Nassau dumps Air America for good in Portland

[newsbot]

Nassau Broadcasting flipped WLVP/870 in Portland to ESPN Radio as of 6AM this morning.
Official Nassau press release here.

 

[mr_mark_taylor]

is it a simulcast of 1470 in Lewiston or are they planning to spin WLAM to something else? (I'm not that far south so I can't pick up the signals so I have no idea what sort of overlap they have)

 

[NO DAG]

"Dead Air America" , couldn't make in the "Peoples' Republic of Burlington" or on a low dial, pull power facility in Portland. Very interesting. The folks in Burlington pulled the plug on D.A.A. for ESPN radio as well on the good fulltime signal there.

 

[Underminer]

Oh grow up. Just because someone is liberal doesn't mean they're a communist. Typical ignorant right-wing stereotyping. How's your Bush?

 

[NO DAG]

Don;t be an angry liberal. Need not worry Dead Air America lives on XM Radio for now.. Who said anything about communists ?? Little overreaction ?

 

[Underminer]

Where do you think the phrase "Peoples Republic" comes from? Read a little history once in a while.

 

[NO DAG]

Boy are we nasty... I'm quite well up on my history, and would not have made that proclaimation if I can't back it up.. Relax, comrad..

 

[NO DAG]

By the way, before we fall into the 'take it outside' department by those who are the purveyors of good taste.. The only place where Air America may even show a blip of a pulse would be Brattleboro VT heading south along the CT River to Springfield Ma on the Saga AM stations over there. Other than I don;t know anywhere else in New England, and northern NE that is carrying that programming..

 

[raccoonradio]

>>How's your Bush?

Frankly thanks to the immigration stance, even conservatives are experiencing "Bush Derangement Syndrome"
now...I know I am. Yikes.
Anyway, they did manage to save the station in '04 but the lure of sports proved too strong.

I think AAR/prog talk in New England is indeed confined now to the trimulcast in Western MA plus
WKVT (AM) Brattleboro. Gone in Boston (2 stations), Portland, Burl VT, Providence, New Haven...

 

[Andy Taylor]

is it a simulcast of 1470 in Lewiston or are they planning to spin WLAM to something else? (I'm not that far south so I can't pick up the signals so I have no idea what sort of overlap they have)

Their signals don't overlap at all.1470 WLAM is directional away from Portland because of 1440 & 1490 in that market.The 870 signal can be heard in Auburn ,but it's nothing great.I wish they could or would do something to improve the quality of the signal.It may be 10kw but it's the worse am signal in Portland.WBZ has a way better signal even being 100 miles away.

 

[raccoonradio]

I'm on the North Shore of Boston and sometimes 870 has come in (believe it or not, it was coming in
just south of Boston on the S.E. expressway, though a pirate on that freq soon popped up). But right here
on my part of the North Shore (Beverly MA) if I get anything on 870 on my car radio THESE days it's some kind of
reflection of WBZ.
maybe it would come in up around Ipswich/Glou.
The Radio-Locator map (daytime cov.) does put Cape Ann in fringe area

meanwhile WZAN 970 comes in very strong here in Beverly--was listening to it nr the Beverly-Salem
bridge yesterday.

 

[NO DAG]

One of the most interesting places for incredible AM reception is in Yarmouth Nova Scotia, everything, and I mean everything blows right across the water including WESX from Marblehead MA, All the Portland stations, 1490 included, and everything else from Boston and well beyond, reception is even better over the past few years, especially now that there are no AM's in Yarmouth anymore.

 

[rjoc]

VERY TRUE!!! I was sitting in my car at the CAT Ferry Dock a couple years ago, scanning the AM dial, and both WJIB/740 and WJTO/730 came in..not rock-solid, but decent enough to listen to. ((Also got WHOM Mount Washington, and WSYY Millinocket, ME battling for 94.9FM))

And if you want REALLY good DX, go to the tip of nearby Cape Sable, NS!

 

[Andy Taylor]

I'm on the North Shore of Boston and sometimes 870 has come in (believe it or not, it was coming in
just south of Boston on the S.E. expressway, though a pirate on that freq soon popped up). But right here
on my part of the North Shore (Beverly MA) if I get anything on 870 on my car radio THESE days it's some kind of
reflection of WBZ.
maybe it would come in up around Ipswich/Glou.
The Radio-Locator map (daytime cov.) does put Cape Ann in fringe area

meanwhile WZAN 970 comes in very strong here in Beverly--was listening to it nr the Beverly-Salem
bridge yesterday.

WZAN 970 is by far the best am signal in Portland for distance and sound quality. I was surprised SAGA never moved WGAN to 970.WGAN's signal has gotten worse locally in recent years.Something must have changed because it used to be really good.

 

[argytunes]

Andy...

Maybe WZAN is gonna be the next Portland Radio Station on the "selling block?"

Kind of a shame when you consider the fact that with IMUS gone...it has the potential to be an "active local radio station?" Who knows? Maybe Portland Radio Group could come up with a format that would outperform WGAN or WLOB?

argytunes

 

[radiothis!]

I wish WZAN would become an active local station--but that is very unlikely. I haven't heard any rumors of a sale--but then again, a sale could clear the way for Saga to buy CLZ or CYI.

 

[ray ting]

WZAN? First thing they could do is change the call letters to something other than ones that say "WGAN wannabe".

Second thing would be to keep in mind that it's virtually impossible to launch an AM product successfully in 2007. I heartily agree that it would be wonderful to have WZAN do great local radio for Portland, but even if they did, would the listeners be able to discover it? And how?

 

[argytunes]

Hi Ray!

Like anything else...in ANY RADIO MARKET...you can't expect listeners to automatically find a new format! If it's good...you promote it! If it's bad, you let the concept quietly DIE!

Despite the fact that 970WZAN is an AM ...its signal has always had a lot of potential to be a strong "local" radio station...that can offer listenrers and advertisers A LOT!

The trick is...does the ownership of 970-WZAN want to take a chance on something different...or just let it DIE like so many other AM radio stations in the Greater Portland Area? :

argytunes

 

[Andy Taylor]

WZAN? First thing they could do is change the call letters to something other than ones that say "WGAN wannabe".

Second thing would be to keep in mind that it's virtually impossible to launch an AM product successfully in 2007. I heartily agree that it would be wonderful to have WZAN do great local radio for Portland, but even if they did, would the listeners be able to discover it? And how?

I don't think WZAN is a WGAN wannabe.WGAN is almost all political a nd WZAN has very little politics.It's great to have a talk station with little or no politics.They're just fine the way they are.If you did get local programming what are they going to talk about? Politics?For a small market like Portland we have some pretty good choices on AM.

 

[mr_mark_taylor]

WZAN? First thing they could do is change the call letters to something other than ones that say "WGAN wannabe".

Second thing would be to keep in mind that it's virtually impossible to launch an AM product successfully in 2007. I heartily agree that it would be wonderful to have WZAN do great local radio for Portland, but even if they did, would the listeners be able to discover it? And how?

I don't think WZAN is a WGAN wannabe.WGAN is almost all political a nd WZAN has very little politics.It's great to have a talk station with little or no politics.They're just fine the way they are.If you did get local programming what are they going to talk about? Politics?For a small market like Portland we have some pretty good choices on AM.

between 'GAN and 'ZAN, throw in Saga's adult standards format on 1400/1490 and The Big Jab on 1440, you have all the formats (except for a straight ahead oldies format) that can survive on AM in the 21th century