[BC] Goodbye Local Radio

[Rich Wood]

------ At 01:47 PM 2/25/2006, Donna Halper wrote: -------

>I will have an essay in tomorrow's Boston Globe about exactly that-- 
>we are losing our only live and local radio station, WJDA, which has 
>served this community (Quincy MA) since 1947.

Even as far back as the 70s WJDA was one of the very few stations 
that didn't try and serve Boston. WJIB's AM, WCAS (now WJIB) was 
another that focused on Watertown, Cambridge, Arlington & Somerville. 
WKOX-AM/FM took care of the Western suburbs.

I believe both WJDA and WKOX both had local news departments. At WKOX 
we actually had radio equipped cars.

Almost all the others tried desperately to serve Boston. Those that 
could move in to Boston did. Even WAAF, Worcester, MA, considers 
itself to be a Boston station.

>  It was sold to a couple of guys who are going to turn it into yet 
> another brokered religion station--  no offence to any of the 
> religious broadcasters on the list, but the market already receives 
> a lot of religious programming, and now it will not have any local 
> news or local content, nothing that is unique to our city.  I feel 
> kind of badly to see yet another local station and another local 
> owner depart.  Is this really what progress is about?

No. However, I've done quite a bit of consulting. There comes a time 
when it's just easier by virtue of a sale or signal deficiencies to 
take the easy road and go canned religion. It's usually cash up front 
and a High School kid to push buttons. I've recommended the canned 
religion approach to many stations that really had no options. They 
made money. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. You just have to 
make sure you keep your cassette machines operating. In many cases 
it's the primary delivery system.

Rich


Rich Wood
Rich Wood Multimedia
Phone: 413-303-9084
FAX: 413-480-0010