Is WCRB up for sale?

[David Tomm]

I think Nassau was brought in as a third party facilitator to get the 
Charles River/Greater Media deal done for 102.5.  They never had any 
long term plans to keep the station.  It really doesn't fit in with the 
rest of their portfolio, and running a standalone operation in a major 
market with a boutique format on a suburban stick in a tough radio 
economy doesn't make much sense.   The Entercom deal was the best 
Nassau was going to get in terms of cash relief, so now that it's dead, 
it's only other option is to sell.  CBS and GM are maxed out, and Clear 
Channel is in a selling mode right now so spinning it to Entercom is a 
distinct possibility.  No matter who purchases 99.5, the classical goes 
to HD2.

Under Entercom, my guess is that WEEI would go to 99.5.  I can't see 
WAAF moving there.  Their core listening area is Metrowest and 
Worcester County, and 107.3 covers that area much better than 99.5.  
There's too much heritage on 107.3 for Entercom to risk taking the rock 
off that signal.  However, if they were to do that, maybe they put WEEI 
on 107.3/97.7, and move 107.3 back on Asnebumsket.  That would fill in 
the holes between Providence, Central Mass. and Springfield, where WEEI 
is already simulcasting on 103.7/Westerly and 105.5/Easthampton.  Then 
the company could spin off 1440.

The other option for 99.5 is for Salem to pick it up and put one of 
their "Fish" contemporary Christian formats on it.  Another would be 
for one of the big Hispanic broadcasters like Univision or SBS to come 
in and try a Spanish language-based format.  In any instance, if 99.5 
sells, the classical is gone from the main signal.

-Dave Tomm
"Mike Thomas"



On Jan 8, 2008, at 11:10 AM, Dan.Strassberg wrote:

> This won't happen, of course; it makes too much sense: Suppose
> Entercom were to buy 99.5 and move WAAF there. The 99.5 signal
> downtown is good enough that 97.7 might no longer be needed as a WAAF
> simulcast--although 97.7's South Shore coverage might be an asset to
> 99.5. Then the "classics" (I'm putting that in quotes to forestall
> another of Mr Glavin's diatribes) could move up the dial to 107.3 and
> Entercom might even be smart enough to move 107.3 back to where it
> belongs--on Asnebumsket Hilll in Paxton (assuming the FCC hasn't shut
> that door)--because the WCRB format is unduplicated in the rest of the
> old 107.3 coverage area, so the larger signal would potentially be
> saleable to advertisers as a regional signal. If "classical" (quotes
> again; they're getting as tiresome as Mr G's venting) can't be sold on
> an essentially Boston signal, it might be a little more saleable on a
> signal that covered half the land area of New England and WAY more
> than half the population.
>
> -----
> Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)