I seriously doubt that if Entercom moves WEEI to an FM signal that they could jack up the ad rates high enough to offset the loss of revenue from destroying WAAF or WMKK. I say that because WEEI’s ad rates are already sky-high.

Perhaps Entercom would purchase another FM signal but I don’t see how that makes fiscal sense. Major market FM signals, even in this depressed economy, are still going to sell for mondo dollars…even WCRB 99.5 should fetch well over $50 million. Hell, it could fetch over $75 million.

Presumably Entercom could recoup some of that with a sale of the 850AM signal, or the 680AM signal (which is more-or-less the same coverage) but I would think that if anyone was going to give them real money for 850AM it’d be ESPN, and we’d be hearing about an actual sale right now…not this goofy “carry some of ESPN’s programming” deal.

The real problem here is that most of Boston’s AM signals were ideal for covering the market 40 years ago when they were locked into their current configurations…but they’re totally inadequate today. WRKO and WEEI are prime examples…back in the day there was very little population west of their locations, now Metrowest is home to some of the most lucrative demographics.

I suppose WEEI could break up the simulcast of WAAF on 107.3 and 97.7…probably putting sports on 93.7, leaving WAAF on 107.3, and moving Mike to 97.7. That’s a tremendous waste of a lot of marketing effort and money, but it’s certainly very cost-effective. While 97.7 doesn’t have anywhere near the coverage 93.7 does, the signal isn’t too shabby overall (especially in the car).

ESPN 890 is now running a looped announcement saying that they are leaving the air today.

WEEI isn’t going to walk away from the frequency where everyone has been finding it since 1994 — since that would mean giving up dial familarity in a battle with a new station thath doesn’t have any dial familiarity whatsoever.

As for the ESPN Web site, ‘EEI has spent a lot on its own site; it’s not going to help its web competition become a destination site for Boston sports news by giving ESPN the local sports news credibility that would come by allowing it to go on one of the three AM radio frequencies worth a damn in Boston.

All of the Entercom FM stations are licensed to cities well outside of Boston — WAAF is on two frequencies, one in Brockton, the other in Westborough. Mike is licensed to Lawrence. None of those signals provide good coverage of the entire market, so neither WEEI or WAAF can win on only one of Entercom’s existing FM signals.

So…what Entercom needs to do is keep WEEI on its traditional frequency 850 kc., keep WAAF on its traditional frequency, 107.3 and use the 93.9 and 97.7 frequencies so that each station the best market penetration possible, while offering ESPN more than CBS can offer so that its attractive radio package goes on WEEI. ESPN has absolutely no bargaining position in Boston unless ABC buys a major signal, so if Entercom allows ESPN programming on 850, it is giving away the store on both radio and the web.

Unless, of course, their strategy is to be the Misogny/Racist/Right Wing Nut Station and wants to protect that niche by having WBZ-FM and ESPN battle over “serious sports talk.”

The elephant in the room is Entercom’s WRKO; would teh company dump the calls and format as part of a realignment? Wouldn’t they then have to pay off Howie while he skates to FM talk?