“SANTA HAS DECIDED NOT to visit thousands of households in the Merrimack Valley this year.
Globe Santa, that is.”
Now that’s a lede.
This is Bill Kirk of The Eagle-Tribune in North Andover, Mass., in a story about how the Boston Globe has decided to cut back its generous Globe Santa program in Lawrence, Haverhill and Lowell. But that doesn’t seem to be Mr. Kirk’s real point.
He goes on to quote Bob Powers, Globe vice president of marketing and communications:
“‘As with many charitable organizations, the demand for services has increased significantly while our fund-raising has remained flat or worse’ … Powers said that at least part of the reason for the cut-back has been the continuing success of fund-raising programs by organizations such as The Eagle-Tribune, which sponsors the Santa Fund.” …
Al Getler, publisher of The Eagle-Tribune, said the newspaper’s holiday fund-raiser will continue. … “The Eagle-Tribune’s Santa Fund is still very much in place.”
In your face, New York Times Company.
WE LOVE COURTNEY HOLLANDS of the Boston Globe, as we made painfully clear in our exposé on her dressing up like a Lite Brite for Halloween.
But she’s now elevated her fashion to loftier heights.
Fashion Boston, a giant pamphlet ad for Macy’s produced by the Globe, has taken on Ms. Hollands as sole editrix. For its latest edition, Fashion Boston has put some hot model babe in hot model clothes (shoes? Not so much) and set her in front of … a wall of crinkled tin foil. “Go forth and sparkle,” she writes in the editor’s letter.
Our lone Media Farm intern remarked, “Is that lady trapped inside a Jiffy Pop container?” Which led us to say, “You remember Jiffy Pop? What grade are you in?” before we found Ms. Hollands in a Boston.com “live chat” on the topic of “what to do over the weekend.” We posed as the Globe‘s buddy, John Henry, and asked her about popcorn.
John H: Hey CH, I’ve got a date this weekend, and we’re planning to stay inside and watch a movie. Do you have a favorite popcorn or a favorite popcorn topping?
Courtney Hollands: This question is awesome—Air pop it for sure. I like a little butter. Cabot white cheddar topping if I’m feeling saucy. And I always brake for kettle corn. Salty and sweet, my favorite.
John H: How about a movie recommendation [sic]?
Courtney Hollands: A movie rec for your at-home date? That is so subjective John H.! I finally saw “Milk” last Friday night and it was excellent, but it all depends what you are in the mood for. Probably a comedy? Is “Get Him to the Greek” out? Love that one.
So there you have it: Find a date, rent Milk, air pop some popcorn and put some fucking cheddar cheese on it (but only if you’re feeling saucy). You’re done.
THE NEVER-ENDING BLATHER of Boston sports talk radio has been a hot topic of late as WBZ-FM‘s 98.5 station, “The Sports Hub,” has started to dominate the land of chattering idiots. For years, the king of call-in complaining in Boston was WEEI, which is on the AM dial at 850 kHz. WBZ, however, is on the FM dial, thereby making it not sound like an irritated toaster. The Sports Hub was introduced in August 2009 to great fanfare and has since started to corner the market on nannering nincompoops.
Most recently, it was reported that WBZ The Sports Hub had overtaken the goliath-like WEEI in both the morning and afternoon drive times.
If our grapevine is right [ripe!—Ed.], all that is about to change.
Entercom, who owns WEEI-AM 850, is quickly moving on a plan to buy WFNX-FM 101.7 from the Phoenix Media/Communications Group. From there, the rumor is they will flip that with WMKK-FM 93.7 (otherwise known as “Mike FM,” aka Media Farm’s favorite radio station) and put WEEI on the FM dial at 93.7FM. This will lead to a few things:
1. WEEI avoids the broken toaster syndrome.
2. The Sports Hub has another crowd of tantrum-loving, wife-beating cavemen to fight with over its FM ratings.
3. The Sports Hub will have to change more than a few reels of radio IDs, which claim FM dominance, and …
4. Media Farm will no longer tune in to 101.7FM to play its favorite drinking game: “Foo Fighters or MGMT?”
WEEI is the broadcast radio partner of the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Celtics. The Sports Hub, meanwhile, has the New England Patriots and the Boston Bruins. The move should be timed to premiere sometime after the Bruins win the Stanley Cup and just before the Red Sox start their season of suck.
To us, all it means is that PM/CG is eager to sell off its ailing properties and we will have to change the radio preset on button number one. Bummer.
Stay tuned [!!!—Ed].
PHOTO FROM LIFE MAGAZINE.
© 1999-2013 Dig Publishing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Very sad….and I wonder what becomes of the 92.1 signals in Maine and New Hampshire after this sale. I assume that Entercom or someone else is purchasing those…
Both Entercom and Phoenix Comm. are denying the rumor; too bad, as I would able to pick up Red Sox games at work. In the Herald, The Dig’s Jeff Lawrence is quoted as standing by his story. The facts are these: WEEI’s signal is not the best. At night they must point away from other stations, so they go north/south. To remedy this they have a few other “network” stations like 103.7 FM down in Providence, but they need something on FM closer to Boston…FM, like their new rival at 98.5…FM, with no interference, etc.
Problem is we doubt companies like CBS, Clear Channel, or Greater Media would sell one of their stations to Entercom, and if they did it would be “wicked expensive”. And Ent. is happy with “Mike”, so there goes the idea of putting it there. The idea of Mike shifting to 101.7–well, they’d reach some people but 101.7 isn’t the best signal either, esp. since they have to point away from Providence (B-101.5) and the Cape (101.9 in Falmouth).
Yes WFNX may eventually be sold; yes WEEI may wind up on an FM within 128 (and tech. Red Sox games are on 104.9 in Beverly/Gloucester) but so far no indication the rumor is true. If it is, Dig has a scoop.
Meanwhile 98.5 has had its best ratings yet. Maybe someday WEEI will land on FM and that could help them.
http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/news/mediaBiz/index.php/2010/12/02/985-the-sports-hub-scores-best-ratings-yet/