What Happened to the Weatherman on Channel 7
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On October 30, the wife of a popular TV meteorologist in the New York metropolitan area signed off on a deal that gave her newly formed entity control of a Class A FM serving Suffolk County, N.Y.'s eastern end, including the famed Hamptons. On Dec. 17, a consummation notice filed by the FCC was granted, allowing the deal to close.
Today, this weather man is no longer delivering live reports from West 67th Street and Columbus Avenue starting at 4:30am each weekday. Instead, he is settling into the Program Director chair at a radio station facing Upper Sag Harbor Cove in a placid corner of Long Island.
For the purchase price of $3.9 million,Bark Out Loud Dogs (BOLD) Media —a newly formed entity wholly led by New York-based physical therapistSandra Foschi —acquiredWLNG-FM 92.1in Sag Harbor from Main Street Broadcasting Company.
Main Street principalRobert Kingpassed away eight years ago this December. As such, the trust needed a buyer.
The bulk of the funds tied to Foschi's purchase of WLNG is for the waterfront real estate housing its offices and studios. Some $3.2 million is attributed to property at Redwood Road in Sag Harbor, while $125,000 is attributed to 1017 Millstone Road in Sag Harbor, where WLNG's broadcast tower sits.
Thus, $575,000 is the price Foschi is paying for the broadcast license of WLNG and all radio station assets.
New York-based media brokerJohn W. Saunderswas the exclusive broker for this transaction.
Foschi just happens to be the wife ofBill Evans, the popular Senior Meteorologist at WABC-7 in New York who could be seen weekday mornings alongside another radio veteran, anchor Ken Rosato.
Evans began his broadcasting career at the age of 13 in his hometown of Meridian, Miss., as an air personality on WDAL-FM (now WJDQ), and there had been speculation that Evans would be taking a role at his wife's newly acquired asset.
That's indeed happened, with Evans departure from WABC-7.
On Tuesday (2/5), Evans took to Twitter to post a picture of him in front of the mic in the WLNG studio alongside several carts for use on-air at the Oldies station, which was playing "Reunited" by Peaches & Herb in the 2pm hour Friday.
"For the moment, I am pursuing a unique opportunity in broadcasting by returning to my roots in radio and operating the historic WLNG radio station in Sag Harbor on Long Island," Evans confirmed. "I want to thank my loyal viewers who, for decades, have depended upon me for weather forecasting and have always welcomed me into their communities — all of you made each day filled with sunshine, no matter the weather! I look forward to returning to television and being with all of you again in the near future."
Evans' exited from WABC-7's morning newscast is the second high-profile departure at America's No. 1-rated local station for local news in the pre-dawn hours. On Thursday, October 5, 2017Lori Stokesjoined veteran New York newscasterRosanna Scottofor a co-anchor position at WNYW-5'sGood Day New York, which airs from 7-10am.
Some 45 days earlier, Stokes gave a tearful on-air farewell to viewers at WABC-7, where she had been for 17 years.
This story originally appeared at RBR.com on February 8, 2019.
What Happened to the Weatherman on Channel 7
Source: https://www.rbr.com/a-popular-n-y-weather-man-shifts-to-radio/