Re: FCC approves WMEX application

["Dan Strassberg" <Dan.Strassberg@worldnet.att.net>]

A lot of WMEX's programming is brokered time. There also is a modest local
spot load. Most of it seems to be ROS, which means the rates are pretty low,
but WMEX probably isn't giving the spots away. Most likely, however, the
national spots, of which there are quite a few, are going for bottom
dollar--or close to it.

Langer is apparently not destitute, and I think he's got some backers who
are in with him for the reasonably long pull. I think that a few of these
are Atty Steve Weisman and Mr and Mrs Bleidt (aka Brad and Bonnie, The Money
Couple). All three appear on the morning show, which I believe to be
brokered time. The WMEX studios and offices in the North End are apparently
subleased from the Bleidt's financial services outfit, which is located in
the same building. I suspect that Jerry Williams had some sort of similar
deal but pulled out, either for health reasons or because he thought better
of the deal after only a few days on the air. Upton Bell very likely has
such a deal. I don't think Gene Burns does and I have no clue about Marjorie
Clapprood. Marjorie pleads poverty from time to time--as a result of debts
she incurred in one or more of her failed runs for political office.

Much of weekend programming is brokered. The Saturday AM Financial Network
show is. I suspect Frankie Boyer's shows are. Dick Sayatt's program is. The
Cooking Couple show is. The Trivia show has to be. The revamped weekend
lineup and probably the changes to the daily lineup, must have been the
result of WMEX's increasing its rates. The increase probably happened in
August but some existing programs must have been given a grace period.

So, assuming that his backers don't lay down their cards, and assuming that
WMEX's night service uses the WBPS TX site, I think Langer will still own
the station when the FCC grants program test authority for the night
operation. But then what? Unless his engineering consultants, who do appear
to know their business quite well, have tricks up their sleeves that all of
their predecessors didn't have, it could be a very long--and very
expensive--spell before a license to cover is granted for the night
operation.

And what kind of night signal the station will wind up with is another big
question. WGTR/WSTD/WTTP/WBIV (I must have left out at least one set of
former calls) never got to use the 2.5 kW-N that the original (late '70s) CP
authorized. The night signal was not really listenable as close as
Wellesley. Any place further east was, of course, a total joke. Part of the
problem was that, at the time, the 1050 station in New York, which was not
yet WEVD, had to be running _way_ more than 50 kW and was splattering like
mad. The WEVD problem is not nearly as severe now. But the station that
holds the future of WMEX's night service in the palm of its hand is KYW.
CB.., er Via.., er Inf.., awww fuhgeddaboudit, may no longer care about the
impact of KYW's night service, which, if it occurs at all, must occur well
outside of the Delaware Valley market. But if the company--whatever it's
calling itself this week--_does_ care, I'm pretty sure that they can make it
so expensive for Langer that he'll give up on night service and sell the
station.

Langer paid $70,000 for the 1060 license, and, I believe, another $35,000
for the license for what was WRPT Peterborough NH. He had to move WRPT off
1050 to make WMEX's current daytime operation work. He sure has gotten his
money's worth out of WRPT, which is now WJLT 650. He's probably sunk $2
million--or very close--into WMEX's daytime signal upgrade. By the time he
has a night signal on the air under program test authority, he will probably
have spent another $400k (again--assuming he uses the WBPS site). I'd guess
that, under current market conditions, WMEX--as a daytimer--is worth way
more than $2.4 million. If the station has been breaking even and he decides
to cut his losses early if he finds out he'd be in for a long fight to get a
night license, he'll very likely get out with a small profit. Of course, the
market for AMs could tank before he acted, but I'd say he's taking a prudent
risk.

--

Dan Strassberg, dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net
Phone: 1-617-558-4205, eFax: 1-707-215-6367

-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Beckwith <beckwith@ime.net>
To: bri@bostonradio.org <bri@bostonradio.org>
Date: Saturday, September 23, 2000 7:42 AM
Subject: FCC approves WMEX application


>Today's Boston Herald reports that the FCC has approved 24-hour
broadcasting
>for WMEX.  Technical details were, of course, not given, but the story says
>Langer won't commence round-the-clock operations until sometime next year.
My
>question is: does he have that long?