R.I.P. Stephen King's Radio Stations

Word came out earlier this week that Stephen King's Zone Radio Corporation will shut down all three of its radio stations in Bangor, Maine at the end of this month.  The best-selling author bought his first station in 1983 and changed the call letters to WZON after his science fiction thriller novel The Dead Zone.  King said that his decision to sell was prompted by his desire to get his business affairs in order.  Apparently the stations were never profitable and King personally made up for any monetary losses himself.  It's truly sad to see three locally owned, independent radio stations being shuttered forever.  If K-Love didn't already exist in Bangor, I'm sure they'd be swooping in to buy one or all of them.

100.3 FM WKIT is a Rock station that King bought in 1995.  The black and yellow, frequency-only sticker above has always bothered me because it's so generic (and why bother trademarking it?)  The top sticker featuring "Dougie Graves" is a perfect radio decal and as unique as the station's owner.

103.1 FM WZLO is an Adult Album Alternative station the King acquired in 2001. 

 

This plastic listener card is possibly from the late 1970s/early 1980s when it was a Top-40 station with call letters WLBZ.  Stephen King eventually bought them in 1983 and changed the call letters to WZON.  Various formats followed including Rock, Talk, Sports, Progressive Talk and currently Oldies.  They were even a non-commercial, listener-supported station for a time.  A sticker from their Sports format days can be seen here.  Another from their time as "The Pulse" can be seen here.