The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 57

THE BOSTON GLOBE FRIDAY, MAY 30, 1997 D9 Radio rivals charge 'BCN with unfair play iffl II II mmm mm mm IB A BRILLIANT EXHILARATING! A CLASSIC!" "A Dizzyingly Original Comedy!" GOTHIC TALE!" fT 1 MMH, N)IW MHl "Stingingly.Funny!"i VIRTUOSO ACTING! BRILLIANT AND MESMERIZING!" -H0L1JNG STOHt A MASTERFUL THRILLER!" 'A Hilarious Dazzling Black Comedy!" 11 i A REVELATION! -MlnWUIIIIIM mmm Bill Berkowitz, an antitrust attorney at Bingham Dana Gould. "They can demand what the market will bear." Berkowitz says if he had to pick among illegal, unethical, or hardball, he'd opt for the last as a description of the tactic. If the defense is "hardball," says Tim Dacey, an antitrust attorney with Hill Barlow, "it would, morally, be kind of a wretched defense." "Does the dominant radio station have so much market power that it could make that threat stick, simply because people have to be played on his station to get ahead?" asks Dacey. "If that were the case, the station might be guilty of a case of monopolization, which means they attempt to obtain the ability to fix prices or control entry of a relevent product into a geographic market by means that are not honestly competitive. But they would have to have a very significant share." "Don't single Oedipus out," cautions Alec Peters, a former Bosto-nian who managed Gang Green and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and is currently managing Tree.

"Every one of these cats is a reactionary. mm ST 'SLING BLADE' I hi playlist, as a so-called "power recurrent," but Glasser says it had nothing to do with any pressure from the band's record company. And why do bands play these radio gigs, some of which are unpaid? "Radio play," says Robert Pollard, leader of Guided By Voices, which played WFNX's Best Music Poll Party last Monday. "We're a semi-big-label band" signed to MatadorCapitol "and we're the next Nirvana, you know. We're a little too old, actually, but we want some heavy rotation." He's being wry, but the tit-for-tat implications are clear.

"All these radio shows are out of control," says a regional promotion man for a major label. "It's hurting relationships, and it doesn't really help bands. They do 20-minute sets, see-ya, and the station drops the record. And the band doesn't come back to play the market because they've done this radio show." How does it play in court? If a radio station does make a threat to a band's management or record company to secure exclusivity and ban cooperation with another station, is that illegal? "I couldn't say there's anything illegal in what they're doing," says Continued from previous page 'FNX's recent Best Music Poll. The Bosstones were also last week's cover boys in the Boston Phoenix, the station's sister publication.

The station wanted the Bosstones to headline the gig that celebrated the poll and promoted the station. The Bosstones passed. Oedipus: "They turned down 'FNX shows and 'FNX dropped the band. There are bands that played their show, like the Gigolo Aunts, who are playing my show. The Bosstones said we've done other things for you, and we're not available for this." "That's not really the case," says WFNX's Glasser.

"The May 19 date was selected because the people at co-promoter Don Law said the Bosstones want to do a show and tie it in with the Best Music Poll. There were problems with them playing the outdoor stage on Lansdowne Street, and potential insurance problems. We never had anything signed or booked. It was tentative, but we were going to build the show around them." As to dropping the band's new song, "The Impression That I Get," Glasser says it was due for a hiatus anyway, after 300 to 400 plays. WFNX recently put it back on the SCORES!" I TIT i I'll' II' I' WEST NEWTON NICKELODEON KENDAU SO.

KskS?" 4M tOMMUNWUllH AVE- OKI ItHDAll UMIIIDGt lOUIEIi 333 FILM 005 494-9800 964 6060 IVCNUALL 5U. 1296 WASHINGTON SI. ONE KENDALL CAMBRIDGE Hour! 16 i 494-9HU0 964-6060 (, 'Why does this man have to squish and squash us? This is restraint of trade and unfair STEPHEN MINDICHo WFNX, referring to 'BCN program director Oedipus BOSIVN OLUBt: I They all react to each other's accomplishments, and none of them want wIiiSk! 9 1 lis Mn to see each other get ahead, and they're pretty vicious about it" 4 Cell phone etiquette is still evolving 'Vs-. SI She agrees with them, too, and sympathizes as well. But she does have to remind them that, nevertheless, that is the business they are in.

Those who received their meals can request that they be taken back to the kitchen and kept warm, while the person whose food is delayed is obligated to say, "Oh, please go ahead and start it will get cold." 1 Dally WEST NEWTON KENDALL SO. itallJU 494-9 00 NOW PLAYING! tOUTt II 12:15,2:30 4:40,7:05 9:25 1 who were served in a position of having to choose between waiting until the last person's meal was served (then their food would be cold) or going ahead and eating with the odd man out left to watch as everyone else devoured their food. (Then that person would end up eating his meal after everyone else was through with theirs.) How do you suggest handling this situation properly and graciously? Gentle Reader In agreeing with you, Miss Manners knows she is bringing on herself the anguished and angry outcries of restaurant workers about how hard they work and how difficult it is to time a variety of dishes to be ready at the same time. have to make telephone calls will soon calm down. When they are in a more reasonable frame of mind, she will be happy to help them identify and discourage the rude use of cellular or other telephones.

By that time they will probably be using cell phones themselves, and she can address their own behavior as well as others'. Dear Miss Manners: On at least three occasions we dined at restaurants with friends with the same peculiar circumstances. Usually there were six of us, and when our orders were delivered to the table, one person's meal was "not ready" and would be "out in a minute." Well, it wasn't, and it put all By Judith Martin Dear Miss Manners: Why am I offended by people who use their cellular telephones in public places? Pay phones in a restaurant don't bother me, nor does talking in line with a friend. I am puzzled why cell phones offend. Gentle Reader Miss Manners predicts that all those people who are now loudly complaining that people with cellular telephones talk loudly, and who declare that they only own them to show off in contrast to people waiting in lines with quarters who really JBP xr taSf Jim? mmmi ill km Willi -w jjiiwm mmm i fir xS fJmh LS.feilZIiBJijLi i i 1 1 1 i i 1 1 1 1 1 i 1 iilni ill ii si I liiMlIilnl if SONY THEATRES CHER! OALTOH ST.

OfP. 5HSMTW BO5T0H EATHES! EGTEQ TS HOW PLAYIU6 AT THESE SE SHOWCASE CINEMAS REVERE SONY THEATRES FRESH POND FKSHPONDPUJA SHOWCASE CINEMAS DEDHAM RTE I Its EXIT ISA 12H)SS trrm SHOWCASE CINEMAS CIRCLE CLEVELANOcmCLE MM4 tm GENERAL CINEMA BURLINGTON 10 ffTE. 128EXT32B GENERAL CINEMA FRAMINGHAM 14 FiimE pass at SHomm wtwu) 5MCZM4M (If Mt? il ClulMA RTE.CTSOUREna m-im Irrm BRA1NTREE 10 on mm in 17 1 i STARTS TODAY AT THESE SELECTED THEATRES COPLEY PLACE nonuwiHcidum. icii 333-fllM 006 GENERAL CINEMA SONY THEATRES DANVERS UBEflrVTREEflUU BRAINTREE 10 Late Circle, SONY THEATRES SOMERVILLE tl ASSEMBLY SO. UTE ff SHOWCASE CINEMAS WOBURN rte in Exn rrTt.

SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT-NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT COUPONS ACCEPTED Off fORBBS fltt BTE J7 139 IHOWCAU CINEMAS INIMM 5HOWCAH CINEMAS II SONY THIATtIS WOBURN SOMERVILLE I SONY THEATIES 1 1 GENIIAI OHiHA FRESH POND BURUNGTON 10 SO NT THEATIfS NATICK 333-F1LM 017 Revere Framingh.am 1 1 SHOWCASI CIHUS 1 1 1HOWCASI CINiMAl DEDHAM REVERE II 326-4955 286-I66Q IWCASI CINIMASI REVERE CIRCLE I CUVIIAMD Ctl LE Itt 111 HIT 1 lit 111 I il 1HIMUI M. 933-5330 1 1 333-FIUH WIB I 566-404O 34Q mm? SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT TICKETS ACCEPTED Late show tonight at Circle. Wobum Revere.