NorthEast Radio Watch 9/25: WNFT, WNTN Sold

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

*Two of Boston's AM stations are changing hands -- one as part of a
long-anticipated deal, the other out of the blue.

The expected sale is that of CBS' WNFT (1150), which was one of the
American Radio Systems stations CBS was required to sell to satisfy
the Justice Department's antitrust folks.  The others (WRKO, WEEI,
WEGQ, and WBMX) are going to Entercom, and now WNFT is going to Mega
Broadcasting for a reported $5 million.  

Mega's only current assets in New England are WNEZ (910 New Britain)
and WLAT (1230 Manchester) in the Hartford market, and while WLAT fits
with Mega's group profile as a Spanish broadcaster, WNEZ runs an urban
format, which leads NERW to wonder whether WNFT will stick with its
current ABC/SMN "Touch" R&B oldies format, or whether its future is as
a Spanish outlet.

In any event, it's nice to see 1150 being put in the hands of an owner
who'll likely pay some attention to it.  Over the last decade, it's
been WHUE, WMEX, WROR, and WNFT, with formats that included business
news, oldies, leased-time Spanish, Kidstar children's programming,
simulcasts of several FMs, and a few days as a testbed for digital
AM.

Now for the surprise: "Mr. D" is selling WNTN (1550 Newton).  Orestes
Demetriades' Newton Broadcasting Corporation was one of the last
single-station owners in the Boston market, running the 10 kilowatt
daytimer with a mix of leased-time programming (largely Spanish and
Chinese) and AC music.  Late word is that WNTN is being sold to Robert
Rudnick's Colt Communications for $602,800.  We'll have more details
on this one next week.

A third station sale in MASSACHUSETTS this week is outside the Boston
market.  WKPE (1170 Orleans) is being donated by GramCam
Communications to UMass Boston, which will likely make it the latest
outlet in the folk-music network that includes 91.9s WUMB Boston, WFPB
Falmouth, and WBPR Worcester.  This is the final nail in the coffin of
commercial AM on Cape Cod; the other one, WUOK (1240 W. Yarmouth) was
donated to Boston University by Ernie Boch last year and became
WBUR(AM).  WKPE's rock programming survives on 104.7 FM in Orleans.

WCRB (102.5 Waltham) has applied to move to the master antenna on the
FM128 tower in Newton, running the standard 8800 watts from 351 meters
AAT.  Boston's classical station is being ousted from its current home
across the road on the WBZ-TV tower because of the construction
project that'll add 400 feet to that stick.

Radio people on the move: Jenny McCann's ouster as GM of WEGQ (93.7
Lawrence) brought out hundreds of people to a farewell party this
week.  NERW hears that Entercom's top brass regretted firing the
Boston radio veteran once the news got out, but couldn't persuade her
to come back.  Over at Greater Media, WBOS (92.9) program director
George Taylor Morris is back on the air in the noon-3 slot, while
across the hall, Debbie Enblom is now news director at WSJZ (96.9).
And just a few weeks after his contentious interview with Boston
Herald publisher Pat Purcell, WBCN (104.1) afternoon guy Nik Carter
found himself suspended for a day without pay, this time because of an
interview with Mike McCready of Pearl Jam.  It seems Carter didn't use
a delay, thus allowing more than a few of McCready's obscenities out
on the air.  Out in Springfield, Glenn Stewart replaces Jon Robbins as
PD at WAQY (102.1/1600).  Stewart comes from Capstar New Hampshire and
WHEB/WGIR.

*Speaking of NEW HAMPSHIRE and WGIR -- but this time the AM side -- the
"Action News Network" is the new moniker for the news product on 610.
We hear they've switched from ABC to what remains of the NBC network,
but little else has changed.

Is the "New Hampshire Educational Radio Foundation" another Brian
Dodge front?  We don't know...but we can tell you it's applying for
91.9 in Conway.

*From MAINE, there's another station that's part of Gopher Hill's
buying spree.  The company that owns WABI (910) and WWBX (97.1) in
Bangor is paying $882,000 for WQSS (102.5) in Camden, as we reported
earlier.  It's also getting unbuilt WAYD (105.5) Isleboro as part of
the deal.

One call change: The new channel 23 in Waterville, when built, will
appear as WMPX-TV instead of the original WBDJ(TV).  Can you say
PaxNet?  Of course you can...

*A CONNECTICUT reader checked in to report that Prayze 105.3 is still
on the air, still running a nice, healthy spot load as it appeals the
Federal court order to leave the air until it can get a license.  

*In NEW YORK, doors are spinning at several Rochester radio stations.
At CBS, staffers said farewell on Monday to Harry Jacobs, operations
manager of WCMF (96.5)/WRMM (101.3) and PD of WCMF.  He's leaving to
go to the Burlington, Vermont market, but we're not sure what he'll be
doing there yet.  No replacement has been named.  Across town at the
Entercom stations, it's the end of a morning era for country giant
WBEE-FM (92.5), as Bill Coffey departs for a sales gig in Reading, PA
after a decade on the air in Rochester.  And a belated note about
WRMM's weekend schedule: Sundays from 10-3 are now the domain of Mike
O'Brian, former PD of WBBF (950) towards the end of its top-40 era.
Mike's also a veteran of WVOR (100.5) and the "What's On Cable" guy at
Time Warner.  It's nice to hear him back on the air...

WYUL (94.7 Chateaugay) has, at long last, landed on a format.  As
predicted here last time, it's a simulcast of hot AC WYSX (98.7
Ogdensburg) under the slogan "Yes FM."

*Notes from everywhere else: One of the colleagues whose work we've
most admired is hanging up his headphones.  The Washington Post's Marc
Fisher ended his "Listener" column this week (you can see it at
www.washingtonpost.com) with a poignant lament about the dearth of
good radio in our nation's capital.  We couldn't agree more.  

Over in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre market, the WILK-FM calls land on
the former WWSH (102.3 Pittston), while WILP in West Hazelton is
joined by WILP-FM (103.1), the former WWFH Freeland.  

On the Web: If you're looking for another way to search the FCC's
database, we heartily recommend Bob Carpenter's TVFMSTNS and AMSTNS
programs, available for download from:

http://www.csvhfs.org/

These shareware programs contain one feature that particularly appeals
to us -- they interface with DeLorme's Street Atlas USA to make it
much easier to create maps of your favorite tower sites.  Check 'em
out, and if you like them, tell Bob you read about them here on NERW!

And a final reminder: NERW readers in Connecticut, Western
Massachusetts, or anywhere else within driving distance of Torrington,
Connecticut are invited to meet on Saturday, October 3, for lunch
somewhere in the Torrington area.  Contact us here at NERW for more
details if you're interested!  We'll also be at the SBE convention in
Syracuse on Friday, so be sure to say hello.

That's it until next Friday; see you then....

- -=Scott Fybush - NorthEast Radio Watch - (c) 1998=-

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