Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond'' played yesterday just before midnight, and afterward a Boston music landmark was no more.
The final days of WBCN in Boston sounded much like the rock radio station did in its pioneering heyday. Since March 15, 1968, the day the self-proclaimed “Rock of Boston” broadcast its first song, the station had been a permanent presence at 104.1 on the FM dial, bringing a blend of underground and progressive music to the masses during its most popular period of the 70’s and 80’s. Today, it is no more, except in the form of online radio.
It is a sign of the times, for sure, but not just for local radio. Over the past 15 years or so, WBCN never could find the proper niche in alternative music made for commercial radio, a problem many stations face even in an era littered with other listening options including satellite and iPods. Thankfully, the final few days of the Boston legend reminded us what it was - and what it meant - not what it had become.
WBCN’s demise comes at the expense of a new sports radio station, 98.5 The Sports Hub, which will see its initial broadcast tomorrow (Mix 98.5 moves to WBCN’s former frequency). Its presence promises a whole new challenge for local sports radio behemoth WEEI-AM (850), and it remains to be seen what the Hub can do with the power of an FM frequency.
As they say, stay tuned.
Comments
The station will live on in a new documentary film, “The American Revolution.” They are collecting stories about the station and memorabilia. It’s at http://www.WBCNthefilm.com
Well, I know that nobody will ever read this here, but don’t let them trick you. WBCN is alive and well on analog radio. Go to North Carolina, you will find it on the AM dial as a conserative talk station. If CBS doesn’t find it usefull anymore, why keep the call letters? Don’t listen to 98.5 HD anything!