boston needs a station like this

[Eli Polonsky]

CBS held onto WBCN long past it's expiration date, they pulled the plug, and from what I can see even a year into the flip they are doing better than most people predicted. It takes a while to get a new format profitable doesn't it?

"Mix" wasn't a new format in the market, it was just a frequency change for an existing format. It didn't need to develop a new audience, it was just a matter of getting their existing audience to tune their radio from 98.5 to 104.1.

[karsonwithak]

Laura, maybe it would be a better idea if you moved to an area that featured more stations that were your style. If it's Urban formats you fancy, you should check out Memphis. We worked there for about five years and you can usually count on at least eight of the top ten stations being an Urban format. Urban Oldies, Urban Gospel, Urban AC, Urban Rap, Urban Hip Hop & R&B & yes even an AM Urban TALK station that dominates!

http://www.radio-info.com/site/markets/grid/memphis

I think it's similar to living in Miami and complaining that it never snows. It would seem that no matter how many times it has been tried, Urban formats don't do that well in Boston, so most bail. Just as snow would never work well in South Florida! 

[MRBIboredop]

"Mix" wasn't a new format in the market, it was just a frequency change for an existing format. It didn't need to develop a new audience, it was just a matter of getting their existing audience to tune their radio from 98.5 to 104.1.

I think most of us knew that already, so I didn't feel the need to clutter the topic up with the frequency swap call letter parking, etc etc etc that went along with it.

Bottom line 16th place give or take wasn't going to cut it, and in a town that is as passionate about it's sports as Boston is, CBS already having 2 of the 4 major sports teams under contract had very little to lose by flipping. There was almost no risk.   

If the bean counters thought they could make more profit by playing polka music they'd flip in a heartbeat.

[Wbzfm2010]

well i think its kinda rude to tell someone to move if they dont like the music!!  how bout you move karson and take your crappy station with you!! everyone has difffrent tastes what she is trying to say is we need change, we the people thats y there is no more wbcn miss it but i can here the same thing on aaf etc come on now

[rapking]

Laura, maybe it would be a better idea if you moved to an area that featured more stations that were your style. If it's Urban formats you fancy, you should check out Memphis. We worked there for about five years and you can usually count on at least eight of the top ten stations being an Urban format. Urban Oldies, Urban Gospel, Urban AC, Urban Rap, Urban Hip Hop & R&B & yes even an AM Urban TALK station that dominates!
http://www.radio-info.com/site/markets/grid/memphis
I think it's similar to living in Miami and complaining that it never snows. It would seem that no matter how many times it has been tried, Urban formats don't do that well in Boston, so most bail. Just as snow would never work well in South Florida! 

Thats Lauro ( not Laura ). Just because someone think boston's radio dial is trash does not mean someone should move out . Boston is a GREAT city and I will welcome anyone to Boston . Boston is more than just the CRAP that on the radio dial.

[MRBIboredop]

Funny I thought cRAP was the stuff we were lucky enough NOT to have on legal licensed professional radio, at least not in any great quantity

[karsonwithak]

Well, I apologize if you thought I was telling someone to move. I imagine you didn't notice the WINK at the end of my post. It was meant to denote sarcasm. Something that can be lost on a message board, I guess.

[robotique]

Seriously, does he not understand that Mix is the whitest station in town other than WKLB?  They won't even play "Just Dance" with the black singing in it.  What on God's green Earth makes him believe that Mix, in a city full of white people, would air syndicated urban programming?  This is not Chicago or Atlanta.

see this is the problem.  Everyone calls Boston a white city. This is infuriating. The black and latino populations are continuously slighted. Why do you think there are so many rap and Carribean pirates?  Boston isnt a white city, its a segregated city - socially and economically.

Yes yes radio is about making money and not about providing a service blah blah.  But no one has really tried to focus and market an urban station WELL.  When R1 sold 97.7 there were three chicks who flipped out in my office.  They didnt understand why there was yet another rock station and no lasting urban station.  I dont fully understand either.  Look at the pirates who clearly have sold ad slots (101.3, 87.7, 99.7, 96.5, 106.1) - there are community dollars out there....a legal station could pull it off.  Its just got to have credibility within the community too. Thats what 97.7 had and what 94.5 lacks.

[LAUROJRM]

Seriously, does he not understand that Mix is the whitest station in town other than WKLB?  They won't even play "Just Dance" with the black singing in it.  What on God's green Earth makes him believe that Mix, in a city full of white people, would air syndicated urban programming?  This is not Chicago or Atlanta.

see this is the problem.  Everyone calls Boston a white city. This is infuriating. The black and latino populations are continuously slighted. Why do you think there are so many rap and Carribean pirates?  Boston isnt a white city, its a segregated city - socially and economically.

Yes yes radio is about making money and not about providing a service blah blah.  But no one has really tried to focus and market an urban station WELL.  When R1 sold 97.7 there were three chicks who flipped out in my office.  They didnt understand why there was yet another rock station and no lasting urban station.  I dont fully understand either.  Look at the pirates who clearly have sold ad slots (101.3, 87.7, 99.7, 96.5, 106.1) - there are community dollars out there....a legal station could pull it off.  Its just got to have credibility within the community too. Thats what 97.7 had and what 94.5 lacks.

well put, those three ladies in that office, those are the real listenners to radio, who radio management don't pay attention to.  These are the real listenners they have to think about. It may be three ladies, but, hey, they have to think about this.  Those three ladies could tell people "oh, you should listen to this new 97.7 W I L D, then the 4th person will like it, then he'll tell four more people, then they will like it, they will tell more people, etc etc... These are your real listenners.

[LAUROJRM]

@Carson, I'm not a she, I'm a "He"
and @Wil, for your information, I do work in radio, and trying hard to make it big in this business.