WMEX/1060: Really just a daytimer

[mwaters@mail.wesleyan.edu (Martin J. Waters)]

        The hour taped program that WMEX played throughout the weekend was
interesting. I appreciated the comments by Mr. Langer about his purchase of
the station and all the effort leading up to the new programming. I salute
him for coming up with a very impressive lineup of hosts. He described it
as a case in which he bought a "broken-down" little AM station and worked
up from there. I described it to a non-radio geek friend as the radio
equivalent of buying a house that's a "handyman special."
        But I can't help thinking that it's too bad he can't do it on a
true full-time AM signal. Anyway you cut it, WMEX's very limited nighttime
signal has to hurt and make it much harder to succeed. It's true, as
someone else posted, that the late evening and overnight hours are not so
important. But the way his operation is now, he's hurting during crucial
times. I define that as from 5 a.m. to 8, 9 or 10 p.m. Especially in the
winter, he's not on the air with real power during big pieces of AM and PM
drive. The audience in AM drive has shifted so early now that he's just not
in the game until half-time. He can't get on the air at all, even with the
low power, before 6 a.m., except when sunrise is earlier than that.
        It's too bad this format couldn't be put on WEZE or WNRB. We know
that WEZE is not for sale. So, with apologies to Master Wild Speculator
Joseph Gallant, I'll speculate that maybe if Mr. Langer enjoys enough
success with what he has, he can build it up to the point where he can
finance the purchase of WNRB.