New England RadioWatch: June 21, 1996

The CBS/Infinity Fallout

by Scott Fybush

• The $3.9 billion dollar CBS/Westinghouse purchase of Infinity will create a powerhouse combination in Boston. Here's what each side brings to the table, along with the most recent 12+ Trends:

  CBS/WESTINGHOUSE:

  • 1030 WBZ - The heritage 50kw news/talker (8.9)
  • 103.3 WODS - "Oldies 103," one of CBS's most successful FMs. (4.5)

  INFINITY:

  • 92.9 WBOS - AAA, sort of. This station came into the Infinity fold through the purchase this year of Granum, which had bought it from Ackerley a few years back. (3.0)
  • 99.5 WOAZ - Another former Granum outlet, this smooth jazz station, known on-air as "The Oasis," changed format last winter from soft AC WSSH "Wish" (2.2)
  • 100.7 WZLX - One of America's pioneering classic rockers, and the beneficiary of a ratings boost from the recent move of morning legend Charles Laquidara from sister station WBCN (5.0)
  • 104.1 WBCN - One of Infinity's original properties from way back, now reinventing itself as a modern rocker with Stern in the morning. (5.4)

  The deal gives the combined group a whopping 29.0 share in Boston, far ahead of second-place American Radio Systems (WRKO/WEEI/WEGQ/WBMX) with 16.8, third-place Evergreen (WXKS-FM/WJMN/WXKS) with 14.4, or fourth-place Greater Media (WBCS/WKLB/WMJX/WMEX) with 9.5. ARS probably has the most to fear from the deal, since Infinity's Don Imus is the star player on ARS's all-sports WEEI (850), and rumors are already flying about CBS moving Imus in-house once the contract with WEEI is up. The sale also puts the Bruins and Patriots back in the same company. WBZ lost a bidding war with Infinity for the Pats after the 1994-95 season, and ever since, 'BZ sports legend Gil Santos has also worked for Infinity as the Patriots play-by-play voice on WBCN.

• From a facilities standpoint, the group inherits property all over town. WBZ and sister station WBZ-TV are in a newly-renovated building on Soldiers Field Road, where WODS will also move within a few months. WBOS and WOAZ are in rented space right next door to WBZ. WZLX recently moved into new quarters in the Prudential Tower, one of Boston's tallest skyscrapers, and WBCN has lived for years in an unassuming brick building a few blocks from Fenway Park. As Infinity head, Mel Karmazin liked to keep his stations separate; it will be interesting to see if that policy remains under CBS. On the technical side, WBCN and WZLX both transmit from the Prudential Tower in Boston's Back Bay, WBOS and WODS rent space on a former TV tower in the suburb of Newton (just across the highway from the tower WBZ-TV owns), and WOAZ, which is licensed to Lowell, transmits from Wood Hill in Andover, some 30 miles north of the city.

• Boston's biggest newspaper blew it again with its coverage of this story; the article and chart in today's paper repeatedly refers to "WBOS (92.5)." Good going, guys. By the way, the real 92.5, WXRV "The River" up in Haverhill Ma, is shuffling its DJ lineup. Afternoon guy Mike Mullaney moves to mornings, sending morning guy Jerry Wood to overnights. Wood has been with the 92.5 signal since its days as soft-rock WLYT.

• And finally, one unrelated note: the National Radio Club's "DX News" reports that long-dark 1370 WKFD in Wickford RI has returned to the air, as variety WEGM. Studios and transmitter have reportedly moved from the longtime site at 19 Updike Ave in Wickford. More as we find out about it...