Go to its Twitter page and you’ll see that it has been “Boston’s New Home of Classic Hip Hop and R&B.”
At 4pm Tuesday, the Facebook page featured live video of Jonathon Gates’ gospel music-fueled program The Cookout.
All appeared normal for “The Urban Heat,” and interested advertisers could still call Station Manager Marv Neal had they stumbled upon the station’s website. But, all is far from normal.
That’s because the owner of the station “The Urban Heat” has been brokering has some financial troubles, and has asked the FCC to shut down the AM and its FM translator used by the operation targeting Black listeners.
And, the licensee is also asking that it get approval to silence a Portuguese-language AM with an FM translator also serving parts of the Boston market.
That would be Langer Broadcasting, which has filed a Request for Silent STA with the Commission for WZBR-AM 1410 in Dedham, Mass. and FM translator W251CR at 98.1 MHz in Needham, Mass., covering towns such as Malden and Medford to the north of central Boston.
Similarly, silent STAs were filed for WSRO-AM 650 in Ashland, Mass. and FM translator W271CU at 102.1 MHz in Framingham, Mass., due west of central Boston; and WBAS-AM 1240 and FM translator W268CP at 101.5 in West Yarmouth, on Cape Cod. Those properties have been airing a brokered format targeting Brazilians as “Rede ABR.”
While The Urban Heat appears to be continuing online, Rede ABR’s audio stream is dead.
Over-the-air broadcasts ceased July 9 for all Langer stations.
Why? Alexander Langer explains in the filings that the licensee “is reorganizing its financing and considering its options with respect to the station(s) returning to the air.”
Silent authority for six months is being sought “so as to be able to find new investors, modify its operation, etc.,” he says.
