WMEX is one of Boston radio’s most storied radio stations with iconic call signs signed off Wednesday: The station originated as a Depression-era independent that became the city’s first true rock ’n’ roll Top 40 station, a launching pad for legendary personalities, a pioneer of listener-call-in talk, and, after decades of format and call-letter churn, a revived oldies/classic-hits outlet on the South Shore.
Founding and Early Years (1934–1957)
WMEX signed on October 18, 1934, founded by brothers Bill and Al Pote. It began on 1500 kHz with modest power—about 250 watts by day and 100 watts at night—from Powder Horn Hill in Chelsea, with studios in Boston’s Hotel Manger near North Station. In December 1934 it received a full commercial license. Studios later moved to 70 Brookline Avenue.
Programming in the 1930s mixed classical and jazz, news, horse racing, live remotes, and ethnic shows. In 1940 the transmitter and studios moved to Quincy along the Neponset River. Daytime power rose to 5,000 watts. In March 1941, under the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement, the station shifted to 1510 kHz, where it has remained.
Notable early voices included organist John Kiley (later of Fenway Park and Boston Garden), who hosted request shows, jazz critic Nat Hentoff, who broadcast live from Storyville with Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald and others, and future record-industry executive Joe Smith.
The Top 40 Era (1957–1975)
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| Arnie "Woo Woo' Ginsberg |
In 1957 the Potes sold the station to the Richmond brothers. Maxwell “Mac” Richmond flipped WMEX to a rock-centered Top 40 format—one of the first in the country and the first in the Boston area. He hired Arnie “Woo Woo” Ginsburg from WBOS. Ginsburg’s high-energy “Nitetrain” show, sound effects, and Adventure Car Hop commercials made him a local legend until he left in 1967.
Other memorable jocks included Larry Justice, Bill “The Jones Boy” Jones, Mel Miller, Dan Donovan, Dick Summer, John Garabedian, J.C. Connors, Ron Robin, and many more. When Beatlemania hit, WMEX played virtually every available Beatles track. Ginsburg also hosted an early Sunday-night oldies show featuring pioneering R&B and rock records.
Richmond also pioneered talk. In 1957 he put Jerry Williams on at night with a listener-call-in show—then a novel idea. Malcolm X was a frequent guest. Larry Glick later followed Williams with a lighter late-night show.
Daytime power eventually reached 50,000 watts, but nighttime power stayed at 5,000 watts for years, so coverage inland was uneven while the saltwater path carried the signal well up the coast. WRKO’s full-time 50,000-watt signal became a fierce competitor. Program directors Dick Summer (“the human thing,” poetry mixed with music on Lovin’ Touch) and John Garabedian (“The New Music Authority”) answered with a looser playlist that included album cuts.
In 1970, WMEX was among the first major-market stations to air Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 and helped break records such as Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May.” Garabedian’s run was brief; after Mac Richmond died of a heart attack in October 1971, the station pulled back. J.C. Connors (inspiration for Harry Chapin’s “WOLD”) continued to break hits into the mid-1970s.
Top 40 ended in 1975.
Talk, sports, and the long identity crisis (1976–2017)
WMEX picked up Boston Red Sox rights for the 1975 playoffs and went all-talk in 1976. In 1978 the calls became WITS (“Information, Talk and Sports”). The Bruins were added. The station later fired popular Red Sox announcers Ned Martin and Jim Woods, a move that drew heavy criticism. In 1981 the transmitter moved to Waltham and power went to 50,000 watts day and night, but the new site’s ground conductivity was poorer and much of the signal went out to sea.
WMEX picked up Boston Red Sox rights for the 1975 playoffs and went all-talk in 1976. In 1978 the calls became WITS (“Information, Talk and Sports”). The Bruins were added. The station later fired popular Red Sox announcers Ned Martin and Jim Woods, a move that drew heavy criticism. In 1981 the transmitter moved to Waltham and power went to 50,000 watts day and night, but the new site’s ground conductivity was poorer and much of the signal went out to sea.
Financial trouble followed; sports rights were lost and talk was dropped.
What followed was a carousel of formats and calls:
What followed was a carousel of formats and calls:
- WMRE (adult standards, “The Memory Station,” 1983)
- Talk again, then soft AC as WSSH
- Country as WKKU
- Soft AC again as WSSH
- Spanish and brokered religion as WNRB
- Sports as WWZN (“The Zone”) and later WUFC
- Progressive talk, NBC/Yahoo sports, then libertarian talk
The original WMEX calls returned in November 2014. Saturday-night oldies shows with Jimmy Jay and others briefly recalled the glory years. Daly XXL bought the station in 2015. When the Waltham tower lease expired, WMEX went silent on June 30, 2017. The towers were later dismantled.
Revival (2018–Present)
Ed Perry of Marshfield Broadcasting bought the silent license in 2018 for $125,000, moved the city of license to Quincy, and built a new site near the old Neponset River location. Power is now 10,000 watts by day, much lower at night (and during critical hours) to protect other stations on 1510. An FM translator at 101.1 (Weymouth) extends coverage on the South Shore.
Ed Perry of Marshfield Broadcasting bought the silent license in 2018 for $125,000, moved the city of license to Quincy, and built a new site near the old Neponset River location. Power is now 10,000 watts by day, much lower at night (and during critical hours) to protect other stations on 1510. An FM translator at 101.1 (Weymouth) extends coverage on the South Shore.
After pandemic delays, original programming returned May 18, 2020, with 1950s–1980s hits and veterans including Larry Justice. Ownership later passed to L&J Media (Tony LaGreca and Larry Justice), then to Local Media Boston. In March 2026 the station shifted toward 1970s–1980s classic hits; Scott Shannon’s True Oldies Channel became a prominent part of the lineup. The station remains licensed and on the air, streaming as well as broadcasting on AM and FM.
Why It Still Matters
WMEX’s legend rests less on raw wattage than on timing and personality. It bet on rock when many thought the music was a fad, put callers on the air when that was unusual, and gave Boston teenagers a station that felt like theirs.
WMEX’s legend rests less on raw wattage than on timing and personality. It bet on rock when many thought the music was a fad, put callers on the air when that was unusual, and gave Boston teenagers a station that felt like theirs.
The later decades of sports, talk, religion, and silence never quite erased the memory of Woo Woo Ginsburg, Adventure Car Hop, and a 1510 that once sounded like the future of popular music. The current classic-hits revival is an explicit attempt to reconnect with that past.