Rumor: Entercom/Nassau WEEI network deal dead

[newsbot]

Rumors are flying that the much-delayed plan to network WEEI programming on a number of Nassau-owned stations in Northern New England is off for good.  Could the collapse of this deal endanger the joint venture to maintain classical programming on WCRB?

[raccoonradio]

Who knows--one rumor said stations like "the Bone" in Portland would change on New Years' Day or
shortly thereafter but check out the Northern New England board, where one rumor said various
problems may be delaying or killing off the sports simulcast on the 11 stations (approx.) Also
would affect one or two stations down the Cape.

http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,88987.0.html

[Laurence Glavin]

Rumors are flying that the much-delayed plan to network WEEI programming on a number of Nassau-owned stations in Northern New England is off for good.  Could the collapse of this deal endanger the joint venture to maintain classical programming on WCRB?

What do you mean "maintain"?  Do you regard the "Skater's Waltz" as "classical music"? The Sunday Globe for December 30th ran an article on the Year In Classical Music, by which they meant the REAL THING.  No mention of the "Skater's Waltz", Pachelbel's  "Kanon" (German spelling), or Albinoni.  There was one telling item: there wasn't a single unsold seat at the Framingham Cinema for the HD live telecasts of the Saturday Metropolitan Opera matinees last season;  that's why I had to drive to Regal Cinemas in Marlborough to see them...smart move of WCRB's previous "management" to discontinue the on-the-air broadcasts a few years ago so they could carry soon-to-be-bust dot.com advertisers' spots.  I wonder if they paid for them before declaring bankruptcy!

[encarta95]

The deal surrounding WCRB with Nassau selling 50% ownership to Entercom was sketchy at best. Wasn't the purchase price said to be something like $10 million, less than a year after Nassau paid 60-something million for the frequency?

If anything, the rumored failure of the Entercom/Nassau deal, presuming it also includes the WCRB component, means that 99.5 won't be flipping to the next WEEI relay anytime soon.

[TravisWMLN]

i know a programmer that said one of the stations in his cluster is flipping very soon.....and I heard that maybe a week ago? so as far as I know that deal is still good as gold

[rapking]

Rumors are flying that the much-delayed plan to network WEEI programming on a number of Nassau-owned stations in Northern New England is off for good.  Could the collapse of this deal endanger the joint venture to maintain classical programming on WCRB?

I hope these Rumors are True . I like WEEI ,( Only station in Boston worth listening too )but not on all radio signals . WEEI is on too many signal, Right now ( 103.7, 1440,105.5,850 ) . I like see The Radio dial, have different Radio formats , not the same  station  on 2 or 3 or 4, radio signals( 97.7, 107.3 is Garbage ) .

[BRNout]

Rumors are flying that the much-delayed plan to network WEEI programming on a number of Nassau-owned stations in Northern New England is off for good.  Could the collapse of this deal endanger the joint venture to maintain classical programming on WCRB?

I hope these Rumors are True . I like WEEI ,( Only station in Boston worth listening too )but not on all radio signals . WEEI is on too many signal, Right now ( 103.7, 1440,105.5,850 ) . I like see The Radio dial, have different Radio formats , not the same  station  on 2 or 3 or 4, radio signals( 97.7, 107.3 is Garbage ) .

I have to agree with rapking, this business of simulcasting has gotten out of hand.  For example, Nassau's McRadio version of a "classic hits" format (Frank) is now simulcast on 3 frequencies in NH (106.3, 99.1 and 104.9) where it competes with Nassau's McRadio answer to "classic rock" that is now simulcast on 2 frequencies in NH (102.3 and 101.5) which are given the brilliantly original "Hawk" moniker.  In both cases, Nassau has made it possible to not know whether you're listening to the radio in New Hampshire, New York or Pennsylvania as these formats sound exactly the same in all areas where Nassau has them.  Close your eyes and you could be in Reading, PA rather than Manchester, NH (and that would not be a good trade, either!) 

All 5 signals were independently programmed before Nassau took over - by the way.  For my money, they were better before Nassau too.  Then again, now you can hear "Born in the USA" and fried-to-a-crisp songs by Bob Seger every single hour. 

Another example is having 102.1 and 105.3 (the Shark) on 2 highly overlapping signals in the NH Seacoast area.  I never could figure out why that one was necessary.   Basically if you can get one, you can get the other.  The signal differences in the area between York and Seabrook is negligible.  And then we have the poster child for unnecessary simulcasts: WAAF on 97.7 - as well as on a freshly weakened 107.3.   

In the meantime, the area suffers from a great lack of programming diversity.  Nassau and Entercom have played a huge part in making this happen.   

[raccoonradio]

Fybush is also saying the deal is dead ("now there's word that Nassau and Entercom were unable to close the deal, and now the arrangement is history"), in an addendum to his web column yesterday

http://www.fybush.com/nerw.html

>>"10A. The Nassau-WEEI deal collapses"

Fybush says we'll keep watching what will happen--will WEEI attempt a deal with someone else to
spread out 'EEI programming? What's WCRB's future (half owned by Entercom) etc.
Probably best to go to the Northern New England board to discuss the options for Entercom bringing
WEEI to that area, perhaps with OTHER stations.
(Weird theory but could happen: WEEI buys the rest of WCRB and replaces classical ("Oh, we'll put
it on an HD channel") with The Whiner Line. Can reach well into southern NH...then again WEEI
pushes north fairly well anyway (or at least pushes to a N/S signal at sunset)

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WCRB&service=FM&status=L&hours=U

(Though..is the deal for Entercom buying half of WCRB a part of this deal, or separate?)

[Mickey37]

the area suffers from a great lack of programming diversity.  Nassau and Entercom have played a huge part in making this happen.   

Unless and until the government makes it easier for the little guy (and gal) to get back into the game,  it's only gonna get worse.  I'm not a big-government kinda person, but I can't say that the current landscape of deregulated radio is good for the listener/consumer.

[NO DAG]

Don't forget a lot of these company shelled out big big bucks to purchase these stations, and in some cases well over their true market values..  Those mortgage payemts and a soft advertising market have yielded the results you are hearing out of your speakers..