report: NBC to sell Hartford, Miami TVs

[Dan.Strassberg]

I think it was earlier than the mid 60s; I think it was in the '50s,
but I could be wrong. At the time, the station was owned by radio
pioneer George B Storer, who, IIRC, bought it expressly because of the
possibility of moving it into the Boston market. I forget why the move
fell apart; seems to me it was not because it wouldn't work
technically or because of NIMBY problems with constructing a very tall
tower in what I believe to be an upscale North Shore community, but
rather because it would have deprived NH of its only commercial VHF
allocation. I don't think Channel 11 had yet been allocated to Durham
and it isn't a commercial allocation anyhow. Channel 8 transmitted
from NH but was licensed to Maine. I don't know if Storer tried to
placate the Granite State by proposing to keep the Studios in
Manchester, but I believe that the NH Congressional delegation brought
plenty of pressure on the FCC to reject the application. I don't
recall whether a CP was ever granted, but, IIRC, when Storer realized
he wasn't going to be able to make the move (or at least that getting
authorization was going to take many years and many millions), he gave
up and sold the station. Somebody will post the identity of the buyer;
I don't recall.

-----
Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
eFax 1-707-215-6367

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kevin Vahey" <kvahey@comcast.net>
To: "Scott Fybush" <scott@fybush.com>
Cc: "Boston Radio Group" <boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2008 3:23 PM
Subject: Re: report: NBC to sell Hartford, Miami TVs


> Scott may have more info on this in his files.
>
> Back in the mid 60's WMUR tried to move the transmitter to
> Georgetown,
> MA with the idea of being a Boston indy. They filed papers with the
> FCC that tried to show Nashua and Manchester would actually get a
> better signal.
>
> WMUR was in pre-cable days almost unwatchable in Manchester as
> everybody had their antennas pointed towards Newton-Needham and the
> channel 9 tramsmitter was due west of the city in Goffstown.
>
> For years WMUR had a translator on channel 13 in downtown Manchester
> because of the problem.
>
> Richard Eaton who owned channel 9 then started a cable company in
> Manchester - United Cable.