Herald Inside Track: Might Sox buy 99.5?

[John Francini]

>
>
> It is certainly audible at Fenway.  I drive by there into the  
> Longwood area
> every day and can pick up WPLM and WKLB easily.

It doesn't matter if it's audible *outside* the park; it only matters  
if it's audible *inside* the park -- inside the metal-and-concrete  
partial-Faraday cage of the park superstructure, that is.

>
> I seem to remember a year(?) when WPLM and carried the Sox.
> (Jack Campbell was adamant that WPLM was enough to cover Boston.   
> And WKLB
> has a better downtown signal than WPLM.)

And how long did that last? I lived on the South Shore (Randolph) and  
worked in Quincy when that was going on. Picking up that signal, even  
there, was a royal pain in the butt.  It was much better when they  
started simulcasting on the old WWEL (now WXKS) 107.9.

>
> When the Bruins were on WPLM...they chose to supplement the  
> coverage with a
> small Boston AM (1150AM) as their Boston affiliate.

The Sox get so many benefits from being on a 50kW station with a  
large reach, and with a sports-talk format with hosts and guests who  
really know how to keep the pot stirred, and therefore keep the Sox  
on everyone's tongues, the whole year long.  It's a combination that  
has enormous real synergy, and provides an enormous amount of free  
publicity for the team.

Frankly, I think the Sox would be utter fools to move from WEEI.

>
> Do you think Fenway Park could offer the same thing within the  
> stadium?  A
> rebroadcast of the radio call on some low powered AM frequency?

If they stay where they are, this is an expense they wouldn't need to  
take on.

Memo To Jason Wolfe and Larry Lucchino: GET THE DEAL DONE. BEFORE THE  
START OF THIS SEASON.

(Not that either of them read this list, but you never know...)

John Francini
Nashua, NH