RadioInsight reports that the Beasley Media Group is for some no doubt very important reasons, swapping its current Bloomberg business talk at 1330 AM with its classic-rock WBOS at 92.9 FM, so you'll get the latest market updates in stereo and Metallica sounding like it's coming to you via a Radio Shack Flavoradio.
Adam 12 has to break it all down for you, so you won't have to miss a moment of Dave and Chuck the Freak come the switchover midday on Sept. 3
Pamela Rosenthal reports posts she put up a year ago about the sudden disappearance of WBOS still get hits - but she also explains how she's moved on, and how WBUR gets it when it comes to audience retention.
Jason, who spent 15 years working in radio, explains why Greater Media's decision to turn WBOS into Mike FM Lite will only drive people to their iPods, because they won't get anything unique there anymore:
... When it comes to branding, they had it. Now, they are a faceless format, fourth in the race, playing the ratings game in anticipation of the Personal People Meter.
Any research company that advised WBOS to do this has done them a disservice. If they were looking for a new format, there were no other format holes? You're kidding. Smooth Jazz? Urban AC (older R&B)? You wanted a 25-39 format, and picked a very crowded lane on the highway.
The radio industry needs brands like WBOS to survive and remain relevant well into the future. It's a good thing the WEEI's, Z100's, KROQ's, Magic 106.7's, and Jam'n 94.5's of the world still exist. These stations fill a need, understand their audiences, and are RELEVANT. People care about them. ... There appear to be far more loyal, angry "old WBOS" listeners than thrilled new listeners to Radio 92.9....
Pamela Rosenthal discusses the way WBOS suddenly became Radio 92.9 without an ounce of warning:
... Seriously, in what business (besides radio) would a company make a radical change to its only product without warning, cut off its communication channels, and still expect people to do business with them? If someone knows of another example, please let me know about it.
The fact is that it's quite likely that WBOS/Radio 92.9/Greater Media doesn't actually care about its listeners…maybe they haven't realized that listeners=customers...
Clearly, the station wanted to move forward with this change regardless of the impact on the current listener base. However, they could have preserved at least some of their goodwill by engaging in an authentic, human conversation that doesn’t insult our intelligence ...
Earlier:
WBOS now a '90s oldies station.
David Tomm reports that WBOS started calling itself Radio 92.9 around 6 p.m. yesterday and that it now features a playlist of golden oldies from the early '90s.
Guster performs "G Major" at Earthfest yesterday:
George N. Parks: I've been to several of them now through the years, this was by far the most people I've seen out for one of the free shows:
The amount of people reminded me of the fourth of july as people were still thickly gathered beyond the snack stands behind the main grassy area. ...
e1ectrickoolaid: it's all this massive jumble of colorful dreams. it hardly feels real.
Joshua Luke posts some photos. Innuce1 posts photos, too.
Baratunde: Boston earthfest = cute dog central.
Nick: it was ten buckets of fun.
Hello, Rangoon! Former "Big Mattress" host Charles Laquidara reports he'll be doing a one-hour morning show on WBOS starting sometime this month:
It's going to be called Backtracks or Trackback or something, and I'll be featuring my nine favorite cuts from the best albums of a certain year every Monday through Friday at 9 AM on 92.9. I thought they should call it Nine at Nine, but I was over-ruled. No matter; it should be a cool show.
Via Boston Radio Watch.
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