WMEX => WBIX

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

I haven't seen many details on this posted here yet, so here goes:

Upton Bell had the Money Couple, aka Brad Bleidt and Bonnie Kirchner, aka Mr
and Mrs Bleidt, on as guests this morning. I suspect that the show also
aired Friday because they wouldn't be working on Christmas day, and at 9:18,
Bell gave a 10:18 time check.

Anyhow, Bell and the Bleidts were discussing the forthcoming format change
to Business 1060 and Bleidt said that the calls would be WBIX. I gather
that, starting Monday 1/8/2001, Bleidt and Kirchner, either as individuals
or through their money-management firm, are going to LMA all of the time on
1060, whereas heretofore, they have LMAed just the AM-drive period. Since it
became News/Talk 1060 last February, WMEX has had its studios and offices in
space apparently subleased from Bleidt and Kirchner's firm.

Several people have reported the coming format change here, but until now,
few details have been provided. Bell's program supplied a little more of the
missing information. One item: the station will carry Bloomberg. In recent
months, WBNW 1120 has carried the Bloomberg Morning Show from 5:00 AM until
8:30. Before that, the program was on WXKS (AM) 1430. It is unclear whether
this show will switch from 1120 to 1060. If the program leaves 1120,
presumably WBNW will be back to picking up the Business Talk Network from
Colorado Springs in AM drive as it does in some other day parts. My personal
opinion is that Bleidt and Kirchner's live, local AM drive show, which 1060
has been carrying, is much more interesting and lively than the Bloomberg
show. I think it would be a mistake for  WBIX to switch.

However, attorney Steve Weisman, who has appeared on the WMEX AM drive show
since Day 1, will be leaving the show and getting his own show, presumably
dispensing legal advice to callers. Losing Weisman from AM drive would be a
significant loss to the dynamic of the program.

As was already reported, Bob Glovsky, one of the two Money Experts who
appeared for years on WRKO (and before that, if memory serves, on the OLD
WBNW 590), will be joining WBIX. His ex-partner, Rick Schaeffer, is on WTKK.

Mark Mills from Channel 5 will apparently be doing PM drive. The only Mills
I am familiar with in Boston radio is Nick Mills, who used to be on the old
WHDH (AM) and the old WBNW.

Clearly, Gene Burns will yet again become part of Boston radio history. And
I'd guess that Bell will also, although there was a suggestion that he might
return to the station whenever it begins the nighttime service for which it
holds a CP.

Now what of the WMEX calls? Will Langer warehouse them on one of his other
properties? Or given his application to move WSRO to Watertown, will he move
the calls to 1470? That would represent a true full-circle trip for the
historic calls, which were first heard in Boston on 1470 prior to the March
1941 NARBA frequency shift that moved WMEX and other 1470 stations around
the country (most notably WLAC Nashville and KGA Spokane) to 1510. If Langer
does move the WMEX calls to 1470, what will happen to the WSRO calls? Those
are _great_ call letters that have got to be worth some $$$. Morevoer, the
WSRO calls could work just about anywhere, whereas the WMEX calls have value
mainly in the Boston market. If Langer isn't interested in hanging on to the
WSRO calls, but wants to cash in, he's got to move the calls to one of his
other properties while he works out a deal. Otherwise, the next owner can
get them for free.