WGBH lineup minus blues & folk shows

[CTListener]

I'm really surprised they didn't consider the REAL risky idea of a music format that appeals to the NPR news demo.  Some kind of roots rock format...

Last year, Boston Public Radio station (and yes, NPR affiliate) WUMB switched from decades of being known as "Folk Radio" to a roots and folk leaning AAA format that they simply call "WUMB Music Mix". It's doing something like your idea, but without the harder rock (The Band, Levon, Fogerty, Plant/Krauss, but no Led Zep).

In a recent interview, their GM said something like "We want to be where WBUR's listeners tune to when they get tired of the news", and they've begun occasionally using the liner "Boston's NPR Music Station" (obviously taken off from WBUR's "Boston's NPR News Station"). WUMB does air two NPR syndicated music programs, "World Cafe" and "Mountain Stage".

However, despite a great airstaff and some good programming, there are both technical and internal factors that will continue to prevent WUMB from being any kind of significant player in greater Boston's Public Radio battle.

Besides the Salem/Beverly/Swampscott "black hole" in which WUMB and its Gloucester repeater, WNEF, are swamped on most radios by WMWM at 91.7, what are the technical factors you speak of?

By the way, I like the new sound of WUMB. It reminds me of the eclectic folk/folk-rock music mix of my favorite station of my college years, WCAS. I found WUMB's previous, more purist approach to folk music unneccesarily limiting.

[raccoonradio]

Fybush notes in his column today that the WGBH sched is in flux--those tidbits I saw earlier were now removed and when you do a search into Dec. and also Jan of '10 you will notice, for now, dashes between 9 am and 3 pm and also during parts of the weekend. Scott says there should be a more definite schedule next week

--Are they trying not to tip their hand, letting _competitor_ WBUR know their sched in advance (and WBUR
would then counter-program?)

--Are they simply waiting for the change on 12/1 to roll out the sched online?

--longshot but who knows: is it possible they may decide to keep the folk and/or blues show after all? Again,
a longshot. On the Facebook group for "fans of folk and blues on WGBH" I think someone had mentioned reading on GBH's Facebook, etc., that maybe if these dissatisfied fans had only given $50 each maybe WGBH would
reconsider...hmm

Anyway go to wgbh.org and click on the 89.7 radio schedule, then click "schedule" and "change date" and you'll see.
For example, Under the week of Dec 7 2009 it says (weekdays) BBC 5-6, Takeaway 6-7, Morning Edition 7-9, a bunch of dashes for 9a-3 pm, then The World at 3p, etc. Under Saturdays it says Says You airs at 8,
then dashes appear from 9 pm till 6 the next morning (a week or two later "Jazz Set" appears at the 9 pm
slot)

[aaronread]

Besides the Salem/Beverly/Swampscott "black hole" in which WUMB and its Gloucester repeater, WNEF, are swamped on most radios by WMWM at 91.7, what are the technical factors you speak of?

There's two issues:  first is that WUMB's main signal from Quincy is a (comparatively) teeny 680 watts.  It really only covers inside Rt.128 and not under any adverse conditions like building penetration.   Compare that to WGBH's 98,000 watts or WBUR's 12,000 watts (both from MUCH higher locations) and that makes for a pretty uneven playing field.

Second is that WUMB's repeaters are mostly on co-channel or 1st-adjacent frequencies.  Even though Grady Moates has pulled some nifty tricks to synchronize everything, there's inherently large zones over Metrowest and the South Shore between WUMB and WBPR/WFPB-FM where neither signal comes in terribly well, and when they do, they tend to interfere with each other.  When/If WAVM ever starts relaying WUMB, that'll help in the Metrowest area, and the new Marshfield allocation will help on the South Shore, but it's still not ideal because both those stations are on 91.7FM...1st adjacent.  Even discounting the self-interference problems, the fact that's 1st adjacent inherently means you just can't pump that much signal out of those facilities, and that means a lot of in-between areas with weak signal coverage.

BTW, WNEF is up in Newburyport (Amesbury, specifically), not Gloucester.

[Eli Polonsky]

Besides the Salem/Beverly/Swampscott "black hole" in which WUMB and its Gloucester repeater, WNEF, are swamped on most radios by WMWM at 91.7, what are the technical factors you speak of?

Essentially echoing what Aaron says above, "Radio Geeks" like we who populate these boards are aware of even the very weakest stations in the market, and will make the effort to tune them in. Average radio listeners don't do that. Most of them are aware of only the "big" signals in the market that "jump out" at them on the dial. If their radio doesn't stop on a station on "scan", or if it doesn't come in on their poor quality receivers like clock radios, Walkmans and some portables, or if they hear any static, interference, or fading, they don't know that the station exists.

Most average Boston radio listeners think that the only student college station in the area is the big-signaled WERS. Even decent signals like WMBR and WZBC are under their radars of perception and they are not aware of them, as well as WUMB which is similar in strength. As Aaron said, WUMB would have difficulty penetrating office buildings, is also buried by Pru intermodulation downtown, and does not come in on lesser quality radios like the major signals do.

[carmen]

announcers who sounded stoned.

sometimes bob parlocha sounds like he's had a few drinks. and we all know about those jazz musicians...

Grateful Dead concerts in the atrium of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum?

WUMB has us covered Thursday 11pm, Monday 4am.

[carmen]

toured the GreatBlueHill weather observatory once

he mentioned theres an apartment that occasionally becomes available, at the top of the hill. bonus points if you can fix 1960s weather recording equipment and lightning breakers

[Eli Polonsky]

Grateful Dead concerts in the atrium of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum?

WUMB has us covered Thursday 11pm, Monday 4am.

That's the nationally syndicated official Grateful Dead Hour hosted by David Gans.

I ended up being a guest on it when I went to California for a couple of weeks back in 2000. 
The only time I've ever been on a national show.