969FM

["Bill O'Neill" <billo@erols.com>]

Can anyone explain why 96.9 is processed like a soft AC or Jazz
station? With voice averages so low and competitive loudness important
(esp. to the untrained ear) you'd think they'd be driving like a
rocker or at least giving the low end a kick in the pants.  Imus
sounds like a raw bird feed and the news link sounds hollow.  This may
be the least of the station's troubles right now, but they wasted no
time to crank it up when it went country. 

Talk listeners still feel the same way about FM that music listeners
feel about AM (at least in Boston). If AM did anything right, it was
to establish itself, collectively-by-accident, as an info/talk band.
In order to transplant AM success to FM, Talk needs some company.  I
think that if a full-time news station were to go FM it would help the
FM talker become a destination.  

A final thought... What have digital tuners done to "surfing the
dial?" "Scan" is simply not the same.  It's either too discreet,
picking up every annoyance signal or passing over decent targets. 
Surprised that there is less of a promotional emphasis on that
decision point we all take for granted: programming the home or car
stereo or re-programming it.  No one ever talks about it.  Even here,
we all admit to having some stations on our buttons that make no sense
or those we want but just don't get around to putting in there.  If
cars are so important to TSLs in drive, and given the obvious
perception by broadcasters that people are, essentially, stupid, then
you'd expect a primer on how to lock stations in to button number
one.  But, then again, no one asked.

Bill O'Neill

PS I know WBUR is a news station, etc.... Next.