Indie Ambassador

'BCN Part Deux: The Aftermath by Andrew Campanella

The end was near…the last song was upon us…

“Shine on you crazy diamond….”

What followed was two minutes of station IDs, hits, punchlines, intros, outros, and a medley of songs declaring “They’re really Rockin’ in Boston.” It was coherent yet chaotic, sincere yet sardonic. How else could you program the last days of WBCN? The last hour, minute, second? Listening to it all, it felt like you were hurrying to finish a final. Professor announces: five minutes left. You just started writing, yet time is almost out. Suddenly, your hand goes into overdrive. Coherence is not a concern. Grammar is as good as gone. Whether the words come from heart or brain, it doesn’t matter. You spew out phrase after phrase, hand and wrist cramping up, trying in vain to get it all down on something tangible before it is too late. Time is up. Pencils down. “Over and out.” Static….

About two hours after BCN’s 12:05 a.m. sign off on August 12th, the 104.1 frequency became Mix 104.1. Not long after that, 98.5 became the home of The Sports Hub, Boston’s first FM sports station. Meanwhile, BCN got stuck in some alternate HD dimension, where nothing is as HD as it seems. Two months later, it’s hard to gauge just how successful this whole thing was.

The last song WBCN played before signing off was Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” Epic selection. The first song Mix 104.1 played after that was “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon. Now, I’m not saying that’s a bad song, but there are far better songs the station could have chosen as their grand entrance. One song in and already they are off to a shaky start. Content-wise, Mix is what it always has been; a little bit better than Kiss 108 but not as good as 92.9 WBOS. They play much of the same music they did at the 98.5 spot, but hearing those Mix 104.1 station IDs is something I’ll never get used to. In addition, the new print advertisements for Mix 104.1 are so ugly they should be considered hate-crimes against those with sight. To be fair, I did hear a few Prince songs on there while scanning through the radio last weekend. Mix 104.1, let’s call it a wash…so far.

The Sports Hub has increased in ratings since its August debut, partly in thanks to morning drive jocks Toucher & Rich. The duo experienced a boost in ratings, too, after moving from WBCN to The Sports Hub. For now, though, the FM sports station can’t hold a candle to AM Goliath WEEI. With 20 years of broadcasting under their belt and exclusive rights to broadcast Red Sox games, it seems EEI shows no signs of slowing down. Can the Sports Hub last against such heavy competition? In an overly appropriate metaphor, Sports Hub program director Mike Thomas stresses that “The Sports Hub is in it for the marathon, not the sprint,” implying that the Hub will continue to increase in ratings over the coming years. Apparently, The Sports Hub as a whole is already performing better than WBCN was in its final days. I’m feeling a little verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves…

And what of Boston’s pride and joy, 104.1 WBCN? Over a month after the August 12th signoff, a private party was held at The Paradise for former staff of the Rock of Boston. While the celebration was closed to the press, someone managed to get some great shots. You can check them out here. Looks like everyone is having a good time.

WBCN is still used as a callsign on 98.5-HD2. After the move to HD, CBS Radio wanted to protect the intellectual property of the WBCN brand. They accomplished this by “parking” both the WBMX callsign and the WBCN callsign at the out-of-state 1660 AM. The Charlotte, North Carolina station was prior known as WFNA, a sports-talk station also owned by CBS Radio. On August 11th, 1660 AM was assigned the WBMX call letters, which were used by Mix 98.5. At that point, Mix 98.5 was getting ready to make the move Mix 104.1 the very next day. Also on August 11th, 98.5 switched its call letters to WBZ-FM, the call letters for the soon-to-be Sports Hub. On August 12th, WBCN 104.1 FM signed off the air. Simultaneously, 1660 AM WBMX and 104.1 WBCN swapped call letters, bringing the stations to where they are today. Oh, and on the 14th, WBCN 1660 AM became “America’s Talk,” a conservative talk station featuring various syndicated shows. Simple enough, right?

If the preceding paragraph made your eyeballs bleed from confusion, it’s okay, mine fell out while I was typing it. However, according to Bill Schoening, the CBS Radio manager for Charlotte, "[Parking a station] is very common in the business. It was a major signal with call letters that still have value and heritage.”

All joking aside, I’m sure the WBCN call letters could have been sold off with ease. It’s good to know that, in a dying industry that is looking for any way to turn a profit, legacy still counts for something.

Two months later, it’s hard to tell if anyone is even listening. When the Rock of Boston moved to WBZ-FM HD2, other HD Radio substations underwent changes to match. WBMX’s two substations stayed with the Mix brand, now at 104.1. Their HD-1 channel has the same content as the analog station, and HD-2 is an 80s-only station. One of WBCN’s substations, Indie 104.1, signed off entirely. Other frequencies’ substations add up to a big mixed bag.

There is one substation, Free Form BCN, which seems to be carrying the flag that 104.1 once held high. Free Form BCN uses classic rock as a foundation and presents it in a seamless mix with new music. The station is programmed by WBCN’s original rock program director, Sam Kopper. Many classic songs, interviews, and bits from WBCN’s heyday are featured on Free Form BCN, all pulled from the station’s large archive. The substation now also streams live online.

In Kopper's words, "We are bringing back the musical, the sociopolitical, the radio technique of the great days of progressive rock radio - the great days of 'BCN, '68 through the '70s. Musically, that means being very diverse and loving new music - being open to new music. It'll be the old revolutionary masters and young radio warriors inspiring each other, using the best of the past and constantly renewing it. That is central to the resurrection of 'BCN's greatest days, of bringing it's spiritual attitudes and soul into the 21st century."

A documentary is in the works entitled “The American Revolution.” It covers the cultural, social, and political impact of WBCN from 1968-1975, when The Rock of Boston was still growing its roots. According to creator Bill Lichtenstein, the film uses and recollections from both listeners and employees. Bill himself was a jock from 1972-1978, starting when he was 15 and going by the name “Little Bill.” The film is non-profit, with donations being accepted online. I, for one, am excited to get a closer look at the BCN my parents grew up listening to.

As a brand, WBCN seems to be lacking something now. It could be budget cuts, staff cuts, or perhaps genuine disinterest. After a complete overhaul, the BCN website, once booming with contests, fan clubs, and more, is now a shell of what it was. The forum, which got plenty of traffic during 104.1 WBCN’s last days, was reformatted, all categories, threads and traces of the old BCN gone. Now, the forum has only 12 threads, and each one has been started by the station itself in a (failed) attempt to spur conversation and interaction. Half of the topics have no replies, and the other half get replies sparingly every few weeks.

According to scattered feedback online, it seems the HD signal that WBCN now broadcasts on doesn’t reach very far north of Boston. There are also problems with the signal sounding too flat and dry. Some listeners praise the fact that Free Form BCN is streaming online; yet everyone seems to agree that there is something missing.

I know there are a select few out there still listening to WBCN religiously, now on their HD radios. But for the majority of Boston rock fans, WBCN’s epitaph seems to have already been written. As for the other analog rock-based stations like WAAF, WFNX and WBOS, nobody seems to be stepping up to fill the void that 104.1 WBCN left behind. For what its worth, with both Free Form BCN, with its use of the archives, and the upcoming documentary about BCN’s heyday, an effort is definitely being made to preserve what once filled that void.

UPDATE ON THE UPDATE: I finished writing this article two days ago. I went to the BCN website today to take a look at something, only to find the entire site has been redesigned, or rather, un-designed. The forum has disappeared all together. All that's left are links to each of the streaming HD stations and a brief FAQ about the current state of BCN. Double-you-tee-eff, guys?