NorthEast Radio Watch 5/11/2026: Cats Prowls in New England

In this week’s issue… Red Apple adds WCRN – Pebbles out at Hot – CT AM seeks move – Razz retires in Philly – Utica simulcast ends

By SCOTT FYBUSH

*Ever since he bought WABC (770) six years ago, it’s been no secret that John Catsimatidis has had his eye on expanding his media empire far beyond NEW YORK, where he made his fortune with Gristedes supermarkets and Kwik Fill/Red Apple gas and convenience stores.

And after pushing the WABC simulcast out to a few other smaller acquisitions on Long Island (WLIR 107.1 and WLID 1370) and upstate (WRCR 1700), Catsimatidis’ Red Apple Media is making its first significant buy outside the New York metro area, with a $1.45 million deal to buy WCRN (830) in Worcester, MASSACHUSETTS from Carter Broadcasting.

The deal, which includes an immediate LMA, marks the end of nearly a half-century for the Carberry family’s radio ownership. Starting in 1977 with the acquisition of WRYT (now WROL 950) in Boston, Carter at one point owned a chain of stations stretching from Maine to Rhode Island and westward to Chicopee. By 2001, the Carter group had slimmed down to just WACE in Chicopee (since sold to Holy Family) and WCRN, which it had put on the air in 1994 as one of the last new 50 kW AM stations in the country.

In recent years, WCRN has carried a somewhat awkward mix of WFXT (Fox 25) news simulcasts, leased-time syndication (including the Howie Carr show in afternoons) and overnight music. We’d expect much of that programming to be replaced by talk from WABC and the syndication arm Cats has tried to create at the New York station, as well as the “Worldwide News” network WABC just announced last week. Will it have much impact in an area that doesn’t much care for “New York” anything? And will Catsimatidis look for further expansion closer to Boston, where several other AM signals are very much for sale as well? We’ll be watching, and listening.