1995: The Year in Review

by Scott Fybush

Quite a year it's been in New England radio, as our local broadcasters have proven they're not immune to any of the trends sweeping the industry...be it the rise of modern rock, the spread of duopoly (and more), the decline of AM, and much much more. Let's start here in Boston, with a quick dial scan of the stations that made news in '95:

• 590 WBNW -- After getting off to a slow start at its launch in September 1994, WBNW continued to reside at the bottom of the ratings. The daytime money-talk schedule was shaken up this fall, with the departure of afternoon host Jeannine Graf.

• 680 WRKO -- A good year for Boston's talk giant, with the PM drive Howie Carr show demonstrating continued ratings growth. 'RKO picked up the Celtics after the team decided it didn't want to be associated with the anti-Celts talk hosts on 'RKO's sister station, all-sports WEEI 850.

• 850 WEEI -- In its first full year on the 50-kW transmitter that used to be WHDH, WEEI posted mixed results. Imus continues to be WEEI's saving grace, drawing impressive morning ratings. An autumn shake-up of the talk lineup brought in the Fabulous Sports Babe, and de-emphasized callers in favor of in-studio sports banter. A decent season got the Sox off to a good start on their new home at 850. And former Celtics voice and talk host Glenn Ordway took over as program chief.

• 890 WBPS -- After months of transitioning from Spanish-language religious WBIV 1060, this suburban outlet began establishing itself as Boston's second all-sports outlet. Programming is mostly Prime Sports (albeit with local AM drive), signal is weak in much of the market, and ratings thus far have been nonexistent.

• 1030 WBZ -- The big news here came just a few weeks ago, as WBZ parent Westinghouse bought CBS. 'BZ picked up the CBS Radio affiliation in March, adding it to the existing AP and ABC Info networks. The Bruins came to 'BZ this fall, albeit without a very good record this year. Patriots games were replaced with NY Giants after WBCN out-bid BZ for the Pats. On a happy note, talk show host David Brudnoy returned to the airwaves January 5th after being hospitalized for several months with what he revealed were symptoms of AIDS. Veteran newsman Darrell Gould retired after almost 30 years at WBZ. Finally, BZ took home a Marconi award for best major-market radio station of 1995.

• 1060 WBIV -- Dead and gone...for now. The suburban AM that was once John Garabedian's pride and joy (as WGTR) gave up its transmitter and towers to the new 890 WBPS. The license was sold for a pittance to one Alexander Langer of Florida. Rumor has it that Langer will put the station back on as a daytimer... but so far nothing concrete (or steel, for that matter) to show for it.

• 1090 WILD -- A tough year for Boston's lone black-owned outlet, as WJMN 94.5 asserts itself as the dominant urban station. Still, WILD has been hanging tough, stepping up its promotions in a valiant attempt to compete.

• 1200 WKOX -- A complete change of format and focus marked 1995 for Framingham's AM station. WKOX dumped its satellite country format and became a Boston-based talker this fall, including a morning news block and a midday program from Gene Burns (still based in San Francisco and doing the show by ISDN). WKOX closed out the year by applying for a power increase to 50 kW, and a daytime transmitter move to a site just 10 miles from downtown Boston. But the future is cloudy...rumors keep swirling of a buy-out by Salem Communications (owners of WEZE 1260 in Boston).

• 1510 WNRB -- The end of the old WSSH call letters here, as new owners Communicom turned on their religious format, and changed the calls in February.

• 88.1 WMBR -- MIT's radio station turned on its new transmitter, boosting power from 360 Watts to 720.

• 88.9 WERS -- Emerson College's station closed out the year amidst controversy, as college officials banned all but a handful of rap songs from the station. The administrators say it's out of concern for violent language; some students call it censorship. WERS also turned off overnights, because of administration worries about the safety of student DJs in WERS' studio right on Beacon Street.

• 89.7 WGBH -- Boston's oldest public radio station dropped its popular afternoon ``MusicAmerica'' show in the fall to make room for an expanded news block, and in the face of staunch opposition from listeners who liked the American popular standards show, refused to reverse the decision. At year's end, it still looks like a standoff...neither side is budging.

• 91.9 WUMB -- More news at this public broadcaster, too, as it became the third local outlet for ``All Things Considered'', in an attempt to maintain the needed listenership to qualify for CPB funding. WUMB turned on its second satellite station, WFPB 91.9 Falmouth (Cape Cod) earlier this month.

• 92.5 WXRV -- The Haverhill-based station turned off the ``Lite'' and WLYT calls this fall, becoming AAA ``The River''.

• 92.9 WBOS -- Boston's first AAA station continued the DJ shuffle, bringing in veteran Boston jock Ken Shelton as the latest morning host. Ratings remain moribund.

• 93.7 WEGQ -- Boston's 70's station settled in, ditching the WCGY calls that were associated with its former rock format. A new tower for ``Eagle 93-7'' is under construction in Middleton, Mass., some 15 miles closer to Boston than its present Andover location. The search for a morning host continues after the ouster of original morning guy Scott McKay.

• 94.5 WJMN -- ``Jam'n 94.5'' came under the same corporate umbrella as constant rival Kiss 108, only to find Evergreen buying said umbrella (otherwise known as Pyramid Broadcasting). Jam'n's new morning jock, Baltazar (late of Hot 97 in NYC), actually beat Kiss veteran Matty Siegel...leading to an on-air war of words for a few days.

• 95.3 WHRB -- The Harvard student station moved from a low transmitter site near campus to WERS's site atop Boston's One Financial Center skyscraper, giving the station greatly improved coverage.

• 96.9 WBCS -- Greater Media is committed to country here. After WKLB's sale (see below), WBCS renewed its million dollar pledge, promising to stay country through January 1, 1997...or else they'll pay a million dollars to the first caller to catch the format change. But with WKLB still running country, both stations are splitting a fairly small piece of pie.

• 98.5 WBMX -- Pretty much status quo at hot AC ``Mix 98.5'', except for an illness that's sidelined morning guy Joe Martelle through the start of next year. Barry Scott is taking his 70s-fest, ``The Lost 45's'', into syndication.

• 99.1 WPLM -- This South Shore old-timer finally bowed out of the cutthroat AC race (against Boston's WBMX, WSSH, and WMJX; Providence's WSNE and WWLI; and the Cape's WCIB and WCOD), and filled the smooth-jazz niche in late June. That was the good news. The bad news is they ditched their local jocks in the process, and turned on the SW satellite. Ditto (as always) for their AM sister on 1390, nearly impossible to hear up in Boston, or much of anywhere for that matter. That's one simulcast that's unlikely to ever be broken.

• 99.5 WOAZ -- Another AC veteran bites the dust, with WSSH, soft AC ``Wish 99.5'' changing to smooth jazz WOAZ ``Oasis'' at year's end. The station remains hampered by its Lowell city of license and its Andover transmitter site, making it difficult to reach the entire Boston metro, especially downtown and the South Shore.

• 100.7 WZLX -- Two big changes at the classic rocker marked '95. Ken Shelton was ousted from mornings, replaced by George Taylor Morris. And 'ZLX moved from its Hancock Tower home of more than a decade, down the street to new studios in the Prudential Tower.

• 101.7 WFNX -- Boston's oldest alternative rocker saw several jocks leave...and saw some big competition move in, as WBCN shifted from AOR to modern rock. 'FNX is trying to bolster its less-than-impressive class A signal, with FCC approval for a new translator in Boston's Back Bay, just the spot to reach all those college students -- and Phoenix Media Group corporate HQ on Brookline Ave. to boot!

• 102.5 WCRB -- There might be a format change here...in 97 years. What can you say about a station that's owned by a trust...which legally commits it to remain classical until 2092?

• 103.3 WODS -- ``Oldies 103'' had a stable 1995...but there could be changes in store for '96, as new owners Westinghouse take over at the CBS-owned FM. Rumors are already swirling about a move from rented space downtown to the WBZ facility in Brighton.

• 104.1 WBCN -- Probably the radio story of the year here, as ``The Rock of Boston'' became an alternative rocker. At year's end, it's still unclear how well Hub audiences have taken to aging DJs like Charles Laquidara (age 54) playing modern rock. 'BCN picked up the Patriots with a massive cash infusion from owner Infinity. And Howard Stern kept grousing about being tape-delayed to 7pm on 'BCN...a time slot that's been less than kind to the King of Some Media.

• 105.7 WKLB -- Another big story here...as Evergreen made plans to make this its third Boston FM, as soon as the FCC rules are changed. The local rumormongers all agree that the country format will likely be dumped...and the hot rumor is hot talk, à la Evergreen's WLUP in Chicago. WKLB started the year as WCLB...but did the call-change thing after a ratings book that showed suspiciously high numbers for WCRB, not to mention Brockton's WCAV, and even some radio diary entries for TV station WCVB! In any case, the changes at WKLB are on hold for now, as Evergreen waits for permission to take over from Fairbanks Communications.

• 107.9 WXKS -- Pyramid Broadcasting, which took Kiss 108 from worst to first back in 1979, cashed out this year... selling Kiss 108, WXKS-AM, WJMN, and its stations elsewhere to Evergreen for a nice big chunk of cash (into the 9 figures). Pyramid honcho Richie Balsbaugh had a strong emotional attachment to the Kiss format and jocks...but will Evergreen show the same restraint in the face of flat ratings at Kiss? Meanwhile, sister station WJMN continues to soar, prompting rumors that Evergreen might try to consolidate the CHR and urban audiences at Jam'n...and take Kiss in another direction. Should be an interesting year at Kiss headquarters, especially when WJMN moves from its current rented Waltham digs up to the WXKS facility in scenic Medford.

• Modern rock caught on in a big way, with converts that included new entry WDGE ``99.7 the Edge'' in Wakefield, R.I. (née WUAE), WHMP-FM ``Today's 99-3'' in Northampton, Mass., WWBX 97.1 Bangor, Maine (last noted as country WYOU), and WCYY/WCYI in the Portland market (formerly AAA)...not to mention WMRQ 104.1 Waterbury (Hartford), which actually began transitioning in late '94.

• Duopoly was big, too...with a new triopoly (pending FCC approval) in Hartford, among others.

• Gone but not forgotten: WHAV 1490 in Haverhill, Mass., jettisoned its local news staff and its English-language oldies format, and was sold to Spanish-language WNNW in Salem, N.H. And just a few weeks ago, country WCAV in Brockton, Mass., fired all its DJs and went to the bird. Country WHIM in Providence vanished---again---from its 1110 spot, only to turn up on the former WKRI 1450 West Warwick, after 1110 became Spanish WPMZ. WARE in Ware, Mass. kept its local news staff but ditched oldies for a simulcast of new owner WQVR(FM) Southbridge (satellite country). And most painfully, the very cool WEXP-FM 105.1 up in Burlington, Vt. (actually Plattsburgh, N.Y.) proved to be too good for its own good. In an over-built market, this very eclectic AAA-esque station couldn't make it, and was sold into duopoly, only to resurface in the hands of the radio Body Snatchers as satellite oldies WKOL. Thanks, but no thanks. At least Southern Vermont got some cool AAA, as WBFL 107.1 Bellows Falls and WUVR 100.5 in Lebanon, N.H., teamed up as ``The River''.

• Back from the dead: Little WHAB(FM) at Acton-Boxboro High School in Acton, Mass., reappeared at 89.1 FM. And WCMX in Leominster, Mass., could be back on AM 1000 within a few weeks. WKFD 1370 in Wickford, R.I., could be back soon, too.

• New to the airwaves: WBNC-FM 104.5 in Conway, N.H., WKCD 107.7 in Pawcatuck, Conn. (brand-new, running SW Smooth Jazz), just to name a few. Out in Western Mass., AC WJDF 97.3 made its on-air debut in mid- summer. New Hampshire Public Radio announced plans to start a second, all-classical network, and has applied for licenses in Lancaster and Nashua, N.H.

• A number of stations flipped or otherwise fiddled formats, including 102.1 WZEA in Hampton, N.H., which became WSTG ``The Stage'', playing an entertainer-oriented AC format.