Re: Urban Radio in Boston

[FMradio1@aol.com]

In a message dated 98-06-05 14:56:34 EDT, LJNF40D@prodigy.com writes:

<< And some might consider WJMN Urban...albeit Rythmic Urban...and a 12-24
 demo. >>

Um, I don't think so.  WJMN has much broader appeal than just 12 to 24.  The
station has a 7 share (12+) and is the number one music station in town.
Those numbers do not come strictly from younger demos.  With shares that high,
WJMN is ripe for some competition.  The minority population is growing rapidly
in Boston, and it won't stay at 10 percent forever.  Neither WILD or WNFT
offer any serious urban competition for WJMN, although there is definitley a
place for those stations in the market.  The Touch on WNFT will go away once
the station is sold anyway, which leaves a daytimer as the only true "urban"
station in a Top Ten market.  Sad.

As far as the agency biases are concerned, it will take a forward thinking
broadcaster to flip a station urban and start building a story.  WJMN is
beginning to bill what a station with their ratings should, and that's without
a high-profile morning show (like a Stern, Imus, Matty or Charles) or sports
programming which can inflate a station's revenue beyond it's ratings
performance.  

The many leased-ethnic AM's around the metro should be an indicator.  Boston
is ready for either a full-time urban or Spanish-language FM.  It's just a
matter of time.

Mike Thomas, WXLO & Premiere Radio Nwtworks  

------------------------------