WBCN to sports at 98.5; WBMX to 104.1

[Dan.Strassberg]

I think you mean WNYC-FM 93.9, which is going all talk. WNYC (AM) 820
is already all talk. I suspect that WNYC A/F will simulcast because I
doubt whether NPR/APM produce enough talk content to allow separate
programming in more than a few dayparts. Note that WBUR repeats
OnPoint and Fresh Air every weeknight (except for Friday, when Radio
Boston pre-empts the 1:00PM umm, airing of Fresh Air). Of course,
there may be other Public Radio content sources, such as various
affiliated stations. I've heard, for example, that WHYY produces a
daily two-hour talk show that WBUR, at least, does not carry.

The economics of WNYC's spending $11.5 million for WQXR's intellectual
property elude me, though. Like most public stations, WNYC is always
pleading poverty. Given that 93.9 was already mostly classical, why
does NYPR think that, by acquiring WQXR's intellectual property,
moving it to a signal that has one tenth the power of that of its
former home, and converting the full B 93.9 to the news/talk format
that was already airing full-time on AM 820, it can get gifts of even
the same amount as it used to get? Even though 93.9 is a full-market
signal and 820 is not (at night, anyway), it would seem that the only
way NYPR might break even on this move would be to operate 105.9 as a
commercial station, as Chicago Pulic Radio does with classical WFMT.
But WFMT has a big signal and 105.9 has a puny signal. Moreover, as
Scott has pointed out, under FCC rules, for 105.9 to be permitted to
use translators to fill in the significant gaps in its coverage, 105.9
must be noncommercial. Maybe NYPR believes that it can recoup the cost
of the WQXR IP by operating 105.9 as a commercial station and that
streaming on the Web will allow it to fill 105.9's coverage gaps
without translators. Stay tuned; this is a fascinating and evolving
story!

-----
Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
eFax 1-707-215-6367

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@attorneyross.com>
To: "Scott Fybush" <scott@fybush.com>
Cc: "Boston Radio Group" <boston-radio-interest@BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 1:40 AM
Subject: Re: WBCN to sports at 98.5; WBMX to 104.1


> On 14 Jul 2009 at 15:41, Scott Fybush wrote:
>
>> Meanwhile, watch the fireworks from down in NYC - the Times is
>> selling
>> WQXR for $45 million. Univision Radio pays $33.5 million for the
>> 96.3
>> facility so it can move WCAA there from 105.9; WNYC pays $11.5
>> million
>> for the 105.9 facility and the WQXR intellectual property. WNYC-FM
>> 93.9 will be all news/information, and WQXR on 105.9 will be
>> noncommercial classical 24/7.
>
> Wow!  Does New York still have another classical station now or is
> WQXR the last one?  I know WNCN finally changed to something else a
> number of years ago.  I thought there was one more classical station
> in NYC, but I can't remember what it was.
>
> -- 
> A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                           617.367.0468
> 92 State Street, Suite 700                   Fax 617.507.7856
> Boston, MA 02109-2004                    http://www.attorneyross.com
>
>