Update 5/2: WWHK began simulcasting the programming from new sister AAA “92.5 The River” WXRV at 9:25 this morning.
The Concord Journal reports that WWHK will have local news, weather, and commercials separate from WXRV.
Original Report 4/4: Northeast Broadcasting via its Devon Broadcasting Company subsidiary has acquired 102.3 WWHK Concord, NH from Andrew Sumereau’s Birch Broadcasting.
WWHK has been airing a placeholder format of Classical covers of Rock songs since Birch took over the station in 2011. The station last had a regular format in 2008 when then operator Nassau Broadcasting was forced to cease leasing the station from owner Vox Broadcasting by the FCC for circumventing the market ownership cap. Since then it was sold to Birch and ran multiple temporary formats, such as Classical, Classic Rock, simulcasting Talk WTPL, and the current Classical Rock.
The $425,000 purchase by Northeast including an LMA that began on April 1, could allow the company to fill a coverage hole in its simulcast network for “92.5 The River” WXRV Andover, MA/Boston. WXRV’s programming is currently simulcast on 99.9 WFNX Athol MA, 700 WTUB Orange MA, and 105.7 WLKC Campton NH. WWHK covers the area in between WXRV and WLKC’s coverage patterns.
2008??!!??
That’s got to be some kind of record for length of operation with placeholder formats.
The next strep for WXRV-92.5 is to acquire a station south of Boston (would the Campbell family be willing to sell WPLM-99.1??) so give “The River” a strong signal in areas south of the city.
Besides, were WXRV to acquire WPLM, “The River” would have a nice little network that they can promote as “From Cape Cod to the White Mountains: The River”.
If 99.1 in Plymouth were ever sold, it SHOULD be to WGBH for a rebroadcast of WCRB. This has been brought up many times. However, as a practical matter, if WPLM is ever sold, it will likely be to a commercial conglomerate.