WFNX was a listening playground for many people. Boston is a fertile ground for alternative rock at both a national and local level. Because of the many colleges and universities in the Boston area, college students listen to a wide variety of music and WFNX was one of those stations that helped to mold their listening moods.
A lot of kids were introduced to the station and then never left the area, and with the announcement that it is being sold, many of these kids, who are now adults, are sad and annoyed that this station is disappearing.
This is the unfortunate nature of commercial radio today, as so many young adults today need music at their fingertips, playing music on their iPhone, iPod, PC or another device.
They need their music real time, so a lot of them listen to websites that stream music as well. They want their music now, which is too bad, because the WFNX soundtrack is and was definitely something unique that other stations had yet to pick up on or maybe would never pick up on. The other stations in the area do not classify themselves as purely alternative stations and they predominantly play different types of music.
There will be a hole in the Boston radio market when WFNX goes off the air because the uniqueness of their playlist will be lost and gone forever. Many people will emigrate to other music avenues if they have not done so already. The likes of WFNX will not be seen again. The DJs will not be heard again in the same manner. Commercial radio is losing the personal touch in Boston and removing WFNX from the airwaves will be one further lost gem of a station not only for its music but also for its DJs and sponsored events.
WFNX has been sponsored and been involved in lots of events over the years either from their concerts to their sponsoring of beer events to many others. They have great knowledge and provide great amounts of detail of the bands that they play.
Also, they have ties to the area either having grown up here, gone to college here or have worked for the station for years. It just would not be the same experience to listen to this same type of music without their input. The struggle is for advertising and the sheer pie that has shrunk. For example, every week 96 percent of every Phoenix that is put out is picked up.
There has been zero falloff in terms of readership and listenership. But think about that — yes and no. Satellite radio is big but it has a tiny, tiny percentage of the radio audience. Broadcast radio still reaches enormous numbers of people. You know, the CD has been around, the cassette has been around, the MP3 has been around — and yet there is still a relationship that takes place to local media and to local listeners!
It all remains with us. By the way, I have zero idea what kind of programming format they are planning. This program aired on May 18, The audio for this program is not available. Skip to main content. No, the looming disappearance of WFNX feels like losing a piece of our local identity. That commitment to its mission endeared the station to generations of listeners. Clubs used to need that radio piece.
I think to a certain extent that has changed now with the advent of music blogs, Twitter, and things like Pandora and Spotify. Sauveur understands those financial pressures. Sauveur says with a laugh. The problem, of course, lies in the ratings. At press time, Clear Channel had not announced any plans for the station, though there have been rumblings about a format switch — possibly to talk radio, commercial country, or Spanish-language programming.
Stephen M.
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