New England RadioWatch: June 18, 1996

Portland Consolidates

by Scott Fybush

• Mega-opoly has reached its logical conclusion up in Portland, Maine, as Fuller-Jeffrey announces plans to trade its KKSO(AM)/KJJY-FM Des Moines for Barnstable Broadcasting's WCSO(FM) Portland, WLPZ(AM) Westbrook-Portland, and WHOM(FM) Mt. Washington NH-Portland. With this deal, all of Portland's major radio stations are now in the hands of just two owners, Fuller-Jeffrey and Saga. Here's how it plays out, with the most recent Arbs I have access to, Fall '95 12+:

  FULLER-JEFFREY: 1440 WLPZ Westbrook - sports (0.6)
                  93.9 WCYI Lewiston - mod rk // 94.3 (0.3)
                  94.3 WCYY Biddeford - mod rk // 93.9 (5.9)
                  94.9 WHOM Mt. Washington - soft AC (4.4)
                  97.9 WCSO Portland - AC (5.0)
                  102.9 WBLM Portland - rock (10.9)
                  103.7 WZPK Berlin NH - hot AC (0.6)
  

  That's a 27.7 share right there.

  SAGA: 560 WGAN Portland - news/talk (8.4)
        970 WZAN Portland - hot talk (1.6)
        1490 WPOR Portland - country //FM (0.0)
        93.1 WMGX Portland - classic rock (8.1)
        100.9 WYNZ Westbrook - oldies (4.4)
        101.9 WPOR Portland - country (10.9)
  

  Which makes for 33.4 total -- meaning that Saga and Fuller-Jeffrey will control a total 61.1 percent of the Portland audience. (The rest is divided among some much smaller players, notably The Meg Company's AAA WCLZ 98.9, and the Wireless Talking Machine Company, which has an adult-standards simulcast on WLAM 870 Gorham, WZOU 1470 Lewiston, and brand-new WVYH 106.7 N. Windham, along with hot-AC WKZS 99.9 Auburn and country WTHT 107.5 Lewiston, for a 12.3 total share last fall.

• Saga has been an increasingly aggressive player elsewhere in New England as well, especially by increasing the coverage of its flagship Manchester NH property, ac WZID 95.7. In addition to WZID's translator on 96.5 in Laconia NH, the station has applied for a translator on 101.9 in Peterborough NH, in the southwestern corner of the state. In other translator news, Rhode Island's first translator has been licensed. W243AI in Newport will rebroadcast the classical programs of WCRB 102.5 Waltham-Boston.