WWZN / Celtics - Bill Griffith Column

[Garrett Wollman]

<<On Sat, 29 May 2004 20:37:35 -0400, "Joseph Pappalardo" <joepappalardo2001@yahoo.com> said:

> The thing about WWZN's signal to the West at night...is it starts to
> dissappear in Framingham.

Starts?!  It's already GONE in Framingham.

> WORC doesn't reach East into Framingahm...esp at night.

The only local AMs with a decent signal in Framingham at night are
850, 890, 1030, 1060, and 1200.  I can't see any of these stations
(with the exception of 850) being interested in running the Celtics,
although presumably if the C's waved enough money in the Bleidts'
faces they could lease time on 1060 (and likewise CCU for 1200).

> WCRN does pretty well.

I'd call it marginal.  Better than any other Worcester AM, but not by
much, especially when the adjacent-channel skywave heats up.

> I think the added spot revenue might be an enticement.

Not at the expense of their regular audience.  If their audience
flips over to Mix, they may not come back for a while.

> To the North, you would need something that covers the entire Merrimack
> Valley...from Greater Lowell all the way to the Shore.  The better signals
> up that way are WCAP and WNNW(800AM).  WCCM(1490) doesn't get much past I-93
> at night.

800 is still a daytimer.

I can't imagine any leased-time operator interested in blowing out a
steady customer in favor of programming that would cost real money and
would need to be well-sold (to a completely different audience from
their normal listenership) in order to make any money.  I could just
barely imagine it if the C's were to lease the time.

> If WCAP had a conflict with the Lowell Lock Monsters and the Celtics...which
> would they pick?  ;-)

> Answer:  The one that brings in the most money.

Correct answer: the one that Mr. Cohen prefers to do business with.

-GAWollman