Apparently, abrupt format changes are a common phenomenon in the radio industry. A station switches to a new format without warning, fires all of its employees, and leaves its listeners wondering WTF just happened. Is that any way to run a business?
Sometimes listener protests follow. Several years ago, passionate listeners of D.C’s WHFS took to the streets when their alternative rock station made a sudden change to a tropical Latin format. The protest worked…and the station was resurrected, albeit at a new location on the “dial.” That seemed to last until 2007, when they went to a talk format…or something…If you can make sense of this Wikipedia entry then all the more power to you.
Otherwise, just watch this video of the protest. Warning: contains a lot of expletives.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens here in Boston as more WBOS listeners become aware of the change to Radio 92.9 and what that really means to them personally…
