Acclaimed author Stephen King has announced his decision to sell his three Maine radio stations. King, who first entered the industry in 1983, is stepping away from the business after four decades as part of an effort to “get his business affairs in better order” at age 77.
King and his wife, Tabitha, have owned and operated three Bangor-area stations under The ZONE Corporation name: WZON-AM, WKIT, and WZLO. The flagship station, WZON, first began broadcasting in 1926 as WLBZ. The Kings purchased the station in 1983, changed its call letters to WZON as a nod to King’s bestseller The Dead Zone, and introduced a Rock format.
The station never turned a profit and briefly became a donor-supported station before returning to a commercial model after the Kings reacquired it in 1993. King says the trio have consistently struggled financially and he has personally covered these losses throughout the years to keep the stations on the air.
Broadcasting operations for WZON, WKIT, and WZLO are set to cease on December 31.
King commented, “While radio across the country has been overtaken by giant corporate broadcasting groups, I’ve loved being a local, independent owner all these years. I’ve loved the people who’ve gone to these stations every day and entertained folks, kept the equipment running, and given local advertisers a way to connect with their customers. Tabby and I are proud to have been a part of that for more than four decades.”
WZON General Manager Ken Wood said, “Independent, locally owned radio stations used to be the norm. There’re only a few left in Maine, and we’re lucky we had these three as long as we did.”
(Radio Ink)
