HFU HF Underground
General Category => General Radio Discussion => Topic started by: Ct Yankee on May 08, 2026, 1705 UTC
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https://radioinsight.com/headlines/351081/station-sales-week-of-5-8-wabc-coming-to-boston/
Red Apple's purchase of WCRN is all but complete. This is interesting of several accounts:
1) Red Apple is the NY radio hobby of real estate/supermarket magnate John "Cats" Catsimatidis. The flagship is flamethrower WABC 770 am with a pair of sister stations on Long Island and in Rockland County which simulcast WABC. The format is right wing (syndicated and local NY) talk.
2) WCRN would be Cats' first radio venture outside Metro NYC, simulcasting existing shows might not be a proper programming option for the Commonwealth.
3) WCRN is (or at least was) the Red Sox affiliate of choice (Class B 50,000 watt) for areas just west of Boston, central Massachusetts, and some points north (I actually receive in Connecticut) - Red Apple runs Mark Levin and Roger Stone from 7p-9p weeknights. It will be interesting to see the weeknight evening programing selection for WCRN.
Maybe he should pick up WBT AM, they have been running an ID loop for months.
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Hey Yankee,
Hmmmm....
WCRN has a strange signal here : 50 Kw at night , all aimed East ( right toward Boston).
Yet they don't do very well considering they're not that far away and the juice they run.
Noisy at times, occasional fades, etc.
I like the North Star format mix. But if I am parking on a frq for music, it usually isn't on CRN . But I know others in better locations probably enjoy
it. Is this guy going to talk radio format ?
Just what we need, less music on AM .
NQC
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Is this guy going to talk radio format ?
Is WDOG gonna have barking canines over music? You bet.
The questions coming out of the NYC radio world is whether it would be a straight simulcast of the talk radio format as the two other affiliates in Metro NYC. If so, much of the programming would be a poor fit for Central/Eastern Massachusetts - not because it leans heavily right wing weekdays (some liberal hosts on weekends like former NY Governor Cuomo) but because of its NY focus.
When Imus made WEEI his first syndicated radio station in 1993, the focus of programming shifted from metro NYC news/guests to a more national scope. Catsimatidis might be too much of a son of New York to change format.
However, fret not about having no music on WCRN. WABC does a seven hour block of oldies music Saturday evening (2100-0400 UTC) with programs by Vinnie Medugno, Cousin Brucie (introduced The Beatles at the 1965 Shea Stadium concert), and Joe Piscopo (Flagship station of Sinatra Show).
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There goes another GOOD station to stupid right wing talk BS!
And WHY is WBT not just continuing to air thier news station on 1.1Mhz until they get a buyer for the AM??
KYW is doing that on 1.06!!! (Im glad as I listen to them alot when they come in)
WBT is just wasting thier AM station!!