'BCN to go off the air

That would require a sense of humor which unfortunately, 'BCN seems to have lost at some point during the 90's.
 
That would require a sense of humor which unfortunately, 'BCN seems to have lost at some point during the 90's.

Yeah. When Charles Laquidara (and Duane Glasscock) got phoned in Upton, Mass. by management, it pretty much marked the end of BCN As It Was (And Always Should Be.)
 
Im a WAAF person.

Novel idea: Rock stations that play rock music and not talk all day!
 
Do you live within ten feet of their tower? I think WERS puts out a stronger signal.
♫♫♪♫♫♪
"Hey, I like this song"
♫♫♪♫♫♪
*skheeeesh*
♫♫♪♫♫♪
*skheeeesh*
♫♫♪♫♫♪
*skheeeesh*

"Ah, fuck this."
 
BCN fell victim to narrow casting. I once enjoyed it because it mixed new music by new artists, new music by established artists, and the occasional non-goofy oldie. Then the owners or programmers got an inferiority complex about FNX, dumped the format and imitated FNX. BCN never recovered even after the FNX clone period ended.

It always stayed on my preset list along with FNX, WERS, 105.7 and others, but with the invention of the steering wheel station selector button, I can replicate BCN of old.
 
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rip_bcn1.jpg
 
So they've already closed the studio even though they're not yet off the air?
 
They recently moved to a new studio location in Brighton, the same building as ch 38.

I guess you could say that move signaled the beginning of the end.
 
BCN never recovered even after the FNX clone period ended.

When the hell did this happen?

Case in point: I hop into my car this afternoon and 'BCN was on, playing Come As You Are by Nirvana. Not really in the mood for Nirvana, I switch over to 'FNX only to hear...Come As You Are by Nirvana.

*sigh*

Not that I ever listen to online radio, but I'm hopeful that maybe the switch will give them a greater degree of freedom in playlist and attitude. I'm not holding my breath.
 
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Boston.com - August 11, 2009
In final hours, WBCN rocks a farewell
Posted by David Beard, Globe Staff August 12, 2009 09:59 AM

By David Beard, Globe Staff

"We're throwing down because we're going down.''

That was the theme of the fourth and final day of pioneering rock station WBCN's farewell to 104.1 on Boston's FM dial.

The last few days have been an education from a station that began 41 years ago as a radical part-time offshoot of the staid Boston Concert Network channel and defined free-form FM programming from 1968 through the 1980s.

The morning's programming featured Steve Nelson, a manager of the legendary Boston Tea Party, where WBCN broadcast its first hour of rock programming in 1968. The venue, which once hosted The Who, Led Zeppelin, and crowd favorites The Velvet Underground, was a part of the emerging rock audience in a city overrun with college students and ready for new music.

The morning show played songs dedicated to rock's rebellious spirit, such as Joan Jett's "I Love Rock and Roll'' and the Police's "I Can't Stand Losing You.'' It also had an air of resignation, playing the last track on the latest CD by Bob Dylan, "It's All Good.''

On Tuesday night, as the station marched to its signoff, 'BCN played Argent's ''Hold Your Head Up'' and Blue Oyster Cult's ''Don't Fear The Reaper'' -- the heavy cowbell version.

In the minutes before midnight, with a final word -- "Peace'' -- the music played, and Eric Clapton's guitar soloed on Cream's "I Feel Free.'' Following it, Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond,'' with its lyric:

"Well you've worn out your welcome with random precision...
''Come on you raver, you seer of visions,
come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!''

And shortly after that, in the first minutes of Wednesday, nothing but static. By morning, the station was pop station Mix 104.

The free-form 'BCN will survive, starting Thursday, on 100.7 HD3 (100.7-3); a version of 'BCN outgoing format will be programmed on 98.5 HD2 (or 98.5-2 for those with an HD radio). Few are under any illusions, even with HD radio giveaways, that the stations will achieve broad popularity.

CBS Radio pulled the plug on 'BCN as part of a switch that will move the pop station to its place on the dial and launch the new Sports Hub to 98.5 on the FM dial.

A final note: "Little Bill'' Lichtenstein, a former 'BCN announcer, is making a documentary entitled "The American Revolution'' about the station's early years, and he filmed its last days. For those with station memories, check out www.WBCNthefilm.com.
 

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