Music leaving FM

[mgpt6]

The changes at WGBH this month, Sports Radio 93.7 FM, and the upcoming changes at 101.7, and the trend  is much less music on analog FM.  How many more FM stations will drop or reduce music in the coming months?

[moonchild]

And the ones that remain.....what month will they start playing Christmas music this year, seems it keeps getting earlier and earlier every year, pretty soon there'll be nothing but Christmas music 24/7/365, that is of course unless the athiests realize what is going on! 

[Joseph_Gallant]

It's by no means certain that WFNX-101.7 will flip to a talk-based format.

However, I could see CBS radio eventually "blowing up" one of their remaining FM music stations for a simulcast of WBZ-1030 (I expect that the WBZ-FM call letters, now on 98.5, would be moved to the station simulcasting WBZ-AM with 98.5 perhaps changing calls to something that spells out "Sports Hub"). But it might not be for a while.

[dhoule]

To Joseph, I agree with you.  I think either 103.3 will go all-news within 5 years.  Then, the strongest 25-54 station would go to or stay on 104.1.

[raccoonradio]

bostonradio had some more interesting tweets (paraphrased)

--more sports networks because every week more stations turn to sports

--sports is $$...time spent listening. People stay tuned in longer to these
stations. Some say "boring". Again, my reply: MAKING MONEY isn't boring.
This is why the suits do what they do.

--(dir quote from bostonradio):"Based on data Arbitron supplying, these execs see a huge demand for sports content. They're answering it by forming sports nets...spoken-word format is an engagement listening. Ppl listen in car & actually follow the conversation...Also,unless you're a robot station like 92.9,a music format is expensive to run w/killer music licensing fees"

What if that "performance tax" thing musicians wanted had passed? There were rumors at the time you'd see BIG time changes to radio. To wit, MORE talk.

[Garrett]

It's by no means certain that WFNX-101.7 will flip to a talk-based format.

However, I could see CBS radio eventually "blowing up" one of their remaining FM music stations for a simulcast of WBZ-1030 (I expect that the WBZ-FM call letters, now on 98.5, would be moved to the station simulcasting WBZ-AM with 98.5 perhaps changing calls to something that spells out "Sports Hub"). But it might not be for a while.

Nonsense.