Globe: Mixed Signals (WESX sale)

[Bob Nelson]

from the North Weekly section of the Sunday Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/02/26/mixed_signals/

Audio:
Audio: http://www.boston.com/news/special/contreras/wesx.mp3

The friendly talk will soon end at WESX. After 67 years, the
1,000-watt station long known as ''The Voice of the North Shore" is
signing off for good in May. The homey station -- run out of a little
white house with black shutters and a 180-foot tower in the backyard
-- has been sold, along with its sister station, WJDA of Quincy. The
new owner plans to relocate the two stations to Chelsea, move the WESX
tower to Lynn, and change the format to Christian and multicultural
programming.

The pending sale is yet another signal that the glory days of local
radio may be over north of Boston. Industry consolidation and hip new
technologies -- satellite radio, iPods, webcasts, and cable television
-- have made it tougher for community stations to connect with younger
audiences, and compete with other media outlets.