New England Radio Watcher: All Over The Place

[Scott D Fybush]

Another one of those miscellaneous weeks, I guess...

*AM 550 in Pawtucket (Providence) RI remains off the air. I last
noticed them on the air around May 30, so that means they're
coming up on 3 weeks dark. Back Bay Broadcasters (WBNW 590 in
Boston, WARA 1320/WWKX 106.3 in the Prov. market) is buying
550 and reportedly plans to change calls from WICE to WPNW,
simulcasting WBNW's Bloomberg news/biz talk format.

*WMBR (88.1) in Cambridge was briefly off the air early this
week, but returned Tuesday afternoon June 20 from its new
directional antenna on the MIT campus. The power increase
from 360 to 720 watts will reportedly happen very soon.

*Last weekend brought the opportunity to drive out to the
Worcester area and do some tower-hunting. Seems Broadcasting
Yearbook has been carrying an error on its pages for some
time; its listing for WWTM-1440 shows the same tower
coordinates as WTAG-580. The FCC database says otherwise,
and the FCC is (surprise!) right. The 1440 site is within
Worcester city limits, on the West Side of town a couple
miles north of Rt. 9. Two towers in what has become a
very densely residential neighborhood, though it was surely
farmland when the towers were built. I'm guessing they
date back to then-WAAB's 1940s move from Boston to
Worcester (to escape the FCC's new one-to-a-market rule).

Further out route 9, saw the 3 tower array of WCRN-830, which
just took to the airwaves last year. It's just off Route
9 in Leicester. Nicely built, and putting out a decent
signal. Still further to the west, WBPR-91.9, the
satellite station of UMass/Boston's WUMB-91.9, holds
forth in less-than-glorious mono from a telephone pole
just south of Rt.9 across the Spencer town line, behind
a golf course. Photos will appear in a week or two on
the Boston Radio Archives page...this is one not to be
missed! Never did find WVNE-760, though the coords would
put it just north of rt. 9 in either Spencer or East
Brookfield. Also had a nice visit to the WCUW-91.3 studios
in Worcester...very friendly people. Just down Main Street
is the alleged studio site of WCRN at 1049 Main Street -- no
sign and it looked pretty vacant.

*Returning to RI for a moment -- WUAE 99.7 Wakefield has applied
for the WDGE calls, to fit their tagline "The Edge." I have
a WUAE legal on tape, so they're welcome to change whenever
they'd like :-)

*Just barely off-topic: WSBK-TV in Boston is ending
its 10pm newscast effective August 6. The newscast debuted
in 1993, and was produced at WBZ-TV. WSBK is now a UPN
affiliate, and owner Viacom thought the presence of a
WBZ-branded newscast was diluting the station's new "UPN
38" identity. Rumor has New England Cable News switching
from producing a 10pm cast for WFXT-Fox 25...to doing one
for WSBK, bearing the "UPN 38 News" identity.

*And finally, a death to report: Many of you have heard or heard
of John Garabedian, the host of the syndicated "Open House
Party" and one-time owner of WGTR Marlboro MA. His father,
John N. Garabedian, died June 8 at age 94. John N. worked
for his son at WGTR as the station's treasurer, after retiring
as vice president of John H. Pray and Sons.

-=Scott Fybush - fyb...@world.std.com=-