WOTW Nashua NH Sold

["Mark Watson" <markwats@attbi.com>]

   The Nashua Telegraph reports that  Anastos Media Group, headed up by New
York City TV News Anchor Ernie Anastos has sold WOTW (900 Nashua NH) to
Balanced View LLC, a group of investors that includes Bill Shaheen, husband
of former NH Governor Jeanne Shaheen. The sale price wasn't disclosed.

   The new owners have hired Bill Vaughn, an investor who has been in the
radio business since 1951 to run the station. He told the Telegraph that his
goal is to "take a station that was great for 1974, everybody had a station
like that where they lived then, and bring it into 2003 by contemporizing
it."  He plans on hiring 12 to 14 people to work at the station, and in fact
has already hired a person to answer the phones.

   Balanced View's plan is to change the current format of mostly bird feed
talk (WOTW does have a live PM drive talk show) and change to a full service
format with lots of local news, sports, weather and traffic reports along
with music. They also want to move the studios from the current location
(4th floor of an office building) to a more visible location, such as a mall
or storefront to become a visible part of the community. And they plan on
changing the call letters.

   I like the idea of the full service local radio concept, but will it
work? Can they afford to have up to 14 people on staff? Unless they're
mostly part time working for minimum wage or above, that's a huge expense
right there. However, it would be a good training ground for those just out
of broadcasting school looking to gain some experience. There aren't many
stations around here in smaller markets that do as much as what the new
owners of WOTW are proposing to do.

   And with Ernie Anastos selling WOTW, does this mean he's ready to sell
off any or all of the other stations he bought last year along with WOTW?
(He bought all of Keating Wilcox's stations except for WNSH if I recall
correctly).

Mark Watson