WABI-AM sold to Texas communications group

BANGOR – Maine’s first commercial radio station, WABI-AM, has been sold to the largest radio station group owner in the country, Clear Channel Communications based in Texas.

In addition to WABI-AM, Clear Channel purchased WWBX-FM from Gopher Hill Communications, which is owned by Bangor businessman Charles Hutchins. According to Federal Communications Commission records, the sale price for both stations was $3.75 million. Clear Channel now owns 22 radio stations in Maine.

The new owners say that from the listener’s perspective, little will change at WABI.

“George will still be there in the morning, like he was when I was a kid growing up,” said Keryan Smith, general manager for the nine Clear Channel stations in the Bangor area. “I remember him reading the no-school announcements, and I hope he continues on the air as long as he wants to do it.”

“George” is George McHale, known as George Hale to generations of Bangor area listeners. WABI first signed on the air in 1923 and Hale started on the station in 1956. He has been the “morning person” for more years than he can remember.

“It has been a long time, certainly the longest in Maine for a morning show,” he said. “But I love it. I have been in management, I have done the morning show, and I would never give that up, and sports. When Clear Channel first came in, and at our first meeting they were very positive and upbeat and so was I. They asked me to continue, and I said, ‘yeah.’ I’m not going to stop until water runs uphill.”

McHale also was on WABI-TV for several years when it and the radio station were under the same ownership. And for several seasons, he was the play-by-play voice on broadcasts of several University of Maine sports.

Smith said he is delighted McHale will continue on the station, which was third in the market in the last ratings period, which was August 2000. Smith hinted that McHale might have more airtime than just the morning show.

“My plan for George, and I really can’t go into how we are going to do it, but we really want to elevate George’s prominence,” he said. “So as opposed to going away, we are going to see and hear more of George than ever before.”

WABI-AM has what is called an adult standards format, with music aimed at those over 50. WWBX-FM has a contemporary hits format.

“We are really pleased to get WWBX’s signal,” Smith said. “It has the best FM signal over Bangor in the market.”

He said there are no changes planned in the format of WWBX.

With the addition of the two new stations, Clear Channel now owns nine stations in the Bangor area. The other seven stations are WBFB-FM licensed to Belfast, WLKE-FM licensed to Bar Harbor, WGUY-FM licensed to Dexter, WVOM-FM licensed to Howland, WBYA-FM licensed to Searsport, WKSQ-FM licensed to Ellsworth, and WFZX licensed to Winter Harbor.