No Way Man.....
Posted on 07/14/2009 10:29:54 AM PDT by raccoonradio
Only it’s not that simple: CBS Radio decides to move its hot “Mix” WBMX from 98.5 to WBCN’s 104.1 frequency – and to debut the new “Sports Hub” at 98.5, as of August 13. WBCN hasn’t been faring well in the recent Arbitron PPM ratings, and CBS Radio’s Dan Mason decides to attack Entercom’s all-sports leader WEEI (850) and its regional New England franchise, using an FM frequency. One part of WBCN will remain on the FM band: the Toucher & Rich morning show, which will do wakeups for the new “Sports Hub. Other programming at 98.5: the NFL New England Patriots and the NHL Boston Bruins, which had been at sister news/talk WBZ (1030). In fact CBS is using the "WBZ” brand name on the new Sports Hub, calling it WBZ-FM, aligned with WBZ radio and WBZ television. As with other recent CBS Radio sports stations, there will be an extensive online and mobile/digital device component to the Sports Hub, which debuts just in time for Patriots pre-season football
I’m wondering... does it make a technological difference on what frequency a given radio station operates?
WFNX(which I listen to mostly) should be thrilled...
How long you think before it becomes La Mexicana 98.5!
Thank goodness! My morning is just not complete without endless repetitions of a homeless guy mumbling "Chili", while a crew of DJs chuckle uncontrollably and wet their pants. I think they've been doing that as the bulk of their show, every morning, for at least 6 months. It never gets old. [/s]
Since stations have different powers or even direction signals based on their frequencies (to avoid interference with other stations), it can. I think both 98.5 and 104.1 cover similar areas but who knows.
On FM “power and tower” make differences for outreach—how high the antenna is as well as power (the “50,000 watts” a stations boasts of is really an _effective radiation power_
based on these two variables)
What are the costs in running those transmitters?
Wow, WBCN.
I wonder whatever happended to Charles LaQuidera.
As for the rest of it, just what we need. Yet another all-sports station.
There’s too much of that as it is.
I get really ramped off when they cut Howie Carr so we can listen to the Red Sox lose again.
From See B.S. Radio:
http://www.cbsradio.com/press_center/releases/pressrelease105715-07-14-2009.html
CBS RADIO STEPS UP TO THE PLATE AND LAUNCHES FM SPORTS STATIONS IN BOSTON AND WASHINGTON, D.C.
Company’s Leading All-Sports Stations Show More Than 20% Increase In Audience Share Year To Date; Advertisers Capitalizing On Opportunity To Reach Captive Upscale Male Audience
Boston’s “98.5 The Sports Hub” and “106.7 The Fan” in Washington, D.C. Join CBS RADIO’s Growing Roster of Sports Properties Including Market Leaders WFAN in New York, “The Score” In Chicago, WIP in Philadelphia, and “The Ticket” in Detroit
As the nation’s enthusiastic appetite for sports continues to grow at a feverous pitch, CBS RADIO announced today it is launching all-sports formatted stations in Washington, D.C. and Boston on Monday, July 20 and Thursday, August 13, respectively.
Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub and 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C. will feature deep rosters of live, local talent; detailed sports reports, discussion and commentary; play-by-play coverage, and a variety of on-site events to capture the spirit of game day excitement. Both stations will be available on-air, online and via numerous mobile smartphones devices, including the iPhone and Blackberry.
“There’s no better way to reach large numbers of male listeners than through exclusive sports programming,” said Dan Mason, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS RADIO. “We’re seeing impressive ratings growth at a number of our stations and clients continue to make big investments in sports marketing. Captive audiences, association with revered names in sports, and the ability to speak directly to the consumer in-game, on-site, online and on-the-go 24/7 are sponsorship benefits exclusive to radio advertisers producing incredible return on investment.”
Vice President of Programming Chris Oliviero added, “Sports is a decidedly local business appealing first and foremost to fans of the professional and college teams in the cities where they live. Knowing that passion exists has allowed us to create one of a kind properties that excel in being the go to destination to rant, rave, debate, argue, agree or disagree about every aspect of the day’s headlines.”
Designed with the most passionate sports fan in mind, The Sports Hub and 106.7 The Fan will launch with exclusive content partnerships with CBSSports.com, one of the leading sports destinations on the Internet with an average of more than 12 million unique visitors a month. The station’s websites, powered by CBSSports.com, combine the best assets of the renowned national brand with a uniquely local approach. Original commentary from distinguished columnists and local beat reporters; blogs from station personalities; premium video highlights available on-demand; in-depth community participation; fantasy football, baseball, basketball, and hockey leagues; polls; real-time scores; breaking news alerts; and high school coverage are among the many features of the sites.
Advertisers will have an array of opportunities to brand themselves on the website using text, audio, and video, along with the capability to target consumers down to a specific zip code.
Additionally, play-by-play coverage will feature prominently on both stations. Bostonians can tune in for game day presentation of the three time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots and the NHL’s Boston Bruins. And when the Washington Wizards take to the court under the direction of new head coach Flip Saunders, 106.7 The Fan will be live from tip-off to the final buzzer.
Laquidara occasionally broadcasts on internet radio Mana'o Radio KEAO-LP Mana'o Radio in Wailuku, Hawaii. He has held this position since March 2005. He also keeps a personal blog: bigmattressdotcom.
Been listening to BCN since 12:30 and I was wondering why there weren’t any commercials for a while. Now I know..
Actually this doesn’t surprise me considering that they broadcast the Patriots games.
Yeah and he was on WBOS 92.9 for awhile but left under
a kind of disagreement (did show from Hawaii)
http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1184853
from the Boston Herald by Jessica Heslam
CBS sacks WBCN for all-sports Boston station
In a major shake-up to the local radio landscape, CBS Radio is pulling the plug on legendary Boston rock station WBCN [website]-FM (104.1) and is switching off the music for the first time in its colorful history in favor of sports.
“The Rock of Boston,” which put disc jockeys such as Charles Laquidara and program director Oedipus on the map, will fall silent next month after more than four decades when CBS Radio moves sister music station WBMX-FM (98.5), or “Mix 98.5,” up the dial to 104.1, CBS announced today.
A new sports station, called “98.5 The Sports Hub,” will debut on 98.5 with the new call letters, WBZ-FM, on Aug. 13. (CBS also owns news station WBZ-AM (1030).
WBCN, which has been struggling in the ratings, will be available online at www.wbcn.com.
The sports station will carry Patriots [team stats] and Bruins [team stats] games, and WBCN morning duo, Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb of “Toucher & Rich,” will host its morning sports show.
Comcast SportsNet’s Gary Tanguay will also host a show, sources said. CBS said it plans to announce a full talent and programming schedule at a later date.
The sports station will feature sports talk and play-by-play programming, according to a press release.
“Sports Hub” is the first FM sports station in Boston, said CBS Radio Senior Vice President Mark Hannon, giving listeners “crisp and clear reception.”
The station also plans to launch a Web site, www.985thesportshub.com., which will boast blogs from the station’s personalities, sports videos, scores, polls, message boards, community groups and sports news.
“Boston fans eat, sleep and breathe sports, and are some of the most die-hard followers in the country, so it makes sense for us to bring the city’s favorite pastime to an easily accessible platform where listeners - for the first time in Boston - will be able to take advantage of sports programming through the crisp and clear reception offered on the FM dial,” Hannon said in a statement.
CBS has been trying to flip WBCN into a sports station for years, even trying to lure WEEI-AM (850) hosts John Dennis and Gerry Callahan away from the sports powerhouse in 2007 when they were renegotiating new contracts with WEEI. CBS has successfully switched other music station to sports in major markets across the country.
Of course. Apart from regulatory issues, each frequency band has different propagation and interference characteristics.
Most of the differences between individual stations in the same band are due to primarily to antenna siting and power levels.
AM, from 540 -1700 kHz can literally go around the world at night, which is good thing, except that it means interference from lighting, other stations and industrial sources couples in from around the world. During the day propagation is much more restricted and many stations have lisences that allow them to transmit with 10X more power during daylight hours than at night. [... skipping physics lesson ...]
FM from about 88 - 108 MHz uses much shorter wavelengths. These frequencies propagate pretty much "line of sight" with a little bit of "ray bending" allowing you to recieve them slightly beyond the geometric line of sight to the antenna. They are much less susceptible to many types of interference, especially from power line transformers, dimmer switches, engine ignitions, lightning strikes, inter al. Because they are line of sight, they are much less susceptible to distant interference.
Microwaves, like those used for satellite television, are even more "line of sight" than FM. They also suffer from an impairment that FM doesn't, rain attenuation. Signal level loss when traveling through rain is proportional to the fourth power of frequency! ("Rayliegh scattering"). Anyway, the upshot is that signals at satellite TV frequencies, which are about 100X greater than FM, suffer about 100,000,000 (100^4) times more loss when traveling through rain. Bad as that sounds, total loss rarely exceeds a factor of four for satellite TV signals. In the United States this occurs about 0.3% of the time. Typcially, home satellite systems are engineered with about "six dB" (4X) of "link margin" meaning that satellite TV providers boast 99.7% availability. (As opposed to broadcast TV which is near 100%).
The issue gets more complicated with Radar, but short story is, the longer the search range, as a rule, the lower the frequency. Space track radar tend to operate near 450 MHz, Air Route Surveillance (long range ATC ~250 NMI) around 1000 MHz, Air Port Surveillance Radar (~ 60 NMI) around 2300 MHz, airborne radar ( ~10 NMI) at 10,000 MHz.
I think LaQuidera is living it up in Hawaii, I’m not sure though.
I used to have a freind who lived next door to him in Westwood back in the 80’s.
I can’t believe BCN is gone.
Good riddance. Since getting satellite radio in 2004, I haven't given terrestrial radio the time of day except for AM talk shows and the occasional ballgame. Otherwise, terrestrial radio is a wasteland of constant commercials, lame music and disgusting DJ's.
No Way Man.....
Chuckkkkkkkkkkk does a radio podcast from Maui Wowie, IIRC
I wonder what Boston station will take the over the Pats radio games. WEEI or WRKO?
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