Re: NERW 3/24: WFAU Loses A Tower, WFNX Gains A State, NERW VisitsCalifornia...

[Sptseditor@aol.com]

In a message dated 3/25/00 8:21:02 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
nostatic@earthlink.net writes:

<< I think 103.7 will probably simulcast 101.7 most of the time, but I 
wouldn't be
 suprised if they break away for 7p-12mid so that a local jock can cater to 
the
 area club and concert scenes, do giveaways, local phoners etc.  It's similar 
to
 what WIBF-Philadelphia (now WPHI) did when they simulcast the WDRE network 
out of
 Long Island in the mid 1990's. >>

Boy, we saw how successful THAT was...

<< WBCN does do okay in Providence, but not stellar--and I'd imagine that 
most of
 their numbers come from Stern, since local Stern affiliate WWKX/WAKX comes in
 spotty in some parts of Providence where BCN is pretty solid.  Also, BCN 
does a
 better job producing the Stern show than Hot 106, and many Stern listeners 
don't
 care for Hot 106's hip-hop/CHR format. >>

Brilliant programming. Stern, who usually is on alternative/classic rock 
stations for a reason, gets put on a teeny-bopper signal. Bad move there by 
Back Bay (or whatever Kix 106's ownership is called nowadays).

<< I doubt that BCN's numbers, which are
 rather minimal, will be affected by 103.7/FNX and I'm sure they won't care 
too
 much either. >>

I think they will and here's why: 101.7 is very hard to pick up in the South 
Shore off of the water, though you can hear it on the Cape in places such as 
Provincetown (where it seems you can pick up every Northeast coastal FM 
station!). They are going to be making a push into the South Shore suburbs 
(anywhere south of the 128 belt, certainly south of the 495 belt) for 103.7 
and that certainly could take a crunch out of WBCN's 12-plus numbers. Notice 
nowadays that music that 'FNX wouldn't touch four or five years ago, when 
they were really an alternative station as opposed to mainstream modern rock 
now, pops up frequently. In the past they would NEVER touch Alanis 
Morissette, for example, and when her new album came out it was in constant 
rotation. They're now nothing more than a WBCN clone in a lot of ways with 
this high-school-station feel quite a bit of the time. All I am saying is 
this: It will make things interesting, whether you like it or not...

-Sean