Nazzy and Mya Move to WLNH Next Week

Next week, morning radio in the city of Concord will see some changes but at the same time, stay nearly the same.

On Monday, March 16, Nazzy and Mya, the morning DJs at WJYY 105.5 FM, will be shifting from that station to WLNH 98.3 FM.

According to Nazzy, the new show will take on a different name – The Morning Wakeup with Nazzy and Mya – but many of the guests, local focus, and other aspects of the programming, will remain the same.

“We’re taking it all with us,” he said. “All of the same guests will still be on the air … the same local segments … it will be the same show, with the same family values and safe humor. It’s just going to a station that reaches a bigger audience.”

Binnie Media Group purchased both of the stations, along with 15 other stations in New Hampshire and Maine, from Nassau Broadcasting Partners at auction a couple of years ago. The purchase made the company – founded by former U.S. Senate and businessman Bill Binnie – the largest holder of radio stations in the state. The company also owns WBIN-TV.

After the purchase was finalized, the company bought the old Walker Elementary School in the North End of Concord and has retrofitted it into a state-of-the-art media center.

So, effectively, Nazzy and Mya just move themselves and their gear to another part of the building. But the ability for them to grow the show and expand makes the change a great opportunity, Nazzy said.

According to Radio Locator online, WLNH’s tower is constructed at a higher ground level, allowing its shows to reach many more listeners even though it has a slightly smaller signal.

WJYY’s tower is in northeast Concord and is running at 1,500 watts at about 980 feet above sea level. Its signal is an almost apple-shaped 30-mile wide circle. At its strongest level, the station reaches the eastern part of Merrimack County, up around to Franklin and down to Hooksett and North Manchester. WLNH, however, is on a tower in Laconia on a small mountain. So even though it is running at 700 watts, it has a nearly 50-mile wide circle and reaches the capital region, parts of Maine, up to Plymouth and the mountains, and around. As the signal slopes down, it can be heard in the southern part of the state, the Seacoast, and northern Massachusetts.

“We’re going to be able to take the show to a lot more people,” he said. “It’s just a great signal … (Binnie) can hear it at his home in Rye.”

In the Concord/Lakes Region commercial radio ratings market, #176 in the United States, stations are surveyed twice a year, in the spring and fall. The last ratings book – Fall 2014 – had both WJYY and WLNH tied for second place in the market, with a 4.3 share out of 238,300 potential listeners who are 12-year-old and older. The Wolf, 93.3 FM, WNHW held the top spot in that ratings book. The rest of the stations trailed far behind, with Binnie Media Group holding five of the six top radio slots in the previous book.

With the already solid ratings and the move for Nazzy and Mya, WLNH should be able to build on its position in the market. The company will also be making a big push to promote the show in other markets in the state and with that will come, Nazzy admitted, some adjustments to the show.

“There are always changes … but the proven winners and segments won’t change,” he said. “We’re also looking forward to branching out and trying new things.”

The pair will also be working with a slightly different musical format and program director.

Scott Laudani, the program director for WLNH, joined the company last year after working in Scranton, PA, Providence, RI, and Northampton, MA. WLNH’s musical selection is similar but a bit more adult contemporary.

“We’ll still be playing the hits but we’ll be much more selective,” he said. “You might hear Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars but then, Dave Matthews or Jimmy Buffett and then Meghan Trainor … We’re not bound by the charts; we’re bound by hit music and variety.”

Program Director AJ Dukette will remain at WJYY where he also DJs an afternoon show. At post time, it is unknown what new programming will replace Nazzy and Mya in the morning.

The change next week will be a little bittersweet, especially for Nazzy, who has been with JYY since 2002 when he started as a weekend jock. At the same time, he’s thrilled about the move.

“The whole thing is just positive … still working for the same company, still in the same building,” Nazzy said. “I’m super, super excited about it. Not too many people get this opportunity that I have.”

Disclaimer: I host a weekly radio segment with Nazzy and Mya, The Patch Report, on Thursday mornings around 8 a.m. The segment will be moving with Nazzy and Mya to WLNH.