Re: NorthEast Radio Watch 7/17: Another Nail in the Radio News Coffin

[Dib9@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-07-18 13:20:48 EDT, you write:

<< *A bit of MAINE news: Monticello's WREM (710) is running a simulcast
 of the morning show from country WOZI (101.7 Presque Isle), followed
 the rest of the day by a simulcast with Presque Isle talker WEGP
 (1390).  >>

This is an interesting development.  Maine has only two talk stations: 560
WGAN Portland and WVON Howland.   (WSME Sanford may still being doing
satellitte talk, but I'm not sure.) Between the two stations most of the
state is covered, with the exception of far northern and far northwestern
Maine.  The WEGP/WREM combo will fill the nitch in Aroostook County.  Both
WGAN AND WVON have local (but in my opinion poor) morning talk shows and have
almost inditical lineups after that with Dr. Laura, Rush and Mary Matalin.
 (Who's show is horrible and I say that as a Republican.) 

What's interesting about the WEGP/WREM talk combo is that it was attempted
before and failed.  WEGP first went talk with all the big national shows in
early 1994 and added WREM to the combo during the summer.  By the end of the
year, WEGP was dark and the talk combo was gone.  Now they are going to try
it again.  I wish them luck.  Now at least there will be something on the AM
dial other than Canadian stations and religion on 600 WFST.  In the early
1980's, Aroostook County had 7 AM stations.  Until WREM and WEGP came back
on, only WFST was still on the air.

Dan Billings
Bowdoinham, Maine

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