TIMES ARGUS
Date:	September 19, 2006

Radio station opts for a fresh format

By Patrick Joy Times Argus Staff
MONTPELIER — Jessica Simpson and R. Kelly have been replaced with Van Morrison and Credence Clearwater Revival on one of the area's largest radio stations.

WORK, a Barre-based FM radio station at 107.1, switched its format on Friday, moving from Top 40 hits to classic hits, a tour of 60s, 70s and 80s rock featuring bands from the Rolling Stones to Eric Clapton and Sting.

The station changed its name as well, replacing WORK FM with FRANK FM. It didn't however, change ownership and no jobs were lost in the conversion, said Program Manager T.J. Michaels.

"This has been coming for a while," he said. "We did some audience research surveys and this was the fit in the area that we wanted."

FRANK FM is a trademarked brand used by Nassau Broadcasting at four other radio stations in the Northeast. There are FRANK FM stations in Portland, Maine; Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Nashua, New Hampshire and Reading, Pennsylvania.

Nassau has owned WORK since 2004. Michaels said market studies in the area showed that a classic hits station would appeal to more listeners.

"It fits a wider demographic, a little older demographic and it is a formal that appeals to males and females," he said.

Michaels said that WORK was aimed at pulling in younger female listeners while they hope FRANK FM will be more balanced.

"It doesn't swing in either direction," he said. Classic hits are different, he said, from classic rock. "Classic rock is generally a male-skewing station and can be a bit crass," he said. "This will be family oriented. There will be party songs still in the format, but because it doesn't lean in either direction, the library has a little something for everybody."

Michaels said the FRANK FM format has been successful in other markets.

"The Portland station went from not really being a player to being the number one station in that market," he said. "It's a trademarked format and it's been very successful. It really grabs ahold of you."

According to its Web site, Nassau Broadcasting Nassau Broadcasting Partners, L.P. — the conglomerate that owns the station — was founded in 1986 by Louis F. Mercatanti. It currently operates stations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and reaches approximately 8.1 million people. The company owned and operated 56 radio stations as of 2005, 40 FM and 16 AM stations.