Re: more WNAC / WLAW / WVDA

[fybush@world.std.com (Scott D Fybush)]

> 
> >         Or is it? Did the FCC paperwork actually authorize WBZA, with its
> > limited power (listed as 250 watts sometime in the late '20s and never more
> > than 1 kW, as far as I've seen) to be moved to Springfield; and WBZ, the
> > "primary" station, which already was using 5 kW or more, to be moved to
> > Boston?
>  
> I can't imagine why they would have done that, rather than just change the
> call letters on each station. 
> 

And yet they did.  Remember, this was the era when stations really MOVED --
it was right around this same era that Westinghouse's KYW moved all
the way from Chicago to Philadelphia.

As I understand it, WBZ's 15 kW transmitter was moved from East Springfield
to the new site in Millis, while WBZA's 1 kW moved from Boston (at the
Brunswick, IIRC) to East Springfield.  I think one rationale for the
Millis site was that it was far enough west of Boston to cover more of
the gap between Boston and Springfield.

In any event, everything I've seen about this move, both internal and
external (and I hope Donna can back me up on this!) makes it clear
that WBZ really did move from Springfield to Boston (and has a clear
line of descent to today's 1030), while WBZA moved from Boston to 
Springfield and died in 1962.

Now...how do we all feel about the 1994 WEEI/WHDH/WBNW 590/850 swap? :-)

- -s
 

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