WFNX Dumps "Sandbox" Morning Show

[Dave Tomm]

Cost cutting is only part of the reason.  The new Arbitron PPM meter  
ratings measurement system is changing some of the rules about  
programming.  One trend that's emerging is "talky" morning shows on  
music stations tend not to do well with the meter.  Two morning shows  
in San Diego, highly rated programs in the diary, were recently let go  
for cheaper, music intensive alternatives.  A Detroit classic rocker  
let go it's personality based morning show this week.  It also  
happened in Chicago with Steve Dahl last year.  There are exceptions  
of course, Matty on Kiss being one of them, but it's something to  
watch.  It's no surprise that lately Matty is playing a couple more  
songs an hour than he used to.

WFNX also dropped Lovelines, a syndicated two hour late night talk  
show that focused on sexual issues, in favor of music programming.  It  
seems that talk programming on music stations just doesn't work with  
the new ratings methodology.  Saving a few bucks in the process  
doesn't hurt either...

-Dave Tomm


On Jan 4, 2010, at 7:08 PM, Mark Watson wrote:

> The Boston Globe reports that WFNX has dumped "The Sandbox" morning  
> show, canning two of the show's hosts, Charlie Padgett & Ed  
> Oliveira, while Henry Santoro & Dustin Fletcher Matthews remain at  
> the station as part of a revamped lineup. 'FNX has also hired ex- 
> WBCN jock Adam-12 for PM drive. All this in an effort to cut costs  
> and boost ratings, says the article:
>
> http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/more_names/blog/2010/01/no_more_sandbox_for_fnx.html
>
> Mark Watson
>