Pete Falconi and Carl Strube’s Port Broadcasting will begin operating Aruba Capital Holdings’ Classic Hits 1540 WXEX Exeter, NH/92.1 WXEX-FM Sanford, ME via LMA effective immediately.
The WXEX combo will join Port Broadcasting’s 1450 WNBP/106.1 W291CC Newburyport, MA and 1220 WWSF/102.3 W272CG Sanford, ME in creating full coverage of the New England coast from the Massachusetts/New Hampshire border up to just south of Portland.
Port Broadcasting, LLC of Newburyport, MA announced today that it has entered into a Local Marketing Agreement with Aruba Capital Holdings, LLC of Exeter, NH to operate their two radio stations in Exeter, NH and Sanford, ME. Aruba Capital owns WXEX AM & FM.
Port Broadcasting will now handle the programming and advertising sales for those two stations, along with their WNBP AM & FM in Newburyport, MA and WWSF AM & FM in Sanford, ME.
The agreement comes at a time when consumers are seeking to shop local, eat local, and now they can listen local. The Port stations, branded as “The Legends,” play a 1960/1970’s Oldies format with a commitment to local news, sports and information. WXEX AM & FM are simulcast with a Classic Hits format, serving the Portsmouth-Dover-Rochester market. In addition to their community-centric focus, the stations also share a love of music that shaped the baby boomer generation.
“This creates a great opportunity for us,” said Port Broadcasting Owner and Operations Manager Pete Falconi. “It gives us a strong radio signal footprint from the north shore of Massachusetts right up the coast to Portland, Maine, and inland to Dover and Rochester, New Hampshire.” Co-owner and General Manager Carl Strube noted that “This combination of radio stations makes a tremendous marketing opportunity for our local advertisers. It adds thousands of people to our coverage.”
“This agreement brings two vibrant, local broadcasting companies together,” said Aruba Capital’s Andy Hartmann. “We’re excited about working with Pete and Carl to create some tremendous local radio opportunities and programming.”
Both companies have been operating their respective radio stations since the spring of 2009.
Can we safely assume that this LMA is pursuant to an outright sale of WXEX/WXEX-FM?
I would make sure that I could make it work before I offered to buy them. How many people were let go at WXEX? That is the savings. Everything else remains the same. Who will be selling it up there he people from Maine or Newburyport?
The entire airstaff at WXEX has been let go.