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One-man Cambridge radio station to remain on air for now following owner's death

Scott Fybush reports at Northeast Radio Watch, that WJIB in Cambridge, and its sister stations on the Cape and in Maine, are staying on the air for now, using owner, program manager and DJ Bob Bittner's pre-recorded programs "with Bob’s Maine engineer Bob Perry adding an hourly announcement about Bob’s death to the station automation."

Fybush fondly recalled Bittner, who died Friday:

Bob was a good friend, not only to me but to broadcasters all over New England and beyond, all of whom are keenly feeling his loss right now.

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Thanks Bob.

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This is really end-times stuff here - a station that keeps going without people.

Kind of creepy - but if it brings solace and buys time for those who cared about him and his work, then it makes sense to keep it going on autopilot.

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I had to go look up this book it reminded me of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Bloodmoney,_or_How_We_Got_Along_After_...

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It wouldn't be surprising if it was an issue of better strategy for the estate to keep the FCC licenses in-use while they figure out exactly what they want to do.
I mean - how long do the authorities allow them to keep a license if it isn't being used?

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Licensed broadcast radio or television stations may go silent for a maximum of 364 consecutive days. Federal law prescribes that any station remaining silent for one year will lose its license.

Alex Langer's WSRO AM 650 (Ashland) and WZBR AM 1410 (Dedham) went silent in early March after Mr. Langer died. The stations remain silent pursuant to a Special Temporary Authority granted by the FCC. But the FCC is constrained by federal law, which prescribes that both stations will lose their licenses if they are still silent next March.

Once Mr. Langer's will is probated, the stations will likely be sold.

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WJIB in Cambridge, and its sister stations on the Cape and in Maine, are staying on the air for now, using owner, program manager and DJ Bob Bittner's pre-recorded programs

I'm sure Mr. Bittner deserves all the praise being heaped upon him. At the same time, I'm sure the station could continue indefinitely with just the engineer to keep things going (and funds to pay him).

My only experience with this station is hearing it for 15-30 minute stints while at the barber getting a haircut. That only happens 4-5 times a year, but each time I go in I'm sure I'm hearing the same songs I heard on the past few visits. If that's the case, and that's what the listeners want, then rerunning the same programs over and over again ad infinitum would work just fine.

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I experienced WJIB as a lad while vacationing on Martha's Vineyard back in the 70s. Also, while attending college in Providence during the same era. Very soothing.

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That WJIB was 96.9 FM, and it played mostly instrumentals. Its format was called "beautiful music " and its signature was a ship's bell that rang at the top of each hour after the ID.

It was owned and operated by General Electric, unless I misrember.

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One of the challenges of running an oldies station is that there are never going to be any new oldies. So, either you slowly evolve from playing 50s hits to 60s hits to 70s hits, or you burn out and change to a different format.

You can't just keep running the same things forever. The audience will get tired of it.

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The musical palate for most people has to be set for repetition. This is why Top 40 thrives. Stations like WZLX play the same songs by the same artist at almost the same time every weekday. WERS, a "student curated" (yeah, right) station plays the same songs every day as well, with the occasional rogue musical entry. Think about the full albums these songs come from; there are maybe 10 to 15 other songs on those records yet they never get played. There is a lot more music out there to play than most people realize. One can accept what they are fed if their palete doesn't get tired of the same thing, which is what playlist radio relies on.
Why won't a DJ play that song on the album that's next to the big hit? I'll bet it's a pretty good song too and one most people haven't heard in a long time. Don't accept the same gruel the corporations want to feed you! Demand something better! I realize a lot of people hear music as background filler, that's why you hear the same songs over and over.
In the mix tape days, I used to make tapes with Sinatra, Bennett, Hank Willliams mixed with the Beatles, Elvis Costello, Dean Kennedys, XTC, Carol King, Patti Smith and Sex Pistols and many others of many genres. Good music comes in many forms.
I love WJIB. I will miss it when it's gone.

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New York has had a classic hip-hop formatted station the past couple years- 94.7 "The Block"- everything eventually becomes oldies music one way or the other

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I hear songs on WJIB from the 40s to the 80s ... seems like there are millions of possibilities for various mixes. Not sure how many recordings Bittner made/stored--but I listen to JIB in my car regularly and I've not heard many songs twice. It really is the "memories" station for all kinds of people - not just "oldies."

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