Re: The Future of WBCN-- Talk????

[Shawn Mamros <mamros@MIT.EDU>]

>Keep in mind that the #1 mission of the Network O&O station is to clear the
>network offerrings.  The O&O's exist to support the national efforts.

Back in the days when there was only one network O&O per market, that
sort of thinking did apply (and still does on the TV side of the house).
But when there's more than one network O&O (how many CBS/Infinity stations
are there in Boston now?  I've lost count...), and the network doesn't
supply enough programming to cover them all, that argument falls flat on
its face.

And if Chairman Mel followed that train of thought religiously, wouldn't
WBZ be running the CBS radio network news every hour and half-hour by now?

>If they could run extreme radio on WBCN...with very little operational cost
>at the local level....they could concievably make more money for than with
>local offerings.  (By simply wiping out the local budgets.....programming
>department, research, etc. might just be enough to post some decent profits.

As if BCN isn't pulling in decent profits now?  Again, if this were the
way CBS/Infinity wanted to run things, why does WBZ keep Gary LaPierre
employed?  They could, if they wanted to, fire him and at least half of
the BZ news team, run CBS radio news as much as possible, and only retain
a skeleton crew to cover local news happenings.  I'm certain they'd save
a lot of money that way.  Heck, fire Brudnoy and the other local talk hosts
while they're at it, too - there's lots of syndicated talk out there, or
they could just run more network news.

No question Chairman Mel is a bottom-liner through and through.  But even
he knows better than to mess with success, I think, at least if history
is any guide.

Something else to ponder - Mel's association with BCN goes back a lot
further than his association with either the CBS or Westinghouse stations.
I don't doubt that he's on a first-name basis with Oedi and the other
BCN higher-ups.  Think he's just gonna sack them, when they helped him
get where he is today?  If he did, they'd surely find a place to work
elsewhere in Boston - and they'd have plenty of incentive to blow Mel's
stations out of the water, whatever it takes.

I have no crystal ball.  Maybe Mel really wouldn't care about making
powerful enemies that way.  The only thing I know for sure is that,
if BCN does flip to "extreme talk", that'll just free up another preset
on my car radio. :-)

- -Shawn Mamros
E-mail to: mamros@mit.edu

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