WKTJ, Where The Good Songs Have Gone

As mentioned in my bio, my mother is a DJ at the local radio station, WKTJ FM 99.3 . It's a very small station, very community-based. There are currently three full-time DJs and two or three fill-in DJs. It plays adult contemporary, but on some nights my mom decides to go into heavy classic rock for a few hours. It was the last station in Maine, and one of the last in the country, to adopt computer automation, and still they only automate a few hours a day. That means live DJs most of the day, something most radio stations can't say. They routinely cover local events like high school football and basketball, the Chester Greenwood Day Parade, and local business events; they also broadcast every Red Sox game to an eager fandom. WKTJ has been the #1 radio station in Maine for 3 years, and my mom has been the #1 most popular DJ for the same amount of time.

However, a few days ago the station was sold. The new owners want to automate much more; they're bringing in a whole bunch of new technologies. They want to broadcast the John Tesh Show instead of covering the Chester Greenwood Day Parade. They are firing the secretary, who has been there for decades, in favor of the wife of one of the owners. They are trying to change the whole dynamic of the station without bothering to find out what the community or their sponsors have to say. I really hope they wise up soon. They've taken over the sales accounts of our primary salesman, and they're even threatening to get rid of all of the staff and replace them with their own cronies. This is an historic station, very loved in the community, and they're slitting their own throats.