Boston-Radio-Interest Digest, Vol 23, Issue 49

Wed Jun 5 15:16:15 EDT 2019

We are so gifted to have Donna on this list and be a local broadcast 
historian.   I always enjoy reading her posts.

John

--- Original message ---
From: boston-radio-interest-request@lists.BostonRadio.org
Sent: June 5, 2019 12:00:00 PM
To: boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org
Subject: Boston-Radio-Interest Digest, Vol 23, Issue 49

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> >
> > ----------
> > Today's Topics:
> >
> >   1. WLAW - WNAC (Doug Drown)
> >   2. Re: WLAW - WNAC (Donna Halper)
> >   3. Re: WLAW - WNAC, PS (Donna Halper)
> >
> >
> >
> > ----------
> > WLAW - WNAC
> > From: Doug Drown ashboy1951@gmail.com
> > Date: Jun 4, 4:05 PM
> > To: Boston Radio Group boston-radio-interest@lists.bostonradio.org
> >
> > I have an historical question: When General Tire purchased WLAW in Lawrence
> > back in 1953 and moved WNAC
> > from 1260 to WLAW'S 680 frequency, was it more a merger of the two stations
> > or an acquisition?  Did General obtain any of WLAW's intellectual property
> > and hire any of its on-air staff, or did the station for all intents and
> > purposes become defunct?
> >
> > -Doug Drown
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----------
> > Re: WLAW - WNAC
> > From: Donna Halper dlh@donnahalper.com
> > Date: Jun 5, 12:32 AM
> > To: Doug Drown ashboy1951@gmail.com, Boston Radio Group 
> boston-radio-interest@lists.bostonradio.org
> >
> > On 6/4/2019 4:05 PM, Doug Drown wrote:
> >> I have an historical question: When General Tire purchased WLAW in Lawrence
> >> back in 1953 and moved WNAC
> >> from 1260 to WLAW'S 680 frequency, was it more a merger of the two stations
> >> or an acquisition?  Did General obtain any of WLAW's intellectual property
> >> and hire any of its on-air staff, or did the station for all intents and
> >> purposes become defunct?
> >
> >
> > Beware:  the answer to this is complicated!!!  It also started with
> > WNAC, which had been trying to get a better frequency & more wattage for
> > ages and ages, but the FRC and then later the FCC kept saying "no." John
> > Shepard 3rd had lots of health problems in the mid-to-late-1940s, and
> > that caused him to abandon the effort to improve WNAC's dial position;
> > but his executive staff carried on the fight after Shepard died in June
> > of 1950.  Meanwhile, the Rogers family, which put WLAW on the air in
> > 1937 (co-owned back then by Hildreth & Rogers, of which Irving Rogers
> > was president), was finding it increasingly more expensive to maintain
> > the station, which by then had studios in Boston as well as Lawrence.
> > The Lawrence Eagle-Tribune (which the Rogers family also owned) was
> > having financial problems, and Irving Rogers decided it was time to sell
> > the radio station in May 1953. What ended up was a bit of a swap. WNAC's
> > owners-- the Yankee Network division of General TeleRadio, purchased
> > WLAW. Meanwhile, the old WNAC frequency (1260) and some of its equipment
> > got sold to Victor Diehm, who turned it into WVDA. Diehm got the best of
> > both stations-- he also got WLAW's Boston studio, then in the Hotel
> > Bradford.  Meanwhile, WLAW's 680 (and 50,000 watts) became the new WNAC,
> > which already had a studio complex for AM, FM, shortwave, and TV, on
> > Brookline Ave.  Some of the old WLAW air staff did get hired by WNAC.
> > Others found work at other stations--  in the early 1950s, there were
> > still a lot of radio stations on the air in Boston...
> >
> > --
> > Donna L. Halper, PhD
> > Associate Professor of Communication & Media Studies
> > Lesley University, Cambridge MA
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----------
> > Re: WLAW - WNAC, PS
> > From: Donna Halper dlh@donnahalper.com
> > Date: Jun 5, 12:45 AM
> > To: Doug Drown ashboy1951@gmail.com, Boston Radio Group 
> boston-radio-interest@lists.bostonradio.org
> >
> > A clarification-- I should have mentioned that the Lawrence Eagle
> > Tribune and WLAW were both operated by Alexander Rogers; it was
> > Alexander (the father) who put WLAW on the air in 1937, with the help of
> > other members of the Rogers family, including his son Irving. (The
> > Hildreth & Rogers company name was more historical than actual-- Frank
> > Hildreth had died way back in 1909.)   But when Alexander died in 1942,
> > his son Irving took over, and it was he who made the decision to sell
> > WLAW in 1953.
> >
> > --
> > Donna L. Halper, PhD
> > Associate Professor of Communication & Media Studies
> > Lesley University, Cambridge MA
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----------
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