NONCOM MARKET PROFILE: BOSTON

A reader sent me a request for a profile of noncommercial radio in the Boston market.  I am pleased to look into Boston because it is one of cradles of noncom broadcasting.  Years before CPB began in the early 1970s, Boston broadcasters were pioneers of public radio and TV.

MARKET PROFILE: BOSTON

METRO POPULATION: 3,800,000

MEDIAN HOME COST: $391,000 (US AVERAGE: $152,000)

MEDIAN AGE: 37.3 (US MEDIAN: 36.4)

% ADULTS COLLEGE GRADUATES: 43.1 (US %: 27.2)

BALTIMORE NONCOMMERCIAL RADIO DIAL

Nielsen Audio Market Rank: 10

FREQ	CALLS	FORMAT	OCTOBER 2015 AQH %	OCTOBER 2015 WEEKLY LISTENERS	ESTIMATED ANNUAL BUDGET (000)
88.1	WMBR	Eclectic Music Mix	NA	NA	$114,000
88.9	WERS	Triple A	0.6	172,300	$1,000,000
89.7	WGBH	NPR News	2.7	316,900	$15,000,000
90.3	WZBC	College Rock	0.7	68,000	$300,000
90.9	WBUR	NPR News	3.1	411,300	$32,704,000
91.5	WMFO	Eclectic Music Mix	NA	NA	$4,000
91.5	WMLM	Student News & Sports	NA	NA	NA
91.9	WUMB	Triple A	0.1	42,100	$1,593,000
95.3	WHRB	Classical & Jazz	NA	NA	$119,000
95.5	WBRU*	Modern Rock	NA	NA	$1,323,000
99.5	WCRB	Classical	2.0	225,000	$6,000,000
102.9	WBPG	Gospel Music	NA	NA	NA
104.3	WRBB	Eclectic Music Mix & Sports	NA	NA	NA

* WBRU is a commercial station owned by a nonprofit corporation; Providence metro

Data Sources: Nielsen Audio PPM October 2015, CPB, IRS 990 Filings, US Census

NONCOMMERCIAL STATION SALUTE: WMBR

Boston is home of very tasty noncom stations, both big and small.  The very big include WBUR, WGBH and WCRB.  WERS and WUMB are sort of big. But the station with perhaps the most heart – WMBR – does the most with the least.

WMBR [link] has been serving listeners since April 1961 when it debuted as WTBS-FM. In the mid-1970s, Ted Turner was building his cable empire. Turner wanted the call letters WTBS.  He made a deal with MIT to purchase them in exchange for a gift of $75,000 to help the station move its transmitter. The call letters WMBR began in November 1979.

WMBR always has had a diverse mix of music and spoken word programming. The programming staff includes MIT students and community folks. For awhile WMBR was the local outlet for Pacifica/NFCB programs like Democracy Now!  Those programs are gone now, replaced by volunteer programs with names like James Dean Death Car Experience, Vegan Soul Food and Cambridge Happy Hour.

Perhaps my favorite program on WMBR is In the Margin hosted by AIR Executive Director Sue Schardt, Bob Roffi and Chuck Rosina. In the Margin is heard Wednesdays from 4:00pm – 5:30pm and via podcast at [link].