WMEX Updates??

Does anyone have any updates on WMEX?? Are they ever coming back on the air? Anyone hear anything about where or if "Sandy" Shack has landed at a station? Back in June she indicated she had several options...I've been following her twitter and FB account and they're basically inactive.

No word.There were some who claimed new owners were out there and things had to be worked out; one rumor had Eddie Andleman and the Herald teaming up.Fact of the matter is Daly XXL got 6 mo silent authorization starting early July, which can be renewed once.Unless someone can find a tower site etc then by July of next yr the license and allocation is gone for good.

No inside word from credible sources.Sandy is laying low and no indication she's going to anywhere in radio.The Entercom-CBS deal may shake up some stations.Maybe she'll turn up at one of the AMs if they get sold off, or she's pursuing non broadcast opportunities (Nancy Shack Morrison).

No FCC filings for sales, tower moves etc from what's been reported.
Now I'm wondering what becomes of WXKS 1200. In early July it was announced 1300, 106.1, and 92.9 HD 2 would run Bloomberg with 1200 running Bloomberg for another 90 days.Now we've reached just past that point.
Or does 1200 reach some areas where 1300 and 106.1 don't so they keep renting from iHR?

Has been pointed out to me Bloomberg contract ends in Feb.Orig press release had said "next few months".

This is more lile half a yr, since July 4

Yes, WMEX is coming back with Color Radio. Fenway, Melvin X Melvin, Arnie Wo Wo Ginsburg and Jerry Williams and Larry Glick over night. The Format will be called " Dead or Almost Dead Radio."

raccoonradio said:

Now I'm wondering what becomes of WXKS 1200. In early July it was announced 1300, 106.1, and 92.9 HD 2 would run Bloomberg with 1200 running Bloomberg for another 90 days.Now we've reached just past that point.
Or does 1200 reach some areas where 1300 and 106.1 don't so they keep renting from iHR?

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That's 1330 WRCA. 1300 is WJDA Quincy.

raccoonradio said:

Has been pointed out to me Bloomberg contract ends in Feb.Orig press release had said "next few months".

This is more lile half a yr, since July 4

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Most contracts like this have a 90 day "out" clause.....even though the term of the contract may indeed be Feb.

Thanks, yup typo by me re: freq

Wimmmex said:

Most contracts like this have a 90 day "out" clause.....even though the term of the contract may indeed be Feb.

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1330 dies as you go west from 128, 1200 is clear well past 495

Thanks, I note on radio-locator maps WXKS by day reaches to Worc in distant and almost Springfield in fringe; by night the signal mostly pushes east.Better than 1330.The latter's 106.1 translator does better than you'd think though has to avoid some areas.The Newburyport 106.1 helps.The identity is Bloomberg 106.1.Having the FMs a big step for them.Maybe they'll continue the 1200 rental past Feb., or turn elsewhere.

After all of the rigmarole over WMEX, these are very disappointing updates.

Voicetrack of Reason said:

After all of the rigmarole over WMEX, these are very disappointing updates.

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but not unexpected.

The previous owners didn't take a multi million dollar loss, selling the station for peanuts (200k or so iirc) to a couple of people from out of the area and their nitwit relative who had a 1% ownership interest.

Nobody has been able to make a go of that place in decades, and with the transmitter lease up for renewal the previous owners were lucky to get the penny on the dollar they did when they sold to the Berner family.

So you have a non viable station no matter what format was attempted, on a signal hampered frequency, that had what was rumored to have tower rent that was beyond affordable considering the cash flow, and even with 2 years to plan the current owners were not smart enough to find a way to co-locate on another tower in order to stay on the air once the lease was up, since staying put with a higher tower rent was out of the question, heck staying there for the same rent was not economically feasible .

Then the final nail in 1510's coffin was the morning show. The morning show is supposed to be the best product the station can put out, and that is supposed to carry the other dayparts.

That morning show wasn't good enough for a carrier current station.

The fact that Mr. 1%'r ( a reference to his ownership position and not to being a biker) had no clue how to run a station in any way, except into the ground which he did very well, didn't help.

It is not unusual for AM stations to go dark these days. Small market signals that don't have a large enough population to support sales go dark every month. The amount of real estate needed for an AM tower or array is a factor. Many times the land where the towers are is more valuable as a location for a new commercial or residential development.

WMEX is not the first station to go dark but it is the biggest. It won't be the last either.

The next action you will see will be an extension of the STA to go dark, that would be in late December, assuming the current owners care enough to do it, or smart enough.

After that, it will be a entry in the Daily Digest that the license was deleted and from then on the FCC records will note it as DWMEX

IMHO the station can't produce enough revenue to support the cost of a relocation, which is why there has not been so much as a peep about a possible buyer.

Interesting now that you mention it..owners may not bother to file for the 6 mo extension and 1510 will get deleted sooner.Even pirates, as far as I know, are not bothering to try the freq

You are correct about Mr1% and he didn’t know a thing about radio although he knew a lot about ego. The morning show was, to say the least, juvenile and plain terrible. As an insider I can tell you the owners were a wine soaked sop and his beaten, literally, down wife who had a dose of Stockholm Syndrome. The equipment was at least 11 years old and starting to break down. Outside of Joe Shortsleeve and Sandy Shack, the station was more dysfunctional than a Housewife’s episode. The transmitter lease is the point where it went dark but I can tell you that it is the worst managed station (and that’s a compliment), going dark was their fate regardless and the best thing to happen to that station under its current ownership

raccoonradio said:

Interesting now that you mention it..owners may not bother to file for the 6 mo extension and 1510 will get deleted sooner.Even pirates, as far as I know, are not bothering to try the freq

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There are a few weak and fuzzy signaled pirates on other AM frequencies in the Boston area, but even they know better than to have their signals eaten up between the 1500 Wash. DC and 1520 Buffalo, NY blowtorches at night.

Very good point..unless a pirate were to just run by day. Certainly WMEX even at "50,000 watts" or whatever had a tough time at night so imagine pirates being a lot less powerful. FM is more of an attraction too.

WMEX was being courted by "Dr K" for awhile (libertarian, ran an AM 900 in Laurel MD) but eventually Daly XXL got it (June of 2015, sale completed by 9/10/15 acc to Wikipedia). When Howie was not renewed by WRKO, even as being an affiliate of HIS network, WMEX picked him up from Nov of 2014 till about March of 2015. By then RKO had a dip in ratings and got Howie back, good for both. Signings like McPhee, Ligotti (on for one month!), and Sandy Shack gave them a little bravado but yes there was that morning show and things like announcing the signing of a Utica host to do middays only to be thrown aside. Power bills etc killed them. The days of Woo Woo and Williams were long gone.

A few people who worked at 1510 speculate that Dr. K never had any intention of buying 1510. Berner just brought him in to drive the price down so Berner's sister could buy the signal. This theory lacks evidence but is somewhat plausible.

Interesting if so. Dr K was LMA-ing WILC 900 Laurel MD for awhile

Wikipedia re WILC:
(It had been foreign language) "On February 3, 2014, the station changed formats to Conservative Talk;with a more Libertarian emphasis. On the same date, Wallis Communications began operating the station under a Local Marketing Agreement.On November 5, 2014 WILC changed their format back to Spanish adult contemporary, branded as "Romantica 900".

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I don't think Wallis aka Dr K is involved with WILC anymore. Nov of 2014 is also when WMEX picked up the Howie-syndicated
Howie Carr show.
MassLive.com at the time: ""Everything at WRKO was antiquated including the management's theories of radio. I don't think companies like Entercom will be around long term," said Carr.
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Dear Howie...um...
>>Entercom

It's sad to see so called "experts" who claim to have "inside information" saying mean-spirited things about people when they are too cowardly to stand behind their words by posting under their real names. You can debate the failure of the station or the decisions that were made all you want without the ad hominem, personal attacks.

Thanks Joe Ligotti!
Great Post!

raccoonradio said:

Interesting if so. Dr K was LMA-ing WILC 900 Laurel MD for awhile

Wikipedia re WILC:
(It had been foreign language) "On February 3, 2014, the station changed formats to Conservative Talk;with a more Libertarian emphasis. On the same date, Wallis Communications began operating the station under a Local Marketing Agreement.On November 5, 2014 WILC changed their format back to Spanish adult contemporary, branded as "Romantica 900".

--
I don't think Wallis aka Dr K is involved with WILC anymore. Nov of 2014 is also when WMEX picked up the Howie-syndicated
Howie Carr show.
MassLive.com at the time: ""Everything at WRKO was antiquated including the management's theories of radio. I don't think companies like Entercom will be around long term," said Carr.
-
Dear Howie...um...
>>Entercom

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Hopefully someone down in MD has removed "Dr. K's voicebox with a dull grapefruit spoon by now!
Unbearable!