Re: WLAW-680

["A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@world.std.com>]

On 7 Jun 99,  Martin J. Waters wrote:

>         When I got my Lafayette pocket transistor radio in early 1963,
>         WEZE
> was the NBC affiliate, I'm almost certain. I also recall that it did not
> run much or maybe any of "Monitor" on the weekends, because I remember
> discovering Monitor on WCSH/970 in Portland, which seemed to run all of
> it. Knowing more now about the history of Monitor, with NBC having such
> trouble clearing it, it's interesting that as early as 1963 they
> apparently had trouble getting it on the air in Boston. Is that part of
> the programming that WNAC used from NBC?

When WEZE first became the NBC affiliate, they carried a pretty full 
network schedule, including most of Monitor.  Later, they expanded their 
easy-listening musical format and cut back on NBC programming, carrying 
little more than the news, Eternal Light on Sunday morning, and Groucho 
Marx (Monday night, I think).  

This sort of thing may be what killed "Monitor."  There was a mention in 
one of the newspaper columns (Bill Buchanan, I think) to the effect that 
"people who miss NBC programs, since WEZE's withdrawal from the network 
will soon be able to hear them on the new affiliate."  I looked forward to 
that, but it didn't happen.  WEZE remained the NBC affiliate, carrying 
just the news, for many years.


 
>         My recollection is that WEZE was the NBC affiliate at least until
> around 1970, for the hourly news anyhow. In the early-mid 60s (before ABC
> set up the four newsfeeds), I don't remember any Boston station carrying
> it, so maybe the answer is no one. Or maybe I'm having a brain cramp.
> 
>         The 1972 Broadcasting yearbook lists as ABC affiliates WMEX, WRYT,
> WUNR (also Mutual), WLYN, and WHIL (specifying entertainment network).
> WCOP is the NBC affiliate.
> 
>         Trivia footnote/question: What station was the Mutual affiliate in
> Boston in the wayback old days? The 1942 list shows the affiliations as
> WEEI-CBS; WBZ-Blue; WNAC/1260-Red; and WAAB (owned by WNAC-Shepard) as
> Mutual. I don't know about the rest of the history oriented folks here,
> but I often forget that way back then Boston had an additional full-time
> station.
> 
>         Going along with the network pecking order, WAAB (1 kW) probably
> was the fourth best AM signal licensed to Boston then, after WBZ, WEEI and
> WNAC. WHDH is listed as 1 kW, but it went off at Denver sunset. WCOP is
> only 500 watts. In 1943, WAAB was moved to Worcester when the FCC declared
> that the same owner could not have two stations in the same city.
> 
> 


==================================================================
 A.Joseph Ross, J.D.                                 617.367.0468
 15 Court Square                             lawyer@world.std.com
 Boston, MA 02108-2503              http://world.std.com/~lawyer/
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End of boston-radio-interest-digest V3 #408
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