC area, I heard a club advertise on WNYZ 87.7, a licensed LPTV station acting as a radio station. A month later, it stopped advertising on WNYZ and I heard ads for it on Streetz 96, a pirate station. No doubt that directly cost WNYZ the lost ad revenue. Not only that, the licensed station may have to lower its ad rates closer to what the pirate stations charge. That is unfair competition.

If a pirate wants to go legit, buy a licensed FM station and move your format there.

 

[beantownradio25]

Let's go back four years to 2005.

None of these pirates were on the air, because 97.7 was still an urban station!

After 97.7 went rock, all of these pirates popped up! Let's be real here, if Boston had a LEGITIMATE urban station or a station involved with the community and minority population, all of these pirates would be history!

Pirates are pains in the butts to any legit station, and stations like Choice 102.9 aren't taking the FCC seriously and continue to broadcast.

The only pirate I do not mind is 101.3 because first adjacents are out of market stations that do not have city grade signals in Greater Boston, and there has been a translator on the frequency before.

They should combine all of their rescourses and buy a legit station.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Let's go back four years to 2005.

None of these pirates were on the air, because 97.7 was still an urban station!

After 97.7 went rock, all of these pirates popped up! Let's be real here, if Boston had a LEGITIMATE urban station or a station involved with the community and minority population, all of these pirates would be history!

Not really true. It's true that the two urban (R&B or hip-hop) pirates 106.1 and 97.5 weren't on in 2005, but there were already a number of Caribbean and Haitian pirates on back then. I believe Choice 102.9 and the one that's sometimes on 102.1 go back that far, the ones on 89.3 and 91.3 and various others were on FM back then, not to mention all the foreign language pirates on the AM band (including 720, 1580, and throughout the extended band 1610-1710) some of which go back to the 1990s.

The unfortunate demise of American urban programming on 97.7 was not responsible for most of the pirates in the Boston area. Only 97.5 is modeled after the WBOT "Hot 97.7" incarnation, and 106.1 is modeled after the 97.7 WILD-FM incarnation. Besides those two, the rest are all Caribbean, Haitian, etc... and would be here even if 97.7 was still American urban, and some already were even before it changed.

 

[hiphopRadio]

i respect everyone opinion on this board but whats up with the people tryin to shoot down an urban stations saying you cant make money off of them. We all know in here Radio One was not good running an urban station in boston thats why wbot Hot 97.7 was low in ratings even though they did alot for the community. the thing about radio one boston they didnt know how to run programming plus i heard their on-air signal wasnt that strong around the city of boston. i feel for a big city as boston they should be an urban radio station that also cover local artist, and target the cape vardes, haitians, etc. As for the pirate stations yes i remember when i use to spend my days in Brockton there was a lot of haitian pirate stations. i dont support pirate stations but i feel if their is so many somone should just flip one of their low rating stations to urban or urban ac

 

[beantownradio25]

i heard their on-air signal wasnt that strong around the city of boston

The signal in Boston was/is fine, and in immediate areas fine as well, but click on the following links to see the coverage difference between 97.7 and 94.5.

97.7 COVERAGE AREA
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WKAF&service=FM&status=L&hours=U

94.5 COVERAGE AREA
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WJMN&service=FM&status=L&hours=U

97.7 is more of a Southern based signal in Brockton and barely makes it to cities like lowell and nashua that 94.5 covers no problem. 97.7 did cover all of the immediate greater boston area fine, but I had friends in Lowell who didn't even know that there was an urban station on 97.7 in Boston because they are going onto fringes by there.

 

[hiphopRadio]

Jamn 94.5 have an huge signal over 97.7........ i do feel boston will again in the future will have a real urban station just that radio one wont be the company running it lol

 

[beantownradio25]

Yeah, if Radio One had started up an Urban format on a station with a coverage area similar to 94.5's like.... 96.9 (I can picture Pat garret saying "Hot 96.9 Boston" ) than Radio One would have had better ratings and would have held onto their Boston FM signal.

Yeah.... let's just hope it's sometime soon!