Re: What Would You Do With WBOS?

[Brian Vita <brian_vita@cssinc.com>]

At 03:18 PM 3/5/00 -0500, PublicRef2 wrote:

>Here's something I'd like to ask the other members of the group to
>comment on.
>
>Suppose you were Greater Boston Radio Group programming manager Don
>Kelly, and you had to decide the future of WBOS. You have five options:
>
>(1) Change the format to "smooth jazz", bringing back the sound of the
>late WSJZ;
As much as I'd like to see this, I don't see GM doing it.  To do so would 
be to admit that they twice screwed up the format; first with blowing up 
WCDJ then with WOAZ/WSJZ.

I am surprised that corporate hasn't done anything yet to override the lack 
of direction in Boston.  They have one station that does fantastic (MAGIC), 
one that does OK (WKLB), one marginal WROR and two in the toilet (WTKK and 
WBOS).  The amount of potential power that they have at their disposal is 
incredible yet underperforming.

In the past I've been described by Bump as a crazy conspiracy theorist but 
try this one on...
If I remember correctly, the number of stations that a group can own in a 
given market is determined by their percentage of total billing for the 
market.  You pump up one station in the group to its max and only allow the 
sister stations enough success so that they will not exceed the percentage 
threshold.  Since you can't bill over that threshold, you've reached your 
max income before selling off one of the other stations.  If you sell off 
one of the other stations, you might be creating a potential threat to your 
cash cow.  You have therefore secured your primary station's position by 
tying up four other stations that could otherwise be sold off to would be 
competitors.  That is to say that there are four other stations that won't 
cut into your main station's numbers.

OK, it was only a theory...

As long as I'm on the subject, the last time that I made post like this, 
some of the airstaff of various GM properties took my comments personally 
as a critique of their talent.  This is not the case.  The lack of numbers 
is a reflection on the format and/or the promotion of the stations.  The 
air staff simply cannot take a sow's ear and turn it into a silk purse.

The opinions above are my own and should be taken strictly at face value.

Brian


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