NorthEast Radio Watch 2/22/2021: New Lane for Worcester’s Pike

In this week’s issue… Cumulus rocks out in Worcester – After Rush, What Now? – Remembering Buffalo’s Shane, Philly’s Anderson – 40 years for Kane-O – Family’s signals go silent – Humble & Fred leave AM

By SCOTT FYBUSH

Jump to: ME – NH – VT – MA – RI – CT – NY – NJ – PA – Canada

*When Entercom walked away from the WAAF brand in MASSACHUSETTS, almost exactly a year ago, it pocketed nearly $11 million from selling its 107.3 signal to EMF – but it also left behind a void for hard rock in the Bay State.

By the time WAAF said its farewells a year ago today, there were only two local voices left on the station, veteran jocks Mistress Carrie and Mike Hsu. While Carrie moved into podcasting after WAAF’s demise, Hsu soon found new work in the Worcester market, where he landed a two-hour night shift on Cumulus classic rocker WWFX (100.1 Southbridge.)

Now Cumulus is making a bid for the harder rock audience that was left behind by WAAF’s departure with a flip of “100.1 the Pike” from classic to active rock.

The move comes with some staffing changes at the station: veteran morning host “Crusin'” Bruce Palmer is out after 12 years (and his departure last week was the first sign that changes are coming), and Hsu is moving to mornings from his abbreviated night shift. Chuck Perks remains in middays, while Mikey Adams stays in afternoons.

For Hsu’s debut this morning, he’s getting the band back together: Mistress Carrie will join as a special guest, along with WAAF veteran Kevin Barbare and WWFX vets “Bob and Zip,” Bob Rivers and Peter Zipel.

While WWFX’s signal doesn’t get all the way in to Boston, it’s heard beyond Worcester all the way to the 128 beltway, covering much of the suburban turf that was always WAAF’s stronghold. For Hsu, the move to mornings is one he was already poised to make: in addition to having been part of WAAF’s Greg Hill morning show before Hill moved to WEEI, Hsu was to have joined a new WAAF morning show with Mike Brangiforte as part of the planned WAAF relaunch that never happened last March.

The Pike’s flip makes it part of a somewhat eclectic small Cumulus cluster in Worcester, where its sister stations are hot AC WXLO (104.5), which now reaches into Boston with on-channel boosters, along with classic country WORC-FM (98.9 Nash Icon).