Boston Radio: Big Name Buyers Expected For Stations

Colossal changes are in store up and down Boston’s radio dial come the new year as five Hub stations brace for new ownership and possible format flips under the mega-merger of radio behemoths CBS and Entercom.

Company brass has been tight-lipped about who’s buying — or trading — the five Hub stations, including storied news station WBZ 1030 AM,  legendary talker WRKO 680 AM and the popular WBZ 98.5 FM The Sports Hub.

Radio execs plan to finalize the deal by year’s end and they had to shed some stations to comply with FCC regulations. Two other Boston stations being ditched are classic rock station WZLX 100.7 FM and WKAF 97.7 FM.

According to Jessica Helsam at the Boston Herald, one scenario has Comcast making a play for WBZ radio as a boon to NBC Boston (Channel 10), which debuted earlier this year and has been struggling in the ratings. WBZ-TV (Ch. 4) and its sister radio station have been broadcast partners for years.

Comcast may also be interested in 98.5 The Sports Hub. The sports station’s morning-drive duo Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb and afternoon-drive’s Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti are simulcast on NBC Sports Boston.

But last night, an NBC Sports Boston spokeswoman sought to dampen speculation, saying in an email, “We have no current plans to buy The Sports Hub. We’re always looking to expand our reach and deliver the best sports content to NBC Sports Boston consumers, across all platforms.”

Then there’s the Educational Media Foundation, a nonprofit organization that owns Christian music radio stations. Last month, EMF bought three of Entercom’s FM stations in Los Angeles, San Diego and Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and may have its eye on WKAF.

Hubbard Radio, which owns an all-news station in Washington, D.C., could also be eyeing WBZ.