No Subject

Subject: March 29th "LTAR".

I heard all but the first couple of minutes of today's (March 29th)
 "LTAR", the official radio program of the bestr radio information website
 around.

I didn't hear the beginning of a discussion about whether CBS would unload
 one of the ARS stations in town for less than the "$8 milion it was worth".
 My guess is that might be WNFT-1150.

I could see WNFT go cheaper than $ 8 million if it were a noncommercial
 donation (e.g. U/Mass-Boston, as was speculated on the show), or sold
 for less than that to a minority owner.

I think I have an idea for Uncle Mel that might give him enough brownie
 points to allow him to keep BOTH WRKO & WEEI along with the current CBDS
 stable: Sell WEGQ-93.7 at less than full value (if need be) to a minority
 broadcaster who'd put in a pure urban format (sorry, WJMN, a/k/a "Jammin'
 94.5" doesn't count as urban contemporary) on that frequency aimed to the
 rapidly-growing African-American population in Boston. And, 1150 could be
 donated to a noncommercial (U/Mass-Boston?) cause.

Besides, it is a crime that Boston doesn't have a fulltime, 24-hour FM
 high-power pure urban contemporary signal. The percentage of Boston's
 (city proper; not the suburbs of metro area) population that is black
 is growing rapidly. For decades, the percentage of Boston's population
 that was black hovered at around 15 to 16%, it was 26% in the 1990
 census; it will probably be near 40% in the 2000 census, and by the
 2010 census, Boston (again, within the city limits, not the metro area)
 may well have a black majority. With such a growing African-American
 community, a "pure" urban FM station will be very successful---even
 with whites, Hispanics, Asians and other ethnic groups!!

One footnote: Last weekend, I was in Washington, and on Monday and Tuesday,
 in New York. On my way back Tuesday evening, I listened to the radio,
 and the New York "urban" stations were TRULY urban music--not like the
 pseudo-urban WJMN. And, I discovered on the AM band a format that should
 also be tried in Boston (perhaps it'll go daytimes on 1090 if WILD gets
 93.7 as suggested above)--R & B/soul oldies. New York's WWRL plays it
 as their format, and many of these soul oldies also were big hits on
 the "general" top-40 charts. While WWRL's appeal is supposed to be with
 middle-aged black adults (e.g. 35-54), I'm sure many white listeners also
 tune-in and enjoy that station. It would be a broad appeal format and
 one worth trying here and in other cities.

Joseph Gallant

<notquite@hotmail.com>

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