Station moves Stolz to afternoon slot

By Scott Zoback

This afternoon, turn on your radio. You'll hear something familiar. As of today, the drive-time airwaves are dominated by two voices: On AM 580 WTAG, you have former Mayor Jordan Levy; on AM 830 WCRN, you have the simulcast of Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr's show.

But on Monday, that all changes. The one Worcester-based afternoon show arrangement is about to get shook up. And it's a familiar voice making a move.

Starting Monday, current WCRN morning host Hank Stolz is moving his show, "The Hank Stolz Experience," to the 2-6 p.m. slot. The move will pit Stolz, a former long-time WTAG morning jock, against his former WTAG colleague Levy for listeners.

The station's rationale is simple. Currently, Carr's afternoon show originates from the Boston-based, Entercom-owned AM 680 WRKO. But Carr has a pending deal to move next month to Don Imus's old stomping grounds in the morning-drive slot on rival FM 96.9 WTKK. It's a huge deal, reportedly worth up to $7 million over five years. Granted, it's hardly set in stone, with WRKO and Carr tied up in legal proceedings over the move and what Carr's contract allows. WRKO has claimed Carr's contract allows them to match any rival offer; Carr says that contract provision is illegal.

But Stolz — also the station's program director — says that the station felt the Carr move was a matter of time, and didn't want to end up mirroring what WRKO did.

"WCRN feels that Howie Carr will eventually end up on WTKK in the mornings and that we are not WRKO West," Stolz writes in an e-mail.

Stolz has praised WCRN's dedication to the local market since his move from WTAG; in many ways, the shift is a continuation of what Stolz paints as an ongoing effort to turn WCRN into an all-local format.

"We feel that Howie Carr was unique in what he delivered to our audience in the afternoon but with his departure comes the opportunity for us to continue to build and be the live and local station for Central Mass.," Stolz writes.

Stolz's shift has effects on the rest of the schedule. "The Peter Blute Show" will expand by an hour, and run from 6-10 a.m. There is no word on what will run in the 10 a.m.-noon slot on Monday, but the rumor is that the station may be announcing additional locally based programming in the next few weeks; either in that 10 a.m.-noon slot, or in the 6-8 p.m. segment during the Red Sox off-season. (WCRN currently runs "The Drew Mortgage Show" from noon-1 p.m., and "The Laura Ingraham Show" from 1-3 p.m.) o