NorthEast Radio Watch 2/20/2023: Audacy Maps Out “Atlas”

In this week’s issue… Audacy restructures some properties, but why? – Remembering WBZ’s Shields, WNBC’s Belzer – Sports hosts say farewell – WNYC takes away “Takeaway” – One NY AM sells, another goes dark – TVA makes cuts

By SCOTT FYBUSH

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*One of the region’s biggest broadcasters is moving some of its assets into a new subsidiary – and while that may not sound like big news by itself, it’s prompting some serious speculation about what might be next for one big license and several major tower sites.

The company is Audacy, which has been fighting hard to keep its stock price from sinking into delisting territory, and the new subsidiary is called “Audacy Atlas.” As RadioInsight’s Lance Venta first reported late last week, Audacy has asked the FCC to move two of its FM signals into the Atlas subsidiary, WLFP in Memphis and Buffalo’s WTSS (Star 102.5).

Audacy Atlas will also take ownership of many (but not all) of the tower sites the company still owns, including at least five in NERW-land: the three-tower site of WEEI (850 Boston) in Needham, the six-tower site in Hamburg shared by Buffalo’s WGR (550) and WWKB (1520), the WLKK (107.7 Wethersfield) tower between Buffalo and Rochester, the tower of WBEE (92.5 Rochester) in suburban Penfield, and the two-tower site of Hartford’s WTIC (1080).

Why those stations and those sites? Audacy isn’t saying anything publicly, but here’s what it looks like to us, in our subscriber-only section…