Re: WEZE

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

> 
> > Interesting. I know WEEI... oops WEZE, is nulled to the west, because of
> > WTAG. I am surprised that Salem hasn't tried to work a deal with WTAG to
> > move WTAG to 1230 and shut down 580 and get a stronger signal out west.
> > Sounds like a Salem, publicity-type of thing to do.
> 
> Well, to do that, they'd first have to buy WNEB 1230.  So I suppose they
> may have taken the first step.  
> 
> But then, to have a strong signal to the west on 590, Salem would also
> have to do something about WROW 590 in Albany.
> 

Deja vu alert!   Deja vu alert!

Remember when Westinghouse almost bought WEEI (this was early 1994), and
the strong rumor was that Westinghouse would find a way to buy WTAG and
WROW as well, and either shut them down or redirect them to allow
WEEI to go to 50 kw, probably DA-2, on 590?

WROW was still the poor stepsister to WPTR (1540) at the time, so the
speculation was that John Kelly would be willing to sell one of the two
AMs off (as indeed he was -- although it turned out to be WPTR instead),
and while WTAG was the main obstacle, I made a suggestion to WBZ
management that I still think might have worked:

At that time, WCRN was still just a construction permit, and the
rumor around town (I have no idea how true it was) was that Carter
was having cash-flow trobles that were preventing it from being built.
So what I recommended was to buy the CP from Carter, then build the 
830 facility and trade it to Knight for 580.  (This was the dawning 
era of duopoly, too, and I suggested that Westinghouse could buy 
the then-dark 1230 and throw it into the mix as a plum for Knight).
It would have worked out well for Knight, since the 830 signal,
especially at night, reaches the prosperous eastern suburbs of 
Worcester much better than the 580 signal ever did.

Westinghouse could then have turned off 580 and Albany's 590, and 
ended up with a 590 signal that could have been the best AM facility
in New England...for a total cost that *still* would have been less
than buying a comparable existing facility, had one existed.

Alas, the corporate bosses at the time (Mel, where were ya when we
needed ya?) didn't want to part with even the relatively minimal
cash needed to get WEEI in the first place -- so ARS ended up as
the sports-radio operator in town, and 'BZ has been playing catch-up
ever since (Sports Sunday, Sports Saturday, Sports Monday, etc. etc.
etc.)

- -s

------------------------------