Re: Re: Boston's Newsradio Void

[Bill Piacentini <billpi@ll.mit.edu>]

I hate to generalize about the current Boston Radio situation, but....
1) WBZ will never be what it once was, a locally run full-time news and
information station, because the GM lacks the authority (or is it backbone?)
to go to a "Storm Center" during times of emergency. The people at
CBS/Infinity only see the bottom line. I was surprised they extended news on
weekends to 5 PM. Their "Everyday" campaign must mean the WBZ day ends at
5PM on weekends. Just as undergraduate required courses pay for most of the
instruction costs of the graduate courses at most universities; why doesn't
the income from drive time pay the cost of the "sparse" listening periods?

2) Given WBZ's impressive numbers I am surprised a competitor (who's left?)
doesn't try to eat away at those numbers instead of chasing formats that
don't work (read: don't produce double-digit numbers). It's a perfect time
to have an FM news and information station in Boston playing AC-type music
interspersed with news every twenty minutes, 24/7. I am sure it would blow
WBZ out of the water (at least the water that fell this past weekend!). Why
not team up with WB56, Fox25, (Ch. 5(?), Ch. 7(?)), or even NECN to enhance
their stature by promoting their full-time commitment to news?

My 3 cents (sorry I went over budget!)

BTW, For all you Dr.Laura foes, David Brudnoy has a PhD. in African Studies!!

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