Re: MESSAGE ID: 1EC610858

[Dan Strassberg <dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net>]

At 06:35 AM 7/31/97 +0000, you wrote:

> I block on the guy who ran the place (Joe somebody-- it will
>come back to me)

Scallan

>getting the Red Sox
>and other teams was supposed to also be in the cards.  All I remember about
>that time in late 1980/early 1981 was that the station's plans fell through,

The new TX _did_ save the Red Sox for WITS--for one season anyhow. They
already had the Sox when the TX was in N Quincy. After the construction of
the State St South office complex, the nighttime signal, which was already
horrendous everywhere but in Quincy itself, the portions of Boston near the
water, and the North Shore, became totally unlistenable throughout most of
the market. As a stopgap measure, WITS leased time on WDLW (1330) to provide
coverage for Sox night games in the western suburbs (as far south as Dedham,
or so). Then, WITS applied to improve its ground system. I understand that
they made that mod--to no effect. Next they applied to modify the non-CH day
pattern to add some additional null fill-in to the southwest. They never
made that mod because their second application, to move to 411 Waverley Oaks
Rd on the Waltham-Belmont line was approved first. WITS was able to
demonstrate that, from the Waltham site, the nighttime signal in downtown
Boston would be the second strongest of any Boston AM--exceeded only by WBZ.
The signal in Newton, Waltham, Belmont, Arlington, Winchester, and much of
Lexington also improved dramatically. but in the rest of the market
(Westwood, for example, where the station was not and still isn't audible at
night), there was no change. And on the North Shore and in Quincy, the
signal got worse. Rumor has it that a key Red Sox exec lived in Westwood.
When the upgrade to 50 kW-N still left the Sox without a signal he could
listen to at night, renewal of WITS' contract with the sox became a dead issue.

- -------------------------------
Dan Strassberg (Note: Address is CASE SENSITIVE!)
ALL _LOWER_ CASE!!!--> dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net
(617) 558-4205; Fax (617) 928-4205

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