Draper Media has closed on its $750,000 purchase of MTS Broadcasting’s four stations in Cambridge MD and is preparing to relaunch two of them with new formats.
Draper, which previously owned WBOC-TV Salisbury and AC 102.5 WBOC-FM Princess Anne MD, will first flip Hot AC “106.3 The Heat” WCEM-FM Cambridge to Country “106.3 Chesapeake Country” in the next couple of days while directing the station’s former listeners to WBOC-FM.
That move in turn will see Country “100.9% Pure Country” WAAI Hurlock segue to Classic Country with core artists listed as George Jones, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, and George Strait.
Classic Hits “107.1 The Duck” WTDK Federalsburg and Standards 1240 WCEM Cambridge will retain their existing formats.
The changes at WCEM-FM and WAAI are expected to take place “within a few days”.
Delmarva-based Draper Media has completed its acquisition of
MTS Broadcasting in Cambridge, Maryland, which comprises WAAI-FM, WTDK-FM, WCEM-FM and WCEM-AM.“Our audience will have more choices for music, information about local events and more access to WBOC’s local news and weather with the addition of these four radio stations,” says Craig Jahelka, president Draper Media.
As a family-owned company tracing its service to Delmarva back nearly 80 years, Draper Media plans to improve the quality of the FM broadcast signals as well as the variety of programming the stations offer.
“Our founder Thomas Draper believed we have a moral obligation to serve the people of Delmarva,” said Jahelka. “We ensure his legacy lives on with our commitment to serve our audience with the local information and entertainment they desire.”
The company’s four new radio stations reach people in both Maryland’s Eastern Shore and Delaware. With four television stations, five radio stations and a full digital media division, Draper Media provides a variety of entertainment and information in both English and Spanish. Draper Media strives to offer the highest quality programming on television, radio and digital devices reaching people anywhere, at home, at work or at play while connecting them to the products, goods and services they desire from local businesses.
Within a few days WCEM-FM will be rebranded as 106.3 Chesapeake Country, playing today’s hottest country music hits from artists such as Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, and Luke Bryan.
Listeners who enjoyed WCEM’s previous adult contemporary music format can tune to Draper Media’s 50,000 watt existing radio station, 102.5 WBOC-FM for music from artists such as Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Pink, and Ed Sheeran.
100.9 WAAI-FM will concentrate on classic country hits, as 100.9% Classic Country, featuring artists such as George Jones, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, and George Strait.
The Duck, 107.1 continues to play classic hits from artists such as The Beatles, Elvis, and The Rolling Stones.
WCEM-AM 1240 features an adult standards format with artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Michael Buble’.
All of Draper Media’s radio stations will carry WBOC-TV’s local news and weather as well as community event information and public affairs programming, concentrating on what’s important to Delmarva. Draper Media comprises WBOC-TV, FOX21 Delmarva, WBOC Classics, Telemundo Delmarva, 102.5 WBOC-FM, 100.9% Classic Country WAAI-FM, 106.3 Chesapeake Country WCEM-FM, 107.1 The Duck WTDK-FM, and 1240 Adult Standards WCEM-AM.
Draper Media is locally owned and operated by Draper Holdings, which also owns Loblolly, L.L.C.
That’s… a lot of country. The Cambridge-Easton area only has 5 local stations- these 3 plus 96.7 doing AC and 94.3 doing Country. After this flip, it’ll be 3 of the locals doing some form of Country. Seems like there would be a hole for Classic Rock or something else male-targeted.
That should read “5 local FMs”… wasn’t counting the AMs
Nobody in that entire market is screaming for yet another country station. There has to be at least 20 within the fringe listening capability of even the cheapest FM radio tuned in that area. I suppose the programming theory of both WBOC and WCEM is to take down Q 105 and Froggy 99.9. WCEM-FM’s signal has been rather weak in the past few years. I remember when it reached Ocean City and over to Southern Maryland as well.
…. and is 1460 AM WKHZ in Easton still doing the KHZ network? Or is it Spanish? Or off the air? …. Also I think I remember 96.7 WCEI having a repeater somewhere along Rte. 1 near the coast – south of Milford. It may be used for something else now. Always thought that was rather strange as it really wasn’t in their listening area.
1460 AM WKHZ is still doing Spanish language programming. I’m not aware of 96.7 WCEI having a relay anywhere, FCC doesn’t list anything.
I believe at one time 102.1 in Milford which is/was the FM repeater for ESPN Delmarva 930 WYUS was simulcasting WCEI. Before Delmarva Broadcasting purchased the 102.1 signal it had a variety of owners. At some point, to keep something on the air programming wise, I remember WCEI simulcasting on it at a really low volume.