750

[Dan.Strassberg]

How likely is it that the eventual construction of Channel 5 in Newton
resulted from the applicant's impression that, by locating closer to
Worcester than any other Boston TV, they could get points with the FCC
for serving Worcester, whose sole VHF assignment was to be moved away
from it to the larger city 40 miles to the east? CBS was the first
applicant for Channel 5 in Boston to propose the Newton/Needham
location. CBS's idea to build a transmitter for WEEI-TV on a tall
tower along Route 128 west of Boston was the first of many such
applications from the several competing applicants. IIRC, once CBS
broke the ice, most, if not all, of the other Channel 5 applicants
quickly refiled showing locations close by the one CBS had proposed.

I think it was that flurry of applications that ended George Storer's
plan to move Channel 9 from Manchester to a tall tower in Georgetown
MA on the North Shore. There were only three TV networks in those
days, and once it became clear that all three would have VHF
affiliates licensed to Boston, it was obvious that if Channel 9 became
a Boston move-in, it would do so as an intependent station. Except
maybe in the three largest markets (and maybe not even there),
independent TV stations had a long row to hoe before anyone would
believe they could make money.

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

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Maureen Carney" <m_carney@yahoo.com>
To: "Kevin Vahey" <kvahey@comcast.net>; "Boston Radio Group"
<boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 6:19 AM
Subject: Re: 750


> Originally WHDH applied for channel 13. Before the freeze the Boston
> metro area had 2-4-7-9-13 allocated, with 2 set for Lexington and
> not Boston. The Boston Post was interested in a license as well. The
> interest in 5 went up when WTAG passed - combine that with 2
> ultimately being assigned to educational TV and 9 & 13 to other
> markets, almost all interested parties thought they could get 5
> moved into Boston anyway.
>
>
>