WGBH may buy WCRB?

[Scott Fybush]

Laurence Glavin wrote:

> Part of the problems with the 99.5 signal could be solved with a transmitter move closer 
> to the City, taking into account the allowable spacings between WCRB and the 99.3 in
> southern Maine, 99.7 near Providence, and WPLM.  Of course that would cost even
> more money, and WGBH must somehow raise the cash to pull off the purchase alone.
> I wonder if some other broadcaster is looking at the purchase price of just 14
> million dollars and thinking "Hey, I'd like to bid more than that" ESPN peut-etre?

I think if there were another broadcaster willing to outspend WGBH, 
they'd have already done so. It's been no secret that Nassau has wanted 
to unload 99.5 almost from day one.

As for moving 99.5 closer to Boston, I think we clear-cut that ground 
back in 2006 when WCRB moved down the dial. As a class B station, WCRB 
can't get any closer than it already is - it's too constrained by the 
spacings to WPLM-FM. I've seen some studies that show that 99.5 could 
come in closer as a B1, but the consensus among the experts I talked to 
was that there's really very little to be gained by going that route - 
you lose some of your Merrimack Valley/New Hampshire coverage and don't 
get much stronger in Boston as a tradeoff.

I'm surprised nobody's brought W242AA into the discussion, however. 
Seems to me there's some potential there, if it should become a WCRB (or 
WGBH-89.7HD2) simulcast...

s