July 14, 2009 : Last Call for the Rock of Boston

>> TONIGHT ON "GREATER BOSTON",

A MAJOR SHAKEUP IN THE WORLD

OF RADIO.

THE ROCK OF BOSTON WILL SOON

BE SILENCED.

PLUS A LOCAL BRIDAL LANDMARK

SHOP IS NO MORE.

WHY YOLANDA IS CLOSING HER

STORE.

AND MEET THE LOCAL

ENTREPRENEUR WHO STEPPED IN TO

SAVE A FACTORY AND NEARLY 100

JOBS IN CHELSEA.

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GOOD EVENING.

AFTER 41 YEARS, WBCN FM THE

ROCK OF BOSTON WILL SOON BE

HISTORY.

CBS WHICH OWNS BCN AND FOUR

OTHER LOCAL RADIO STATIONS, IS

PLANNING A COMPLEX MUSICAL

CHAIRS WHICH WILL MOVE MIX

98.5'S FORMAT TO WBCN AND TURN

THE OLD MIX INTO WBZFM ON ALL

SPORTS STATIONS, THE SPORTS

HUB.

JARRED BOWEN HAS MORE.

>> Reporter: AFTER A STORIED

HISTORY, IT'S THE BC END.

>> WE ARE THE FIRST TO PLAY

LED ZEPPELIN IN THE COUNTRY,

FIRST TO PLAY U2, BROKE ACTS

LIKE ELVIS COSTELLO.

SO THOSE WERE EXCITING DAYS.

>> Reporter: BUT 41 YEARS

AFTER BBCN ESTABLISHED ITSELF

AS THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED

PROGRESSIVE ROCK FORMAT AND

WITH UNPRECEDENTED

PERSONALITIES, THE SELF

PROCLAIMED ROCK OF BOSTON WILL

BE NO MORE.

>> THE STATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN

ABOUT MUSIC AND SPORTS.

WE'VE SEEN HOW ALL OVER THE

COUNTRY SPORTS STATIONS HAVE

BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL, AND

BOSTON IS A HUGELY SUCCESSFUL

SPORTS TOWN.

>> Reporter: SO ALL SPORTS IT

WILL BE.

NEXT MONTH THE OWNER CBS RADIO

WILL BUMP BCN AND MOVE THE MIX

98.5 STATION TO BCN'S 104.1

PLACE ON THE DIAL.

AND IN THE VACANT 98.5 SLOT,

CBS IS LAUNCHING AN ALL SPORTS

FM STATION CALLED THE SPORTS

HUB.

>> THE ROCK AND ROLL MENTALITY

I THINK IS A GREAT THING TO

BRING TO THE TABLE.

>> Reporter: BILLED AS THE

WIDEEST ASSORTMENT OF PORTS

TALK AND PLAY BY PLAY

PROGRAMMING, THE STATION WILL

ALSO BE HOME TO THE PATRIOTS

AND BRUINS.

WHY, 28-YEAR BCN VETERAN SAYS

SIMPLY PUT YOU CAN FIND THE

SAME MUSIC ELSE ARE.

>> WITH THED AVENT OF I PODS,

THE AUDIENCE BECOMES

FRAGMENTED WITH ALL THE NEW

MEDIA.

>> Reporter: WITH THE CHANGES

COME THE INEVITABLE LAYOFFS.

THE STATION ISN'T SAYING

ANYTHING YET, OTHER THAN TO

SAY IT WILL INVOLVE ON AIR

STAFF AND PRODUCERS.

>> BITTERSWEET, IT'S AN

EMOTIONAL THING FOR ME.

YET I LIKE TO LOOK FORWARD TO

THE FUTURE.

>> WITH ME NOW IS FORMER WBCN

PROGRAM DIRECTOR OEDIPUS, AND

BRETT MILANO, AUTHOR OF BOSTON

ROCK AND ROLL.

OEDIPUS, YOU STARTED AS A DISK

JOKE IN 1977, MOVED UP TO

PROGRAM DIRECTOR.

DID THIS COME AS A SURPRISE TO

YOU?

>> NOT REALLY.

THE STATION'S RATINGS HAVE

BEEN DETERIORATING OVER THE

PAST FEW YEARS.

SO OBVIOUSLY THE REVENUES HAVE

BEEN DETERIORATING.

SO THEY HAD TO MAKE A CHANGE.

>> BUT DO YOU THINK IT'S

SOMETHING THEY BROUGHT ON

THEMSELVES?

WAS THIS A LOW DEATH BY

MORPHINE FORMATS?

>> THEY DEFINITELY BROUGHT IT

ON THEMSELVES, THEY WERE

WOEFULLY MISMANAGED.

THEY TOOK MOST OF THE

CREATIVITY OUT OF THE

PROGRAMMING, AND LET THE SUITS

PROGRAM THE RADIO STATION.

THE FOCUS GROUPS, THE RESEARCH

AND THAT'S THE DEATH OF ANY

RADIO STATION WHEN IT'S NO

LONGER EVOLVING.

>> YOU LOOK AT ALL THE LOCAL

TALENT, YOU, CHARLES LAQUIDARA,

CHARLES SEGAL.

BUT A LOT OF RADIO STATIONS

DRIFTED AWAY FROM THAT.

>> BCN JUST RUSTED AWAY.

THEY GOT AWAY FROM THEIR POINT

OF BEING PART OF THE BOSTON

INSTITUTION.

BCth WAS A BOSTON INSTITUTION,

LIKE THE RED SOX, LIKE THE

BOSTON GLOBE.

IT WAS EXCITING, YOU HAD TO

LISTEN TO WBCN TO KNOW WHAT

WAS GOING ON, IN MUSIC AND

ALSO WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN

TERMS OF LIFESTYLE. AND THAT

JUST ENDED.

>> WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON THAT,

BRETT?

>> ONE THING I'D SAY IS THAT

DESPITE WHAT HE SAID, THE BCN

THAT I REMEMBER WASN'T SO MUCH

ABOUT MUSIC AND SPORTS.

IT WAS ABOUT MUSIC, MUSIC, AND

MUSIC.

AND MAYBE SOME SPORTS DOWN THE

LINE.

AND IT DID BIND A LOT OF

PEOPLE TOGETHER.

YOU WERE PART OF A DIFFERENT

KIND OF ALTERNATIVE CULTURE IF

YOU HUNG OUT AT THE RAD OR THE

CHANNEL OR ANY OF THOSE PLACES.

IT WAS A WHOLE SLIGHTLY

DIFFERENT MIND SET FROM WHAT

YOU MAY ARE SEEN IN THE

MAINSTREAM OF BOSTON CULTURE.

AND BCN PLUGGED RIGHT INTO

THAT AND THEY BROUGHT TO IT

THE MAINSTREAM, WHICH WAS A

PRETTY IMPRESSIVE THING TO DO.

>> WHO WAS IN THE BANDS THAT

THEY RECALL PUT ON THE SCENE

HEERZ?

>> ASIDE FROM THE ONCE YOU

MENTIONED, CERTAINLY U2 AND A

LOT OF THE BIGGIES DID GET

THEIR FIRST PLACE.

BUT THANKS TO BCN PEOPLE LIKE

THE PIXIES, MISSION OF BURMA,

MANY GREAT BOSTON BANDS FROM

HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE AND THE

DREZ DEN DOLLS.

AND BECAUSE OF THAT PEOPLE

THAT LIVED HERE WOULD HEAR

THEM NEXT IN 2 ROW --

THE ROTATION TO U2.

SO YOU HAD THOSE TWO THINGS

FEEDING INTO EACH OTHER AND AS

A RESULT THE VERY VITAL CLUB

SCENE.

>> I THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH THE

FORMAT HAS CHANGED, BUT YOU

I'M WONDERING IF WHAT HE SAID

IS TRUE, THAT IT'S ALL ABOUT

WHAT YOU CAN GET ELSEWHERE.

THE INTERNET, OR MIXING YOUR

OWN MUSIC.

IS THERE A WAY THAT RADIO

COULD STILL COMPETE WITH THAT?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

IT WAS MORE THAN JUST THE

MUSIC.

THE MUSIC WAS VITAL, BUT IT

WAS EVERYTHING THAT CAME

BETWEEN THE SONGS.

IT WAS THE DISK JOCKEYS AND

WHAT THEY COMMUNICATED.

THE HUMOR, THE INFORMATION.

HOW THEY ENHANCED YOUR LIFE,

PLUS THE PRODUCTION.

THE WHOLE IMAGING OF THE RADIO

STATION WAS TITLE, IT WAS A

WHOLE ENTITY, IT A LIVING,

BREATHING ENTITY.

IT WAS JUST NOT, JUST NOT

SIMPLY MUSIC PLAYED BACK TO

BACK TO BACK.

IT WAS FUN TO LISTEN TO.

>> IT'S LIKE WHAT KISS 108

DOES NOW WITH MATTIE IN THE

MORNING.

BUT THE REST OF THE DAY IS

JUST, YOU KNOW, MILK TOAST.

THE ONLY POINT OF IN THE DAY

IS HIM.

AND YET THAT'S A RADIO STATION

THAT'S KIND OF MADE IT.

>> IT'S ALWAYS BEEN POPULAR

AND TOP 40 WILL ALWAYS BE

POPULAR, IT'S A GENRE THAT

YOUNG PEOPLE FIND ATTRACTIVE.

BUT THE REST OF THE STATION

DOESN'T EQUAL MATTIE'S RATINGS

BECAUSE HE'S PHENOMINAL.

>> A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HOWARD

STERN WAS THE DOWNFALL OF BCN.

DO YOU BUY INTO THAT?

>> ONE THING I'LL SAY IS THAT

THE PERSONALITY AGAIN THAT I'M

REMEMBERING FROM BCN WASN'T

QUITE THE SAME AS THE

PERSONALITY ON OTHER STATIONS.

MAYBE IT WAS A LITTLE BIT

SMARTER, DEFINITELY, A LITTLE

HIPER.

IT HAD A BIT OF THAT LEFT OF

CENTER KIND OF, YOU COULD FEEL

CLUED INTO SOMETHING BY BEING

PART OF IT.

AND HOWARD STERN DOES WHAT HE

DOES, DOES IT REAL WELL.

I THINK THE DOWNFALL OF A LOT

OF RADIO HAS BEEN PEOPLE

TRYING TO BE HOWARD STERN, AND

I DON'T THINK THERE'S BEEN

VERY MANY PEOPLE BEING GREAT

ON THE RADIO DOING THAT.

AND I THINK YOU HAVE SEEN AN

AWFUL LOT OF THAT, INCLUDING

THE MODERN DAY BCN.

>> YOU WERE A PROGRAM DIRECTOR

WHEN HE WAS ON THE AIR.

DID YOU FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT

HIM?

>> HOWARD STERN IS THE

GREATEST BROADCASTER EVER, HOW

COULD YOU NOT HAVE HOWARD

STERN.

WHEN WE FIRST PUT HIM ON THE

AIR, WE THOUGHT IT WAS THE END

OF THE WORLD.

BUT WITHIN A WEEK PEOPLE

REALIZED HOW PHENOMINAL HE

WAS.

HE FIT IN, HIS LEFT OF CENTER

HUMOR FIT IN WITH WHAT BWCN

ALWAYS WAS.

>> EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T

LOCAL.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

AND THERE'S VERY FEW PEOPLE

LIKE THAT WHO ARE THAT TALL

EPED.

BUT AN ICON HAS DIED, JUST

LIKE WHEN MICHAEL JACKSON

DIED.

AND YOU DON'T EXPECT ICONS TO

DIE, BECAUSE YOU DATE YOURSELF

BY THESE ICONS, WHETHER IT'S

MICHAEL JACKSON OR BCN.

NOW THAT THEY'VE DIED, YOU GO,

OH.

>> WHAT ROLE DID THE PATRIOTS

HAVE TO DO IN ALL THIS?

I'M A PATRIOTS LISTENER ON THE

RADIO.

BUT I GOTTA TELL YOU, I ALWAYS

FOUND I BIZARRE THAT IT WAS ON

BCN.

HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

>> WELL, JONATHAN KRAFT LOVED

BWCN AND HE ALWAYS WANTED THE

PATRIOTS TO BE ON FM.

IT SOUNDS BETTER.

GILL AND GINO SOUTHBOUND SO

MUCH BETTER ON FM.

SO YOU TAKE A SUNDAY, THE

LOWEST RATED DAY OF THE WEEK,

AND YOU PUT ON A PHENOMINAL

SPORTS TEAM, AND YOU HAVE

GREAT SOUNDS, AND THEY GAVE ME

THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE,

THEY GAVE ME THIS BLANK SLATE.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH

THE GAME, POST GAME, PREGAME.

SO WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE A

REALLY INTERESTING SPORTS

SUNDAY.

IT WAS ONLY ON SUNDAY.

AND IT WAS ONLY 16 SUNDAYS,

UNLESS WE WENT TO THE

PLAY-OFFS, THEN IT WENT 20

WHICH WAS OKAY.

>> I'M WONDERING WHAT YOU

THINK NOW, BRETT, IF IT ALL

SPORTS, YOU KNOW, TUNE IN ON

SUNDAY, AND THEN WHEN YOU COME

BACK INTO YOUR CAR ON MONDAY

IT'S ON THAT STATION AND IT'S

ALL SPORTS.

ISN'T THAT PROBABLY MORE

LIKELY GOING TO ATTRACT MORE

AND MORE LISTENERS?

AS OPPOSED TO, OH, IT'S BCN, I

GOTTA GET OFF OF THIS, GET TO

EEI TO CATCH MY SPORTS FIX.

>> IT WILL ATTRACT DIFFERENT

LISTENERS.

THERE IS MORE OVERLAP PROBABLY

NOWADAYS BETWEEN THE SPORTS

FANS AND THE ROCK FANS.

FROM WHERE I COME FROM --

FROM WHERE I COME FROM IT'S

ALWAYS BEEN TWO VERY DIFFERENT

CULTURES, IN MY ERA THE ROCK

PEOPLE PRIDED THEMSELVES ON

BEING UNDER NOURISHED AND

UNSPORTSMAN LIKE.

AND IT WAS GOOD TO HAVE A

RADIO STATION SAYING WE'RE

WITH YOU.

THIS IS KIND OF A FUN WAY TO

BE.

>> THAT'S A GOOD POINT.

SO YOU PROBABLY AGREE WITH

THAT TOO, MRS. MORE CROSSOVER

NOW?

>> THE SPORTS FIGURES ARE THE

NEW ROCK STARS.

THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE THE

DRUG PROBLEMS, THEY'RE THE

ONES THAT HAVE THE AFFAIRS,

THEY'RE THE ONES --

NOW WE ALL WORRY ABOUT OUR

SPORTS FIGURES, THEY'VE REALLY

BECOME PROMINENT.

>> BUT JONATHAN KRAFT DIDN'T

WANT YOU TALKING ABOUT THAT.

>> NO, BUT THAT'S WHAT SPORTS

RADIO WANTS.

>> THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING,

IT'S PROBABLY A GOOD THING FOR

THE STATION.

IT'S NOT BCN ANY MORE, BUT FOR

98.5.

>> IT A GOD THING IF THEY CAN

GENERATE MORE REVENUE.

THEY'RE ONLY DOING THIS TO

GENERATE MORE REVENUE AND

THAT'S BECAUSE THEY FAILED

MUSICLY, BECAUSE THEY LOST

THEIR CREATIVITY.

BECAUSE IT WAS WOEFULLY

MISMANAGED.

>> IT'S A CBS STATION.

I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THAT

THEY RAN, HOW MANY WERE O AND

O IN BOSTON, AT LEAST 2,

RIGHT?

I DON'T KNOW, THEY HAVE FIVE

AFFILIATES IN BOSTON.

>> THEY OWN FIVE.

>> SO THIS IS A MOVE THAT THEY

ARE ALSO MAKING IN OTHER

STATION AS CROSS THE COUNTRY.

THERE MUST BE SOMETHING ABOUT

SPORTS.

>> SPORTS IS POPULAR, SPORTS

MAKES MONEY.

EEI MAKES MONEY.

SO THEY'RE SAYING WHY NOT BE

ON FM, BECAUSE FM SOUNDS SO

MUCH BETTER THAN AM.

AND PLUS THEY HAVE THE

PATRIOTS.

>> NOW THAT RKO HAS THE RED

SOX FOR THE MOST PART, IS THIS

PROBLEMATIC FOR EEI TO HAVE

ANOTHER ALL SPORTS STATION IN

TOWN?

>> COMPETITION, ABSOLUTELY.

THEY'RE GOING AFTER THE SAME

DOLLARS.

>> THEY WOULDN'T RETURN MY

PHONE CALL TODAY, I CAN'T

IMAGINE WHY.

>> THEY'RE NOT HAPPY BIT.

THE MUSIC STATIONS ARE HAPPY

ABOUT IT.

THE SPORTS STATIONS ARE NOT

HAPPY ABOUT IT.

>> COMPETITION, THEY DON'T

HAVE ANY GAMES, THAT'S THEIR

PROBLEM.

>> THERE IS WAY MORE OF A --

>> 92.9, THEY BUTCHERED THEIR

FORMAT TOO.

EVERYTHING DOES CHANGE.

OEDIPUS, BRETT MILANO, THANK

YOU FOR COMING.