Re: FCC grants WJLT application for 2 kW-D

[Mike Thomas <nostatic@earthlink.net>]

Since WMEX fired up, WSRO has been running mostly syndicated fare, most
of it I assume is from Talkamerica.  Langer isn't doing much with this
station at this point, so it's possible that he is looking to sell it
off to either Grace or Mega.  He may want to dump it now and let the new
owner construct the new towers in Hudson.  If Mega can't get Grace to
sell WNEB, they may pick up WSRO and relay one of their Boston stations
on it.  Or simulcast WARE on it and have a "one-two punch" in
Worcester.  :)  With the amount of Puerto Ricans and Brazilians in
WSRO's footprint, the station could be attractive to Mega.

Mike Thomas
WXLO & Mediabase 24/7

dan.strassberg@att.net wrote:

> Just so Joseph Gallant won't think he has a lock on wild
> speculation on this list, here's my take on what is
> likely to happen: Mega will buy WNEB from Grace and flip
> WNEB to SS. Grace will then lease WSRO from Langer--also
> with an option to buy. Grace will use a substantial
> portion of the proceeds of the WNEB sale to exercise its
> option on WJLT and also on WJLT's TX move and power
> increase. The FCC will approve WSRO's application to
> increase to 7 kW-D/5 kW-N DA-2 from the station's new
> site in Hudson. With some modifications of its proposed
> day pattern, WSRO can put a decent daytime signal into
> both Worcester and Lowell. Thus, Grace will get back
> (during the day) the Worcester signal it loses with the
> sale of WNEB, and will add Lowell and environs to its
> service area. There is no Christian station in Lowell,
> so Lowell should become a lucrative market for Grace.
> The improvement in the WJLT signal in Boston will be
> equivalent to a 50-times power increase. Since WJLT can
> already be heard better in Boston with 250W on 650 than
> it could be with its former 500W on 1060, Grace will be
> going head-to-head with America's largest commercial
> Christian broadcaster, Salem Communications, and will
> have a station only 60 kHz away from Salem's WEZE.
>
> WSRO and WJLT make an excellent combo. The new patterns
> produce little signal overlap. Together, the two
> stations will nicely cover Boston, MetroWest, Worcester,
> and parts of the Merrimac Valley during the day. Of
> individual Boston AMs, only WBZ, WRKO, and WEEI can say
> as much. Without WJLT, however, WSRO with its new
> daytime signal that will protect WBET, is an economic
> basket case--a station that can't possibly make money by
> itself.