North Shore Radio Station Cuts Popular AM Drive Hosts

BEVERLY, MA -- Two popular North Shore radio personalities are looking for a new place to call their broadcast home. WBOQ, better known as North Shore 104.9, has parted ways with long-time morning co-hosts Dana Hersey and Kevin "Mugs" McGonagle.

A spokesperson for Weststport Communications, which owns the station, was not immediately available for comment Friday afternoon. The station's Website has been stripped clean of references to the two hosts. A message on McGonagle's personal Facebook page confirmed that the two are no longer with the station.

The move comes less than five months after switching its format to adult contemporary from Oldies and unveiling a "Keep it Local" branding campaign. But for many listeners, it didn;t get more local than Hersey, a long-time Massachusetts radio and TV personality perhaps best known for hosting the "Movie Loft" for several years on WSBK.

The station shifted formats the day after Christmas to what it called a "more family-friendly" format. The shift came after months of testing, Westport said at the time.

"The Adult Contemporary format at 104.9 has been in the works for months," it said. "Keep It Local Radio" highlights the station's commitment to live and local programming including local news, weather, sports, happenings, and an interactive local experience with listeners and advertisers, it said.

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Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).