No Subject

Subject: News Update: Justice, CBS, and ARS.

This morning (Wednesday) just before 12 noon, WBZ radio had an item that the
 Justice Department has given the green-light to CBS' acquisition of
 American Radio Systems.

There was one catch. CBS will have to sell-off 7 ARS stations--4 of them in
 the Boston area. The report did not say whether Justice has ordered CBS
 to sell-off four specific stations or if CBS has to sell any four ARS
 Boston-area stations of it's (CBS) choosing.

If CBS can decide which two stations to keep (this assumes WAAF is a Boston-
 area station; otherwise, CBS may be able to keep just one Boston-area ARS
 station), I think they'd keep WEEI and WRKO. They can then consolidate all
 sports programming on WEEI, all talk shows on WRKO, and have WBZ go all-news
 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If they decide to keep only one AM station,
 it will be interesting to see who they choose. 

Once we know which stations can be spun off, we'll know more as to how
 this deal will affect us the listeners. I wouldn't be surprised if Scott
 Fybush gets the whole story in time to "publish" a special NERW later
 today; but if not a special NERW today, certainly in tommorow's regular
 weekly issue.

Joseph Gallant

<notquite@hotmail.com>

P.S.: Does anyone know what other ARS stations are being spun off, and
 where those stations are??

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