WAVM/WUMB/Living Proof deal

[raccoonradio]

Scott Fybush posted on boston-radio-interest with the news that WAVM (Maynard
Public Schools), Living Proof (religious broadcaster), and WUMB have reached
a deal. WAVM to 500 watts; WUMB to broadcast on 91.7 when students aren't on;
Living Proof gets to build their station in Lunenburg but with less power (all
acc. to Scott--will see if there are some print articles about this in Boston papers, Metrowest News, etc.)

I'm guessing the Living Proof station would be (as hinted) pointed away
from WAVM/WUMB area somehow...<P ID="signature">______________

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[raccoonradio]

Metrowest News article

FCC approval still needed.

http://metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=127400

Maynard High School radio station WAVM and its University of Massachusetts-Boston broadcast partner WUMB have reached an agreement with a competitor for the 91.7 FM broadcasting frequency that may end a six-month license nightmare and result in a much stronger broadcast signal.
"What this agreement will do is allow WAVM to go from 10 watts to 500 watts of power," said Pat Monteith, general manager of WUMB.
The agreement was reached with Living Proof, Inc., a Christian broadcaster, which had been granted rights to the frequency by the Federal Communications Commission last fall.<P ID="signature">______________

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[Eli Polonsky]

Re: Metrowest News article

I'm not completely sure, but I think that if this is approved, the 500 watt signal from Maynard would prevent another religious broadcaster, CSN International, from proposing their application for 91.7 in Lexington.

I think that one of Monteith's main goals was most likely not only to get the 500 watt part-time WUMB relay on a more powerful WAVM in Maynard, but also to save Boston's northwest suburbs, where many WUMB listeners (and most generous contributors) reside, from adjacent channel interference to WUMB's main greater Boston area transmitter in Quincy from CSN's proposed Lexington application.

I don't recall WAVM ever applying for as much as 500 watts for their original upgrade before WUMB was directly involved. Just a few years ago, they had mutually exclusive competing applications, with WUMB formerly proposing a relay in adjacent Stow which would've knocked WAVM off the air if it had come to be.

I recall WAVM's earlier upgrade proposals being a little more modest, such as 200 watts. I'm guessing that WUMB probably finagled with WAVM to raise the bar of their application to 500 watts to help stave off the religious broadcasters for their mutual benefit.



> FCC approval still needed.
>
http://m> etrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=127400
>
>
> Maynard High School radio station WAVM and its University of
> Massachusetts-Boston broadcast partner WUMB have reached an
> agreement with a competitor for the 91.7 FM broadcasting
> frequency that may end a six-month license nightmare and
> result in a much stronger broadcast signal.
> "What this agreement will do is allow WAVM to go from 10
> watts to 500 watts of power," said Pat Monteith, general
> manager of WUMB.
> The agreement was reached with Living Proof, Inc., a
> Christian broadcaster, which had been granted rights to the
> frequency by the Federal Communications Commission last
> fall.
>