Thank You for the Memories, WMEX

Today, September 30, 2026, marks the final day of broadcasting for WMEX.

As we sign off, we want to say something that can never be said enough: thank you.

Thank you to every listener who tuned in over the years—whether you listened every day, joined us on your drive to work, turned us up at home, discovered us online, or simply stopped on the dial and stayed awhile. You gave WMEX a reason to be on the air.

Radio has always been about more than transmitters, studios, music, and microphones. It is about the connection created between a station and the people listening on the other side. It is about being part of a community, sharing moments together, and creating memories through the music and voices coming out of the speakers.

To everyone who has been part of WMEX over the years—our listeners, personalities, staff, advertisers, partners, friends, and supporters—thank you for being part of our story.

There have been countless songs played, conversations shared, requests made, contests won, laughs had, and memories created. While the broadcast may end, those memories remain.

It has been our privilege to have a place on your radio dial and, more importantly, to have been welcomed into your homes, cars, workplaces, and lives.

So, as WMEX signs off for the final time, we do so with tremendous gratitude for everyone who came along for the ride.

Thank you for listening.
Thank you for supporting local radio.
Thank you for the memories.

From all of us at WMEX, it has truly been an honor.

For the final time, this is WMEX—signing off.

The Reality Behind the Final Sign-Off

We also believe our listeners deserve some understanding of how we arrived at this day.

When the company that ultimately took over the operation of WMEX became involved, the station was facing significant financial challenges. More than $230,000 was injected into the operation to address existing station debts and keep WMEX moving forward.

At the time, the station was generating less than approximately $3,000 per month in advertising revenue, while the actual cost of keeping WMEX operating was approaching $30,000 per month.

Those expenses were substantial. AM tower rent alone was approximately $8,500 per month. FM tower rent added another $1,400 per month, and electricity exceeded $3,000 per month. On top of that were payroll, music licensing and royalty expenses, insurance, engineering, programming, equipment, telecommunications, and the many other expenses involved in operating a broadcast radio station.

There was simply an enormous gap between the money coming into the station and the money required to keep it on the air.

Larry was doing his program remotely from his home in Florida, which meant much of the responsibility for generating local advertising revenue fell to the staff on the ground in Massachusetts. They faced the difficult task of trying to dramatically increase sales without having the level of advertising-sales experience necessary to overcome such a substantial revenue deficit.

When new ownership and management became involved, payroll became one of the largest expenses that had to be addressed. Difficult reductions were made as part of an effort to give the station a chance to survive.

The goal was not to shut WMEX down. The goal was to save it.

Unfortunately, as the station's internal and financial difficulties became increasingly public, additional challenges followed. Remaining advertisers began leaving the station, further reducing the revenue available to support an operation that already had significant monthly expenses.

Eventually, the numbers simply stopped working.

Listeners Were Coming Back

Perhaps the most difficult part of this story is that, from a programming and audience standpoint, there were encouraging signs.

What makes it especially difficult is that recent listener numbers showed the audience had grown to approximately three times what it had been during the previous couple of years.

People were listening.

The audience was growing.

There was still life in WMEX.

But one of the unfortunate realities of broadcasting is that listeners and revenue are not the same thing. A radio station can have a growing and loyal audience, but without enough advertising and other revenue to pay the substantial costs of operating it, audience growth alone cannot keep the transmitter running.

There were people who invested money, time, energy, and countless hours trying to prevent this day from coming. Ultimately, however, continuing to fund losses of this magnitude was no longer sustainable.