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Deal could keep WCRB classical (Boston radio)
Boston Globe ^ | 06/27/06 | Clea Simon

Posted on 06/27/2006 7:48:00 AM PDT by raccoonradio

Station likely to get new home on the dial

If all goes as planned, local classical music fans will be able to keep listening to their favorite radio programming on WCRB-FM. But instead of tuning into 102.5 as they now do, they'll turn to another frequency on the FM dial, 99.5.

The current WCRB-FM is being sold to Greater Media, which owns 19 radio stations, including five in Boston. Much speculation has surrounded the station's fate -- and its classical format. But it appears the format will live on, if on a station that's more difficult to hear in the city.

The Globe has learned that Greater Media is in negotiations to sell its 99.5 frequency -- currently country music station WKLB-FM -- to New Jersey-based Nassau Broadcasting. Greater Media would retain the WKLB call letters and country music format and switch them to 102.5, a stronger signal in Boston, said Heidi Raphael, Greater Media's director of corporate communications. In turn, Nassau hopes to launch a classical music format on 99.5 -- and then apply to the Federal Communications Commission for the WCRB call letters.

(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: boston; classical; country; globe; greater; media; nassau; radio; wcrb; wklb
Am into country myself, not classical, but it would be good for classical fans (no need to have to get an HD radio to hear the signal)
1 posted on 06/27/2006 7:48:06 AM PDT by raccoonradio
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To: raccoonradio

Roll over Beethoven and tell Toby Keith the news. Actually 99.5 doesn't do too badly north of Boston where I am and in other areas as well.


2 posted on 06/27/2006 7:51:04 AM PDT by raccoonradio
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To: raccoonradio

Even with CRB you still can't hear the opera on Saturday afternoons.

The vulgarians have taken over.


3 posted on 06/27/2006 7:51:45 AM PDT by ladyjane
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To: ladyjane

The Met Opera you mean? I think that moved to one of the college stations years ago (WHRB/Harvard, I believe). While I'm not into classical or opera, I do remember Texaco running ads on TV about their sponsorship of the Met opera and
it showed a farmer out in the boonies tuning in to hear some
opera...(and I don't mean Grand Ole Opry!)


4 posted on 06/27/2006 7:56:23 AM PDT by raccoonradio
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To: ladyjane

For those of us in Kansas City, we lost our FM classical station some years ago and it re-appeared in AM at the far right end of the dial. The alternative is to listen to the Kansas University FM station in Lawrence but that disposes us to the left's plaything NPR which I dispise with a purple passion. So, I carry numerous CDs in the car to invoke Brunhilda, Tosca, and Carmen when the lightning crackles on my AM dial. Pity me.


5 posted on 06/27/2006 7:59:00 AM PDT by CARTOUCHE (The pen is mightier than the sword and so much easier to conceal.)
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To: raccoonradio

You're right, they moved it to the Harvard Station. Easy to hear if you live in Cambridge. The signal is not that strong.

They moved it years ago and I'm still upset about it!!

Worst of all some Harvard sports events pre-empt the opera.


6 posted on 06/27/2006 8:00:23 AM PDT by ladyjane
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To: ladyjane

> Even with CRB you still can't hear the opera on Saturday afternoons.

You have to listen to the Met on WHRB 95.3.

> The vulgarians have taken over.

Even if their playlist is somewhat limited, it would be a shame to lose WCRB. I thought Charles River Broadcasting was held by some kind of trust that guaranteed a classicl format for another 80 years. Guess I need to go back and read the rest of the article.


7 posted on 06/27/2006 8:08:48 AM PDT by cloud8
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To: raccoonradio
WCRB gone? Well, there goes one of the very few remaining things I miss about MA. I hope the BSO, Tanglewood, and the Pops at the Hatch Shell on the Fourth survive a bit longer...

Oh -- and fresh-off-the-tree Maccoun apples...

8 posted on 06/27/2006 8:17:47 AM PDT by TXnMA ("Allah" = Satan in disguise)
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To: TXnMA

maybe not gone totally, but just gone to a new frequency--in a month or so, it looks like. When the news came that Greater Media, owner of WTKK (talk), WROR (classic hits), WKLB
(country), WMJX (soft rock), and WBOS (adult album) was buying WCRB, radio experts knew that under FCC rules (limit of
5 FMs in same city the size of Boston), that one would have to be sold off to make room--and it would probably be the 99.5
where WKLB is.

Sure enough, that seems to be happening now.

In some cities classical disappeared entirely...in others
(Cleveland comes to mind--with WCLV, which origanates
the "Weekend Radio" show that blends classical with
humor), it just moved to other frequencies.

There indeed is a "trust" the owner set into place before his death that promised the station would remain classical
for 99 years or so, and word had it Greater Media was going to try to place the signal on HD-radio--so you'd have to get a special radio to pick it up. Now it looks like there's
a solution, since Nassau Broadcasting won't mind keeping
it classical.

I think WCRB has a tradition of simulcasting the Pops
4th of July concert, don't they? I remember once back in the 70s or 80s when my Dad and I visited a friend of his who had a boat at the Charles Gate Yacht Club--we saw the fireworks
and could hear the music (better) via WCRB.


9 posted on 06/27/2006 1:05:56 PM PDT by raccoonradio
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To: raccoonradio

WCRB usually does live broadcasts of the Pops and the BSO, and they have Kids Classical Hour on the weekends. It's a great station, but at least their just moving it and not getting rid of it entirely, from what I can understand from the article. If they get rid of it entirely, I'll be angry....


10 posted on 06/27/2006 3:47:07 PM PDT by Beaker
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To: Beaker

More, from Boston Radio Watch:

Like country music? If not, you will soon have an opportunity to learn to appreciate it more on one of market's most prominent signals.

After spending much of the winter and spring unsuccessfully chasing after the Red Sox radio rights, Greater Media now appears to be ready to make the next big radio programming move which will deliver plenty of twangin' and bangin' on the Boston radio dial later this summer. The Braintree-based media company has stated that it plans to flip flop country and classical music formats on the FM band. As the result, Boston radio will soon have a powerful country FM station residing on the 102.5FM frequency while ensuring the preservation of the lone 24/7 commercial classical outlet on not-so-wide 99.5FM position.

Last Wednesday(6/21), a day after the on-line industry trade publication AllAccess.com broke the story about Greater Media and Charles River Broadcasting formally agreeing on a format and call letter swap, Greater Media's management informed staffers at its WKLB-FM/Country 99.5FM in Dorchester and employees over at Charles River Broadcasting’s WCRB-FM/Classical 102.5FM in Waltham of the likely scenario in the upcoming station/format moves on the Boston radio dial. Greater Media told the staffers of both station that they’re negotiating a deal with Princeton,NJ-based radio firm Nassau Broadcasting which would be buying the 99.5FM frequency. Greater Media needs to shed one of its local FM signals to comply with regulatory market caps which allow a company to own up to five market signals on one band(Greater Media would end up with six FM signals with its acquisition of WCRB 102.5FM putting it one over the FCC limit). When the deal is completed, Nassau would own the classical format and keep WCRB call letters which would then move from 102.5 to 99.5 while Greater Media takes country format and WKLB call letters from 99.5 to its new acquisition 102.5FM.

Although country music has performed fairly well ratings-wise on a suburban 99.5FM signal since moving there from 96.9FM(currently talk WTKK-FM) in August 1997, Greater Media hopes to fill the gap between WKLB's current audience ranking (overall 9th based on most recent Arbitron survey) and its ability to generate bigger revenues(16th based on 2005 numbers) after country music settles on a much stronger 102.5FM frequency.

It will also be interesting to see how classical format fares on the 99.5FM if Nassau does indeed program Mozart and Bach in the long run, and according to company's bosses in today's Globe story they intend to do so after the deal is reached. Over the years, WCRB has never been able to capture the widest advertising market(was 18th overall in 2005), but it has done quite well in the ratings (the latest numbers place it 8th in the overall listenership in the Boston market) thanks a strong signal and its branding as a relaxing classical music station playing short and popular pieces for the masses as opposed to catering to a more serious and knowledgeable classical music aficionados. The marketing has worked brilliantly but hasn't quite translated into dollars which Nassau will attempt to rectify.

The proposed country-classical swap seems somewhat of an afterthought considering how determined Greater Media was about landing the Red Sox game broadcasts on its WBOS 92.9FM earlier this spring with strongly rumored plans of launching a new sports station there as part of an equity swap with the overly-greedy baseball franchise. In the 11th hour, Greater Media dropped out of the bidding process for the Sox radio package which got retained by the incumbent Entercom in a record-breaking rights deal.


11 posted on 06/28/2006 12:21:06 AM PDT by raccoonradio
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