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It was only a week ago that CBS Radio moved the famous WBCN call letters from Boston to Charlotte, onto WFNA-AM (1660). Now, the plan will be to end the sports simulcast between WBCN & WFNZ-AM (610), launching “America’s Talk” on WBCN on September 14. That will pose direct competition for Greater Media’s market leader WBT-AM/FM (1110/99.3). The Charlotte Observer says the new format will feature a conservative lean, including syndicated talkers Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, along with former WBT host Jason Lewis, now in syndication. WBCN operations manager D.J. Stout tells the paper, “We feel that Charlotte has...

Charles Laquidara is having second thoughts about participating in the four-day farewell to WBCN that starts tomorrow morning. The legendary former disc jockey, a centerpiece of the marathon sendoff, is upset that former jock Mark Parenteau is not invited to take part. “Mark’s one of the key figures, and we’re not allowed to mention him. His name’s been wiped out,’’ said Laquidara, who hosted “The Big Mattress’’ show back in the day. “I feel like a whore and a hypocrite doing [the farewell] because it’s not being handled in the ’BCN spirit.’’ After 40 years, the station is about to...

Boston’s WBCN is throwing itself a “Farewell” event on the air—it’s a four day Tribute to the station and its legacy as “The Rock of Boston.” The on air event kicks off Saturday, August 8 at 10 AM. WBCN is going away on August 13, when CBS moves the Hot AC WBMX “Mix 98.5” to the 104.1 frequency, to make room for a new FM Sports Talk at 98.5. WBCN has been on the air as a Rock station for over 40 years, and was the home for such legendary radio personalities as Charles Laquidara, Howard Stern, PD Oedipus, and...

Final chord for the Rock of Boston July 14, 2009 By Michael Warshaw, Globe Staff WBCN 104.1 FM, the long-celebrated Boston radio station credited with leading the progressive rock ‘n roll radio movement from the 1960s to the modern day, will no longer rock the airwaves.

Only it’s not that simple: CBS Radio decides to move its hot “Mix” WBMX from 98.5 to WBCN’s 104.1 frequency – and to debut the new “Sports Hub” at 98.5, as of August 13. WBCN hasn’t been faring well in the recent Arbitron PPM ratings, and CBS Radio’s Dan Mason decides to attack Entercom’s all-sports leader WEEI (850) and its regional New England franchise, using an FM frequency. One part of WBCN will remain on the FM band: the Toucher & Rich morning show, which will do wakeups for the new “Sports Hub. Other programming at 98.5: the NFL New...

Now don’t breathe a word of this. Because nobody’s supposed to know. But rumor in radioland is that struggling rock station WBCN may be trying to woo sports yakkers John Dennis and Gerry Callahan away from WEEI. The broadcast blather has it that parent company CBS may be looking at changing the legendary Boston music station to a sports-talk or the so-called male-talk format. “In Pittsburgh, CBS just switched WRKZ, a rock station, to a male-talk station,” said one industry insider. “So it’s not unheard of.” But others in the know say the station could be pursuing WEEI’s top-rated morning...

Darrell Martinie, a.k.a. The Cosmic Muffin, died last night in his home in Saugus, MA of cancer. One of the first astrologers to have a regular radio presence, he started his broadcasting career on The Big Mattress with Charles Laquidara, the infamous morning show on CBS Radio's WBCN/Boston back in 1972. The moniker The Cosmic Muffin came from a National Lampoon comedy bit known as "Deteriorata," which was a parody of the spoken-word recording "Desiderata." The Big Mattress moved across town to Classic Rock sister station WZLX in 1996, and Martinie moved to the new location with the show until...

They're coming back by popular demand. Ok, make that corporate radio's desperate attempt to save its failing radio content and its stations' revenue after departure of the King. The one-time Boston radio bad boys Greg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia will return to Boston's WBCN 104.1FM airwaves as early as next Wednesday(4/26) morning. Meanwhile, after three long months former Van Halen lead man David Lee Roth is finally scheduled to wrap up his so-called 15-minute radio career tomorrow (Friday 4/21). This afternoon, Billboard Magazine has provided details on Opie and Anthony's return to broadcast radio and a reunion with their...