Poss.: WGBH to buy WCRB?

[raccoonradio]

Scott Fybush tipped us on Facebook that WGBH may buy WCRB..."developing".

>>Sources tell INSIDE RADIO pubcaster WGBH,Boston to buy Classical WCRB from Nassau Broadcasting to preserve classical format.
http://twitter.com/InsideRadio

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

It's confirmed... what does this mean for WCRB?

[raccoonradio]

http://fybush.com/nerw.html

yup Fybush has more and he think they will tranform 99.5 to non comm and he feels 89.7 would be news/talk by day, maybe jazz at night? and the studios would move to Guest St. 99.5 to stay all-classical, and Fybush thinks
"it appears that at least some of WCRB's airstaff will stay with the new WGBH-run 99.5"

>>There's no immediate word on a purchase price for WCRB..

>>Like that deal in New York, it appears that the transaction will move WCRB into WGBH's Allston studios from the longtime WCRB facility in Waltham.

[Don Juan]

It's confirmed... what does this mean for WCRB?

Bigger question...what does this mean for WBUR morphs into a news/talk/jazz outlet?

[raccoonradio]

WGBH: We're buying WCRB, now give us money.

http://www.wgbh.org/support/keepclassicalalive_main.cfm

(i.e., they're announcing the deal at God Bless Harvard's site, and urge their listeners to give to "keep
classical alive" as part of their "new classical service".)
radio-info's main page pegs the acquisition price at $14M

[DanStrassberg]

The rumor of 89.7 going news-talk all day but staying with jazz at night makes sense to me. But if the programming switches from news-talk to jazz at, say, 8:00PM, I think it will leave WBUR (despite having a lesser signal compared with 89.7) in command of the non-comm news-talk format in greater Boston. Not clear to me that if 89.7 were to switch to news-talk 24/7 they could make big inroads against WBUR, but if they keep the jazz at night, I don't think 89.7 has much of a chance to be king of that hill, superior signal notwithstanding.

[Laurence Glavin]

As soon as I get home, I'll set a push-button for 99.5 and wait for the change.  One interesting item:  WGBH-FM just laid off one of their longtime classical announcers, Richard Knisely.   They may have to call him back to replace some of the airheads at the South Street snoozer.  One thing to keep in mind:  this is GREAT news for ME, Al Franken, I mean Laurence Glavin, as long as I stay put.  But the 99.5 frequency is troublesome in Metro Boston itself.  Wait until the first Friday afternoon that WGBH-FM 89.7 does NOT broadcast a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert!  The Globe just ran an article about the WGBH Educational Foundation's budget cutbacks, both radio and TV.  How will this go over with those who received layoff notices (like Knisely) or pay cuts.

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

According to the WGBH website, it appears as though WCRB will now be a Non-Comm.

Hopefully the entire WCRB staff will stay in place, Mark Edwards (whom is the only one I know) is a great guy!

[12 In a Row]

14M?  OUCH
Wasn't the sale price to Nassau lots more?  

[Don Juan]

  But the 99.5 frequency is troublesome in Metro Boston itself.  Wait until the first Friday afternoon that WGBH-FM 89.7 does NOT broadcast a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert! 

If acquiring other signals is part of their game plan...is there an FM on the South Shore that would fill in the gaps?

(WPLM-FM would be a perfect counterpart.....if the Campbell's can be talked down from whatever price estimnate they were given at the top of the market.)