Re: WMEX/WITS/WMRE

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

Dan Strassberg dispensed these pearls of wisdom:
> 
> I don't know. I suspect not. When the station went dark for six months or so
> before the sale to Communicom (and the change in call sign to WNRB), it
> definitely did do a finale show; I remember listening to Hilary Stevens and
> Dana Hersey on my drive into work on the last morning. But I don't even
> recall the call letters at the time.

I suspect Dan's usually-infallible memory is a bit off on this
one.  There was a long silent period after WMRE -- but not followed
by Communicom and WNRB!

> (and returned as WNRB), I don't know either. Maybe someone will research
> this and post a chronology of 1510-Boston calls with dates (probably going
> back to pre-NARBA days when what is now 1510 was 1470). Donna? Scott?
> 

I'll let Donna handle the early Pote and Richmond days.  Here's
my recollection, working from just before my arrival in Boston:

1976?-198? - WITS
198?-1987 - WMRE 

There was a period of darkness post-WMRE; I remember that much 
from visiting Brandeis as a high school senior in late 1987-
early 1988 and noting 1510 silent during a dial scan.

1988-1989 - WSSH

The first WSSH-AM; this one, if memory serves, was an adult
standards incarnation.  Maybe Bill O'Neill can fill in
the gaps here -- but I think this happened not long after
Noble bought WSSH-FM and moved it from WLLH in Lowell down to
Woburn?

1989-1991 - WKKU

I can date the start of WKKU pretty well as being the summer or
early fall of 1989.  It was WKKU country when I made my arrival
at Brandeis in Jan. 1990.  Bruins p-b-p at night, and the AM stereo
music sounded pretty good.

1991 - WSSH

The second WSSH(AM) incarnation, still under Noble.  (This may
even be late 1990.)  My fuzzy recollection is of *some* non-
simulcast programming, but most of the day was // 99.5.  In
Waltham, the AM stereo signal on Wish sounded way better than
the FM from Andover.

1991-92 - WSSH

Hello leased-time!  "Radio Continentale" takes over and 1510 goes
Espanol...until Continentale fails to pay the bills and 1510 goes
dark sometime in late '92.

1993-94 - WSSH

The last Noble-owned format; leased-time Talk America talk fills
the 1510 airwaves.  I have airchecks of some of the shows; this
was the Todd Feinberg morning-talk era, I think.  Had WSSH-FM been
sold by this point?  I want to say yes.

1994-97 - WNRB

October 1994: Noble does a deal to sell 1510 to a Spanish
group, then changes its mind and sells to Communicom instead.
Court battles ensue.  Fun is had by all.  Communicom emerges
triumphant and flips 1510 to religious; the WNRB calls are
announced but not a reality until Feb. 1995.  1510 is
temporarily silent after bad flooding at the Waltham site in
1996; this was the only time I was ever inside the tx
building (I drove over to gawk at the damage and see the foot
of water inside the transmitter).

1997-date - WNRB

The One-on-One era.  This was the first 1510 format change
*after* my departure.  I can't hear it on my toaster
anymore....

- -s

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