WPOT Hot 97.5 Boston

[MR. JAROME_CALVIN]

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.

that make sence, and that's another idea that I thought MIX 94.1 should do.

 

[MR. JAROME_CALVIN]

I beg your pardon, sorry. I ment to say Mix 104.1

 

[hiphopRadio]

i dont live in boston i just use to spend my summer times in brockton through out my h.s. years but boston just need an urban or urban ac just to make it fair ground on the radio dial. when i say urban am not saying just for african american white folks love hip-hop or a urban AC specially since Jamn 94.5 doing the hitz & hip-hop thing.

 

[nd2023]

Would the FCC actually assign the WPOT calls to a licensed station that asks for it?

This is the funniest "call letters" I have ever seen.

97.5 is the worst frequency for a pirate. Since TV went digital, 87.7 is completely clear.
107.5 would have been a better frequency for the pirate.

 

[jlehmann]

107.5 would have been a better frequency for the pirate.

There's already one on there, just not a very high profile one.

 

[trock]

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.

Easy WLYNgm we're not talking about health care here it's just radio LOL. ;D I'm doing fine! I now live in northwest florida market #226 i believe. I can listen to an urban and a rhythmic chr (both superior to Jamn 945) and Three chr pop stations and oh yah I also have a full powered jazz station if i just want to chill. The ratio of african american to that of white population just so happens to be similar to that of Boston with the fraction of the over all population. Go figure. I am just looking out for my people still up there because I've lived it for 25 years.

 

[ReggieBeas]

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.

You are absolutely right when you say "I'm fairly certain the lack of an urban station has absolutely nothing to do with racism and everything to do with money," but I have to correct you: WBOT-FM/WILD-FM was not a money-losing operation. Radio One sold their properties in Boston, Minneapolis, Dayton, Louisville and Augusta, GA all within a year because they were losing so much money with KKBT in Los Angeles, wanted to stay in one of the top three markets and needed to make some of that money back. Granted, 97.7 was not printing money, but in the age of keeping shareholders happy, no station can make small profits anymore because the measure of success is rising stock prices, and large profit announcements help make that happen. Radio One got $30 million for the frequency, antenna and transmitter. The station I programmed in Radio One's Dayton cluster was making great money relative to the market, but when you can get $74 million selling Dayton and Louisville right away to stave off the Grim Reaper, you kinda have to do it.

You are right in saying "it's all about the dolla dolla bill y'all," but this is what people don't realize: ratings mean nothing; it's all about if you sell the station. The major broadcast companies in Boston will not go Urban or Urban AC… not because they wouldn't get high ratings, but because they believe they can't get businesses to buy ads on an Urban or Urban AC station. That's why these pirate stations are on the air. Their bottom line is way lower, so they can easily make a $100,000 to $200,000 profit. The funny thing though is most of these pirates would still be around even if there was a FM Urban on the air, because they target the Caribbean community. Big City would stay on, but their American programming would go away, and whether Hot or Touch goes away would depend on if an Urban or Urban AC came on the air.

 

[ReggieBeas]

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.

Didn't mean to reiterate what you already said

 

[hiphopRadio]

Thank you Mr. Reggie Beas this is a man who know alot about the radio business. i use to listen to this guy 2001-2005 my summers in brockton when he did the 12 noon throwback mix on hot 97.7. in my opinion i truly think an urban or urban ac will be in boston in the future. i dont see a station like Jamn 94.5 ever going back urban specially now they are doing the hitz & hip-hop thing.

 

[beantownradio25]

The thing about Jamn... they've never been a true urban. They've always been Rhythmic leaning in their playlists, but now they're full blown Rhythmic and the fact that they're now officially Rhythmic Top 40 opens up some old wounds from 2006 like the fact that boston has a big format gap as far as urban.

everyone seems to forget about WILD 1090 though, they're playing urban talk and classic soul on the weekends... but dang they need a website bad

 

[pause]

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.

You are absolutely right when you say "I'm fairly certain the lack of an urban station has absolutely nothing to do with racism and everything to do with money," but I have to correct you: WBOT-FM/WILD-FM was not a money-losing operation. Radio One sold their properties in Boston, Minneapolis, Dayton, Louisville and Augusta, GA all within a year because they were losing so much money with KKBT in Los Angeles, wanted to stay in one of the top three markets and needed to make some of that money back. Granted, 97.7 was not printing money, but in the age of keeping shareholders happy, no station can make small profits anymore because the measure of success is rising stock prices, and large profit announcements help make that happen. Radio One got $30 million for the frequency, antenna and transmitter. The station I programmed in Radio One's Dayton cluster was making great money relative to the market, but when you can get $74 million selling Dayton and Louisville right away to stave off the Grim Reaper, you kinda have to do it.

You are right in saying "it's all about the dolla dolla bill y'all," but this is what people don't realize: ratings mean nothing; it's all about if you sell the station. The major broadcast companies in Boston will not go Urban or Urban AC… not because they wouldn't get high ratings, but because they believe they can't get businesses to buy ads on an Urban or Urban AC station. That's why these pirate stations are on the air. Their bottom line is way lower, so they can easily make a $100,000 to $200,000 profit. The funny thing though is most of these pirates would still be around even if there was a FM Urban on the air, because they target the Caribbean community. Big City would stay on, but their American programming would go away, and whether Hot or Touch goes away would depend on if an Urban or Urban AC came on the air.

FINALLY! Someone who actually worked at an Urban speaking from experience on the subject, and not the usual "if there was money to be made, then someone would do it" or the "put up your own cash" statements. Not really taking pot-shots at anyone, but this argument comes from the same ones who always find a way into the threads where people JUST want to voice their dissapointment at the lack of an Urban in Boston. Right now my alternative is the various applications that one can download on their phones -- nobex, iheart, aol radio. This gives me the choices of Steve Harvey or Ed Lover. Even Hot 97 is available. During my afternoon drive, Michael Baisden keeps me entertained, but I would love nothing more than one of these personalities to do an event geared towards the Boston community because of their ties to the local station, but alas we are out of luck for now. Reggie, please contribute more to this forum in order to temper the speculative voices that constantly seem to worm they're way in. This way their tired arguments can be refuted. You said it best, "ratings mean NOTHING; it's all about if you sell the station", something that I've never heard mentioned by the radio pros on this forum.

 

[hiphopRadio]

Pause u are totally right we need people like reggie beas to comment on boards like this i learn more stuff today about the radio business n how its not all about ratings. the thing about tihs board i dont like its yes anyone have the right of freedom of speech but too much bashing of urban radio because you dont like urban music that doesnt meant you could bash the format. i still find it funny hot 97 wpot is doing live broadcasting pine at minor college this sat lol

 

[Eli Polonsky]

everyone seems to forget about WILD 1090 though, they're playing urban talk and classic soul on the weekends... but dang they need a website bad

They also have no local talk content, no jocks playing their music, their audio sounds horrible even for AM (Radio One shut off their full-fidelity AM stereo a few years ago, then they briefly went HD, then they shut that off, and left it a very muddy, muffled sounding analog mono), and on that frequency they will be always stuck with a daytime signal only. WILD 1090 is just Radio One plugging in satellite and automated urban programming at the lowest cost possible until someone else buys the station (if that will ever happen).

 

[trock]

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.

You are absolutely right when you say "I'm fairly certain the lack of an urban station has absolutely nothing to do with racism and everything to do with money," but I have to correct you: WBOT-FM/WILD-FM was not a money-losing operation. Radio One sold their properties in Boston, Minneapolis, Dayton, Louisville and Augusta, GA all within a year because they were losing so much money with KKBT in Los Angeles, wanted to stay in one of the top three markets and needed to make some of that money back. Granted, 97.7 was not printing money, but in the age of keeping shareholders happy, no station can make small profits anymore because the measure of success is rising stock prices, and large profit announcements help make that happen. Radio One got $30 million for the frequency, antenna and transmitter. The station I programmed in Radio One's Dayton cluster was making great money relative to the market, but when you can get $74 million selling Dayton and Louisville right away to stave off the Grim Reaper, you kinda have to do it.

You are right in saying "it's all about the dolla dolla bill y'all," but this is what people don't realize: ratings mean nothing; it's all about if you sell the station. The major broadcast companies in Boston will not go Urban or Urban AC… not because they wouldn't get high ratings, but because they believe they can't get businesses to buy ads on an Urban or Urban AC station. That's why these pirate stations are on the air. Their bottom line is way lower, so they can easily make a $100,000 to $200,000 profit. The funny thing though is most of these pirates would still be around even if there was a FM Urban on the air, because they target the Caribbean community. Big City would stay on, but their American programming would go away, and whether Hot or Touch goes away would depend on if an Urban or Urban AC came on the air.

I realize ratings mean very little. But my question is why do the broadcast company's in the Boston area feel that they can't sell ads at the stations? Is there concrete research to back this up?

 

[beantownradio25]

everyone seems to forget about WILD 1090 though, they're playing urban talk and classic soul on the weekends... but dang they need a website bad

their audio sounds horrible even for AM (Radio One shut off their full-fidelity AM stereo a few years ago, then they briefly went HD, then they shut that off, and left it a very muddy, muffled sounding analog mono)

I agree, the audio quality is bad on WILD 1090.
Why doesn't Radio One just sell it?

 

[hiphopRadio]

seem to me radio one dont care about wild 1090 like atleast give it a website. my question is since they are jockless do they still have anyone working at that station in the backround or they fired everyone at the radio one cluster? my second question is wild 1090 still at the Quincy studio that was build couple of years ago?

 

[Eli Polonsky]

I agree, the audio quality is bad on WILD 1090.
Why doesn't Radio One just sell it?

If sure they would if they got a good offer. They probably haven't gotten one. A standalone AM daytimer is a tough sell these days.

seem to me radio one dont care about wild 1090 like atleast give it a website. my question is since they are jockless do they still have anyone working at that station in the backround or they fired everyone at the radio one cluster? my second question is wild 1090 still at the Quincy studio that was build couple of years ago?

I think Rick Anderson is still doing his best to keep it going, as probably just about a one-man operation, on the shoestrings that Radio One gives him to work with. Yes, I think it's still in Quincy.

 

[hiphopRadio]

wow one man band over there at radio one boston. i hope he will have a job after they sell the station off. i could tell radio one dont even care if that station still exist. is it radio one also paying rent for that studios in Quincy still too?

 

[Mattcatlover456]

this station is awsome wish boston could bring it back as a lisenced station