Re: WRKO Update

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

WBIX's 2.5-kW night signal isn't on yet. The station currently does run flea
power during pre-sunrise in the winter hours and during extended
daytime hours (from Philadelphia sunset to two hours past Framingham
sunset). I have heard nothing about when full-time operation will commence.
I haven't been out to Sewell St to see whether construction is under way.
The clue would be the arrival of more little prefab ATU "buildings." The
last time I saw the interior of one of the original five (20 years ago), it
was quite full, so an additional building at the base of each tower will
amost certainly be necessary.

Don't get your hopes up for 1060's 2.5-kW night signal. The night signal of
the old WGTR/WSTD/WTTP/WBIV et al was really pathetic. However, most of the
time, because of interference to KYW, the power was _way_ less than the 2.5
kw authorized in the original CP. It will be interesting to see whether
Langer is able to do better. WBPS's 3.4-kW night signal from the same site
is surprisingly good--except for the beating it takes from WLS. KYW's night
signal in these parts is not usally as strong as WLS's. Nevertheless, I
would scarcely call WBPS's night signal in Boston competitive with the
signal of any major local AM--even those of WRCA or Class D WROL.

Presumably, Langer will be doing the work for the upgrade of the 650 signal
(to 2 kW-D DA-D) at the same time as he does the work for 1060; it wouldn't
make a lot of sense to add the facilities for one station and then do it all
over again for the second one. The 650 CP was granted before the 1060 CP and
thus will expire first.

Langer's engineering consultants may currently be preoccupied with one of
his PA stations, which he is moving to the Pittsburgh area and changing
everything in the style of his move of WRPT. The PA station has been dark
for a long time--perhaps since before Langer bought it, and I think he has
to get it on the air very quickly or he will lose the license. I believe
that, unlike WRPT, this station will be directional when it first returns to
the air, which makes getting on the air in a hurry more of a challenge.

As for what motivated the switch to the business format, I believe that Brad
and Bonnie Bleidt, who the financial planners who co-hosted the AM-drive
show when 1060 was WMEX and do the same now that it is WBIX, are part owners
of the station. They are LMAing 1060 from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday through
Friday. This is a good deal for Langer. From his standpoint, it turns 1060
from a cash cow into a source of at least some income. No doubt Langer has
to worry about how he will pay for 1060's signal upgrades. He didn't spend
much on the license ($70k if memory serves), but I imagine that he's well
into seven figures on the upgrade cost. Perhaps the Bleidts lent him the
money and they are taking the LMA in lieu of repayment, or at least in lieu
of interest.

--

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

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Nelson...WMWM <bobonradio@yahoo.com>
To: Mark Laurence <mlaurence@mindspring.com>;
boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org
<boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Date: Sunday, April 22, 2001 9:42 AM
Subject: Re: WRKO Update


>Good point; even if their night signal (are they on
>at night yet?) covers the city of Boston and some
>surrounding suburbs, they'd be so weak in comparison
>to the likes of WBZ, WRKO, and WTKK that they couldn't
>grab similar ratings.
>