The court-appointed receiver for WBIX(AM), Boston has reached an agreement with former station owner Alex Langer to keep the station on the air and get it ready for sale. Included in those plans by attorney David Vicinanzo, according to the Boston Globe, were several layoffs as the all-business format was scrapped in an effort to boost the station’s profits.
Langer sold WBIX to Bradford Bleidt for $10 million in 2002. But he was still owed $7 million when Bleidt was arrested and charged this month with mail fraud for allegedly defrauding investors of millions of dollars. At that time, reported the Globe, a real estate investor who was ready to buy the station backed out of the deal.
Now, Langer intends to run syndicated programming and brokered airtime. The station was losing about $100,000 per month with the business format, according to the paper. Some 15 on-air and sales employees lost their jobs, including two Globe staffers, while Langer retained about six technical staffers.
Interim WBIX Operator Lays Off Most Staff in Format Change
Interim WBIX Operator Lays Off Most Staff in Format Change
