Howie has sent out the official notice that he will be on WMEX\u2013AM 1510 starting on Monday. No word yet about the syndication.<\/p>\n
As of today, WMEX-AM 1510 doesn’t exist. The station is currently using the call sign of WUFC-AM, a 50,000 watt day\/night station located in Boston. Reportedly, the FCC has been asked for the WMEX call sign, which was the original call sign – but the call sign is currently in use by a LPFM station in New Hampshire that wallows in the memories of the heyday of the station before FM.<\/p>\n
Howie’s transition is like moving from a penthouse condo in Cambridge to a fleabag motel in Chelsea – that’s how stark the difference will be.<\/p>\n
This station had been the home station for “progressive” talk show host Jeff Santos after the failure of Air America. For a brief time it was Yahoo Sports Radio, the NBC Sports Radio. The station is now leased out carrying mostly shows that people are paying to be on the air.<\/p>\n
http:\/\/1510wufc.com<\/p>\n
Note that the contact info for the station is in New Jersey. Glenn Beck is on the station for two hours and Hannity for three. It’s very important for national syndication to be able to say they are “on the air” in all the major markets. Clear Channel tried and failed to place their Premiere lineup on their own AM radio station in Boston on AM 1200. Rush went back to WRKO, the station that Howie just left.<\/p>\n
The first challenge to this venture involves God. My nuclear science relative in Boston has explained to me that 1450 kHz is the upper end of where the AM band actually ends. The FCC can feel free to hand out licenses, but the orbiting speed of electrons can’t be legislated. Around 1450 kHz, the RF energy is rapidly deflected, and sending a signal is like talking through a pillow. The station is 50 kW, but directional using 4 towers located West of Boston with the signal pointed to the East. There is no way to hear this station in Western MA other than over the Internet or if he picks up other affiliates.<\/p>\n
Newspaper guy Howie Carr is about to learn that there is a lot more to running a radio station than the guy in front of the microphone. Howie is reportedly bringing along at least three staff to produce the show. They will want to be paid. To pay staff, you need to sell ads and actually collect the money. You need production equipment to create those commercials. You need a studio with a working phone system and someone to fix things when they break.<\/p>\n
The license for WUFC is owned by Blackstrap Broadcasting – which is a guy named Peter Davidson, a guy who specializes in failing AM radio stations. He bought the station in 2007 from an absentee owner based in Oregon (Microsoft’s Paul Allen) along with WSNR in Jersey City. <\/p>\n
Davidson Media uses the stations to target Hispanics or carry religious broadcasting, but this station (and WSNR) he owns personally.<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.davidsonmediagroup.com<\/p>\n
There is this report that the two stations would be sold in 2011, but I see no evidence that happened. The stations are still licensed to Davidson, but with a huge loan against them – making it difficult to determine if the lender is from russia, theoretically (the station in Jersey City runs Russian language programming to the very large Russian immigrant population in New Jersey). That station is run by Davidzon Media (with a Z)<\/p>\n
Davidson cashing out of Boston, New York<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n