From: fybush@unixland.natick.ma.us (Scott Fybush)
Subject: Re: FCC vetoes AM-AM simulcast
Originator: wdp@gagme
Organization: GAGME - Public Access UNIX of Chicago, Illinois, USA, Earth
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 23:28:15 GMT

norris@athena.mit.edu (Richard A Chonak) writes:

[taken out of context]

>Maybe Scott Fybush can give us some more info?

I'm flattered :-)  I'll try:

>There's an article in the current Boston Business Journal about a proposed
>simulcast arrangement between two AM stations here, but it appears that
>the FCC has refused permission for the deal.

>Daytime-only urban-contemporary station WILD (1090) reached an agreement to
>simulcast with 24-hour station WMEX (1150), hoping to "double" WILD's
>salable ad time, and expected that the new FCC simulcast rules would allow 
>the arrangement.  Washington turned down the plan, saying that a simulcast
>by two stations on the same band (AM) was contrary to the anti-monopolistic
>intent of the policy.  Interestingly, WMEX already is simulcasting its FM 
>counterpart, WMJX (106.7).


What a waste.  When WMEX was oldies (circa 1985-1989), it ran stereo, and
they don't even bother with THAT anymore.  On the other hand, the 1150
frequency has a long, inglorious history of being simulcast with FM,
initially as WCOP and later as WHUE (with then  co-owned 100.7 FM).
A complex deal in 1984  led to Greater Media (which then owned WHUE 1150
AM/100.7 FM) selling the FM to Cook Inlet, which renamed it WZLX, after
a VERY brief stint at WKKT, "The Cat."), and then buying WMJX 106.7
FM instead.  Just to add to the fun, WMJX had only two years earlier
been spun off from WBZ, where it was known as WBZ-FM.

Back to the point: My understanding of the WILD/WMEX deal was that
Greater Media, not the FCC, put a hold on the deal while it waited
for Washington to settle the multiple-ownership rules.  Apparently Greater
Media would rather sell WMEX than lease it out.  

The matter was further complicated when Stephen Nash, owner of WILD,
died suddenly last month.  I'm not sure what WILD's ownership status
is now.

I'd love to see all-folk (at least during the day) WADN "Walden" 1120
in Concord, west of the city, take over the 1150 signal.  1150 is MUCH
stronger at night.  I don't think the Walden folks can afford it,
though.

>---
>Also, the defunct call letters of easy-listening WJIB-FM, a long-time fixture
>of Boston radio (now "smooth-jazz" WCDJ), have been revived for an AM
station 
>in Cambridge.  WJIB-AM (740) has changed identities several times in the past
>few years: from folkie WCAS, it became WLVG ("We love gospel" music), and then
>adopted the label "Earth Radio" and played an eclectic mix of oldies along with
>a lot of preachy environmental PSAs.  Accordingly (I suppose), the GM
refused 
>to use a car when making sales calls.  Now 740 is WJIB, and it's trying to 
>tap into memories of the easy-listening FM's style, including its 
>characteristic surf-and-seagulls at ID time.  (I'm told they don't "ring" 
>the trademark ship's bells yet! :)  )

>--RC


WWEA was, we're now told, a temporary station, put on the air while owner
Bob Bittner waited for the WJIB calls to become available (they were
assigned to a CP in Maine that's now WBQQ 99.3 Kennebunk ME).  I have a
cassette (actually 2 90's) of the WWEA--> WJIB cutover if anyone's
interested.

Other Boston industry gossip: Infinity's purchase of WZLX is raising
few eyebrows; I've heard of NO planned changes yet.  If I were Infinity,
I'd kill off WZLX and go country with 100.7.  The logic?  Listeners
displaced when classic-rock WZLX goes under have NOWHERE else to go
besides Infinity's co-owned WBCN, the long-time AOR leader here.  Infinity
would lose few listeners to hard-rock WAAF or weaker-signal AOR WCGY.

The time is right for country here...Infinity has the strong class
B 100.7 signal and the $$$ to make it work.  I don't think it will
happen in reality; Infinity seems to like WZLX as is.  Good for them!

Talker WHDH lets PM drive host Ted O'Brien go; he'll move out of
the market.  He's being replaced by Boston Phoenix media critic
Mark Jurkowitz and some reverend whose name momentarily escapes me.
It's an attempt to replicate the only somewhat successful liberal-
conservative morning team of Marjorie Clapprood and Pat Whitley.

Not much else is new; there will be some changes in a week or so that
I'll tell you all about then.

Scott Fybush -- fybush@unixland.natick.ma.us
if it bounces:  unixland!fybush@world.std.com

Newsgroups: rec.radio.broadcasting