WFNX being sold to Clear Channel

[DanStrassberg]

Check out the CP for 1200, NIGHTS
http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WXKS&service=AM&status=C&hours=N
Covering Boston and a good chunk of North Shore, South Shore. Perhaps 1200 Spanish and
101.7 talk? Or vicey-versy?

Regardless of what you may think you found at radio-locator, WXKS (AM) holds no CP for a change in its night pattern, nor has it held such a CP since a license to cover was granted for its move to Newton. There was a CP for a change in the Newton day pattern (using four towers instead of the original three). A license to cover that CP was granted a year or so ago. Of necessity, when a station uses different day and night facilities and is making a change to one of its patterns, it must re-apply for its existing pattern for the mode that is not changing. Dunno why the FCC does it that way. Anyhow, that's what happened here. The day pattern was modified to change from three towers to four, which changed the pattern noticeably (more signal to the north, mostly; less to downtown Boston). What your radio-locator link shows is the original 50-kW night pattern. This map should be at radio-locator but it should not show as a granted but still unbuilt CP. The night facility changed when the station moved from Framingham to Newton and has not changed since.

Also, radio-locator's AM night pattern plots greatly overstate the nighttime coverage of all stations except Class As. (In New England the only Class A AMs are WBZ and WTIC.) The outer contour is 0.5 mV/m. WXKS's NIF (nighttime interference-free) contour is in excess of 10 mV/m, WELL inside of radio-locator's inner contour, which is 2.5 mV/m. WXKS does not deliver a listenable signal at night until you are WELL within the inner contour on the radio-locator maps.

[DavidEduardo]

So why does "tropical" music do so well in markets like NY and Miami?

"Tropical" is as generic a term as "contemporary."

Tropical in Puerto Rico and among older adults is salsa. Among younger adults and teens, it is reggaetón.  In the Dominican Republic, tropical is merengue, but the tropical flavored bachata is popular among some and in some areas. In Colombia, tropical is vallenato and cumbia.

And, in many cases those who like one style dislike or barely tolerate the others.

Both markets have large Puerto Rican and Dominican populations, and in Miami you have a third major presence in the Cubans.

Since there has been negative migration of Puerto Ricans to the Northeast since the late 60's, most Puerto Ricans who are in the sales demos for radio are second or third generation, and don't listen to a lot of Spanish language radio.

The big groups are Dominican, Colombian, Mexican and in New York, Ecuadorian. In Miami, the majority of 25-54's are not Cuban; the Cuban part is mostly Cuban American now and similarly more prone to listen to English outlets or those that play English hits with Spanish mixed in.

Is there really a common denominator, musically, that allows stations to bridge the cultural differences? If so, how come there's no such common denominator in the Boston market?

No, there is no common denominator. Just as in markets like San Juan or Santo Domingo there are 10 or 12 really differentiable formats and a number of subsets, there is no kind of music all Hispanics like. And that is just like trying to find one kind of music all Americans like... something that is, in fact, easier as Americans are all from the same country, while Hispanics have a heritage from 20 different ones!

[DavidEduardo]

...I think Clear Channel would "blow up" either WJMN-94.5 or (more likely) WXKS-107.9.

The #2 highest billing station in the market is WXKS, and it is only a small percentage behind the #1 station, WBZ. In profitability, WXKS is likely the #1 station as its costs are considerably lower than those of a talk and news station.

WXKS is, in fact, the 32nd highest billing station in the whole US. It is the 8th highest biller for Clear Channel; they would not mess with this unless they see polar bears registering for summer classes at Wellesley.

[ThatGuyOnTheRadio]

Although WXKS-1200 isn't the best 50,000-watt signal, it covers a much larger area than does 101.7.

As noted on Radio-Locator.com, WXKS-1430's nighttime signal area isn't that good (while it has a pretty decent daytime signal for a station on 1430 kilohertz).

That's why I'm still convinced 101.7 will simulcast (or even replace) 1430.

If "Talk 1200" goes to FM, I think Clear Channel would "blow up" either WJMN-94.5 or (more likely) WXKS-107.9. An FM version of that station, IMHO, needs a larger signal area than what 101.7 can offer.

As others have stated, blow up KISS 108? Have you lost your mind? That's like Honda "blowing up" the Accord. LOL. Thank you, I was having a bad day and needed a laugh.

[whdh1920]

i know i touched on it a few days ago but 101.5 in providence has turned off there hd signal allowing me to receive wfnx down here in se mass near the ri border!!  since the sale was annouced,possibly to make whatever they put on 101.7 travel further out!!

[aaronread]

Am I missing something?  Strikes me that the most logical format for 101.7 is the resurrection of "Mike" (aka "Jack").  It's insanely cheap to do, it's very easy to do, and it (allegedly) billed very well when it was on 93.7FM; supposedly the only reason Entercom nuked it was that they were desperate to get an FM outlet for WEEI to compete with 98.5FM.

I'll grant ya, 101.7 is a noticeably smaller signal than 93.7 but in my defense, both are primarily downtown and north shore signals.

Why should CC experiment with an unproven and chancy "Spanish" format when there's a proven winner just waiting for someone to do it?

[raccoonradio]

Interesting idea--and ironic because the Weekly Dig's hoax was that Ent. was buying WFNX, moving Mike there, and putting WEEI on 93.7. If CC were to do that the hoax would have been prescient, only with CC owning 101.7! And you're right (though it could well be jockless) about what a moneymaker it can be. Someone said Ent. overpaid for Sox rights and MKK was helping to fund that, only got blown up for EEI to land on fm.

[raccoonradio]

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/music/139046-wfnx-dies-before-it-gets-old/

[Signpost]

CC blows up a Spanish station in Miami.

http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/106364/wmib-flips-to-adult-hits-in-miami?ref=mail_recap

101.7 will simulcast AM1200.    Right wing talk.
   

"Mike" (allegedly) billed very well when it was on 93.7FM   

Mike did not bill well.    It was difficult to sell what was essentially an automated jukebox.    It would appear "personalities" do matter.

[raccoonradio]

I would hope personalities do matter. As for billing, I don't know the actual numbers for that but it was doing half decent in the ratings and some think it may have been helping to defray the cost
of the Sox contract, but who knows. If it weren't bringing in money, they may have flipped to
WEEI // earlier.
Mike debuted in '05, I think. WBZ-FM came along in August of 09, and its arrival was announced
several weeks in advance. You wonder if, in a conference on Guest St in Brighton or at
Entercom's Bala Cynwyd PA HQ, the following was said:
------------------------
"CBS is going with sports on 98.5, and they'll have the B's and Pats. I don't know how they'll
do but they got a great signal and probably have the people to pull it off. Should we kill
off Mike and simulcast EEI on 93.7?"

"I don't know...we're doing alright with variety hits there."

"We could even beat them to the punch. They're saying Aug 12--so we flip to sports in July
and bam, WE are the first FM sports station."
------------------------
You wonder...

Anyway I was just about to post the bit about WSHE. Yes 101.7 could well be a simulcast of
1200 (or a move, in any case right wing talk). But check out the WSHE site (yes they're CC)
and wonder if maybe this could be it...(and maybe with personalities as well as var hits)

http://www.she1035.com/main.html

Getting back to the "automated jukebox" if they indeed had a tough time selling it maybe they were just keeping it as is and eventually would change it. Eventually, they did.

Two years  and one month after the competition rolled out...

Can CC sell right wing talk? One thing's for sure, FM is the place to be and it's attracting
younger audiences, despite the idea that some talkers skew older.