Mel *QUITS*

[Scott Fybush]

Three things here:

1. Even if 1030 were to have to change calls to "WWBZ" or somesuch, it 
could still register "WBZ" as its slogan with Arbitron, just as KKOH in 
Reno does with "KOH" (a three-letter call that need never have been lost, 
but that's another story), so there's no reason someone writing "WBZ" in a 
diary wouldn't still have their listening credited to the correct station.

2. Even if Viacom were to spin off Infinity, there's no reason at all that 
WBZ-TV and WBZ(AM) couldn't both keep their current calls. I'm sure Viacom 
would even be more than happy to continue leasing space at 1170 SFR to 
Infinity Radio.

3. According to Tom Taylor and Inside Radio, one of the most reliable 
sources out there (disclaimer: I work for Inside Radio/M Street/100 kw), 
the rumor about Mel buying back Infinity Radio is just that - an unfounded 
rumor.

(Where's Joseph G. when we need him most? ;-)

s

At 05:16 AM 6/3/2004 -0400, Dan Strassberg wrote:
>Well, WWBZ appears to be available for both AM and TV; WBBZ appears to be
>available for TV. Since calls mean almost nothing on TV (and WBZ-TV now uses
>its calls only in legal IDs), one would hope that CBS would relinquish the
>WBZ calls from TV and let the AM have them. Since Karmazin apparently
>reduces every issue to economic terms, you have to wonder whether he can
>assign an economic value to the WBZ calls remaining on radio. I think the
>value is huge. If WBZ 1030 were to change its calls, people would
>nevertheless continue to write them into Arbitron diaries as long as
>Arbitron continues using diaries. If Arbitron no longer counted diary
>entries that read WBZ as meaning the station on 1030 AM, the ratings would
>plummet--perhaps by 40%--and the value of the radio station's spot inventory
>would decrease by a similar amount--probably NEVER to recover.