everything falls apart

The only cool commercial radio station in boston (WFNX) has been sold to ClearChannel. Man, everything gets worse and worse:

"Boston alternative rock station WFNX 101.7 FM is being sold to the massive radio company Clear Channel Communications Inc., according to a memo from Stephen M. Mindich, the founder of the Phoenix Media/Communications Group, which owns the station. The group also owns the Boston Phoenix, the Providence Phoenix and Stuff Magazine.

WFNX, which was founded in 1983, has been one of the last independent radio stations in the Boston market, catering to a new music niche. But Mindich indicated in his memo that the ratings are no longer high enough to keep the station in business on its own.

“Despite its celebrated history, its cutting edge programming, its tradition of breaking new music, its ardent fans among listeners and advertisers, for some time it has been difficult to sustain the station -- especially since the start of the Great Recession,” Mindich wrote in the memo. “And that is why the station is being sold."



Post Edited (05-16-12 12:08)

That's too bad...a great station.

I am devastated. There is so little left out there that I care about anymore.

Quote

“Despite its celebrated history, its cutting edge programming, its tradition of breaking new music, its ardent fans among listeners and advertisers, for some time it has been difficult to sustain the station -- especially since the start of the Great Recession,” Mindich wrote in the memo. “And that is why the station is being sold."

"Yeah. I wouldn't worry about it though ...

... it's not a big college town."

When my grandfather kicked me out of "the den" for having the nerve to watch Live Aid on a perfectly nice summer day, I went down to the basement and listened to it on WFNX.

With the benefit of hindsight, maybe my grandfather was right, but WFNX was one of the good ones. By the time I reached adulthood, every time I was within signal range, I'd set my radio on 101.7 for the duration...although the NH simulcast station (left of the dial) came in handy on several occasions, as well.

My cousin George used to have this Toyota pickup with a broken cassette player and the dial super glued to 101.7.

You may want to hit up WEQX 102.7 (Manchester, Vermont) on the Internet. . . One of New England's last independent (commercial) alternative stations. And still quite good.