WEEI can't blame the Bruins for July

[ljs0610@comcast.net]

If 'EEI is wondering what happened to the Big Show's ratings then they should all lose their jobs.  What happened is that a new sport station set up shop and WEEI finally encountered something they hadn't before.  A full-time, viable competitor. Programmed by a PD who looked at 'EEI's considerable weaknesses, didn't make the same mistakes and, unlike WEEI took nothing, least of all the audience, for granted.  
All the talk about signal and the Bruins really miss the point.  Both those factors are components, but the bottom line is that SportsHub is just a far superior experience (and some of it really is programming 101), a much, much better station and sports fans, rabid and otherwise (SportsHub has also drawn peripheral listeners), are thankful they no longer have to put up with the sorry product WEEI had become.  The bottom line is that 'EEI's audience defection is likely permanent and now WEEI has to consider mimicking the new kid on the block and enact major alterations to try and get the attention of their former listeners. Which means blowing up the sorry lineup and starting all over again.   
My money's on that fact that the horse is already out of 'EEI's barn and that their management and staff can only reflect what might have been if only they hadn't become so smug and self indulgent.  Otherwise, they might have been able to put up at least some semblance of a fight for the audience.  
Felger and Mazz are killing the big show because they are far better at what they are doing.  And what does that say for WEEI that a couple of hosts whose strength was initially print journalism are beating broadcast veterans like Ordway and Dennis (both of whom have lost their fastball, but their bread and butter was the broadcast medium).
It's the product, not the signal.  

----- Original Message -----
From: Kevin Vahey <kvahey@gmail.com>
To: Bob Nelson <raccoonradio@gmail.com>
Cc: (newsgroup) Boston-Radio-Interest <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Sent: Sat, 13 Aug 2011 14:35:54 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: Re: WEEI can't blame the Bruins for July

FM options are pretty limited for Entercom

I wonder if any thought has been given to going to Greater Media and perhaps
working out some kind of a swap with 96.9 being the focal point. (Maybe
offer them both 680 and 850 plus cash) - Then GM could merge their talk
format with whatever they want from WRKO and then use 850 for pure ESPN
radio)

In any event WEEI has to be wondering what has happened to The Big
Show...Felger and Mazz are just killing them now.




On Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 8:48 AM, Bob Nelson wrote:

> The rumor of Entercom buying WFNX awhile back was notable in that the
> only media source that was reporting it was a weekly publication (and
> online site) called the Weekly Dig. Nobody else had it, and both
> Entercom and the Phoenix denied it. Funny...a rival to the Boston
> Phoenix spreading a rumor of the Phoenix selling off their radio
> outlet...just to tweak them I guess.
>
> An FM presence for the sports talk and Red Sox/Celtics games may
> happen eventually, as it has in other markets, but as noted before
> Entercom is apparently doing well with
> WAAF, WKAF, and WMKK and might not change them. WEEI is now on the HD2
> signals of WAAF and WKAF, not that too many people yet have HD radios
> or plan to get them.
>
> For Red Sox games, WBOQ in Gloucester is an affiliate (not as powerful
> as some would like, especially in some workplaces). If WMKK were to
> //WEEI, or if somehow the Phoenix could indeed be convinced to sell
> 101.7 to Entercom, either North Shore-based station (well, WMKK is
> licensed to Lawrence but the stick is in Peabody) would pose a threat
> to WBOQ--assuming Entercom would allow the Sox to continue on 104.9.
>
> WMKK's signal is pretty good, at least around here, but they don't
> want to unplug the low cost, high profit "Mike".
> By the way speaking of WBOQ, as Simon Geller continues to roll over in
> his grave,
> I do get to hear parts of some Sox games at work (in spots where it
> does come in)
> and the board op at "North Shore 104.9" has to often cut off promos and IDs
> WEEI
> runs. The voice of Jim Cutler starts to tell people about The Big Show
> or Dale and
> Holley, etc., and suddenly the board op has to inject some kind of WBOQ
> promo
> to squash it. I don't know if other Sox affiliates have the same
> problem--I'd think
> the Red Sox network must have a stream they can tap into where that
> doesn't happen
> but 104.9 for some reason winds up getting a stream where the WEEI promos
> pop in, and they have to quickly move to cut off the promos...
>
> On Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 7:08 PM, Kevin Vahey wrote:
> >
> http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2011/08/media_linkage_and_more_arbitro.html
> >
> > Only the Red Sox games in the evening are keeping them close.
> >
> > I am sure the Entrercom buying WFNX rumors will start again but I don't
> > think 101.7 is strong enough unless they just simulcast 850.
> >
>