"It's the programming, stupid!"

[Dan.Strassberg]

WHIL-FM also aired what was the worst talk show I had ever heard until
I heard the horrendous Drew Mortgage program on WCRN decades later.
The WHIL program, which aired from 10:00PM to midnight, I believe, was
hosted by a guy named Marvin Burak who was New Orleans's gift to New
England. The producer was Burak's wife.

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

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kevin Vahey" <kvahey@gmail.com>
To: "Jim Hall" <aerie.ma@comcast.net>
Cc: <boston-radio-interest@tsornin.bostonradio.org>
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2012 11:36 AM
Subject: Re: "It's the programming, stupid!"


> One reason why WHIL-FM limped along with country was that at night
> WCOP
> (1150) could not be heard north of Revere.
>
> The old WHIL-AM had one show with a huge audience in the late
> afternoon -
> the racing results from Suffolk Downs or Rockingham. The race
> results was a
> big deal in the 50's and 60's as that is how the 'street number' was
> calculated before the state lottery came to be. The old
> Record-American
> also printed 2 editions based on the horse results - the 7 Races and
> Payoff
> edition.
>
> On Mon, May 21, 2012 at 10:39 AM, Jim Hall <aerie.ma@comcast.net>
> wrote:
>
>> Was the former WHIM in Providence (1110 AM) co-owned with WHIL
>> during the
>> country music years? They also programmed country music and given
>> the
>> similarity in the call letters I am wondering if they had the same
>> ownership. I vaguely remember reading that the reason WHIL went
>> country was
>> that it had been successful in Providence for WHIM.
>>
>>
>>
>> From: Kevin Vahey [mailto:kvahey@gmail.com]
>> Sent: Monday, May 21, 2012 9:15 AM
>> To: Jim Hall
>> Cc: boston-radio-interest@tsornin.bostonradio.org
>> Subject: Re: "It's the programming, stupid!"
>>
>>
>>
>> The wiki history says the switch from WHIL country to WWEL happened
>> in late
>> 1972 which is how I remember it.
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WXKS-FM
>>
>>
>> WWEL tried to make a big splash with quadraphonic sound which went
>> nowhere.
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, May 21, 2012 at 8:24 AM, Jim Hall <aerie.ma@comcast.net>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > It was still WHIL-FM at the time, with the FM antenna still in
>> > Medford,
>> so
>> > it didn't get out as far as WXKS-FM does now from the Pru.
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: boston-radio-interest-bounces@tsornin.BostonRadio.org
>> > [mailto:boston-radio-interest-bounces@tsornin.BostonRadio.org] On
>> > Behalf
>> Of
>> > Bob DeMattia
>> > Sent: Monday, May 21, 2012 7:53 AM
>> > To: boston-radio-interest@tsornin.bostonradio.org
>> > Subject: Re: "It's the programming, stupid!"
>> >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > * 107.9 still country*
>> > >
>> >
>> >
>> > I recall 107.9 was WWEL trying to complete against WJIB with
>> > beautiful
>> > music. I don't ever remember it being country.
>> >
>> >
>> > To make the picture more complete, you could also add the dozens
>> > of local
>> > /1kw stations like WJDA and WESX  that are now satellite fed
>> > and/or
>> > brokered.  These stations may never have been tops in the ratings
>> > but in
>> > local communities, their ratings were pretty good.
>> >
>> >
>> > -Bob
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > >
>> >
>>
>>